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TKR A Lefty for kneeper

Have you thought about having a massage for those tight muscles?
Finding the balance between activity and rest can be a challenge in TKR recovery.
:upright: :sleep:
 
Good idea, @pumpkin --I should look into that. I've been using a little heat which seems to help a bit.
 
Massage is wonderful. Hope you ca sort out the muscle pain. Not sure what to say about the foot. My ankle seizes up on my TKR at times. I pray that it is not arthritis.

You are doing really well!
 
The RA does not automatically make a the knee recover slower, but it can be a contributing factor. BTW, a recent study showed that patients with an extensive synovectomy at the time of TKA had similar outcome to patients who did not have the synovectomy.

Orthodoc
 
Well, I continue to progress. Said goodbye to the cpm with an 84 which I thought was pretty good. Definitely an improvement from last week. If I can keep progressing bit by bit all will be well.

I have graduated to using the cane except for first thing in the morning.:old: Get out the oil can! :heehee:

I slept a bit better last night--even though I woke up a couple of times, I only had to actually get up once!:sleep:

I will be starting outpatient PT next week. Starting to lose a few of the steristrips but they're mostly pretty well stuck. They should start loosening with a few more showers, though.
 
Great report, sounds like you are on your way. My OS pulled off my steri strips after 4 days :heehee:.:upright:
 
Look at you with your other knee done and all! :yahoo:I've been away for a while, but I wanted to stop by and say congrats. I'll read through your thread later and check back in on you.

So, Can I put your name down for the Flash Mob (dance) in 2015?? :tada: I hear Carol @patient99 is having second thoughts, so there may be a slot open.:heehee: lol
 
You are making quite a recovery. I also have RA and it made a difference in my recovery. I went through a period where the small bones in my feet just killed me. And now my unrepaired knee is shot trying to support my left knee as it healed.

Talk to your rheumie as you heal. They can advice you when you can start your RA meds. Helps a lot.
:idea:
 
My ankle killed me after my LTKR! Almost as bad as the knee - I iced the ankle with the same regularity as I did the knee. Josephine suggested it might have something to do with the positioning & manipulation during the surgery. I asked my OS at my 1st visit & he told me they used the calf to position & manipulate the knee during the surgery - he thought it was just the pooling of blood post op - my foot was pretty bruised so that might be the answer. It took about 4 weeks before the ankle returned to normal.

My hip flexors were also very engaged post op, with lots of pain & it limited some of the exercises I could do. I was kinda wiggy about the hip flexors as I had a BTHR about 18 months ago & didn't want them to screw up my hips when fixing my knee. My OS told me the hip flexor involvement was probably cuz of my BTHR - he said they never go back completely to normal, so he wasn't surprised to hear me complain. I just wish he had told me earlier. Interesting we both had hip and ankle pain post op - BTW the hip resolved about week 4 also.
 
@waitingtogarden, I am back on the methotrexate so hopefully that will help a bit. The ankle has been troublesome for some time, but I think much worse since the surgery. The foot thing is more new.
I've been lucky the past couple of years b/c I haven't been in remission, but what I'd say is fairly low level activity. .

@dtmbf I wouldn't be surprised if the manhandling during the surgery aggravated something. But remarkably I had very little bruising overall and didn't really see any in the lower leg.
You give me reassurance on the hip flexor thing.
 
Saw a different PT today and kind of got mixed messages. On the one hand he encouraged me to listen to the knee & be sure to ice, but on the other said I need to "start working hard" on the bend. Though he did seem optimistic that I'd get the bend.

He seemed to indicate the outpatient PT will work me hard. I have a few days to steel myself to making sure I don't let them force the knee or push me too hard too fast.
 
Good thing I have plenty of gel packs. All the hoisting myself out of chairs is doing a number on my shoulder (& wrist). :sad: must be bad if it still hurts despite the norco. Looking forward to the day when my left leg/knee is strong. I'm alternating:ice: between my knee and shoulder.

Wishing everyone a good night's :sleep:
 
kneeper said:
He seemed to indicate the outpatient PT will work me hard
Click to expand...
At least you are forewarned, and ready to say "NO" to anything that causes pain.
Sorry you are having trouble with your shoulder from pushing up to stand.
Tell the PT you want to work on Sit to Stand, that will take their mind off of ROM.
 
Kneeper, when was your first knee done? I see you had a 6/2/14 TKR from which you are recovering. My husband has RA and had to discontinue methotrexate and prednisone. He now takes Enbrel injections. My heart goes out to you dealing with both conditions. I hope each day brings more comfort.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum caloparker4/21/14
 
Hi @kneeper, I meant to jump in here sooner and wish you well and the next thing I knew I was asleep on both computers. You sound like you are where you should be. Sometimes with the knee pain I would have, it would trigger me to have have more RA pain. I went to my pain management doctor two weeks post op and she bumped me up in pain meds from what I was taking previously post op. Sometimes our recovery is longer and slower than one who does not have RA. I still at times have to grab that old ice pack out and slap ot on my knee because the RA has triggered the knee to act up and I am post op 8 months. I agree that sometimes ice works well and there are times that warmth feels good too. You will be up and about soon. Not to worry. Try to take it as easy as you can. :loveshwr:
 
Pumpkln said:
At least you are forewarned, and ready to say "NO" to anything that causes pain.
Sorry you are having trouble with your shoulder from pushing up to stand.
Tell the PT you want to work on Sit to Stand, that will take their mind off of ROM.
Click to expand...


I've got RA damage and a "thin" rotator cuff in the left shoulder. So can be tender at the best of times.

@Pumpkln Yeah, take their minds off the ROM indeed. :wink: Of course another problem is that I have some chronic quad tendonitis on the right side--probably from them pushing me too hard with things like squats last time. :no-fin: That's why my antennae goes up when I hear of PTs making people do squats early.

I didn't think they were pushing me too hard at the time, but now I know to *really* tell them to slow down and take it easy.
My main home PT was attuned to the tendonitis when we did stairs and wanted to make sure I wasn't making it worse. Let's hope for the same with outpatient.
 
@Caloparker I had the first knee done in the summer of 2011. I'm pretty happy with it. Most of the time I have no pain and it feels "normal." I do get some stiffness when I stand for a long time but it works itself out quickly once I sit and do a little bending.

Usually I'm not such a complainer (at least about the RA:wink:), but hey if you can't do a little whining here among friends when can you? :heehee:
I'm lucky that I haven't had to move on to the biologics and methotrexate and plaquenil are still working for me.
 
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