Bilateral TKR Dickybird’s rehab in Sydney Australia

Do I have it correct that two issues in recovery are 1. Resolution of the tissue damage and swelling resulting from the operation and 2. Strengthening the muscles around the replaced joint? Because again, if I have it right, Resolution of the damage and swelling is promoted by rest and elevating the limb and strengthening the muscles is promoted by exercise. These are opposing treatments and I am interested to know how to find the right compromise between rest and exercise.
My take on this is very simple; healing trumps training, every time. If you train damaged or partially healed knees, you will compound the damage. If you wait and just do mobility stretching, sure you won't get any stronger. But eventually you will be able to train as much as you like -- well maybe not powerlifting :shocked: but walking, swimming, cycling no bother.
 
Heal first; strengthen later.
It's wise to not start any strengthening exercises until about 3 months after this surgery.
 
Eleven weeks post op. Both knees still discomfort free while elevated on my wedge pillow so still no painkillers of any sort needed. But 30 seconds after getting on my feet my knees swell up, redden and stiffen. Not enough to stop daily activities, but two hours on my feet is as much as the knees will allow. Its OK watching television (the Australian Open Tennis has been on) if I keep my knees elevated. BUT there has been a breakthrough! They will allow me to sleep on my side at last! :wowspring: I put a pillow between my knees so no knee or ankle contact and keep the legs elevated on my wedge pillow. A sign that healing has progressed. We are setting off on a cruise from Singapore to Brisbane in 5 weeks so I sincerely hope stiffness will be much less by then. Thanks to all who have provided me encouragement. May this report encourage others.
 
Hey mate,

Following with interest, especially the side sleeping. Trust the cruise went well.
 
Its now nearly 8 months post op so I can report on progress. I can now sleep on either side and only rarely need to sleep on my back. I use a pillow to keep my knee slightly elevated. Stiffness on getting up is much less and first thing each morning my knees feel very good. But as the day goes on with my usual activity they can feel less and less comfortable and I need to rest and preferably elevate them. Despite that I can now walk up to 2 kilometres a day. I am encouraged by the example of a friend who had both knees TKRd by the same surgeon 2 years ago and who now plays tennis. I like to hope the time will come when my knees do not bring attention to themselves and I can just take them for granted as in the distant days of my youth. Tell me it can happen!
 
I like to hope the time will come when my knees do not bring attention to themselves and I can just take them for granted as in the distant days of my youth. Tell me it can happen!

Love it.

Those days are such a distant memory for me :)

I had been using a pillow between my legs long before my knees... It helped to relieve my back which I have had 2 surgeries....

Hope you had fun in the cruise
 
I use the pillow too, have been able to sleep on my side since the first week. I hope the cruise was fun, I read your recovery thread with interest. Gave me reassurance.
 
@Dickybird, it is true that you can expect to think of life first and knees second with some more time. This is such major surgery that most people don't realize that complete recovery takes a year or more. In fact, quite a few people report that it's really a couple of years before they begin to truly "forget" their bionic knees. Of course, in the meantime you can be highly functional, like you are with your walking. I'm glad to hear you're doing so well. :thumb:
 
I have not posted for some time, because things have been going very well, if slowly. It is almost two years since my knee replacements. I have been following the advice from Bonesmart to avoid vigorous exercise and agressive physio therapy and I believe I have made good progress. I Have slowly built up my leg capacities and now walk 3-4 kilometres several days a week For exercise and fitness. My knees will never feel the same, but before the replacements, I could walk only half a kilometre before the pain set in, so the replacements have been a success. How hard life was for osteoarthritis sufferers before hip and knee replacements! I frequently recommend bonesmart to my cohort of aging friends.
 
Until now, I have avoided regular exercise except for walks, which are good. They are in the open air, free, and avoid crowds and gyms, which is important in the era of COVID-19.

But my wife has introduced me to an online exercise system I can follow at home, in my own time. It is graduated, so you start slowly and easily and build up your fitness and strength as you follow the program. After living with my knees for a couple of years, I am finding it easy to do and helpful in strengthening not only my TKR knees, but also my arthritic shoulder as it improves my fitness. I'm not overweight, but I do want to get my legs as strong as they can be now that they are fully healed. This program is clearly improving the strength of the musculature around my 2 year old knee replacements. I also feel it is strengthening shoulder muscles around my right shoulder and lessening the discomfort from osteoarthritis.

If you are well past your surgery recovery phase, you might want to search out fitness programs online to find one that suits you and that you'll follow regularly to gain strength. I really feel this is going to work well for me.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • EalingGran
    Staff member since January 23, 2024
  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023
  • Jamie
    Staff member since Feb, 2009
  • djklaugh
    Staff member since December 30, 2020

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,180
Messages
1,597,058
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom