TKR Can lost ROM be regained

[Clipless]

I am working on balance, too! I have never been especially poised or graceful, and the bad knees situation hasn't helped. I stand on one leg as Celle described above. I also practice slow (as in very, very slow) walking around the house, and try to balance a few seconds with each step. Hiking/walking over uneven ground is supposed to help with proprioception. PT has rocker boards that I find extremely challenging, but fun in a weird way. Whatever you do, be careful and don't fall!

 

[kneeper]

Take the Tylenol if you need it. My first knee needed Tylenol throughout the day for a couple of months after I went back to work. But the end result was good.

 

[Majic]

@Celle Thanks for the standing on one leg tip, I don't think I could peel a carrot yet, but who knows,@Slainte ihave not been able to get online to bonesmart for 10 days, as the British server seems to have been down, so thanks for your message. I have really felt cut off from my friends.

 

[Majic]

@Celle my newest knee is now progressing well, I can dance reasonably well now, we have been dancing twice this week, and my problem has been lack of balance in slightly heeled dance shoes, and my left leg which is now 13 months old, but giving me more trouble than the new one. What is this all about? The muscle down the outside feels stiff, and almost stuck to the bone. It was OK when I had my right one replaced.

My main problem, though intermittent is shin pain when out in strong winds, and we are being buffeted by very strong winds at the moment. Today is forecast to reach 40 mph. We have just come in and it is about 20 at the moment. It is worse when wearing solid soled shoes such as hiking boots, which I have to to take the dog out, as the fields are so wet and muddy. Is the shin pain caused through the jarring of my foot against the ground do you think?

I would love to ask if anyone else has this problem and if it will gradually go away, but I know I am not allowed to post a new thread. Is there another way to ask a forum wide question?

 

[Clipless]

Have you googled "shin splints" to see if that matches your symptoms? I suffered from shin splints as a young adult runner, but I think you can get it from hiking and dancing, too. If you always feel pain when wearing hiking boots, consider new boots from a manufacturer known for comfort (e.g. Lowa), or gel insoles.

 

[Celle]

@Majic,
I don't know the answer to you strange pains, but I do know that these odd things do happen. In terms of complete healing, your first knee is still a toddler and it did have the added stress of being your "good" knee when you had the other knee done. That could be something to do with it.

I'll give you the library article on shin splints, just in case that's relevant:
Shin splints, shin pain, compartment syndrome

I'll also ask @Josephine if she can suggest any cause for your pains - Josephine, can you offer any suggestions for Majic? Her problem is outlined in Post #244. Thank you.

 

[Josephine]

It's cold, it's wet and it's windy - all things that make our poorly knees and bones misbehave!

 

[Majic]

Does anyone here access the site using the bonesmart app on an iPad? If so can you explain how I can find a page which looks like this one, and isn't just a lot of rows. I don't understand that format.

 

[Majic]

@Josephine I would like to ask your opinion please. I am now 5 months out from knee 2. Knee 1 (13months old) which decided it would copy its fellow is still hurting, often more than knee 2. I don't pretend to understand this phenomenon but my OS didn't seem the slightest bit surprised.
I know from many posts I read that a lot of people stop all painkillers very quickly. Do you think I should be off them all by now? My GP yesterday said that he wouldn't have expected me to need them still, and to come off them after Christmas. The fact is though that I am now living a fairly normal life. I walk with my husband and dog virtually every day, present gales allowing, when even dog doesn't want to go out. I am doing almost all the cooking, though not yet making bread and cakes, preserves etc. By the late afternoon, sometimes earlier, I do have pain. Annoyingly knee no1 is usually the worse. I don't pretend to understand that although OS didn't seem at all surprised.

Am I just being a wimp in still taking painkillers? Should I now just put up with the pain until it goes of its own accord? Do people just put up with pain, or do they truly not have any? A neighbour of mine is about 6weeks behind me and says he barely took painkillers and has no pain at all. I have discovered however that apart from a daily walk he does virtually nothing, and certainly he told me he never stands.

I suppose what I fear most is that the pains will never go away and it does worry me a lot, although curiously ballroom dancing doesn't seem to bother my knees at all, the muscles complain a bit, but as I lost a stone and a half with my long lasting UTI they do need building up a lot. The pain I get is from under the knee down my shin about 2inches.

Please don't feel you need to reply before Christmas, and have a very happy one. I am looking forward to our Church services, as we have no family of our own it is lovely to see the many happy children on Christmas Day. Our Carol service was wonderful, over 300 people.

 

[Celle]

Am I just being a wimp in still taking painkillers? Should I now just put up with the pain until it goes of its own accord? Do people just put up with pain, or do they truly not have any? A neighbour of mine is about 6weeks behind me and says he barely took painkillers and has no pain at all. I have discovered however that apart from a daily walk he does virtually nothing, and certainly he told me he never stands.

No, you're not a wimp at all. Keep taking the pain killers if you need them.

We advise people not to compare their recovery with anyone else's, just because of what you said. Your neighbour's knee is not your knee. His knee wasn't in exactly the same condition before surgery as your knee was. He didn't have exactly the same surgery as you did.
Listen to your knee and do what you need to do for your knee.

 

[Josephine]

Knee 1 (13months old) which decided it would copy its fellow is still hurting, often more than knee 2. I don't pretend to understand this phenomenon but my OS didn't seem the slightest bit surprised.

Neither am I. It's quite possible that you have some gait issues which is causing the pain.

I know from many posts I read that a lot of people stop all painkillers very quickly. Do you think I should be off them all by now? My GP yesterday said that he wouldn't have expected me to need them still, and to come off them after Christmas.

You've got to decide if this pain is connected with the latest TKR you had done or if it's totally unrelated. It might be slightly related but if the pain is in the other leg entirely, then it's nothing to do with the surgery. Therefore the fact that you still need some kind of pain medication is also nothing to do with the surgery. Thus your GP is being very short sighted in his advice.

I suggest you start keeping a detailed diary of your pain, date, time, degree of pain (the 1-10 score, remember?), where the pain is located, what type of pain it is (including soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness), what pain meds you took for it and how long the pain lasts. Get a week or two of that on record, it could tell your GP a lot about what you are coping with.

The pain I get is from under the knee down my shin about 2inches.

That sounds like it could be shin pain Shin splints, shin pain, compartment syndrome

So what pain meds are you getting from your GP at present? And have you tried managing with just paracetamol x2 3-4 times a day?

I'd also say that at 22 weeks, it's neither too long nor too short a time to be on pain meds. For my first knee I was taking my full prescription of Tramadol and paracetamol for 4 months which is only a week or two less than where you are right now.

 

[Majic]

@Josephine I think you could be right about the gait issues. My husband says that now I walk normally for the first time, and that I have always had a very odd walk. I didn't realise this, and my present gait seems odd to me.
I am at present taking paracetamol X 2 4 times a day, and also naproxen 3 times a day. I plan to stop the naproxen after Christmas, so that I can then stop the Omeprazole.
Depending how I am I shall then try to gradually cut down the paracetamol.
After Christmas I plan to make an appointment with the physiotherapist who treated me after my operation, she should know what the problem is, and she is brilliant at massage, and does something called myofacial release whatever that is. It helped me a lot last year.
I don't think it is shin splints as the pain is to the inside of the shin, but she will know I should think.
Many thanks for your advice.

 

[Majic]

To everyone of my bonesmart friends who follow my thread and whose threads I follow, may you all have a happy, healing and less painful New Year! @Josephine i know you live in the north of England, I do hope you have not been affected by the severe flooding in that part of the country. We were badly affected in 2007, and the people round here remember the awfulness of it still.

 

[Josephine]

Thank you, Jackie. Happily, where I live is at the top of a hill with the River Wear water level being some 1.5km below. I don't think we are in any danger of the floods here! But I feel greatly for those in Cockermouth and Carlisle plus those on the North West coast like Whitehaven, Maryport and Allenby. Some of those places were flooded three times between the beginning of December and Christmas. How dreadful!

 

[Raffs]

Hi @Majic . Just got caught up on your thread, sorry to hear about the issues you have been having. I hope that 2016 brings you a full recovery and some answers to your questions. Looking forward to updates from you. Take care.

 

[Majic]

@CATSMUM How are things going with you now? I am down to just paracetamol, and have had a few totally pain free days, but when I do too much I get burning pains under my knees, which sometimes spread down my shins. Yes, my 1st TKR is still hurting along with the latest one. Has your first one now recovered? Having two hurt is really annoying me. I don't know how to get any advice as to whether this is normal or not.

 

[Celle]

Your first knee had to take on an extra load when you had the second knee done. That could have been at least part of the reason why it started hurting again.

 

[CATSMUM]

Hi @Majic, apologies for the delay in replying. As Celle said in her posting the first knee had to take on more loading after you had the second one done. I spoke to my Physio about that and she said the same thing. M left knee has now settled back down and is really quite strong. My right one is improving daily, I had sports massage on it which helped tremendously.

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi @Majic

I have just been reading your last few posts. Please do not feel that you are a wimp because you are in pain longer than other people. Also if you need pain meds then keep taking them. Your knees only just over 5 months. Just take it easy is all I can say that is for me it has taken a full two years for my 1st TKR to settle and now it's like a normal knee. It's aches sometimes because it's still taking the brunt of the weight as my left can be a bit weak. I'm exercising to overcome this.

My recovery with the second knee is faster than my first, although I'm on Pregablin (Lyrica). This is really helping me. Try it to compare yourself with others. I felt the same as you when people came off pain meds really quick and felt embarrassed that I was on them so long. This recovery is as unique as we are as individuals. So please take care and take it easy

With love
Nana moon 27 xxx

 

[Majic]

@Josephine I have had a fairly pain free spell recently, and have been able to dance once or twice a week. However this week I have clearly done too much, having danced on Monday afternoon, I had to walk to our small town 15/20minutes depending on direction ( uphill one way down the other) twice on Tuesday then we danced in the evening. I am now suffering from aching and tingling under my knees plus some shin pain. Both legs are affected. Wherever the new knee hurts, so does the older one, it really does mirror it, on pain free days neither hurt. Is this just par for the course? Do we just learn from our mistakes and do less in future, until the healing is complete?
If I do have shin splints to some degree, and the pains do seem to fit with your article, is the answer just ice and rest, or would some treatment help? If so what would you suggest? I am still taking paracetamol 100mg 4 X day. Thanks. By the way I have tried to give a donation to Bonesmart but can't find out how to give in Pounds, can you help.