TKR Cflower's recovery

[Dhare63]

Here are a few that I was doing;

Walk across the shallow end forwards and backwards for about 5 minutes to warm up
Lunges definitely
If there are steps, use them to step up and down
In the deep end, use your noodle and wrap it around your back and under your arms, like an armrest. It should help you float. Then you can march in the water with knees coming up high each time. You can then switch to making a motion with your legs like cross country skiing; legs straight and swinging like scissors.
Putting the noodle under your foot and using it to create resistance, then going up and down is also good.

These all really helped. I especially liked the cross country skiing motion, it was good exercise and felt great!

Hope this is helpful and sorry for the delay in replying!

Dawn

 

[Cflower]

Thanks Dawn. I have started having restless nights. Crazy, while on the pain meds I slept like a baby from the beginning. One leg 6/27 the other 10/1. Last night I tossed and turned unit 3:00 a.m. I even had taken 2 Tylenol P.M.'s. Don't know what's up with that. Hydrocodone stopped about 5 weeks ago. I sure don't want to lose my ROM since my PT is over. Going to start gym routine tomorrow.

 

[Dhare63]

I find that when my routine is off, I have sleepless nights. The holidays may have done that to you. Don't worry, in Agnew days you should be back in rhythm.

I found the pool very helpful with the rom, so if you can get in there, do it. I believe it's really helped me!

Be well!

 

[RunA42K]

Hi CFlower, I have been reading up on your thread. I hope that your are feeling better and getting some sleep. Sometimes still I have restless nights, I am always aware of bending or straightening my leg while sleeping. It used to be that overnight would be restful for my new knee and I would wake up with it refreshed and less swollen. Now when I wake up it feels stiff because I have not been using it...go figure, I don't know whats up with that!

I hope that you will have a Happy New Year. You won't see me at the Shenandoah store anymore, I am just at Louetta now which is right around the corner from my house. Some days I walk to work!

 

[1ELISEA]

I have started having restless nights. ....... Going to start gym routine tomorrow.

Hi Cflower
Hope the restless nights have subsided. I admire those the keep up with the gym; I have the best intentions but usually by the end of February I have petered out. It always makes me feel good to go, but somehow, once a glimpse of spring comes, I'm looking to go outside.

 

[Cflower]

So sleep has gotten better. I've started turning the TV off earlier. I keep wondering why my legs feel son stiff and bother me. I'm off all pain meds for about 7 weeks. By the time I had my second knee done my first knee was three months post op and I was still taking a lot of hydrocodone and continued to take it for another two months for the second knee. So that's why I feel the difference I guess. I'm hoping I'm still at 120 degrees but I doubt it. I got in the spa today and did a lot of bending etc. I just still feel this tightness around each leg right above the knee. Six month knee not as bad. What is that? dr said that could last up to a year or longer. I'm not icing even once a day any more. Left leg 6 mo right leg three months. Pt finished. I'm starting with a personal trainer that specializes in knee and hip replacements and strike patients at our gym. I'm committed for eight sessions and doing it twice a week nim really wanting him to set me up on a gym routine to help with rom.

So, can I still expect to get more rom and did others feel that tightness I'm talking about. Overall left knee has had three MUAs and right one two of the left knees MUAs were done during surgery on RTKR and RTKR MUA. I don't want to be put to sleep again. I hope it isn't scar tissue I feel tightening up already.

 

[Dhare63]

Hang in there, you are still in early days, even though it seems like an eternity. I have been fighting my fight for nearly 18 months, and still hope to gain more rom. The trainer sounds like a good idea to get specific direction on what exercises to do.

You need to dip into the store of patience and know this can be a year or more process. Even after that, you may still have the tight band feeling, or some degree of it. That may be your new normal. But don't give up, keep looking and fighting for the life you want to live.

Let us know how the gym goes and stay the course. You will get better, and time is your greatest ally, even though it feels like your greatest enemy.

Hang in there,

Dawn

 

[Cflower]

started water aerobics this morning. going to do that three times a week and use the personal trainer twice a week. He deals with replacements and stroke people so he should be good. I'm trying for gym every other day except for days of water aerobics. Wish my pool at home was warm but at least I can learn the routine and in May when I get start getting in my pool, I know the routine.

 

[karmigirl]

Cflower,
I too had that tight band feeling in the beginning, then it seemed to be gone. Now, at 19mos PO, that my back is having severe issues it seems to have returned to some extent. So it does not always mean that it is scar tissue. You are still very early on and just might need to give it more time.

 

[Cflower]

So how long is it before I should be able to get out of the bathtub. We have a soaking tub which is really deep. I can get in and get down but getting out is impossible. Normal, pre tkr's, i would turn over on ky knees and push up. I can't do that. The tub is not the right height (too high) for me to be able to push up with arms. So for the best I have done was take a little boosternseatnand when I'm done I slide the booster under me and try and lift out but I have to do this with husbands help. I do want to do this by myself. I live my bubble baths in the winter and to think I'm destined to showers the rest of my life makes me sad. I haven't even tried to get down on the floor.

Start with my trainer tomorrow. Hope all goes well.

 

[Dhare63]

Maybe start working on upper body strength and discuss with the trainer. You could also practice in a dry tub, which is what I did before I took the plunge. My tub is deep but not too wide, and has a wide side at either end. I used a towel on the end nearest my bottom, sat on it to gently get n and same for getting out. I used my arms to push up and used my legs against the side of the tub for leverage. I'm sure I looked like a contortionist but it worked.

Just a thought! I bought two different kinds of bubble bath over the weekend, love the bubble bath!

 

[Cflower]

I had my first session with the trainer. Boy, was that harder than I though. He's working on total body which makes sense and not just the knees. The hardest thing by far was stepping up on a 12" step holding a weight. Guess because I'm short the step was hard. After 20 times my heart was beating so fast. I did the treadmill, (broken one) that didn't move and he had me take 20 steps with my legs pushing hard to make the belt move. I did several machines I was use to some squats holding a ball (that was a little hard) and at the end he stretched me with me on my stomach and then back. I would say overall it was a very good workout. I will probably invest more in this than just the 8 sessions I set up because I think he will get results. With me on my stomach he got my knee to 110° without even pushing so he definitely got it to 120°. I asked him if he had good results with additional ROM and he said yes. His goal is to get a person to better than when they left PT but whole body. And it makes sense that all the leg muscles need to be stronger to help with the knee.

I actually got down on the floor by myself and up. Now if I can navigate our deep bathtub.

 

[Cflower]

Update: 1st knee done June 27 (8 months old), 2nd knee Oct. 1 (5 months old). Here's what's going on and I'm not sure if this is normal. Sometimes I think if I have to feel like this I'd rather have my old knees back. As far as the joints go, there's no pain there. Where my discomfort is (and the doctor says this is normal) is that on both legs there is this tight feeling around my leg right above the knee cap all the way around. It feels like someone is squeezing it tight with a band wrapped around the leg. I probably don't have any more range of motion than when I was released from therapy at the end of December. That was six months of therapy on first knee and 3 months of therapy on the second knee.

For the last 1 1/2 months I have been doing water aerobics three times a week and work with the personal trainer who specializes in replacements like this etc (he has a degree in pt) two times a week other than that I don't do anything at home except use the ball to stretch my legs and the stretching straps to pull my leg up (heel slides). What I'm wondering is did any of you have that tight feeling this long. The doctor said by a year it could be gone and sometimes it takes 2 years. I think I could deal with the ROM whatever it ends up being if my legs didn't feel so tight all the time.

 

[Jacky48]

Nice to hear from you again Sherry! As far as the tight band feeling around your knees, my left one (Mickey) still has that feeling, however my right (Minnie) not so much! If I don't do my bike for awhile I get that tight feeling within a couple of days! The way I feel about it, and I thought of this as I was walking through the grocery store today, is that I do not feel that god awful bone on bone pain I use to have before my BTKR, so all is good and I'll just wait it out!
It sounds like you're doing well other than that issue so keep your chin up and eventually it will get better! Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your experience! Stay well kiddo!

 

[Cflower]

Here I am at almost 11 months (may 27) on my left knee and seven months (oct. 1) on my right knee. I stillhave that tight band feeling all the time. The only time I do not notice it is when I'm taking tylenol and tamerol (1/2) each day. I guess the good thing is that I don't have the grinding any more.

I do not know what the ROM is but sitting down, I can bend my leg under the chair. I still have a trainer one day a week, do water aerobics twice a week and we have just started heating our pool to get the water up in the 80's so I'm getting in that daily to do leg exercises.

I'm getting ready to sell my recumbent bike because I have a new outside bike which I love. My old bike even thought it is a girls bike has a bar that freaked me out before knee surgery so I was not going to attempt to try to get on and off it. Anyway, I bought a cool new bike by Biria (german design) that is a easy boarding and the base is 6" off the ground. So it is truly a step through bike. I but a really cute basket on it from Nantucket Basket Company and a cool line green and aqua bell so I can scare all the squirrels that may want to jump out in front of me.

I'm hoping eventually the tightness will go away. I no longer iced and haven't done that in a few months. I don't elevate on the wedge pillow either but I do use my big ball at nightr and in the morning and also my stretching strap when I go to bed and wake up.

Anyone out there notice the tightness going away and WHEN. Thanks. Sherry

 

[RunA42K]

Sherry, I still have the tight band feeling...some days more or less than others, and I am past two years. I find that the cool air conditioning indoors makes it worse because it gets cold. Texas heat as arrived so I am hoping that will help as well. It sounds like you are very active, that is great!

 

[turtle68]

RunA42K
I hope that you will have a Happy New Year. You won't see me at the Shenandoah store anymore, I am just at Louetta now which is right around the corner from my house. Some days I walk to work![/quote]


Good morning. You are the first fellow Houstonian I have met on BoneSmart. I live in TreeLine which is between Spring Cypress and Northpointe, Tomball address but not too far from Louetta. You mentioned working on Louetta. I understand about the Texas heat but I am really looking forward to the pools getting up to 90 degrees plus. I was going to rejoin the Y, but it is just too crowded with daycamps, etc. in the summer, plus any water aerobics I have been to have been more social than exercise.

You were talking about the cold affecting the tight band feeling.. Interesting - I've been having a lot of nerve pain on my right side, including sciatica, and the foot and ankle pain kicks up when I'm icing my knee. Do you think there is a connection between the nerve pain and the icing? Just curious.

Amazing you ran the Houston 1/2 Marathon at 9-1/2 months. I was there - my daughter ran the marathon. Are you still running? Have a great day, and try to stay out of the haze and smoke from Mexico we are having right now.

Dorothy

 

[Cflower]

I thought I would give an update on my knees. One knee turned one year old on June 27 and the other one will be one year on October 1. I feel like I am the only person here that could be the poster child a knee that won't behave.

So to refresh, I had one knee done June 27th and one Oct. 1. I had three months of therapy (3 x week) with first knee then a two week break then after the other knee replacement I did three more months therapy. The end of December I was released from therapy and started water aerobics twice a week and had a personal trainer (one more session to go then I'm on my own, I'm tired of paying) once a week. I have the new bike which I have riden up to 9 miles so far on.

This summer we went to Florida with our kids and grandkids and rented a three story house on the beach with lots of stairs in the house and about 50 to get down to the beach. I did all of that. Even took my bike along to ride during the day. I went on a trip with my sister to Door County, WI (the Nantucket of the Midwest) and we did segway tour. That could have been a mistake. I wiped out twice and she did once going up hill in the state park there. Still have a shoulder three weeks later but sure it isn't anything.

So, the problem with the knees is the tightness around each leg above the knee. It feels like they have been duct taped, or as some people say, they are being strangled or even a steel band tightening around the legs. This is always, not just some of the time. Sometimes the popping sensation but that isn't always. The doctor says it could be a year (not me) or up to two years. I'm going to be so disappoint if I don't get my normal legs back sometime in the future.

When I get in my own pool I do nothing but bend and paddle my legs and keep them moving. I just don't know what else to try. Is there anyone out there that has had this sensation? I appreciate my new knees and the fact that I don't have that bone on bone pain any more but I cannot get use to this tight feeling above the knee and all the way around the leg.

It's still good to read others successes.

 

[Jacky48]

Welcome back Cflower ! Wow, that's a lot of stairs you did in Florida! I never thought Florida had that many stairs in the whole state! If I did one wipeout on a segway tour, I would have walked the rest of the way! It sounds like you had a very active summer, which is a good thing.

I still get tightness on my left knee more than my right, worse when I do too much! It looks like you might need to elevate and ice now and then especially when you do too much. I wish you continued healing!

 

[Cflower]

Went for a 5 mile bike ride today and getting ready to jump in the pool. I was just reading Bonnie's post about her knee and the fact that the doctor said she had a lot of scar tissue built up. Could all the tightness I feel (strangling) in both knees mean it's built up scar tissue or could it still be healing. I really don't want to think about more surgery. And if scar tissue is removed, what's to keep it from growing back just the same.

Getting ready to get in pool and do some kicking. My brain just can't adjust to this feeling, I keep thinking I will just get use to it.