TKR 5 Weeks Post TKR

[Layla]

Hello and Happy Friday!
With some luck by 4.5 months post op, around the time you leave for Italy, you'll have significantly reduced pain, much improved mobility and the ability to handle activities of daily living with ease. Not certain if you'll be walking long distances in Italy, or stair climbing, but hopefully your balance and endurance will have increased. You may still have some swelling and stiffness after long days and it won't be too late to ice / elevate when needed. Make sure to have a comfortable and supportive pair of shoes for when you're out and about walking.
Guessing you're looking forward to your trip and I wish you continued progress as you're awaiting your departure.
Stay in touch with updates and have a great weekend!
@ExRunner1973

 

[ExRunner1973]

I can’t tell you how I consider myself fortunate to have found this website . Despite being retired from medicine I’ve learned so much more about TKR with realistic goals and outcomes. I’m not giving up my membership as it’s great to be able to communicate with others having gone through the same.
Tuscany is home for me going back yearly to the house in the mountains in a tiny village with lots of stone stairs that my grandfather built in the Lucca area in the early 1900’s. But…it’s been updated with American comforts inside and our happy relaxing place. My cousin whose TKR is a week ahead of me and on this site too has a home in the same village. I’m hoping this year I can walk up to my cousins easily compared to last year which was impossible!

 

[Layla]

Hello and Happy Saturday!
We're happy you found us, ExRunner! Thanks for your kind sentiment in regard to BoneSmart and for sharing your journey with all. We appreciate your financial support as an Insider. The encouragement you've offered others does not go unnoticed.

Tuscany looks so beautiful from photos and videos I've watched. A BoneSmart member shared a YouTube channel with me while she was active on the forum and the content is weekly updates from couple that lives in Positano, but bought a second home they're renovating in Tuscany. They put out a weekly video and I've enjoyed watching these videos for a couple of years now and have learned a lot about both places. It's been interesting! Sorry, I digress.

I hope you have a wonderful and peaceful time upon your return to Tuscany. You'll have to update us and let us know how you're doing and whether the steps are a challenge. Hopefully you'll handle them with ease.
A lovely weekend to you, ExRunner!
@ExRunner1973

 

[benne68]

Tuscany is home for me going back yearly to the house in the mountains in a tiny village with lots of stone stairs that my grandfather built in the Lucca area in the early 1900’s.

This sounds just lovely! I'm so envious -- all of my grandparents are from Italy and I love visiting the villages where they lived.

Lucca will be a great place for your continued recovery.

 

[Jamie]

I can’t tell you how I consider myself fortunate to have found this website . Despite being retired from medicine I’ve learned so much more about TKR with realistic goals and outcomes. I’m not giving up my membership as it’s great to be able to communicate with others having gone through the same.
Tuscany is home for me going back yearly to the house in the mountains in a tiny village with lots of stone stairs that my grandfather built in the Lucca area in the early 1900’s. But…it’s been updated with American comforts inside and our happy relaxing place. My cousin whose TKR is a week ahead of me and on this site too has a home in the same village. I’m hoping this year I can walk up to my cousins easily compared to last year which was impossible!

Your lovely comments are so appreciated. And the story of your family is heartwarming! Tuscany sounds heavenly and if you can, we’d adore a few photos so we can really ohhhhh and ahhhhh over your time there. You on some of those steps would be a beautiful sight! It must be a treat to visit someplace with meaning like this and also a cousin right up the way. Maybe both of you can get in the picture!

 

[TKRsharon]

I can’t tell you how I consider myself fortunate to have found this website . Despite being retired from medicine I’ve learned so much more about TKR with realistic goals and outcomes. I’m not giving up my membership as it’s great to be able to communicate with others having gone through the same.
Tuscany is home for me going back yearly to the house in the mountains in a tiny village with lots of stone stairs that my grandfather built in the Lucca area in the early 1900’s. But…it’s been updated with American comforts inside and our happy relaxing place. My cousin whose TKR is a week ahead of me and on this site too has a home in the same village. I’m hoping this year I can walk up to my cousins easily compared to last year which was impossible!

I am glad your recovery is going smoothly and you have such a lovely trip to look forward to. PLease keep us updated on the knee as well as the trip. Enjoy!

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!
I hope you're doing well. I'll bet your travels to Italy are a great motivation and you're getting more excited as the weeks click on by. Your knee probably won't be totally normal by then, but all progress counts!
Stay in touch and have a wonderful week!
@ExRunner1973

 

[ExRunner1973]

Hello!!! Doing ok although my knee is far from normal! On Easter Sunday I wore wedge platform sandals that were very comfortable plus looked great but yesterday and today I paid the penalty with knee swelling and knee cap pain . I believe the slight ankle of the shoe somehow stressed the knee as normally I’m in sneakers or walking in padded sandals.
I’m starting to get ready for Italy and will stay in touch from over there.
I really consider myself lucky to have found this wonderful site with caring and informative people !!

 

[Jamie]

It’s good to know the result of wearing those really cute sandals so soon. Sometimes we just have to push the envelope a little and test. No harm done. A little TLC and you’ll be fine again. Any type of heel is going to put stress on your new knee for a while, so just be aware this may happen and go slowly back to normal.

Things can be a lot lower key in Italy and it just may be the perfect place to recover. Can’t wait to hear about your trip.

 

[Layla]

We're happy you found us and thank you for sharing your recovery journey here!

I am sorry you're hurting, ExRunner. Going back to your supportive comfy sneakers should help along with some rest and icing if needed. I'm sure the sandals threw off your gait, putting pressure on your knee that led to pain and swelling. I hope the pain eases soon. Happy Wednesday!
@ExRunner1973

 

[ExRunner1973]

I’ m now 14 weeks and a day post TKR and still going to PT. It’s like PT is my security blanket!
My knee cap area still feels like I have a “duck tape” feeling on it thus restricting normal movement . I can walk pretty much ok stand for a really long period of time ( 6hrs) before my knee swells a little and aches. Today my PT told me I walk like I have a stiff leg and that my kneecap doesn’t move much probably due to some scar tissue or adhesions.
I see my OS next Friday so I’ll know if all this is normal?
I’ll also have him check the difference in leg length ! New knee leg is longer by almost an inch now causing hip pain I never had before!
My PT was talking about doing some cupping suction thing on the knee to break up adhesions . Has anyone heard of this?
I don’t know if it’s because I’m an ex RN that is making me super protective of this knee and the artificial device in me.
I just want to not feel this knee like I don’t feel the other one and go back to normal!!

 

[Layla]

Hi ExRunner,
You may be expecting too much too soon. You're only 3.5 months into a year long recovery. The duct tape sensation is pretty common. It can be from the formation of scar tissue, healing nerves and skin causing tightness, pulling, or a tape like feeling. Quads and IT Band that are healing can create a tension or restriction when you move. Swelling also creates the tight restrictive feeling. You can discuss this all with your OS next Friday and hopefully be reassured that all is normal and you're on track. Thanks for stopping by with an update!
I hope you have a nice weekend. Let us know how your post op goes.
@ExRunner1973

 

[Jamie]

If you’re walking with a “stiff leg” you are not practicing a normal gait. This can happen sometimes after surgery as patients can have some hesitation to put full weight on their new joint and walk normally. If you’re going to PT still, that’s good. Ask your therapist for a gait analysis and to help you with proper gait. The therapist also could do some massaging on your kneecap to help it move in a more normal way. I’m a bit surprised the therapist would note these things and not talk to you about how to help resolve them.

The leg length is a different matter if it is actually a length discrepancy. That’s not normally a problem after a knee replacement, so do discuss this with your surgeon. An X-ray will show whether there is any tilt going on with your hips. This can occur when you have a bad joint and it does resolve itself eventually with normal exercise and activity. Your gait will be important in this scenario as well.

 

[Jockette]

My knee cap area still feels like I have a “duck tape” feeling on it thus restricting normal movement .

Here’s an article from the Bonesmart Library:

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/tight-band-feeling-across-the-front-of-my-knee.11734/

 

[ExRunner1973]

The leg length is a different matter if it is actually a length discrepancy. That’s not normally a problem after a knee replacement, so do discuss this with your surgeon. An X-ray will show whether there is any tilt going on with your hips. This can occur when you have a bad joint and it does resolve itself eventually with normal exercise and activity. Your gait will be important in this scenario as well.

When I look in the mirror my right hip is definitely higher than the left . Same with a pant leg the left is longer . I have scoliosis so perhaps this TKR has made it worse as leg is now straight and not knock kneed like before. I’ll know in a week for sure .

 

[Jamie]

I have scoliosis as well and this has been a problem for me after my hip replacement. It’s more common with hips than knees. It can take quite a few months for your body to realign to its new normal position, so you should give yourself more time to adjust. We normally don’t recommend using lifts to help balance yourself out. But if the tilt is great enough to cause pain when walking, then it would be better to try a small lift for a while to allow the slow adjustment to take place. Just remove whatever lift you have eventually so your hips have every opportunity to normalize. If you use more than a 1/4 inch lift, step down gradually by 1/4 inches until you have no lift.

 

[ExRunner1973]

I saw my OS on Friday . He will see me again in 6 months.
My hips show no arthritis on xray which is great but he told me it’s ileo gluteal tendinitis the pain I’ve been experiencing on the hip. He said to strengthen my glute muscles with exercise and to ask my PT for set exercises to do when I’m gone. My knee bends at 130 * for which I’m happy but my hip is still higher on TKR side because of scoliosis .
He also explained the band stiff feeling in my knee cap will resolve in a years time when all swelling is gone. I will say I’ve done no PT this week and my knee is not as swollen and the hip pain seems to be resolving .
I have PT on Wed and not sure if I’ll let him touch my knee !
I was pretty happy after hearing all the good stuff !!

 

[benne68]

Great update, @ExRunner1973. Your flexion is wonderful for less than 4 months post-op. About that tight band feeling -- I had it with both TKRs and it did resolve with time.

I’ve done no PT this week and my knee is not as swollen and the hip pain seems to be resolving .
I have PT on Wed and not sure if I’ll let him touch my knee !

Listen to your body-- it's telling you that skipping PT was the right thing to do.

 

[Jamie]

Glad your surgeon was able to explain exactly what is going on. It always helps to understand the "why" behind pain. And helpful that he offered suggestions for your therapist. This is all good.

 

[EalingGran]

He also explained the band stiff feeling in my knee cap will resolve in a years time when all swelling is gone

The "tight band" feeling is an incredibly common experience after knee replacement. The knee is a small joint and any fluid/ swelling makes it unpleasantly tight.
It can last for many months.
I found it disappeared gradually. It would be gone in the morning after rest and elevating but then return as the day wore on. Eventually it only came after a particularly busy day and finally disappeared completely around the year mark.