TKR One Year Post Surgery

7 weeks for me now, and whilst I can feel the skin soreness, it's only when I think of it.
The good news is that it's turning out like my first TKR, in that the outside of the knee has no feeling at all. I expect it will be permanent, let's hope so.
 
@Tykey I too have numbness in patches on the outside of my knee - had thought this was temporary.. How is your walking without the crutches did you have to teach yourself or did it come naturally? I'm still limping ( more like hobbling) I suppose as it's still early days... I can walk from lounge to kitchen without them but very awkwardly...
Watching England thrash New Zealand but anything can still happen fingers crossed as with all the nonsense with Brexit England could do with a victory xx
 
Permanent numbness is best, as my knees are coffee table height!!
I've just come down to earth after that wonderful display from England.
I found that one or two crutches always helped me get around if the knee was hurting, although like most men I used to show I didn't need them.
When the knees stopped hurting, with no crutches I used to walk like a ruptured duck. When walking I used long strides with my good leg, short steps with my bad one. That made me waddle, and gave me shin splints, which are painful.
So taking advice from my PT, I use just one elbow crutch on my good side. I move it forward to the proper stride length, then bring my bad leg forward to match it. I hope that makes sense.
I use elbow crutches, which I find are perfect.
The good gait didn't come naturally, it needs practice, took me about a couple of weeks. But I still take one with me on walkies, and use it when I get tired. Try to make sure you put your heel on the floor first, the roll your foot as you go forward. When I started I used to point my toes upwards to make sure they don't hit the floor (which hurts) but as the ROM improves you can drop the toes and that's even better.
I now walk properly all the time, with or without my crutch.
Pleased Brexit keeps you amused, it really is laughable, but most people here have given up caring. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry.
You seem to doing all the right things, it soon all drops into place, and you will be zooming away.
 
I've had another thought while out on walkies.
I know very very little about horses. But I think I know that the way to tell if a horse has a poorly front leg is that it nods its head each time that leg comes forward.
If I reverse that, and try to keep my head level and look straight ahead without nodding, my gait is far smoother, and I can leave my crutch at home.
Sometimes I worry about my brain
 
What an interesting observation! I'll have to try that when I am walking, to see if it helps my gait.

As for Brexit, everyone here seems to have intense opinions about it even though our country is not the one involved! I have my own intense opinion, which I won't bring up because it would be too political and such posts can sometimes be fairly incendiary. The main reason I care about Brexit, I suppose, is that I want the best for everyone over there across the pond. No matter what happens, if it turns out to be for the best then I will be happy (whether my opinion of what would be best, turned out to be right or wrong).
 
@Carole4815 wish it was warm enough for shorts here, my leg is too swollen to fit in my regular trousers so have bought a large tracksuit bottom and cut out inner lining as it prickly to the skin once I get mobile again I'll look at buying long dresses however I'm kinda a jeans type of girl :)
It's starting to get colder here! Brrr. Right now, at about noon, it is only 64F (=18C) out there, which I think is probably the coldest it has been at this time of day so far this fall. I usually don't wear shorts when it is below around 67F (=19C) or so. So, I may have to start wearing long pants again. Ugh.

I read in another post somewhere on this forum, that if you take a soft cloth and gently slide it back and forth across the incision, that makes you lose that sensitivity. I might have to start doing something like that to see if it works.
 
@Carole4815 Today I had the dressing removed but they have left on the Steri-strips and just as you suggested I have been told I can shower etc and in time these will fall off.
Regarding the sensitivity of the exposed scar the hospital has told me to rub different types of fabrics over it daily to get it used to them, as the scar area is very sensitive - currently I'm wearing full length compression stockings and the stockings are quite tight and the scar doesn't seem bothered. It will be interesting to see how it reacts to other fabrics.
@Tykey I will try your advice regarding walking and try look straight - I just you tubed a video of lame horses and you are correct they nod their heads and if they are pain free they walk tall and straight...learnt something new:) ha ha
Think I will practice using my elbow crutch and use the heel to toe ...:walking: for my 3rd weeks visit to the surgeon he has told me I'm to be crutch free :nah: fingers crossed. Last August our daughter treated us to tickets to the watch the test match for the world cup at Twickenham and it was between England and Wales - England won ... so it would be amazing if Wales beat SA tomorrow ...and the following Sunday the finals between the two again. What an exciting match today.

Now it's time for that awful tummy jab ...11 injections still to go - I think it's the only time only life that I'm relieved to have a bit of tummy fat as it would be way more painful without :shocked::sos:
 
Last edited:
I reverse that, and try to keep my head level and look straight ahead without nodding, my gait is far smoother, and I can leave my crutch at home.
For years l watched where I put my feet when I walked. After my TKR I was able to walk with my head up within a few months instead of watching my feet. Well, don't you know, I stepped in a hole and broke my foot and ankle. The moral of the story is, know your terrain before you walk all the time with your head up, especially in the early days of recovery!
 
@sistersinhim Yes jolly good point !
I too have a tendency to fall over my own feet so I will be following your advice :)
 
Good Morning
Woken up ( actually very little sleep last night ) anyway ...woken up with what feels like a tight knee (strange feeling I've not had before) almost as is the skin is not willing to give either (above the bend) side of my scar, so walking and bending feels a wee bit odd .. should I gently exercise it more ?
I did ice quite frequently during the night...
Also still feel moving/clicking noises with the new joint mainly at the back of the knee.
Is it me just worrying for nothing again.:shrug:
Weather has changed and our house is quite cold - would the cold still affect the new joint and make it achy I did have this achy problem before my surgery in the colder weather :oyvey:
 
Good morning.
We get all sorts of strange feelings which keep coming and going. Mine are usually solved by a good healthy shrug of my shoulders, and by taking things a bit easier, like ignoring the ironing.
I slept well, but kept tossing and turning, my knee kept giving a twinge or two deep inside the joint as I rolled over, so this morning it feels different, a bit tight, but it'll pass.
If you have a butchers on t',internet of our new knees, it's difficult to find which bit of the prosthesis can move about back there without moving all over the knee. Those two big ligaments will probably not yet have settled back to where they want to be, nor have all the other soft tissues. Mine were moving about, and the pretty PT called Kiss said it will settle, and it is doing just that.

Many of us have noted that cold weather changes how they feel. Do you still feel the need to Ice all night? I never iced at night, but my painkillers were very effective.

But usual message : stop thinking
 
Lol @Tykey as soon as I posted it I knew that you would put my over active mind at rest.
I think I'm restless I'm not used to not being able to not do for myself and relying on hubby isn't the easiest he is a hopeless nurse with the attitude that by now I should be up and running/driving and looking after everything as before ( yes after 2 weeks) probably my own fault as I was always independent doesn't help living in the middle of nowhere it's times like these one would appreciate living in a small village or town with shops/people close by ..
All I can say is thank God he's gone to play golf this morning as otherwise a domestic is not far off....hopefully my sense of humour will return soon :-(
 
@Jamie would to be too early to stop taking tramadol during the day and only take prior going to sleep and just use paracetamol instead daytime or would I be better to keep what I'm doing at the moment I'm taking Skudexa (tramadol)at 10am and again at 10pm then paracetamol at 03:30 am and 15:30pm.
I don't have excruciating pain but that could be because I'm well medicated ??
 
Day 19 woken up in a very positive mood I've decided to stop taking Tramadol during the day and just use it at night so will just rely on paracetamol daytime (fingers crossed) also decided I have had enough of the baggy slouch wear so im dressed in leggings and a sweater - immediately one feels more normal. ( I even tried on my new combat style boots and they feel comfy ) not that i am going anywhere to wear them just yet haha.

I'm walking better I can manage crutch free but limp a bit so rather than get into bad habits ( I limped badly before op) I'm still using 1 crutch - I might ask PT to help me with getting adjusted to none.
Knee bend seems pretty good I have no idea what the Rom is but I can bend it quite a lot with no pain and today even managed a few forward lifts from knee only which is good :) again not pushing myself and icing frequently.

Weather not good so limiting myself to frequent walks inside the house but at least I'm moving looking forward to PT tomorrow just to see/do something different and see people ha ha

All going well I aim to do the board walk on the beach on Saturday and have a coffee and cake at the beach side cafe.

Attached photo of my newly exposed knee not too ugly...it has a dip in it which hopefully will straighten with time ( but maybe needed for it to bend ) I was fortunate as no bruising whatsoever.

So here is to remaining positive :yes!:
Happy week and recovery everyone xx
 

Attachments

  • PhotoPictureResizer_191028_111943416_crop_895x1213.jpg
    PhotoPictureResizer_191028_111943416_crop_895x1213.jpg
    58.5 KB · Views: 154
03:43am Wide awake again ....I really wish I could get 1 nights full sleep.
Bad Achy pain in knee not sure if this is related to having reduced the tramadol so now indecisive whether to just to go back and take it or grin & bear it ... @Jamie what would you suggest I'm 18 days post op ..I also have PT today x
 
Take the Tramadol. Your body is telling you it's too soon to start trying to reduce it. It is not uncommon for some people to need prescription pain meds for a month or more. Be sure you're using ice as well.
 
@Jamie - thanks I thought as much but so much pressure from friends to get off it for some reason. Yes I am good at icing and keeping the legs up just a quick query "to elevate " does this mean just raising legs up onto a sofa/bed /recliner basically off the floor or does it mean one has to have "toes higher than nose"
I'm fine at having feet up but cannot get comfy if have to have toes above nose...
 
I know you're friends mean well. They are probably concerned about possible "addiction" to pain meds as it's in all the news these days. But remind them that you're under your doctor's care and, until they have a knee replacement, they really can't judge what you're experiencing. Tramadol is not a "heavy-duty" narcotic like many others that could have been prescribed. Your first priority is to take care of yourself and keep that pain under control.

Normally it's better to have toes above the nose. But you need to be comfortable. Be sure when you elevate there is at least a slight bend in your leg at the knee. Having it totally straight will make your knee hurt. You just want to be sure you don't put a folded or rolled pillow directly under your knee.

Something like this is good:

1572326243997.png
 
Thanks @Jamie I will look on Amazon- I like the fact that ..that one deflates for travelling xx
 
I thought it was kind of cool too. I think it must be a new product from Lounge Doctor, as I don't recall they had an inflatable one before.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,054
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom