TKR Dearjr's new knee

[Dearjr]

Went to pt today then work
Felt a little less swollen today and better after ice

Does anyone have any timeframe for when you could feel you could "run" across the street in the face of traffic.....I surley can't do it now

Bike is going well. Feels good when I ride it against some resistance. Will start elliptical this week

Any ideas of riding a bike outside yet?

 

[Dearjr]

And the new pt did a great measage over the quad tendon
She was good today

 

[PolarBear60]

Glad your new PT did a good job today. I tried riding at minimal resistance a couple of weeks ago and had to increase it by one level to get it to feel right. I'm not pushing, but I do adjust to what feels right.

I haven't tried my bike outside yet. Same for "running" across the street. I suspect my non-TKR knee is the limiting factor for me there. For you, probably another month to two months on riding outside, then you'll be in the throes of winter, so I'm going to guess spring will be your best bet for outdoor biking.

 

[Dearjr]

I can't wait to feel the wind at my face
As for running across street at the moment it would be an awkward gait

My non tkr knee also will be rate limiting in this equation
I'm not ready to replace it yet. At the moment it flexes to ride bike and walk steps. When that starts to go then it will go too !

 

[PolarBear60]

Well, I've had an awkward gait for the desperation run for about ten years. You're fortunate your non-TKR knee is so well-behaved at this point. I'll be lucky to get mine through to the desired surgery date of April, 2016.

 

[Dearjr]

My right tkr knee before surgery was behaving until 6 months ago suddenly that's why I had to do it I have a desired date for my left. ...at least 2 years to hold off...
When did you get your knee done?

 

[Pescara]

@Dearjr ,I have been wondering how you were doing. I hope you get some rest and ice with the holiday weekend Have a drink on me lol

 

[Dearjr]

Thanks @Pescara I will do that

I have finally come to see that improvement won't always come daily but hoping it comes weekly!
This week knee feels less stiff and the band feeling around it is less

When the pt measured it 1 degree more than last week I told her numbers are not important but function is

My hope is to try a real bike on Monday for a short ride

After that I'll have a drink!

Hows it going with you?
Have a great weekend!

 

[skigirl]

I found that three months was a mark---I began to feel much more like myself. I rode my bike outside at 3 or 4 weeks---but it was a short ride--5 miles or so, just to see how the knee felt. But, I was not working full time either!! By two months I rode often. I think that you are nearly there---but all the swelling was pretty much gone at 2 months.

 

[Josephine]

Does anyone have any time frame for when you could feel you could "run" across the street in the face of traffic.....I surely can't do it now

My friend, you're only 7 weeks out yet! Still in the throes of acute recovery. So no you can't run across the road and will be unlikely to for another 4 months, more likely 6 because you hampered your recovery by returning to work so soon.

I have finally come to see that improvement won't always come daily but hoping it comes weekly!

Usually it comes in spurts. You might make progress for 2-3 consecutive days and then nothing for the next week. It's not a linear process!

When the pt measured it 1 degree more than last week I told her numbers are not important but function is

What a silly woman! You can get a variance of FIVE degrees by just moving the goniometer a few mm. So one degree is of no note whatsoever. But your response was perfect! Good mind set!

 

[Pescara]

@Dearjr I am like you. I don't care about the numbers. Just tell me if I am doing ok. My new PT is just out of school and still has more residency to go through. He has only been out of school for 2 weeks and then moves to another hospital in 4 weeks then to another for 6 weeks. So far he has been great and gentle. He focusses on my walking and a few bed exercises. I do a lot on my own. Heel slides and bending my knees and anything else I can think of. I make myself do them since I can't seem to sit still!

 

[Dearjr]

@skigirl i will await anxiously the day of no swelling. But for me it will be a little longer because I went to work at 3 weeks
@Josephine i wish I had more than 3 weeks to take off. I know that is why my swelling continues. I just wanted to know the healing is still going in and the swelling will eventually disappear.

@Pescara we could mold
Our pts to be kind and gentile. Hope
U are doing better

Yesterday swam my first laps in pool. I think I iverdid it a

 

[Dearjr]

Sorry

I think I overdid it. Knee was swollen morning the next day but went down to usual level by afternoon. Walked 1/2 hour and then iced it

Little by little week by week swelling going
Tomorow is bike day!

 

[Josephine]

I think I overdid it. Knee was swollen morning the next day but went down to usual level by afternoon

If it went down that quickly then don't worry about it. Everything's working just as it should do.

 

[Dearjr]

Thanks. In the morning it has a little swelling then after some heel slides and quad sets and walking it swells

 

[Pescara]

to the over did it club. I am a proud member lol

 

[Dearjr]

@Pescara im part of that club every day
I always have some low level swelling each morning and increases during work till I ice it. I've been told it will go away eventually as my abused tissues heal.
Can't wait for that day!

 

[skigirl]

I found that support hose helped with the ongoing swelling after activity. I cut off the foot part of the ted hose from the hospital and then put them on under slacks and put on real socks.

There are even calf sleeves which runner's use to increase circulation that might help---I saw them after pt but sometimes use them for skiing when I am going to be on skis for 8 hours.

 

[Dearjr]

@cpd599 sorry I missed your post. What you said makes sense. Sitting on a chair with knee flexed normally I don't feel
It but if I flex more I feel
The "band". That's what I want to go away

@skigirl are you talking about a sleeve around the knee? With the hole
In the knee cap?

 

[skigirl]

Yes, those work fairly well. I used a compression sleeve which they sell at sporting goods stores on the calf and then put a neoprene sleeve over the knee---it had a hole over the patella so that it was not held down to the knee. I made that hole bigger by the way and it fit better.

If you compress only the knee itself, the swelling will go up or down. If you wear a compression sock (Walgreens has them, for instance) and something over the knee, it forces the swelling to go up and thus into the lymph system. I found that compression is a good way to prevent some of the swelling during the day, but just a knee sleeve was not really enough.