Bilateral TKR 15month update....finally normal

[Want2hike]

Monday will be my BTKR 6-month anKNEEversary!
Here is a quick recap of where I am in recovery, for those of you who are wondering what 6 months might be like....

Ways my knees are healed/normal:

• I hike 3-4x/wk, including a 5-10 mile hike on weekends. Knees have no problems on steep trails (my confidence is slowly catching up), and my pace is 2-3 mph, depending on terrain.
• I can use stairs and chairs (unless really low) without hands most the time.
• I can comfortably sit/drive for extended periods (>6 hours) in cars, planes, and at work.
• I can comfortably sleep in any position and no longer wake up while changing positions.
• Flexion is between 110-115 most days (was 85-95 for years pre surgery). I had full extension since day 1.
• Rarely take Tylenol or NSAIDS; only after several days of extreme use and not on a daily basis.

What still needs to improve....

• Outer sides of my knees are still numb (on left, about the size of my palm; on right, about the size of a quarter).
• Knees still get warm and I still get the tight band feeling, especially after a long hike, being on my feet all day, or sitting for extended periods.
• Kneeling on soft surfaces is possible (not painful) but isn't comfortable either.
• Left knee is noisy (clunks); right is silent.

At this point, I rarely think about my knees anymore in terms of pain, healing, or functionality. My biggest challenge is learning to trust my new knees. I still have mental hurdles/habits I have from adapting to years of bad knees. I have to remind myself that I don't need a hand railing on stairs or arms on chairs, that my knees won't buckle while walking down hills or on uneven surfaces, that I can bend my knees instead of swinging out my legs when going up over a curb, and most importantly, I no longer need to plan my day to minimize time on my feet.

 

[sistersinhim]

Isn't it wonderful to be back to almost normal? Do you have any problems going down a hill? I find I'm still afraid of those. I can go up a hill without any problems, but when I look down that hill I get really afraid. And going up and down stairs normally is a huge celebration. It had been about 25 years since I was able to do that! You are so blessed to have had that 0 extension from the git go! That is very unusual. It seems many of us have a hard time getting the extension to come in. You have an encouraging report for those coming up behind you. It does get so much better!

 

[Want2hike]

@sistersinhim All my problems going downhill are mental and not physical. There have been several hikes where the trail was scary steep coming down and I have had to come down backwards (facing the mountain). As I'm learning to trust the stability of my knees, I am also dealing with those fears and learning to bend my knees as I step down (I used to lock them to prevent buckling). I had also adapted to bad knees by taking a very small step with my "good leg", then bringing my bad leg to the same spot, then repeating the process (like 2 feet on each step). I am now working on keeping one foot in front of the other and lengthening my stride while going down hill. I make sure to use hiking poles on steep trails to give me stability as I develop new habits and build confidence.

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm right there with you as far as downhill being mental, not physical. I can go down the steps just fine, but when staring down a hill, I freeze. Before my replacement I always went down stairs and hills backwards. That way, if I fell, I'd fall up instead of down! After all those years of doing it the wrong way, we have to develop the mindset to do it the right way. We can, but have to have the confidence to do it! The hiking poles are a great idea! I always just used my cane, but poles should give me more confidence. Thank you for the information!

 

[Want2hike]

7 month update... minor changes since my 6 month update...

• Knees still "get stuck" when I try to bend them past 110-115, but no longer feel painful when I try.
• Have started hiking with my dog again, as I only need the poles on super steep descents.
• Can now confidently go up/down stairs without the handrail and use them instead of the elevator to go to meetings on other floors (carrying laptop and coffee).
• Numb patches are getting slightly less numb.

 

[sistersinhim]

What a great report! I know it feels great to be getting back to doing normal things again!

 

[mechellec]

Just read your whole thread and found it really inspirational! Wednesday will mark four weeks from my tkr and I sure can't wait to be doing the activities I enjoy without pain!


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[mwetzel394]

Great to hear

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[Lilli215]

So reassuring to read your post, it's only in the last two weeks that I've taken a leap in my recovery (15 weeks out), now walking outdoors without a cane, can take the dog short walks and can come down stairs normally albeit I still need to hold handrail (still working on going up tho) so really looking forward to the six month mark where hopefully I'll be doing more, only problem is left knee is getting done Feb 18 so until then will have slight problems but this time next year hopefully it will all be gehind me and I'll be back to my old self- hope your recovery continues to progress well.

 

[Want2hike]

8 month update....
There isn't much change from my 7 month update.

• I still feel a stiffness/tightness when I bend my knees (like I'm wearing a knee sleeve), especially if I haven't been moving for a while. It is less noticeable with movement, but never completely goes away.
• The numb patches are still there and haven't really changed over the past month.
• My flexion is still right around 110-115 in both knees - slightly better in the left.

A few improvements:

• I continue to build strength, speed, stamina, and balance through hiking and hike more with my dog and friends now than I had been able to in several years.
• Getting up from chairs and most other movements are now natural for me and I don't have to think about it any more.
• I have been trying to lose weight (lost 50 lbs before my surgery and still have 50 more to lose); I have only lost a couple of pounds since my surgery, but am getting much more toned and fit. I tried on a pair of pants last month and couldn't get them higher than mid-thigh. Yesterday tried them on again and they fit, even though the scale hasn't changed.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Sounds very good.

My flexion is still right around 110-115 in both knees - slightly better in the left.

Stretching exercises would improve this, if you want to.

I continue to build strength, speed, stamina, and balance through hiking and hike more with my dog and friends now than I had been able to in several years.

Be careful not to overdo things.

 

[sistersinhim]

It's great to hear that you are able to do the things that you love to do.

 

[Want2hike]

@Roy Gardiner I do stretching exercises but have seen no gains in flexion in the past couple of months. This might just be as good as it gets (my knees bend more now than they have most of my life).

 

[sistersinhim]

my knees bend more now than they have most of my life.

This sounds like a huge success story! It's wonderful to have achieved that already and you're not even fully healed yet!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

@Roy Gardiner I do stretching exercises but have seen no gains in flexion in the past couple of months. This might just be as good as it gets (my knees bend more now than they have most of my life).

To me the implication of that is that your soft tissues have 100% adapted to the restricted range, so that stretching them to full range would be a long, slow process. But unless you actually have adhesions in joint then perfectly achievable. Stretches are gentle to the point of discomfort, not pain, and need to be done every day, several times. But I expect you know that.

See also https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/rom-and-extension-stretches.13159/

 

[lene']

@wanttohike, sounds like you are doing well, you are two week behind me, and I congratulate you on your acheivements, it is great to be relatively "normal" again...

Good Job!

 

[Want2hike]

Overall, I am happy that I had this surgery, and especially glad to have done both at once. I had a relatively easy and quick recovery and I can say that my knees are probably the best they have ever been in my life.

I just want more. Instead of having "not as bad" I want good flexion. So....I do my stretching exercises to try to increase the bend and TRY to be patient (not my forte). If I don't get there, it is still a win.

 

[sistersinhim]

TRY to be patient (not my forte)

I don't think I've read on here of a single person that had patience! But, we all know that time is the best recovery! You are still in the healing stage and the best is yet to come. Just sit back and enjoy it!

 

[Want2hike]

9 month update:
Only slight changes from my 8 month update.

• The tight band feeling, especially when first moving after sitting a long time, is still present but is less tight feeling.
• The numb patch on the outside of my right knee seems to be less numb; no noticeable change on left knee.
• I continue to rebuild strength and stamina through daily activities and hiking.
• I continue to try to increase flexion through gentle stretching exercises, but have not noticed any change in months.
• I can do everything that I could do presurgery, and a few things better, and ALL without pain.

I previously estimated my flexion to be around 110-115, but after seeing Josephine's measurements of another member's bend, I think mine might actually be lower than that. @Josephine would you be kind enough to look at my pictures and estimate my flexion for me?

 

[Josephine]

The numb patch on the outside of my right knee seems to be less numb; no noticeable change on left knee.

Mine took about 2 years to fade away as you can see in this article Numb area after TKR: how long will it last?

I continue to try to increase flexion through gentle stretching exercises, but have not noticed any change in months.

That also can take a year or more. What is it now?

I can do everything that I could do presurgery, and a few things better, and ALL without pain.

Now THAT is something to crow about!

As for your ROM I make it - Right 74 degrees - Left 70 degrees