It sounds like you already are doing that. Most of all those exercises you can do right at home. As for walking on a treadmill, you can walk around your neighborhood for those 10 minutes.
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TKR Crunching & Thunking
- Thread starter Julia1911
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Yes, you should be able to do aerobic and strengthening exercises again. Your knee is upset about something right now, so stop doing them for now.
As I said, something appears to be not quite right at the moment, so get your knee checked out by your surgeon.
Stop doing these for now and see if your knee improves.
Squats are particularly hard on a new or an upset knee.
Julia1911
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Sorry, this is not a "new" pain or irritation. And step-ups, which are essential for old-age strengthening, hurt much more than squats.
BoneSmart is very anti-activity. Although I don't believe in too much exercise immediately after surgery, and slow and steady is good, I do believe one should be able to get most of your joint use, without too much pain and stiffness, after 7 full months post-surgery. If not, something is wrong. And you need to advocate enough for yourself to get it fixed.
I have had arthritis since my early 20s (1977). I had a spinal fusion after a ruptured disc, and after a month in traction, when I was 24. I learned to walk again, and yes, finally was able to walk without dragging my foot in 9 mos to a year (mostly gone in 9 mos unless I got tired, then it dragged). It did take me another year to be able to raise up that leg on my toes. But I kept up until I could although most of my right leg is still numb.
I had the metatarsal joint of my right foot operated on to remove bone spurs and damaged cartiledge 3 years later. I have had hand surgery twice, the first operating on multiple fingers. Most of my finger joints are all bone on bone.
I had a spinal refusion in 2005. They broke it where it was fused originally, put in a cadaver bone piece as a spacer, put in 2 titanium clamps, 4 screws and more cadaver bone around all that to stabilize it (so I was not in a steel back brace like I was after the 1st fusion for 6 months). I went back to work after that one in 2 weeks and the pain was mostly gone in 3 months.
I guess I expect a lot, but I should have a knee that doesn't "thunk and crunch" and feel like a "peg-leg" when I walk. And based on all my previous joint surgeries, I don't think that is too much to ask. If Medicare won't pay for a revision if it keeps up, then I will. I have no desire to be an invalid.
Sorry, but I'm not ready to be in a rocking chair (but don't rock! too much activity!), with a BMI over 40, and just be grateful that I can putter around very, very gently but not actually DO anything.
BoneSmart is very anti-activity. Although I don't believe in too much exercise immediately after surgery, and slow and steady is good, I do believe one should be able to get most of your joint use, without too much pain and stiffness, after 7 full months post-surgery. If not, something is wrong. And you need to advocate enough for yourself to get it fixed.
I have had arthritis since my early 20s (1977). I had a spinal fusion after a ruptured disc, and after a month in traction, when I was 24. I learned to walk again, and yes, finally was able to walk without dragging my foot in 9 mos to a year (mostly gone in 9 mos unless I got tired, then it dragged). It did take me another year to be able to raise up that leg on my toes. But I kept up until I could although most of my right leg is still numb.
I had the metatarsal joint of my right foot operated on to remove bone spurs and damaged cartiledge 3 years later. I have had hand surgery twice, the first operating on multiple fingers. Most of my finger joints are all bone on bone.
I had a spinal refusion in 2005. They broke it where it was fused originally, put in a cadaver bone piece as a spacer, put in 2 titanium clamps, 4 screws and more cadaver bone around all that to stabilize it (so I was not in a steel back brace like I was after the 1st fusion for 6 months). I went back to work after that one in 2 weeks and the pain was mostly gone in 3 months.
I guess I expect a lot, but I should have a knee that doesn't "thunk and crunch" and feel like a "peg-leg" when I walk. And based on all my previous joint surgeries, I don't think that is too much to ask. If Medicare won't pay for a revision if it keeps up, then I will. I have no desire to be an invalid.
Sorry, but I'm not ready to be in a rocking chair (but don't rock! too much activity!), with a BMI over 40, and just be grateful that I can putter around very, very gently but not actually DO anything.
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Sounds like you are ready to start shopping for a second opinion, you can use the Surgeon Locator link at the top of the page. Look for someone specializing in revisions or complex joint reconstruction, they have the education and experience to determine what is happening with troubled knees.
You will want to find someone who has no relationship with your present surgeon, professional or social.
You will want to find someone who has no relationship with your present surgeon, professional or social.
@Julia1911
Did you actually read what I advised?
I never said you can't do exercises.
I said stop them for now, to see if that brings about any improvement to your knee. That sounds like common sense to me.
I also advised you to see your surgeon.
Did you actually read what I advised?
I never said you can't do exercises.
I said stop them for now, to see if that brings about any improvement to your knee. That sounds like common sense to me.
I also advised you to see your surgeon.
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You have been misreading the advice
Good.
I have placed excerpts from our guidelines below. The key point is that what works for YOU is important, and if you can do a lot without pain and swelling, do it!
3. Do what you want to do BUT
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.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
This is not so. No one has ever said to do nothing while you are healing. What we state is that aggressive activity can be bad for a healing knee. The average knee takes a year to heal. If someone heals sooner and can tolerate aggressive activity, great. If not, then activity that causes pain and swelling is a setback in the recovery. The knee has to recover from the setback before it can get on with the original healing. Pain in joint replacement is not good.
Many of us healed just fine alone and with no PT or extra exercises. If you want to exercise and work the knee that's up to you. But, at 7 months out it's obviously causing you pain and swelling. It would just about anyone's knee. That certainly doesn't mean it's a failure. Just try a temporary stop of these extra activities for a few weeks and just do normal stuff around the house, shopping, yard work...things like that and see if the pain and swelling goes down. If so, then you know that your knee isn't healed enough to do the extra exercises right now. As Dr. Phil says, "Is what you're doing working for ya?"? Why not give something else a try for a few weeks.
Julia1911
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Well, it appears you censor real-life experiences. Especially ones that do not conform to your very non-medical knowledge (I say that with an undergraduate degree in biology and a year of graduate studies in pharmacology). So much for helping people.
@Julia1911 - You are free to listen to our advice, or not. That's your choice and your right.
But, before you leap to conclusions about our "very non-medical knowledge", you should know that BoneSmart has a group of orthopaedic surgeons who advise us, and who approve of the advice we give.
For over 10 years, we had a very experienced nurse on staff, who was in charge of a suite of operating theatres for many years and who assisted in multiple orthopaedic surgeries. She also had experience as an occupational health nurse. She taught all of us many things.
In addition, we have a group of staff with medical or para-medical knowledge - 2 with experience in public service medical systems, 2 registered nurses, one Physical Therapist, and one therapeutic massage therapist.
Every one of our staff has been on BoneSmart for several years and we have all had joint replacements ourselves. We know what recovery is like, because we've all been through it ourselves and we know what works and what doesn't work..
