Guest viewing is limited

TKR 8 Month Update

Status
Not open for further replies.
He said that they were exercises that should never be done by knee or hip patients and that he felt they cause more harm than good. The hospital pt always had us do them and then when I went to him he had me stop them. He just said they are exercises that should never be done. So I did not do them. I will see what my new Pt says as I cannot go to the same one due to insurance issues this time.
 
I walked (hiked!) 1.2 miles today with my little dog at former movie ranch Corriganville. The terrain varies, but I chose a fairly level route that includes a mild grade up some sandstone "steps". I brought a trekking pole for light support. I was aware of that weak quad, but for the first time in years I could lead with either foot on uneven ground, no problem. Swelling & stiffness did not increase, and no pain at all. 10 weeks out and making progress in hiking boots- woot!
 
Hey @Clipless that's fantastic news. At 10 weeks with quad weakness, if I hit any incline down or up, or the kerb on the pavement, I'd freeze on the spot. I remember at 8 weeks I was still using two crutches when I went out and I remember being in a retail building with a moving staircase (escalator) and I just couldn't bring myself to get onto it. We had to find the lift/elevator to get me down to the next level.

So you are doing really well by comparison.
 
@Clipless wow! So pleased to hear about your walk. Excellent news. I read in your thread that you had some pain in your shin a few weeks ago. I seem to have something similar at 5 weeks out today. It's a bit swollen on the medial side with an ache when I walk. The whole kneecap now the swelling has gone down seems so sensitive to even light touch. I'm hoping ice , rest, etc will sort it out. Hey ho! This recovery - well the length of this recovery is frustrating.
I was wondering how your quad problem was going too. I'm going to ask my physio to use ultra sound at my next visit as I've has it before and really felt it helped soothing the knee.
 
Thank you, Wrangler, Margaret, and SuperSnapper, for being so sweet and encouraging! My physio uses ultrasound on me too, sometimes. I honestly can't tell if it's doing anything, but it's totally painless and it seems to make her happy. Monday she asked questions about my little hike and took detailed notes. My ROM is 0°/103°, improving! I've been doing gentle stretches as described by another Bonesmarty. I'm certain it helps, as does my quad deciding to wake up <<finally>>. I'll hike again tomorrow, same route, if it's not raining and if I feel good. I don't want to re-join the ODIC. Been there!

I spent a fair amount of time this evening researching shorter cranks (pedal arms) for my mountain bike and found exactly what I need. It's a little expensive, but if it gets me back on the bike sooner... Yay!

I use a simple gps app to track my outdoor activities. It's a fun motivation tool. Here is the screenshot of Sunday's hike stats. I took my time!
[Bonesmart.org] 8 Month Update
 
Hi all! I hope everyone feels good!

It's finally time to regard my recovery in post-op months (vs. days or weeks), so here is my 2.5 month update: My last measured ROM was 0/103°. I've quit PT for insurance reasons. I'm not too sad about that, but I will miss my therapist Rachel. I think I've finally figured out which stretches and exercises work for me, and which ones to avoid. I certainly DON'T want to aggravate my knee again, as happened a few weeks ago. I could purchase my own goniometer, but I'll leave the numbers for now and focus instead on function.

Yesterday I hiked 2.3 miles with my little dog. This was more than I set out to do, but I unwisely chose a trail that involves some climbing and rock scrambling. At some point (atop a rocky bluff) I decided I'd be safer looping around the long way instead of turning back and trying to descend loose rock. My knee handled the misadventure pretty well, though I am still frustratingly s-l-o-w due to my stupid weak quad. I still buckle forward occasionally if I don't plant each step carefully and take my time. When hiking I use one trekking pole- with two I'd get hopelessly entangled with my dog and her leash.

Afterwards my knee was slightly stiff, up and iced for an hour, then fine. What was surprising was how tired I was- utterly exhausted with body aches all over. So yeah, I over did, but I need to prepare for next month's return to a physically demanding job. My plan is to hike every other or every third day as tolerated, something different each time. Luckily I live in an area with many options, but ultimately the knee is in charge.
 
@Clipless I'm so pleased to hear about your walking. 2.3 miles is a good walk. I am walking for up to about 25 minutes and am pleased with that. I want to get to 5 miles so I can go out with my walking groups again but it will take a while to get there.
It's great to get a sense of independence again, isn't it? It also sound as if your quad is firing better. I am surprised with how quickly my muscle tone has decreased and I was pretty fit to start with. But I guess we'll get back to a good place soon. It's great that the arthritic pain and catching has gone though. I think so far I've been pretty lucky.
Keep in with the walking and the great reports.
Mary x
 
@SuperSnapper , I see you had a partial. Was your surgery minimally invasive? Today I am wondering why some of us have such profound quad inhibition post-op; if it's due to pre-existing damage, femoral nerve ischemia (from the tourniquet), technique-related, or some combination of factors. I am grateful for my new knee, but the recovery suuuucks.
 
Hi Clipless, You are doing amazing walking 2.3 miles! . I had my surgery LTKR Oct. 29 th and I am pleased to have gotten to 103 last Friday at PT. You are inspiring me to try and walk further perhaps it will help my recovery too. I have been afraid to walk too much thinking I would do more damage now I see from you it would be beneficial to walk even more! I like your kitty riding the bike! You are right that recovery really suuuucks and it's an uphill battle that you have to climb AND YOU ARE DOING IT!
 
@Clipless not sure if it was minimally invasive but I know my quad was stretched not cut as the knee cap was flipped over and flipped back and in a partial the other major muscles and structures are preserved. I have only a very small scar about 3 and a half inches. I did a great deal of exercise before, working on quads, hamstrings and glutes and general fitness too so I am sure that helped me. Not having a lot of pain before the surgery meant that although I couldn't walk too far without the knee catching, I could do other stuff to keep everything moving and strong.
I'm having quite a lot of stiffness but it eases off with movement so not too bad.
Glad to hear that your quads are improving but they take a lot of work to do that. I had microfractures years ago and my quads were very weak both times as there's no weight bearing for weeks and weeks and they took a long time to improve but they did. The walking you are doing will be really helping you. The only thing to do is to regard the exercise as a lifelong thing. That came really hard to me as before the microfractures, I'd not done much exercise at all.
I actually think if it were not for my knee problems I would be much less fit and enjoy life less than I do now!

Hope your recovery is not too slow from now on but at least the very hard bit is done with :flwrysmile:

Mary x
 
Mary, I'm going to be bold next OS visit and ask him if he cut the quad or not. I have the op report, but I don't understand all the technical language. For sure part of my saphenous nerve was cut, because a large numb area extends from lateral knee to mid-calf. This numbness is fairly common (so I read) and might go away eventually as the nerve fibers find their missing ends.

@numbzee 103, yay!!!! I don't think it's bad to walk, but do pace yourself and don't get overly ambitious. I can't hike every day. Whaddap with this fatigue, anyway?? I have to alternate activities and get plenty of rest between. Like, today will be mostly rest and a few errands. This evening, if I'm feeling brave (brave enough to wear a swimsuit, HA!), I'd like to try the pool at the gym.

Where are you in AZ? Gosh, I love your state. My daughter and I plan visit Sedona, Jerome, & Prescott in April or May.
 
Whaddup with the fatigue is right! it's really difficult to find the energy to keep up. Some days I don't want to go to PT but I always go anyway. I try to think up good excuses not to go but I manage to talk my way out of that nonsense. Without PT I think I would be in big trouble on my own. I would love to walk my dogs but they walk too fast for me now. I live in Phoenix. The winters are wonderful but the summer is like walking into a burning oven! it's dry heat so it is better than living in a humid state in summer! My parents lived in Prescott and they loved it. It's a very nice small town with a lot of history. Sedona is gorgeous ! You should go and visit for sure
 
Walking is good; just keep listening to the knee. Getting ready to go back to work is not so much about training as allowing time for the tissues to recover.
 
I still haven't done the pool. I used to love to swim, but I'm having a hard time with cold air, motivation and swimsuits.

Today I rode a real bike for the first time since surgery! Only two miles, but it felt good. Strike that- the first few pedal strokes hurt like the dickens, then it felt good.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

Members online

Total: 1,233 (members: 2, guests: 1,231)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom