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TKR 2 weeks out

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That is great news! Keep it up. Sounds a whole lot better than my fall down the stairs that made mine take on some quick bend. Hey Jamie, would you like the picture of the bruise I had? :hysterical:
 
You're not the only HR or TKR person I've talked to that did their own manipulation, of sorts, via an accidental slip or fall. Did yours actually improve your ROM? Or did you injure your knee(s)? (Hope not.) Proir to my MUA last week I was kinda actually hoping that I would slip on something and break loose my scar tissue to avoid a MUA. Having gone thru a MUA, it ain't that bad. Sure there was and continues to be some pain and tenderness in my knee as well as my quad, but it's nothing compared to the discomfort I went thru in the first six weeks following my TKR surgery. Besides that, the improvement in my ROM and function of my left knee is why I began this journey to begin with. As I've stated B4, I hope that my ROM continues to improve and that the soreness and stiffness continues to fade away. That's also my prayer for each of you! :friends:JMB
 
Jo you are so funny. JMB I think I was lucky not to hurt myself. (just a big bruise on my lower back) My problem still seems to be that my muscles are weak that help to keep my patella on track. Also the straightening part of the leg is not to 0, but close. I just cannot let myself get too tired, yet keep working, taking care of my family, and exercising to build strength. :hysterical: Not too bad.... At least I don't have to do PT anymore along with the electrodes. They did help a lot, but it would take me about 2 or 3 days to overcome it. After about 4 months of PT I am SO glad to move on. I still have a ways to go to meet my personal goals. I will get there.
 
FRUSTRATED CHEESEHEAD!

Glad to hear that you didn't seriously hurt yourself. I'm in my 9th wk post LTKR. I originally took 4 wks off, then went back to work PT for 2 wks and have been back to work FT (minus 3 days for my MUA) for the past 3 wks.

While I was thrilled w/my initial improvement in my ROM following my MUA, I'm frustrated that my progress seems to have ground to a halt now that I'm back to work FT. I'm a desk jockey and while I try to elevate and Ice my left leg as much as possible it still gets stiff and sore everyday. When that happens my ROM goes down the toilet and my PT sessions after work this week have been frustrating, if not depressing!

Taking more time off isn't an option. Do you or anybody have any suggestions on how to best treat my knee to help the healing process while I'm at work? Is it simply a matter of time & patience or should I be doing or not doing something else to help the healing progress?

I'd really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. This emotional rollercoaster is getting old! :hairpulling: JMB
 
A lot of it is patience. The swelling is your knee telling you it's not ready for the level of activity you have assumed by going back to work full time. Your body only has so much energy to give and healing takes its share FIRST. My suggestion would be to discontinue PT or any other activity outside work for a while until the swelling is under control. At that point you could SLOWLY add in new activity.

Be sure you are not trying to also go back to your old level of errand running, socializing, and house chores. All of that counts as activity too. And your knee is going to reflect any attempts to do too much.

At work, do continue to ice and elevate if possible. At a minimum, you must get up and walk around for about 10 minutes out of every hour....or 2 5-minute breaks.
 
I could have written that myself but didn't discover Bonesmart immediately. I will be 7 weeks out tomorrow and am so not satisfied with my progress. I could deal with the lack of energy if I could just improve my flexion. The best that I have been able to do is 90 degrees of ROM (with a lot of help from my PT) and I can't get there consistently. It's depressing.

Anyway, keep posting progress notes.
 
Yes,please post any info re: the device. I still can't pedal the bike at therapy and being able to do that would make my PT and me very happy!
 
Hi Mike,
So sorry to hear whats happening. If you need someone to talk to give me a call. This process can be soooo very frustrating. Things may be more difficult for you because of the past surgeries to your knee, but stay positive. I really think 12 weeks is the magic number.
Lynn
 
I agree with Jamie---PATIENCE is the key. I went back to the classroom at eight weeks---which was too early and it really slowed down my progress.

I made every effort to ice and to elevate at school, but it really was tough. You have to understand that by going back to work when you did, you are going to slow your progress down; you will have to live ith the frustration---trust me---I know how you feel. It is frustrating and you will need every ounce of patience that you can muster.

On thing that I made sure to do was to limit what I did on weekends---at least one day on the weekend I did absolutely nothing. At night on workday weeknights, I did as little as possible.

It is quite the emotional and physical roller coaster, but you will see progress; the problem is, like I did find out too, that by going back to work early the progress is slower.
 
Thank you Jamie & Tim for your sage advise. It is so helpful to have BS'ers like you to remind us newbies to step back, take a deep breath & remember to be patient; every time we get frustrated and get near wits end, with our lack of progress. You are correct that our bodies call the shots, not us, and when we overdo it. whether by choice or not, our knees are gonna react w/swelling, inflamation, stiffness, and soreness. I wish it weren't so, but it is.

I'll incorporate your suggestions at work and at home to help make the best of it. I see my OS tomorrow for a follow up to my MUA. I'll let you all know what he recommends. My guess is that it'll be much along the same lines as what you've suggested.

Thanx again for your encouragement and information. They mean a lot and help me keep my sanity during this long marathon we call "recovery from TKR." Sincerely JMB
 
Paige:

The information you're looking for re: pedal crank adjusters can be found on page #3 of this thread. Good luck finallhy "getting around" on the stationary bike. JMB
 
Tim and Jamie are so right. I am still in this area myself. Things are improving, some days are much slower than others. I did find somewhere after 3 months something change for the positive. The swelling and heat went down immensely. Sometimes I don't get to ride my cycle like I should and I think that is not good for me. Then there are some days I just come home, ice, elevate and go to bed early. I am not into doing anything on the weekends yet. This takes a long time to heal. My right knee has been so different from the left one too. Hang in there!
 
mbitney ~

Sorry to hear that you're frustrated about not making better progress. I certainly know how you feel - as I feel the same thing at times. I was doing so well at PT for the first 4 weeks following surgery! I was amazing my therapist every time I was there, especially with my left knee, which was the better one of the two prior to surgery. However, within the last two weeks, I've been "stuck"! My left knee has stayed the same (118) and my right has only improved by 2 degrees (110). Try as I might, I just can't slide those feet back any further without gentle "assistance" from my therapist.

What is most frustrating is that my brain feels as if it should be able to will my knees to bend further. I "feel" it, but can't do it! :confused: Is that what you're experiencing as well?

As far as "what to do" - I would suggest trying to keep your evenings and weekends as free as possible so you can rest, ice and elevate. (Have you heard that somewhere before?) I understand not working not being an option, as it's the same with me. So...the best way to cope with working all day, is to rest when you're not at work. Recharge your physical and emotional battery so you have power for the next day! :thumb:

I hope things get better for you!
 
Saw my OS today for my first follow-up visit since my MUA last week. Also had another PT session this morning which went lousy. My doc said that I can still do some gentle stretching and ride my stationary bike (on my own) but to stop PT for awhile. He said, "its time for some benign neglect." He also prescribed some meds to help reduce the inflamation in my left knee. He said believes that my knee just needs some quiet time to heal. Said that he understood my disappointment and frustration but to be patient and stay positive about an eventual successful outcome.

So that's what I'm gonna try to do. Hope the next nine weeks goes better than the first nine did. JMB
 
Sounds like your OS gave you some real good advice, although I can sure understand how difficult it must be to be patient especially since this is your second nine weeks. Hang in there!
 
There was one thing that made the difference for both of my knees. I got to point where little progress was being made. That is when the PT decided to use the electrodes. I think you really need to have one who knows how to use these right. My PT put them in the right places, knowing the muscles, etc, and GENTLY would turn up the charge till it was working right. She had another way she would cause it to flucuate higher to lower and tell me when to do the specific exercise for that part of the knee. It really did help greatly. It did not hurt, it did feel different or a little funny. I can see if the PT was not gentle but aggressive with this that it would not be pleasant. One time one of the lesser assistants did it on me, and she was lousy, I called for the PT to come over. Then she redid the whole thing. It is said to stimulate the nerves and muscles. I think the nerves are growing at 3 MILLIMETERS (wow so small) in about 6 weeks. I can say at 6 months on the first knee it became amazingly different and much progress was made. I can also say with the first knee I was making some type of progress in months 6 to 12. I keep telling myself this with the right knee done on June 2nd, and encourage myself to have patience. I still feel better than before the surgery. I know when I am TOO tired, like tonight....:th_heehee: that it is easy to get discouraged, or to think "no more progress." But remember things will get better in time. There is hope for this. Hang in there. What else can one do? But then act like there is a choice and it will make a difference. Why? Because there is a choice, do hang in there!
 
3mm a month is fast! A nerve can take the better part of a year to heal completely.

As for your fatigue, take a look at this new graphic I've just created Energy drain for TKRs
 
I forgot to mention that one of the things my OS prescribed for me was a "10's unit." He said it's some kind of nerve stimulation device that's used for chronic pain?

Anyone know more about what a ten's unit is or what it does?:scratch:

What's it look like? How do you use it?

Anyone got a picture of a tens unit?

Thanx JMB
 
A tens machine is something frequently used for pain. Take a look at this thread from the Library.
 
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