TKR And the Marathon Begins<<

[nuttybrunette]

Really @Dzina ? Interesting.

 

[nuttybrunette]

I blended in with normal people tonight. I didn’t get ONE sideways funny look. Went to a beautiful ceremony at a park where you could purchase a floating lantern in honor of a loved one that has passed. My brother in law passed away in July so I went with my sister. It’s a Japanese tradition and was absolutely beautiful with lanterns, incense, drumming, and tons of people. Our town is very culturally diverse and people of all backgrounds and beliefs came together to honor loved ones. I had to walk up a parking lot that was at the bottom of a hill and across hilly grass and dirt. No problems at all. And my very loving husband that is always quick with a hand or elbow when I get to curbs or uneven terrain wasn’t there, so no one looked at me with pity. Lol. Proud of myself.

 

[Dzina]

Yep - saw my acupuncturist on July 26th for exactly the problem you describe. From Dr. goggle I thought it was an IT band issue. Acupuncturist disagrees with folks contributing the problem to IT band issues, believes it’s truly back related- sure enough my lower back and periformis area where very tight and tender - he focused his treatment on that and I walked out feeling much better. A little left over discomfort continued Friday and the weekend, went back in Monday for second round and pain is all gone.
I’ve been a big proponent of acupuncture since I first went in 2010 to address the pain in my right knee. By that time I had gone through many Cortisone injections and the Hyaluronic acid injections as well as taking OTC meds. My nurse midwife suggested acupuncture - I researched it, saw it didn’t work for everyone but had no side effects so I gave it a try and it kept my right knee relatively pain free for 8 years. Of course it does not cure the degeneration so it did get worse and that’s why I chose to have the RTKR this year. Interestingly though, acupuncture was not as helpful with the left knee- only gave me about a three year relief from pain.
It’s significantly helped my plantar fasciitis as well as tendinitis I’ve had in my biceps/shoulders from swimming.

 

[Josephine]

Try this Acupressure massage

 

[nuttybrunette]

It's been awhile since I've been here. I'm at almost 8 months now and I've been busy with life and work. I'm back because of a potential setback. Advice is surely appreciated.

@Josephine and/or anyone with experience. In addition to bad knees, I also have bad ankles/feet. Bone on bone in both ankles. Fusion is recommended. Not doing it!!

Anyway, because they are bad and because I still need to work on my hamstring strength I have fallen 3 times. Yep! Just like a toddler. Up one minute and on the ground the next. It happens on uneven ground, like grass filled with gopher holes. My ankles can't bend to compensate for the uneven ground and my hamstring is a bit slow in response so I just go down. I'm back in PT to work on that.

Prior to my falls I was starting to get grinding/cracking noises on the outside of my patella. The falls didn't seem to make it worse. I've been back to my OS for xrays after the falls to check on things. Things look fine.

He asked if he could feel the grinding if he were to put his hand on my knee while I bend. I said absolutely. Being in the quiet little room and then bending was almost funny. He could definitely feel it and it was SO loud in that little room. He explained that it was crepitus. That he used to see it more when he used to use a different knee, but that it doesn't happen with the ones he uses now.

I asked how often he does see it. He said that in the 350 knees he does a year that he sees it about once or twice. REALLY? I'm your 1 in 350?? Wow. Didn't beat those odds? He said that lots of people just live with it. That it depends on how much of a nuisance or pain it is.

He could go in and cut it out through a couple little holes. I asked if it would resolve itself over time. He said no.

So how much of a nuisance is it? Well, the worst is bending my knee to put on pants/underwear. It seems to be worse when there is no pressure on my foot. Like if a dangle my leg in the air and then bend it, it's the worst.

But if I sit with my foot on the floor and slide my leg under the chair to bend it, it doesn't bother me.

Pain level, when it's bad, is maybe a 2-3. My PT seems to think we can make it grind less by doing things like cupping and working on my scar, which is super tight and he thinks puts extra pressure on the knee cap when I bend.

Any thoughts?? Thank you!!

 

[donnag1108]

You will do great and every one here is here to support and help! I would be lost without these wonderful people!

 

[KarriB]

I’ll tag @Josephine for you to see what she says about crepitus.

 

[Celle]

@nuttybrunette - I'm sorry to read that you have been having falls. I'm not sure what you can do medically to prevent that, but I do have a couple f practical suggestions;
1. Try to avoid uneven ground as much as possible.
2. If walking on uneven ground is unavoidable, use a stick. I know you probably hate the idea of a stick, but isn't using one preferable to taking a tumble?

I don't have much faith in cupping but softening the scar just might help. Don't let your PT massage it roughly, though.

PS: I've edited your long post and put it into paragraphs. It's really hard to read such a large block of text and get information from it and many people just give up.
So please will you use paragraphs in future?
Thank you.

 

[Josephine]

I asked how often he does see it. He said that in the 350 knees he does a year that he sees it about once or twice. REALLY?

I don't believe him! The answer to that may be that his patients have either not told him about it or gone to another surgeon!

He could go in and cut it out through a couple little holes. I asked if it would resolve itself over time. He said no.

That's by arthroscopy which is, at best, a hit and miss affair.

My PT seems to think we can make it grind less by doing things like cupping and working on my scar, which is super tight

Crepitus is caused by the nature of tissues in and around the joint. When you have a roasted joint, you'll likely have had occasions when you try to pull the bone off the roast and it's not easy, makes a grinding noise like gristle. That's pretty much what happens in your knee. You've developed areas where the muscles and ligaments have become tough and attached to one another. But this is NOT adhesions as it's not causing your ROM to be restricted. The areas concerned still have some give in them but they make this horrible noise and sensation which may or may not bother the patient.

I doubt cupping would help but it won't do any harm either so perhaps worth a try. As for the 'working on the scar' thing, so long as it's not painful, okay and again, it's worth a try. But I basically think it will amend itself in time.

 

[Jockette]

2. If walking on uneven ground is unavoidable, use a stick. I know you probably hate the idea of a stick, but isn't using one preferable to taking a tumble?

I still use my cane when I know I’m going to be on uneven ground. It’s amazing how much more relaxed I am walking around with it than without it.

At almost 2 years, do I like needing a cane? No, I “shouldn’t” need it, but I do.

 

[nuttybrunette]

@Celle Yes, for sure I am watching that uneven ground thing. I teach and used to take shortcuts through grassy areas. No more of that. I stick to the concrete sidewalks. My principal is so kind and has arranged for my neighbor teacher to walk her class and my class out to the back fence, which is over a huge uneven gopher holed grass field, when we have our monthly fire drills. I just watch from the sidewalk. Now I don't ruin my shoes in the wet grass either

@Josephine I will heed your advice and wait for it to "amend" itself. Love the term.

 

[nuttybrunette]

Hello Old Friends-It's been a little over a year since my LTKR. Now having both knees all fixed up I can do much more. I asked my husband a couple weeks ago that now that I've got it fixed, where are we going? As in where are we traveling. He was game, so I booked a trip to Spain. Leaving in a week!! My ankle arthritis is severe, but I'm sure I can put in a few miles a day. So, to those of you wondering if you should get the knees replaced or not....traveling is one reason to just do it.

Having said that, I am worried that my ankles will cause more of a problem with day after day of walking and line waiting. A few months back an urgent care dr. put me on 4 days of 10 mg of prednizone for a foot joint flare up (arthritis in all foot joints too). I felt wonderful. I felt 30 years younger. I was able to walk A LOT. So, clearly, the prednizone helped in all my arthritic joints.

I just went to my regular dr and told her I was going to Spain and would it be okay to take a low dose prednizone to help me get around while there. She looked over her glasses the way a mean teacher would and said that "taking prednizone for a vacation would NOT be appropriate". So I felt the fool for even asking. Now, upon reflection, I'm thinking that a vacation is the perfect and appropriate time to take it for a person with severe arthritis in most joints. Am I wrong???

@Josephine what do you think?

 

[Josephine]

I wouldn't recommend taking prednisolone at all unless it was for a specific condition like asthma or some other serious condition as on-going medication. Certainly not for this.

 

[Benay]

Good luck and good wishes for a smooth recovery, sorry on the wrong thread!

 

[VonnieN]

Hey girl glad to hear you are doing OK. my left does not have the range of my right leg so descending steep stairs is an issue. But on the whole life has been good and worth having both done. I don't take any medications so feel good about that. Hope you are enjoying your holiday. We will be on holiday in September.

 

[sistersinhim]

Having two new knees is a wonderful to celebrate a vacation. I suggest you take some ice packs with you in case your arthritis flares up in your ankle or foot. I take the chemical ice packs with me. They work well and don't take up much space.