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TKR aimaway's recovery

aimaway said:
Should I avoid kneeling?
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Kneeling is one of the things that people find hardest after knee replacement.
A lot of people can kneel eventually if they practice. Check with your surgeon that your implant is OK for kneeling.
I can kneel pretty well now at 22 months.
I still use thin knee cushions if I am kneeling for prolonged periods in pilates classes but I can kneel for short periods on a hard wood floor.
The main issue for most of us is that the numb patch feels seriously weird and rather unpleasant to kneel on in the early months. The first time I tried was on my mattress and it felt very odd to start with.
I don't put my full weight back in child's pose but I can four point kneel or high kneel for back exercises.
 
Unless your surgeon says otherwise, there is no reason you can't kneel once you are sufficiently healed.

But, as EalingGran said, many folks don't like the sensation of kneeling on implants. It takes time to adapt to the sensation, but you can work towards getting comfortable with it.

After my first TKR, I practiced kneeling on a thick chair cushion, which offered good padding for my knee. It took until I was about 4-5 months post-op before I could do that for any length of time. As my new knee became accustomed to that, I switched to a thinner cushion, then to a folded towel and finally to my yoga mat. I still don't like kneeling on the hard floor, though!
 
Hi. I have been kneeling on a number of surfaces. Kneeling, like everything else associated with this TKR journey, evolves. I've been able to get back into yoga. That's has been great. I use extra padding for my knee during yoga.
 
Sounds like you are doing great- back at yoga.
 
Can you feel your scar when you kneel? That’s what bothers me the most - seems like some suture knots underneath aren’t dissolved yet.
 
The last 3 days I've been feeling some sharp pains around my knee. Any thoughts on why would be greatly appreciated. I'm 4 months post op and I've noticed more decrease in fluid and was wondering if the loss of fluid to cushion it could be the cause
 
aimaway said:
been feeling some sharp pains around my knee
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Most likely it is soft tissue pain as your muscles and ligaments continue to adjust to your body's new alignment. This is something that can continue for months.

As we increase our activity level, the soft tissues protest -- sometimes loudly! At 10-months out, I still have a spot on the inside of my knee that pulls when I make certain movements. Sometimes icing helps; other times, massage does the trick.

Can you describe more specifically where the pains are? Is it lateral (outside the leg) or medial (inside)? Above or below?
 
If the pains don't seem like they're originating deeply in the joint, and if they are near the incision and/or numb patch, then it's also possibly transitory sensory nerve pain.

Lots of little sensory nerves are cut or traumatized in surgery. When they start to heal and communicate, sometimes the signals are weird - some folks experience burning and pain, others little shocks ("zingers"), or sensations of cold, wet, itch, or friction. They do normally go away over time.
 
@benne68 the pain is in different spots. Interior toward the bottom of the knee, anterior below the knee, and more of a shooting pain on the exterior on the side of the knee. Not at the same time but in different spots at different times
 
Sharp little stabs like needles can be zingers- nerve pains as small nerves regrow after being cut by surgery.
As @benne68 said other causes can be soft tissue issues.
Some of the remaining ligaments can have been overstretched prior to surgery and still struggle post op with increasing activity.
For example I still have my MCL ( medial collateral ligament) but it was weak and overstretched by the damage from arthritis pre-op. This used to give me pain on stairs as I rehabbed. I had to work on strengthening my medial glute to pull the MCL as tight as it will now go.
If the pains come on with specific movements ( like stairs) it is probably a soft tissue problem. Zingers are totally random in timing.
 
I agree that what you are describing sounds like zingers. Too, it felt like electric shocks shooting through my knee. I called them lightning bolt type pains. These hurt like crazy, but are a sign that your knee is heating. Those damaged and cut nerves and getting back together! When I had mine, I'd just pat my knee and say it was a good girl for healing. It helps to know that it is part of the healing process. I've had 6 surgeries on my TKR knee and occasionally can still have very mild zingers. It's amazing that I'm still healing in some areas of my knee!
 
I agree with the others, @aimaway, that it sounds like "zingers." They are weird and painful, but as sister says, they are a really good thing because it means that those traumatized nerves are reconnecting.

You can have them up to a year or more post-op. In fact, I had one in my 2-year-old knee last summer. It woke me up in the middle of the night. The next morning, I discovered that I had regained sensation in an area of my leg that had been numb since surgery. Our bodies are amazing at healing themselves if we give them time.

:flwrysmile:
 
Thanks for the guidance. Zingers make sense. I have noticed more numbness disappearing. The body is something. So many things happening behind the scenes to repair it.
 
Yep, that's the truth!!! The numb area can continue to change over time. A low abdominal one of mine went from numb to weird within a year, and eventually, over many years, became Just Normal!
 
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