PKR 9 weeks post half knee replacement

[sistersinhim]

I think your increased discomfort is a combo of stopping the NSAIDs and the spring cleaning. With your increased pain all over it tends to be just that. Maybe you can add some ibuprofen and Tylenol daily to help get over this hump. It might be a good idea to ask your doctor about this first, just to be on the safe side, especially about the ibuprofen since it's an NSAID.

 

[JusticeRider]

I can walk 2-3 miles on the flat with no real pain and up to 6- 7 miles/ day.
I haven't had much swelling for a while but my knee still gets a bit warm by evening. Overall my knee is massively less swollen than pre- op ( I had 3 bursae) and the leg straightening compared to my previous severe knock knee is remarkable.
It is still a bit of a mixed bag. I am definitely better off than I was before my surgery. I have to remember that I am walking a lot further and faster.

EalingGran, I think you’re doing great!! You’re only halfway through your recovery and you are doing more, walking further and faster with a straighter leg, less swelling, and less pain! I agree with @sistersinhim that your increased activity has brought on some discomfort. Your knee is not done healing even though you are able to do so much…you can still overdo! But you probably wouldn’t even have tried to do something like all that spring cleaning a couple months ago. You have come a long way! Imagine what the next 6 months will bring?

I also get despondent when I read about someone on BoneSmart running 5K 6 months after a PKR or signing up for a mini- marathon!

I know, I still do this too once in a while. We’ve got to let that roll off our backs. It has no bearing on us. We are all on our own journeys. You are correct that lateral PKR’s (and patellofemoral PKR’s) are rarer and more complex. We also both had other joint issues complicating our recovery. There are so many variables for each of us, what’s important is in the end we get back to the things we love. Keep your eye on the prize, and continue to be patient and determined as you have been!

ROM- excellent. 145+ flexion and 0 extension. I can bend my knee almost as far as my good leg if I lie on my back and squeeze my knees in. With the standing quad stretch the flexion isn't as good- can't hold that leg. I could sit back on my haunches in child's pose but I don't risk it.
I can squat pretty far down and kneel for 5- 10 minutes on a padded cushion.

This is amazing!! You’re really doing incredibly well. Happy 6 months to you, EalingGran! The best is yet to come!

 

[JusticeRider]

Sorry for such a long post! I tried to edit it to make it shorter, but it ended up longer instead

 

[beachy]

I think you're doing great!
It just takes a very long time. And you've had a few setbacks.

 

[Anniemof]

Well done on getting to 6 months Post/Op. You've done really well. I hope I can soon be like you and say I"m better off since the surgery. x

 

[EalingGran]

We are all on our own journeys. You are correct that lateral PKR’s (and patellofemoral PKR’s) are rarer and more complex. We also both had other joint issues complicating our recovery. There are so many variables for each of us

You are so right. We must not compare to others.

 

[Layla]

I think you’re doing great! Wonderful update, thanks for sharing.
Happy Six Month Anniversary!
@EalingGran

 

[InkedMarie]

Happy anniversary! I think you’re doing well.

Marie

 

[EalingGran]

It will be seven months from my lateral PKR in a couple of days. So I am reviewing my current situation.
It has all been much slower than I expected but there is some continued progress- even if at times there are blips.
I can now get in and out of the bath tub easily with little or no discomfort.
I can walk a couple of miles on the flat without really noticing my knee. I no longer use a walking stick for local walks. I only take it if I am travelling to Central London on the train and I only use it for getting on/ off the train where there is a big gap. I also like it for leaning on if I have to stand for any length of time.
My knee no longer swells at all. It is still fractionally warmer than the unoperated knee and still get a bit warm and sore by evening particularly if I do a lot of stairs or standing.
I no longer need to ice as often. I still enjoy a lie down with my Cryocuff in the afternoon after my morning walk of 2-3 miles and my glute/ quad strengthening pilates session but it isn't really necessary in the way it was a month ago. I can go away to visit my son and not take the Cryocuff- so long as I use some zopiclone to sleep. At home I take a herbal valerian tablet and rest my knee on the cool Cryocuff and now sleep 6-7 hours.
I wake once to go to the toilet but my knee doesn't hurt in the night any more- so I can get back to sleep OK.
I can now go up and down stairs normally most of the time. I only revert to one step climbing/ descending if I am very tired or carrying stuff.
My medial knee pain from the overstretched MCL is improving with lots of quad strengthening exercises. I only really notice it if my knee turns inwards when putting weight on the bent knee.
Most of the time now my knee doesn't hurt and I am less aware of it.
I did get some catching at the back of the knee a few weeks ago and I was worried that the Baker's cyst was reforming but that seems to have largely settled with some new shoe inserts to support my arches.
I still worry when my knee gets a bit tight and warm in the evening whether this can really be normal at 7 months but reading BoneSmart reassures me.
My ROM is great at 145 flexion/ 0 extension. I have cut my private pilates class to fortnightly. I have rejoined the weekly group class and I can do pretty much everything everyone else does including kneeling on the operated knee. I am just careful and slower moving between exercises. I use knee pads to support my knee for kneeling and don't sit back fully on my haunches ( although I think I could but I am nervous). I try to do a 20 minute strengthening session every day and some back exercises for my lumbar arthritis. Currently my lower back is much more painful than my knee.
Overall my surgery has been successful. Straightening my leg has cured my hip pain and sciatica and reduced my knee pain by about 90%.
I am still continuing to hope for further improvements.
Sorry for the long post but it helps me to review and remember my progress

 

[Layla]

Thanks for the update and Happy Seven Month Anniversary!

I still worry when my knee gets a bit tight and warm in the evening whether this can really be normal at 7 months

Found this online - I hope it eases your worries.

Warm feeling around the knee: the operated site may feel hot and the heat may last 3-12 months. As part of the healing process, the operation site requires more blood supply from the body, and it is this extra blood supply which gives rise to the local heat.

No need to apologize for the length of your post. This is your journal of recovery and your words and progress may be beneficial to many following behind you. A great week to you!

 

[FionaW]

It sounds like you’re doing well.

I think it gets harder each passing year to work out what’s causing new aches and pains, and whether they’re anything to worry about! And of course it’s hard not to worry when you’ve already had major surgery…

FWIW, I would be very careful about re-starting naproxen. I was on it for years, and last year, I developed a stomach ulcer and had a stroke, and although no one seems to be certain, it seems that long-term NSAID use may have caused both.

 

[EalingGran]

Thanks @Layla and @FionaW
I have stopped the naproxen as I do worry about the heart/ stroke and stomach risks. I am only taking occasional ibuprofen or paracetamol- mainly for my back not my knee. I am trying to do regular back pilates which is why I am so keen to kneel well.
I am sorry @Fiona that you had such a bad experience with naproxen. It is a powerful drug and at one time it was the only thing that helped my hip/ back and knee pain.

 

[FionaW]

Yes, me too @EalingGran . I gave it up when the stomach ulcer was suspected, a few months before the stroke, and I still miss it. NSAIDs work, especially when (like me) you have inflammatory arthritis.

 

[JusticeRider]

EalingGran, it sounds like you are doing really well. And you made it to SEVEN MONTHS! How far you’ve come! I know it hasn’t been easy, but you have done such a wonderful job on your recovery so far. I have no doubt you will continue to improve in the coming months.
Well done, PKR friend!

 

[EalingGran]

Thanks @JusticeRider ! I have found your posts and more recent great improvements very encouraging.

 

[beachy]

Good news all around! Crazy how everyone progresses differently. And you had a major setback with infection.
Really happy you're doing so well!

 

[Susie-Q]

I also get despondent when I read about someone on BoneSmart running 5K 6 months after a PKR or signing up for a mini- marathon!

This is EXCEEDINGLY rare, just remember that.....

We’ve got to let that roll off our backs. It has no bearing on us. We are all on our own journeys.

JusticeRider's words are wise.

Congratulations on your 7 month kneeaversary!

 

[Jammy]

@EalingGran - don't be taking those steps two at a time, now!

Re the bath, if you don't think you can do it, you probably shouldn't. Wise words from Jammy. I made the mistake of looking for my cat under the bed and my knee said, WHAT THE HECK! and made me sore for days.

 

[EalingGran]

Eight month post.
There has definitely been further improvements in my knee in terms of strength and pain decreasing.
The evening warmth/ soreness is diminishing but hasn't totally disappeared. I can manage a lot more stairs normally without my knee complaining. A few days ago I was changing tube lines at a station I was unfamiliar with. The down escalator was broken and I set off down the spiral stairs without realising how deep it was. At the bottom was a sign warning it was the emergency staircase of 178 steps! My knee coped well and was no warmer than usual that evening.
The medial MCL pain is definitely much better with quad( especially vastus) strengthening.
I hardly ever bother with a stick now. I just take it as a precaution if I am travelling alone for any distance. For example I went to another city ( Birmingham) for a school reunion lunch.It is about one hour 45 minutes on the train from London and I was worried I might be tired travelling back- so I took my stick. In fact I didn't need it but it was good to have it in case.
I currently have more back pain and some hip pain on my unoperated side.
I think this is probably due to still putting more weight on the non surgery leg.
My pilates teacher did some work on my hip flexor and ilio-tibial band which helped.

 

[JusticeRider]

Hello my PKR friend It sounds like you’re doing very well. 178 steps!! Wow! All your hard work is paying off. I’m glad your MCL pain is improving, as I know that has been a concern for you. As for the evening warmth, that does sound very normal based on other’s experiences. I’m always impressed by the number of steps you rack up in a day! You are very active and it’s great that your knee is strong enough to support you in that. I know you are only going to keep improving in the months to come.