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TKR 2 New Knees and a Little Tweak

That's great you're feeling well and I hope you continue to have a swift recovery.
 
Day 4 and my knee continues to improve every day. My gait is normal, thanks in part because my extension is still as good as it was pre-op. My doctor has me measuring my flexion using a yardstick and this morning it was around 118 which is also where I was pre-op. The therapist in his office feels I will probably gain even more since the bone he removed behind my kneecap may have been hindering the flexion. I'm so relieved I have an excellent surgeon who spent the time to determine why my knee wasn't where it should be after a year and had the skill and knowledge to fix it. I know after reading other's post on this site that isn't always the case.
 
Had a post-op checkup with my surgeon's therapist today and I'm so far ahead of schedule she pitched the sheet of exercises she usually gives for week 2 in the garbage after she saw me walk normally back to the exam room. My flexion and extension measured what they were pre-op(113 and -2), and she feels my flexion will improve significantly once the swelling I have goes down. Both her and my surgeon feel that piece of bone that had grown and wrapped around the implant were impeding my flexion somewhat although it was still decent. The real test came when she asked if I had tried stairs yet. I don't have stairs I have to do in my house, and that's the one thing that was really causing me pain, in fact it's the reason I kept insisting there was something wrong with my TKR the past couple of months. I had gone from being able to do them one foot at a time around 6 months to having to do them two footed and feeling like I had a knife stabbing me in the kneecap with each step before surgery. Well somewhat hesitantly, I tried them and guess what? I was able to go up and down, one foot at a time with NO pain whatsoever and did it twice! I was so excited I almost cried! My surgeon told me I would notice a difference right away, but I had no idea it would be that dramatic after only 5 days. I'm so thankful to have an excellent surgeon who took the time to listen to me and determine what was wrong(and didn't just assume I was a whiner) and had the skill and knowledge to fix it easily. Now counting down the days until these staples come out!
 
:wowspring:That's really great news! I'm happy you're doing so well. An OS like that is definitely a keeper. All that and you still have staples.
 
Your journey is inspiring. What wonderful results! Thanks for sharing.


RTKR January 6 2016
LTKR March 23 2016

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Thanks @newlybionic and @Creek lady - if I hadn't had such trust in my OS I'm not sure if I would have had the guts to go through with the surgery. I couldn't find anyone else who had been through the same experience, there isn't much documented research on that particular problem and even my surgeon admitted he had only had 2 other patients with the same issue. Even his therapist who has worked in his office for 20 years had never treated a patient with that same surgery. So I was a little nervous going into it, but since I got such good relief from the 2 weeks of double dose prednisone I felt it was worth trying. I'm so relieved things worked out so well. Thanks for everyone's support.
 
Today's the 1 year anniversary on my right knee and it's been one week since my "enchancement" on that same knee. The implant is doing great and the improvement my surgeon did last week is healing faster than I expected. I went to the grocery this morning(since I still have my staples I had hubby drive although I think I probably could have) and walked the whole way without any pain or problems. Then we came home, put the groceries away, packed a picnic lunch since we are watching our 2 grandsons today and took them to the local splash park. It was nice to get out, and I did take my cryo-cuff with me and propped my leg up and iced while the kids played so I'm feeling okay right now. I guess I'll see if I overdid it tonight. I'm so looking forward to getting the staples out next week and resuming my life pain free!
 
Your story is so inspiring! Congrats on the tweak being just what was needed.


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So I saw my OS and the therapist on Thursday for my 2 week checkup. Got the staples out - what a relief! They took x-rays and showed me the difference between before surgery and what the kneecap looks like now. Wow- that piece of bone that had grown on the lateral side was really wicked! No wonder my knee was still hurting. The best part, the therapist measured my flexion and I was able to get to 125! I gained 10 degrees in only a week! The doctor gave me the okay to try the bike and leg press and I was able to do 40 pounds on the leg press machine and ride the bike with no problems or pain. So he said I'm released to start back at the gym. I don't have to go back for 6 weeks at which time he said he'll probably discharge me for good. The years of the knees will finally be over! So thankful this is almost over and I'm finally pain free! Life is good!
 
I'm so happy for you. It is nice to no longer feel that pain anymore. I experienced the same thing within a week post op of my revision. Life is indeed good.
 
Oh, what good news! Enjoy your new life of pain free knees!
 
Pain free and loving life! Congrats


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
Gigi32,
Pleased to read you are doing so much better after your surgery. Wishing you continued success!
 
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