TKR 6 months post op

[bottomshollow]

FYI: It is not necessary to use the "Quote This Message" to reply to a post. This feature should be used only when there is a post or several posts on another topic between your post and the post you want to respond to. To reply to a post, just scroll down and put your cursor in the dialogue box and start typing.

Use the "Quote This Message" to reply to a post only when there is a post or several posts on another topic between your post and the post you want to respond to and you need the entire post to be quoted.

You can quote a sentence or a section of a post by simply highlighting it and clicking on the "Quote Me" oblong that appears in gray at the end of the highlighted selection. This is frequently a better choice than quoting a whole post. You can use this feature in several different post by a member if you want to respond to things in multiple posts. When you go to the dialogue box you will see "Get Quotes " and in parenthesis the number of quotes. Click on that when you want a quote inserted into your post.

 

[mainegirl1]

I didn't book a massage therapist.. My wallet too is thin.. I gave up PT cause my wallet was thinner than their appetite for its contents. They did massage and my husband watched. Not hard to learn.. so he applied what he learned from my PT!

 

[Celle]

Does anyone suggest massage therapy for my pain issues behind my knee???.

Not yet. Sometimes massage is a bit too hard for one particular spot. When you had your surgery, all the tissues at the back of your knee were affected as well. They're still healing, so you don't want to do anything that might upset them further.

Try icing the back of your knee as often as you can - and do make sure to put some material between the icing medium and your skin, so you protect your skin.

Dont understand what is meant by quotes.

A quote is when something that someone else said appears in the message - examples are the two different quotes/quotations I have inserted into this message. They appear in Italic font in the message, so you can see that you said them, and they aren't part of what I say.

Did you read the article I left you about How to use the quote feature ?
In case you hadn't realised, when we leave something in blue font, it's a link to take you to what we're talking about.

 

[Josephine]

And here's our article about using the quote tool How to use the quote feature

 

[Celle]

Josephine's just given you the article about quoting, too - you have it three times now! I do hope it helps!

 

[Schnautzer]

Thanks for info re massage. Have half hour appt tomorrow that I cant cancel so will have her go easy and maybe tell me what the issue is. It feels like tendons.
Will keep you posted.
Did easy hydro therapy today. Feel pretty good
Still confused re quotes but probsbly dont do them ❤

 

[Indygo]

I’m interested in knowing what you do in hydrotherapy and if it helps! Is it like water aerobics or gentle walking or are there prescribed exercises as there are in PT? Just curious!

 

[Schnautzer]

I ice top and bottom of my knee 3-4 times a day. How on earth do I rest the back of my knee. I csnt just stay off my feet all day. My mobility is important too but it sounds like all movement aggrevates the back of my knee. So frustrated as to WHAT to do. I do stretches for hamstring which do not hurt at all. Only bending hurts back of knee. YIKES. How long will this issue last. No pain unless bending

 

[Schnautzer]

Hope you get this indygo. The hydro therapy at my YMCA is great. The Instructors know all about knee and hip recovery. She leads with walking ,slight bending etc. You can follow or do your own thing. I do the same stuff I did AT PHYSIO but am being really careful as this is new to me. After the hot tub I feel great and so far have no residual pain.
Have only done this 3 times but will go 4 timea a week.Who knows but I feel great doing it.
Hope you get this as I am not very techie.
Will see massage therapist tomorrow.
My life is my knee. But will not let it be in charge!!!!!!

 

[Schnautzer]

I meant that I WILL let it be in charge. Sorry about that mistake.
Will see what massage therapist has to say. Am willing to try all options that require no big pain.
Wish I was better at this forum. I love all the advice and info❤❤❤

 

[Jockette]

You are posting fine now! See, we knew you could do it.

 

[marieltha]

All the soft tissue in the knee has been traumatized, I was told, so go very slow, be patient, and do not overdo. Tendons and ligaments in particular take months to recover from traums, I have been told. Also, from my experience as a water-lover, it is very, very easy to overdo in water because it feels so easy. I must do stretches right as I get in, and right as I get out.

Definitions of “overdo” vary. When I last saw my OS, for a followup on my March left PKR, my May shoulder RCR, and my June right knee medial ligament sprain, we discussed definitions. Very helpful. He suggested I stop counting steps. He thought I was doing around 800 a day in perhaps four sessions? I was doing about four times that in four sessions. Plus all the walking just in daily living.

Instead, while the ligament is still aching, he suggested I should walk for 5 minutes once a day (!) and increase by a half a minute a week! He did say I could do a bit more if I walked in the pool (cannot do other yet because of the shoulder) and could carefully practice stairs in the pool, but I must listen to the sprained ligament.

I was shocked by what seemed to me to be such a small amount of walking, but I have done that for the couple of weeks since and am very pleased that the ligament sprain finally feels like it is healing. Keep in mind that just during the course of living, I still end up walking about 2000 steps a day. But I think I was walking about 5000+ before! And I thought I was taking it easy after the shoulder surgery.

 

[Schnautzer]

Quick question. I now can go backwards on bike and forwards but on a notch higher than my biking before tkr. Do you do 10- 15 mins at one go (i cannot do that yet I know) 0r 5 mins two or three times a day which is feasable for me. Still uncomfortable pedaling but duable.
Is that enough bending for the day??

 

[Celle]

5 minutes a a time will do for now.
ANd that's enough bending exercise for the day. Don't forget that every time you walk, you're bending your knee - or you should be.

 

[kneeper]

Aching in the back of the knee was the last to go for me. But it gradually got better. I didn't do anything special; just continued to pace myself and ice as needed.

 

[Schnautzer]

Thanks. I do try to walk properly when I walk. It doe not feel like much of a bend. Had very mild massage on back of knee. Tendons are tight Im told but not too bad. Will go again in 2 weeks. Will also do easy water hydro therapy and concentrate mainly on the 5 mins of pedaling 2-3 times when not going to HT. I feel fine after pedaling and have no swelling or hot knee. Hope thats enough for a good recovery but its taking soooo long

 

[Schnautzer]

I really dont have an ache in back of knee. Only pain when bending back. It is the last real bad issue I have. How long did it take for yours to go kneeper???? Thanks for comment. It seems a rare complaint.

 

[kneeper]

Sometimes with bending or sometimes not. I can't say exactly when it stopped but it gradually faded. I'd say it was there to some extent for at least 12 weeks.
Was it your PT who said your tendons are tight? I suspect it's just all part of the healing process. Between the manhandling during the surgery and the way our soft tissues get out of whack for all the time our knees were going bad, it takes a while to settle down.

 

[Schnautzer]

Very encouraging. I am thinking it is a bit better today for some reason Fingers crossed!!!!!

 

[Celle]

Only bending hurts back of knee. YIKES. How long will this issue last. No pain unless bending

Only pain when bending back. It is the last real bad issue I have. How long did it take for yours to go kneeper???? Thanks for comment. It seems a rare complaint.

You know, it's not unusual to have pain at the back of your knee.
Your entire knee was affected by the surgery, not just the front where you see the scar.
The back of your knee will be swollen, too.

It's only two and a half months since you had this major surgery and complete recovery takes a full year (or even longer for some people).

It's going to take as long as your knee needs it to take. Even though you'd like recovery to be quicker, your knee is going to recover at its own pace.
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)

Will also do easy water hydro therapy and concentrate mainly on the 5 mins of pedaling 2-3 times when not going to HT. I feel fine after pedaling and have no swelling or hot knee. Hope that's enough for a good recovery but its taking soooo long

All that is more than enough exercise for a good recovery.
Your knee would recover even without that exercise, as long as you used it in all your activities of daily living (ADLs). Your knee is healing itself - Mother Nature is pretty good at that - and the exercise is just helping a little.
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, and it will gradually increase as your knee heals.