Smilechild
new member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2022
- Messages
- 7
- Age
- 69
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
Hi all. I had my TKR on Jan 3, 2022. I had ACL reconstruction about 25 years ago and a meniscus clean-out 3 years ago. The main reason I scheduled my replacement this year is to be able to focus on celebrating my daughter at her wedding in November - not my knee pain. I had expectations of a quick recovery as I'm not overweight, rode my bike almost every day, and did other quad strengthening exercises pre-surgery. I have a cementless knee which was not discussed pre-surgery.
The surgery went fine. Swelling went down pretty quickly. (At least I gathered that from early appointments.) I have full range of motion and actually achieved flexion pretty quickly compared to many and maybe by 3 months I had my extension in a good place. I have been doing aquatic PT for a couple of months now following traditional pt prior to that. I still have swelling in the bursas - most predominant is pain and tenderness in the "Goose Foot" (Pes Anserine), but also behind the knee and lately pain below the knee cap. I was given a cortisone shot in that bursa at maybe 3 or 4 months which really gave me little to no relief that I recall. I hear loud and clear on this forum that icing, elevation and rest are the big three to recovery, and I agree. I'm just not consistent with it unless I find a good book to read. I'm a bit ADHD, so I am not one to stay in one place that long.
Stairs in particular are still definitely pain producing and difficult due to stiffness. After the failed relief from the cortisone shot is when I began working exclusively with the current PT who identified the main source of pain, began taping the area and got me in the pool. The tape is on the bursa in a starburst pattern. When it was first done, I got amazing relief. My knee even cooled off (it's still usually fairly warm to the touch- but that's been improving over the past week) which thrilled me. Progress! But you can't stay taped up as it will weaken the skin, and it of course didn't actually give me a pain-free knee. But it did enable me to be more mobile. My daily home exercise is hamstring stretching, quad sets, and raised leg, all with a flexed foot. And I've been going to PT 3x a week since the beginning. I also ride a 3-speed cruiser bike for 30-50 minutes - to get my heart pumping! Walking for exercise is more painful, so even taking the short steps and rolling the foot that are recommended.
So my question to this forum is what questions might I need to ask the surgeon or his PA when I see him in a couple of days? I don't think cortisone shots have ever been that effective for me, but have a suspicion he'll suggest that again. Oh, I don't take pain relievers much at all as they ramp up my already loud tinnitus. I've used CBD cream which gives some very temporary relief. Alright. That's about it. I'm going to ice and elevate now.
The surgery went fine. Swelling went down pretty quickly. (At least I gathered that from early appointments.) I have full range of motion and actually achieved flexion pretty quickly compared to many and maybe by 3 months I had my extension in a good place. I have been doing aquatic PT for a couple of months now following traditional pt prior to that. I still have swelling in the bursas - most predominant is pain and tenderness in the "Goose Foot" (Pes Anserine), but also behind the knee and lately pain below the knee cap. I was given a cortisone shot in that bursa at maybe 3 or 4 months which really gave me little to no relief that I recall. I hear loud and clear on this forum that icing, elevation and rest are the big three to recovery, and I agree. I'm just not consistent with it unless I find a good book to read. I'm a bit ADHD, so I am not one to stay in one place that long.
Stairs in particular are still definitely pain producing and difficult due to stiffness. After the failed relief from the cortisone shot is when I began working exclusively with the current PT who identified the main source of pain, began taping the area and got me in the pool. The tape is on the bursa in a starburst pattern. When it was first done, I got amazing relief. My knee even cooled off (it's still usually fairly warm to the touch- but that's been improving over the past week) which thrilled me. Progress! But you can't stay taped up as it will weaken the skin, and it of course didn't actually give me a pain-free knee. But it did enable me to be more mobile. My daily home exercise is hamstring stretching, quad sets, and raised leg, all with a flexed foot. And I've been going to PT 3x a week since the beginning. I also ride a 3-speed cruiser bike for 30-50 minutes - to get my heart pumping! Walking for exercise is more painful, so even taking the short steps and rolling the foot that are recommended.
So my question to this forum is what questions might I need to ask the surgeon or his PA when I see him in a couple of days? I don't think cortisone shots have ever been that effective for me, but have a suspicion he'll suggest that again. Oh, I don't take pain relievers much at all as they ramp up my already loud tinnitus. I've used CBD cream which gives some very temporary relief. Alright. That's about it. I'm going to ice and elevate now.