TKR Anyone have a good stationary bike?

[NavyGunns]

@Pyrite, glad to see you are turning the corner some with your knee, now to do the same with your outlook! Need to stay positive with no doubts or negativity! Why? Cause I can guarantee you will have a setback at some point. You will join the ODIC (over did it club) and your knee will rebel and make you clearly aware it is not happy. You need to keep the positive mind so that you realize it is all normal and that you didn’t do anything wrong, just a bit too much.

Standing without thinking about it, why would you NOT make a habit of that? The more you do that, there more you are accepting that your new knee is healing and in much better shape than your old knee.

Enjoy and relish the little achievements. They are what get you through the tough spots.

 

[sistersinhim]

When we start to feel some better, we get over confident and tend to overdo. Just be sensible with your activities and add them very slowly and watch how your knee reacts to the addition. That's the easiest way to stay out of that dreaded club!

 

[Pyrite]

Hi again. YES having a setback.
All was well with first appt with PT and he MAULED my leg and it got MUCH BETTER.
In fact, the next day it was so good that I told my wife that I'd be happy if that was as good as it gets.

But THEN... I did the exercises he sent home with me and screwed everything up.

That was 2 days ago. Yesterday I only did partial exercises trying to keep from making things worse.

That seemed to help a bit but as I went to bed last night, I felt pretty good only to wake up with swelling and pain all over again.

(I'm a bit concerned that the swelling could be liver related due to Tylenol being my only tolerated pain med)

Nobody seems to care that the leg with the TKR has been very bad and larger than the other since a 9 year old bicycle accident.
My own opinion is that the "badness" of the leg ....pre op..... could be interfering with the recovery.

Which I suppose is a "DUH" idea.

Sooooo..... question:
Is moving around the house a better regimen than all the "official" diagrammed exercises?

 

[Jockette]

Sooooo..... question:
Is moving around the house a better regimen than all the "official" diagrammed exercises?

Yes! The exercises can keep you inflamed and swollen, preventing your knee from bending.

You’re about 3.5 weeks post op, in the “angry tissue” stage. Rest it and let it heal.

Remember, it’s not exercising that gets our range of motion back, it’s Time:

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Exercise as in strength training is counter-productive and in the early weeks does more harm than good. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[traceys]

@Pyrite

So I understand knee history being a major factor more than you know. 35 yrs. 17 surgeries. My thread is like yours but I am now in a different place after flipping over to the more gentle less aggressive method

Each knee is different. It has its own story to tell. You just have to keep reading along with the TKR recovery as there is no way to flip ahead and peek at the ending. Trust me - I’m living it!

 

[Pyrite]

I have to believe you guys as my knee and my common sense are telling me that hurting it is not a good thing.
I'll keep you current as I go along.
What about icing?
I think it's a good thing but not as wondrous as some of the posters seem to.
I have the recirc ice machine.

 

[Jockette]

I didn’t love icing, either, my leg always felt so stiff after until it warmed up again. And I always had a kitchen towel between my skin and the gel pack.

We are all different, but I do think it’s important and I iced for 6 months.

 

[Celle]

All was well with first appt with PT and he MAULED my leg and it got MUCH BETTER.
In fact, the next day it was so good that I told my wife that I'd be happy if that was as good as it gets.
But THEN... I did the exercises he sent home with me and screwed everything up.

That was 2 days ago. Yesterday I only did partial exercises trying to keep from making things worse.
That seemed to help a bit but as I went to bed last night, I felt pretty good only to wake up with swelling and pain all over again.

Don't let your PT therapist mail your leg again. It'snot necessary and it could be harmful. In fact, it's best if you tell him/her "hands off!"
Remember this:
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.

Take a break from all exercises until your inee settles down - just walk around the house. That will be sufficient exercise for now.
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.

(I'm a bit concerned that the swelling could be liver related due to Tylenol being my only tolerated pain med)

It's normal for your leg to be swollen at this stage of recovery and I don't think the swelling has anything to do with your liver.
Tylenol is only a danger to your liver if you take more than the recommended total daily dose of 4,000 mg, divided into 4 doses of 1,000 mg each.

On the other hand, being "mauled" at PT and then doing exercises at home will, indeed, have contributed to the swelling.
Rest, ice, and elevation should help to gradually reduce the swelling. If you don't like icing, it's not essential, but make up for that by elevating your leg for longer periods.

Nobody seems to care that the leg with the TKR has been very bad and larger than the other since a 9 year old bicycle accident.
My own opinion is that the "badness" of the leg ....pre op..... could be interfering with the recovery.
Which I suppose is a "DUH" idea.

No, it's not a DUH idea. It makes perfect sense. The condition of your leg pre-op does have a bearing on its recovery.
So, your recovery may be a little slower than most, but time is on your side.

Complete recovery from a knee replacement takes a full year anyway, so taking a few weeks longer really isn't a big deal. You'll still get there in the end.
Let your knee progress on its own schedule. It knows what it's doing.
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)

 

[Pyrite]

The "mauling" felt GOOD. I could feel my knee loosen up. It was like a hard foot rub and I actually enjoyed it.
The very next day I had full movement and very little pain.
It was while I was feeling so good that I did the first episode of exercises.

THOSE are what has me disabled right now.

I have another appt Monday and hope he twists the muscles again.
He moved the kneecap around and sure it was sore but that "good" kinda hurt.

Odd, but the mauling was good.

Or at least loosened up everything and stopped the pain.

 

[sistersinhim]

Is moving around the house a better regimen than all the "official" diagrammed exercises?

Yes, daily activities are all you need to do. That's all I did after 11 knee surgeries and I'm doing just fine.

 

[kmak81230]

It’s my experience that skipping the exercises is best. I’m having s much more pleasant recovery with knee#2 just walking and stretching on the stationary bike than I had with knee #1 doing exercises 3xday and having a swollen, sore, and inflamed knee all the time. I find the ice useful for minimizing discomfort.

 

[Celle]

My surgeon doesn't allow any PT at all for the first month after a knee replacement. He says your knee needs that time, to start on its journey of healing. For that month, we rest, ice and elevate our leg, and walk around the house.
After that month, we just go to PT once every 2 weeks, where we are shown a few new exercises to do at home.
His patients all do well and achieve good ROM, as I did, and he hasn't had to do a manipulation to help with ROM for the past 4 years. I think that speaks for itself.

 

[Larryhg3]

@Pyrite sounds like you are moving in a great direction. It gets better at the knees rate. Keep paying attention to the small successes, like standing without the walker without thinking about it. Those are habits you want to get into slowly. But it is a success to be celebrated.

 

[Pyrite]

Boy is that the truth!
Last night I rigged up a new elevation setup and today I can not only stand, but also walk around the house without the walker.
No skipping rope yet though.
What a grand feeling progress can be.

 

[jeannesg]

@traceys You said that beautifully!! Other than all of your surgeries, that sounded like my life 4 months ago. The sock line got me! I would get so ticked off that I needed help the first week to put my socks on, then I realized it's not so bad. My husband was more than willing to help, actually my pt said he was too helpful! So listen to us @Pyrite , it does get better! And you're not old!! You sound like you're young at heart. Stick around and rant, ask questions, and know that everyone is different in the healing process.

 

[Pyrite]

REWARD!
I will pay $5000 for the hide of the PT who forced my knee straight on Monday.

I will pay $10,000 if you bring him in kneecapped.

This has GOT to stop. I sent an email to the surgeon about maybe QUITTING the physical therapy as every time I think I can "see the light at the end of the tunnel" the PT cripples me again.

Very disappointing.

I've presently got 108 degrees of ...bend... but this guy wants my leg STRAIGHT.
And forced it that way. I'm not even sure if I EVER had that leg perfectly straight and level. I walked into his office Monday and haven't been able to walk for 2 days now.

Aaaaarrrghh!!!!

 

[Celle]

I will pay $5000 for the hide of the PT who forced my knee straight on Monday.

I will pay $10,000 if you bring him in kneecapped.

This has GOT to stop. I sent an email to the surgeon about maybe QUITTING the physical therapy as every time I think I can "see the light at the end of the tunnel" the PT cripples me again.

@Pyrite - Stop going to PT. You don't need permission to do that, because this is your knee and you are in charge of its recovery. You are the only one who is allowed to say what will happen to it.

It isn't necessary to go to PT at all, and continuing to go to a therapist who abuses your knee is plain unnecessary.
If you stop going, no one can hurt your knee.
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?

It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.

 

[Pyrite]

Great link. Thanks Celle.
He did GREAT stuff the first time. So much so that I actually thought I was ..."well"
It's my fault for not stopping him this last time.
I'm still pondering the next appt.

Will most likely cancel and quit him.

THREE DAYS BACK ON THE WALKER after a week and a half of not needing it has me in a rare rage.

 

[SusieShoes]

You have a right to feel enraged. The therapist should never have forced your knee that way. You were doing perfectly well without that sort of thing, so why did he think you needed it? Just makes me shake my head.

You don’t need to go back to PT. Certainly you shouldn’t do so until your knee has settled down again. But even then I bet you could rehab your knee on your own by daily activities and a walking program. Down the road if you you want to build more strength you can return to PT with a fully healed knee and work on it then.

 

[sistersinhim]

You don't need PT. I've had 11 knee surgeries and never took PT afterwards. My daily activities rehabbed my knees and so would yours. To have a setback like that is unforgivable. Don't go back!