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TKR Coming along<<

@Elad1002, hi I am one week further along than you and your day sounds a lot like mine! This week I was able to start doing stairs foot over foot - like a big girl lol! But it's very slow.. It's odd how we start paying such close attention to our body when something like this happens. It reminds me of when I was pregnant. I was never so in tune with my body as then, and now again!
 
@gramachris
So glad to hear from you. (My grandkids call me Grama Dale) I am impressed with your progress on the stairs, I haven't been able to do that yet, don't want to chance it with the kneecap tracking issues.

I figured I'd give it a go around 10 weeks. I'm fortunate that my employer said to come back to work whenever... I started doing some of my work from home, but sitting in front of my computer with legs up.

Recovery has been a challenge but the more I read others' stories, it's probably more normal. Have to find my new normal, I guess. Every symptom seems tragic, so this forum has been extremely helpful.

I quit PT, just resting and icing now. According to my PT, I was 0/115-120 when I left.

I have a recumbent bike if I want to stretch but I think the bike might be one of the reasons my kneecap keeps popping, so even taking a break from that.

Thanks for saying hello, we will get through this. Yes we will.
 
Elad1002 said:
I am now taking 1,000mg of Tylenol every 4 hours
Click to expand...
Elad, I said to take the Tylenol 4 times a DAY, not every 4 hours! Remember I also said that the maximum that can be taken in 24 hours is 4,000mg? Well taking it as you've described means you are taking 6,000mg per 24hours!
That's 50% MORE than you should be taking!

As for your patellar issues, considering you are only 8 weeks out, you will still be suffering from the effects of the over activity I had you stop! When you take a rest from exercises, it can take 4-6 weeks before you stop feeling the damage of it.
 
@Josephine
Thanks for your concern. In fact thank you for all your support. You have made a tremendous difference in my life by providing me with valid answers to my post surgery inquiries. I am now religiously following the guidelines and hoping for the best outcome.
I even went to purchase a lymphedema leg pillow, as pictured on this site, and actually ordered an acid reflux pillow, they are not the same...ya gotta laugh! I'm using the 3 pillow method.
 
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@maryo52
Thanks for the article. I just had a complete turn around after refusing PT. I spent last week primarily resting icing and elevating. I didnt leave the house due to weather, and after fracturing my foot, wasn't risking another fall out on the elements. Well, low and behold the immflamation greatly reduced. I was alarmed however that my kneecap tracking was once again becoming an issue after minimal rotations on my recumbant bike, so I went to a different PT, just for a diagnosis. My IT band was extremely tight, but only on the side of my knee, and under my kneecap, subsequently pulling it out, affecting the tracking.
I agreed to a deep tissue massage, and although it was uncomfortable, it offered me much relief. When I asked about dry needling she said, I was just about to suggest that. So next week I will see her again, 2 times for massage and gentle stretches of the IT band, and 1 time for dry needling. She said theres no reason for formal exercise
(As long as I'm keeping up with them at home at my own pace.) Wow, what a difference. I was able to walk through the grocery store last night without excrutiating pain, first time!
 
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A bike was suggested to me but I'm going to put that off a while. In the long run it will not make a bit of difference, and in the short run it could set me back. My PT is like your latest one. She does a lot of hands on manual therapy, and has a gentler approach. So glad you've found a direction that is offering relief.
 
@maryo52
A friend of mine had her 2nd tkr 2 weeks before me, and her doc will not allow her to use a bicycle until she is 3 mos po. He believes in a very gentle approach and tells all the PTs that handle his patients that they are only to do gentle stretches and mobility, much like the Bonesmart protocol. I almost went to him for my surgery because he has a stellar reputation in this area. We cant should've, I'm doing ok though.
 
LOL! No they are not! As it happens, I actually got myself an adjustable bed for my reflux! It's worked a treat but was quite expensive!
 
@Elad1002 - I have moved a couple of your posts from PASB's thread, because they were about your recovery, not hers.
Please try to talk about your own recovery in your thread, so you don't take other people's threads off the topic of their own recovery. Thank you.
 
I've had 2 TKRs, one 2 years ago and one 6 weeks ago. This time I'm doing it on my own, and am doing light years better. I walk around, do a few heel slides, rest, etc. My ROM is fine. Trust these people. Don't let your PT or your OS make decisions that are yours to make.
 
Just wondering if anyone could suggest ideas for exercising the rest of your body while not involving the healing knee. I have a lot of energy that I need to expend.
 
@Elad1002, you can do any kind of upper body as well as core exercises you feel comfortable doing. If you don’t have a home gym or access to a gym, there are many ways to get similar benefits using every day items around the house. For example, you could hold two large cans of vegetables in each hand and do a series of bicep curls as well as lifting them straight up over your head which will exercise your shoulders. You can also do straight arm raises both in front as well as from the sides which will exercise your upper chest (front raises) and upper arms / shoulders (side raises). You can lay on your back and push the cans from your chest straight up to exercise your pectoral muscles. You could stand and hold a can in each hand then bend sideways at the waist and then straighten. This will work the muscles down each side through your hips and into your upper thighs. Google home exercises and you’ll find many more examples.
 
@NavyGunns
Thank you. I completely stopped PT a while back, but I am growing restless. Maybe some upper body exercises will do the trick. Theses are simple no brainers. Thank you.
 
How painful was the dry needling? I had it done on my neck and it was pretty terrible. After 5 sessions I stopped as it wasn't helping my neck problem.
 
@Roper1218
I was supposed to have dry needling done today but my PT called and said I had to wait till I was 12 weeks post-op, precautionary. If my IT band loosens up, which it already has after deep tissue massage, I will cancel. I have 2 more massages scheduled for thus week.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
 
I'm 9 weeks po and aside from IT band pain on Side of knee, broken bone in foot on other leg and morning stiffness and pain upon wakening, I'm ok. I'm not doing that much activity yet since my fall. I still do heel slides and a few rotations on my bike at 0 resistance but I'm not able to walk like I was due to broken bone in other foot. I started doing some light upper body and core exercises ( thanks Navygunns) but am concerned about decrease in walking. I hope it doesnt impact overall healing as I am not really engaging in activities of daily living other than using the bathroom, preparing meals. Unfortunately I do a lot of sitting, and yes icing and elevating. I have unspent energy and feel like I could do more, but due to my Injury, that is not the case. Just started PT twice a week for massage around IT band. Any ideas as to how I could move more given my situation, without injuring myself. I'm always amazed at the ingeniuos responses to such questions by people here. Also, what do you do for gentle stretches?
 
@Elad1002, I wouldn’t worry too much about not walking a lot. However, there are things you can do to help keep your knee mobile and flexible if that’s your concern. One of the things I used to do (still do occasionally) when in my recliner or watching TV from bed is to lay back and raise my leg up. While in the air, I slowly move my leg back and forth at the knee like I’m doing “air kicks”. This keeps my knee flexible, exercises the quads with no additional weight other than the weight of my own leg and foot. You can do this as many times as is comfortable to you, rest a bit, and repeat. I find myself doing it when on a marathon football watching day or other similar activity.
 
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