EalingGran
post-grad
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2022
- Messages
- 1,065
- Age
- 67
- Gender
- Female
- Country
-
United Kingdom
I am 9 weeks post a right lateral compartment knee replacement ( fixed lateral Oxford implant) and I don't know how well I am doing. It seems hard to compare my progress with TKR blogs.
Some sites say half knees should heal twice as fast as TKR and you read blogs on some surgeons' websites with patients playing golf/ driving etc at 6 weeks.
I am 66, have a BMI of 24 and was never that sporty. I was a bit hypermobile ( could put hands flat on floor with legs straight and knock kneed from childhood.
I developed a Bakers cyst 2 years ago and supra- patellar bursitis and pes anserine bursa. My knee MRI showed severe lateral arthritis but I also had moderate medial and femoro- patellar arthritis. I had become much more severely knock kneed on the affected side before surgery. The leg was very twisted and an orthotist said my right leg was 2.5 cm shorter ( my surgeon said that that was just due to the knock knee and legs would be equal post surgery) . I also have moderate hip arthritis on right and fairly severe lumbar arthritis with episodes of severe sciatica on the right.
Since surgery my range of movement is excellent 135 degrees flexion and fully straight extension. The surgery has straightened my leg and my husband says I am walking better and faster than pre-op. I am doing all my exercises religiously 3x day and having private pilates once a week. The supra patellar bursa has shrunk and so have the Bakers cyst and pes anserine bursa.
But I still get soreness/ some swelling of knee and upper calf and mild warmth of knee. I can walk 10000 steps/ day if I go steadily and ice my knee frequently. I can walk freely without a crutch but take it out because of ice/ wet leaves and use it on uneven ground and on steps.I have a aircast cryocuff and I am using it a twice in the day and re- applying it regularly at night- otherwise I wouldn't sleep. I am just taking one naproxen in the morning and paracetamol or ibuprofen at night plus zopiclone 3.75.
Sleep is difficult- even slight soreness keeps me awake and not helped by 2 colds/ chest infections post op.
I still have more severe twinges if I put too much weight on the bent leg so still going up and downstairs one at a time.
I wonder if some of this is residual arthritis in the unoperated compartments. At my 6 week check my surgeon thought I was doing ok and about average in terms of pain/ recovery. He said I would still improve up to 12 months or more.
I sometimes think I am doing ok but at other times feel quite depressed. I know a couple of people with medial knee replacements who are back to normal.
I find it hard to gauge what is reasonable given that most blogs are for TKR and most UKRs are medial not lateral. My knee wasn't that painful pre- op ( my surgeon said that lateral compartment arthritis is less painful than medial and presents very late). The reason I went for surgery was I was shocked by the worsening deformity and the twisting seemed to be contributing to the hip pain and sciatica ( which are better post op).
Some sites say half knees should heal twice as fast as TKR and you read blogs on some surgeons' websites with patients playing golf/ driving etc at 6 weeks.
I am 66, have a BMI of 24 and was never that sporty. I was a bit hypermobile ( could put hands flat on floor with legs straight and knock kneed from childhood.
I developed a Bakers cyst 2 years ago and supra- patellar bursitis and pes anserine bursa. My knee MRI showed severe lateral arthritis but I also had moderate medial and femoro- patellar arthritis. I had become much more severely knock kneed on the affected side before surgery. The leg was very twisted and an orthotist said my right leg was 2.5 cm shorter ( my surgeon said that that was just due to the knock knee and legs would be equal post surgery) . I also have moderate hip arthritis on right and fairly severe lumbar arthritis with episodes of severe sciatica on the right.
Since surgery my range of movement is excellent 135 degrees flexion and fully straight extension. The surgery has straightened my leg and my husband says I am walking better and faster than pre-op. I am doing all my exercises religiously 3x day and having private pilates once a week. The supra patellar bursa has shrunk and so have the Bakers cyst and pes anserine bursa.
But I still get soreness/ some swelling of knee and upper calf and mild warmth of knee. I can walk 10000 steps/ day if I go steadily and ice my knee frequently. I can walk freely without a crutch but take it out because of ice/ wet leaves and use it on uneven ground and on steps.I have a aircast cryocuff and I am using it a twice in the day and re- applying it regularly at night- otherwise I wouldn't sleep. I am just taking one naproxen in the morning and paracetamol or ibuprofen at night plus zopiclone 3.75.
Sleep is difficult- even slight soreness keeps me awake and not helped by 2 colds/ chest infections post op.
I still have more severe twinges if I put too much weight on the bent leg so still going up and downstairs one at a time.
I wonder if some of this is residual arthritis in the unoperated compartments. At my 6 week check my surgeon thought I was doing ok and about average in terms of pain/ recovery. He said I would still improve up to 12 months or more.
I sometimes think I am doing ok but at other times feel quite depressed. I know a couple of people with medial knee replacements who are back to normal.
I find it hard to gauge what is reasonable given that most blogs are for TKR and most UKRs are medial not lateral. My knee wasn't that painful pre- op ( my surgeon said that lateral compartment arthritis is less painful than medial and presents very late). The reason I went for surgery was I was shocked by the worsening deformity and the twisting seemed to be contributing to the hip pain and sciatica ( which are better post op).