TKR 60 degrees ROM at 2 weeks. No progress at all :-( <

[bertschb]

I'm glad you're getting out and using your new knee. How's it feeling?

My knee has felt fine since week #2. No pain at all. It usually clunks a bit when I walk but I just ignore that.

 

[KarriB]

Do you think walking/hiking has helped your bend?

 

[bertschb]

Do you think walking/hiking has helped your bend?

Nope. Still at 90 degrees. I can get it to probably 100 or 105 by using the leg press machine at the gym but then it just swells up again and ROM drops. Same with hiking. About 30 minutes into my hikes my knee starts swelling up. Not bad but enough to drop ROM.

I've got my new game plan. I'm going to hike in the hills until my ROM improves enough to ride my bike again. Since I'm back to getting exercise each day, I don't care when my ROM improves. Screw the ROM!

 

[Celle]

I don't think it's good idea to use the leg press. As your knee swells afterwards, it's pretty plain that your knee doesn't like it.

Get back to hiking by all means - after all, walking is the best exercise of all for your knee - but be careful not to overdo it.

 

[bertschb]

Well, my knee is always swollen. It's just a matter of how much it swells throughout the day. When I wake up it returns to it's normal (least) swollen state just waiting for any activity to swell it back up again. At least the leg press stretches things out a bit and gets me past 90 degrees for a few minutes

 

[Spex10]

Stop thinking about it and just get on with life. One day you'll realise that your ROM has quietly increased and you've been too busy to notice it!

 

[highlander]

@bertschb My knee is doing the same thing. Im a little newer than you at 6.5 weeks out, but my ROM is having to be earned too. I walk or stationary cycle and it will swell. Especially walking and just standing around pumps it up. Im at 95 flex- maybe 100 on the leg press But Im hoping this thing will stop swelling when I am vertical. No pain really- just a fat knee- frustrating as you know.

 

[DuncanB]

I, like you, worried terribly about my ROM, and did painful exercises at home four times a day. I, too, had been pretty fit pre-op, and thought that I was going to back in shape really quickly! I still have other problems, but I can say that in spite of all my worries, the ROM is still improving. My physiotherapist said that in most cases the pre surgery ROM is a good guide as to what you might expect your recovery might lead to, and I think that is fair advice.

 

[bertschb]

Stop thinking about it and just get on with life.

Well, the reason I was thinking about it so much is mountain bike riding is a big part of my life. Because of my lack of ROM, I wasn't really able to "get on with life" because I couldn't (and still can't) ride. Now that I've substituted hiking up hills for mountain biking I can indeed get on with life and that's what I'm doing.

 

[Spex10]

Excellent @bertschb! Biking isn't all there is. What exactly constitutes 'hiking' by the way? Is it different from walking? Over here if it involves hills its called hillwalking if on the flat its just walking. If using 2 poles its Nordic walking.

 

[bertschb]

What exactly constitutes 'hiking' by the way?

My definition of walking is anything on a fairly flat paved surface. Hiking is something off road with hills. In my case I'm hiking in the foothills of San Jacinta mountain near Palm Springs on what's called the Goat Trails. Total elevation gain today was around 1,100'. 91 minute walk. Max heart rate was 182. Average was 133. I enjoy the climb up but the way down is harder on my knee because it doesn't bend enough. I've never heard the terms hillwalking or Nordic walking - but then this hiking thing is new to me.

 

[Spex10]

Two nations divided by a common language indeed!!
Seriously I was very surprised about unexpected progress with my ROM. Post MUA it was 85/90 which I was thrilled with after such a long time at 50 and reducing. Then one day sitting at my desk I looked down and noticed that my foot was way back under my chair. The ROM had sneakily increased to about 120. Amazing!
If only my other knee was as good.

 

[bertschb]

Holy cow!!!!! Yours jumped from 90 to 120??? Mine has been exactly the same (80-90) for 3.5 months now. If it jumped to 120, I think I'd freak out! Actually, I'd probably just go out and ride my bike I'm kind of digging this hiking thing right now. Just soooooo happy for that. Four months sitting around with my leg elevated and on ice took a toll on my soul.

 

[little red canoe]

Hiking involves mountains usually. And poles.. Hiking in the East of the US usually involves trails going right up in or along creek beds.. Switchbacks are uncommon.
Next week we will be home.. A 60 minute hike up to Arethusa Falls with crampons. 1100 foot elevation gain in 1.5 miles. Rewarded with frozen waterfall! Biking for me wont happen at home for a while.. simply because it is ice or mud.
Nordic walking was a faddy thing a few years ago.. using poles to get a whole body workout on paved walkways. Ecch.

 

[bertschb]

I see a few people hiking with poles but they are all "old" people - like me

 

[little red canoe]

I see a few people hiking with poles but they are all "old" people - like me

You are just on the wrong coast.. Nothing like 1500 feet ascent in a mile over table size boulders to make one use poles.. they joys of East Coast hiking..

Even the guy that led a Grand Canyon hike for us AMC'ers. At the time he was 74. His time for the 11 miles out of Phantom to the top was 4 hours.

 

[Spex10]

Oh @bertschb! My ROM didn't increase overnight. I had been so happy with improved ROM after MUA that I stopped thinking of measuring it and just got on with life. My desk discovery was weeks later and with my mind occupied with what I was writing. I'm just so pleased with progress that I don't expect any more and if it comes that's great but if this is it then that's fine too!

 

[SuperSnapper]

Walking poles are great - my physio recommended them to me years ago when I had microfractures and I have used them ever since. They give me extra balance and confidence walking down hill and also take about 25% of the weight off the knee joints. I noticed last time we went to Switzerland that they are used there by lots of people, old and young. Mos people in my walking group use them now.

 

[bertschb]

I'm sure walking poles work great. I was just making an observation about who uses them in my area. I think they are getting popular with backpackers as well.

 

[highlander]

@bertschb Did you check out the orthopedals? I bought a set and am back on what ever bike I want to ride now- great product. Currently using them on my Lemond trainer fastened to 170mm cranks- but they will go on my road bike and hybrid too.