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TKR How long until you said "I'm glad I had the TKR"'

For me, I was happy after the first year of having my TKR.

I likely would have been a whole lot happier sooner if I hadn’t pushed myself so very hard to recover.

Once I backed off, slowed down and not only followed the advice on this forum but also listened to my body...everything began to fall in place.

I can’t begin to express the joy I felt and now feel everyday with my new knee, having gone so many years in pain using heat, ice, trying multiple therapies, and prescriptions that only provided temporary relief until I finally found a good surgeon that was willing to perform the surgery despite me being “too young” as more than ten Doctors had told me prior.

I didn’t realize just how much I was suffering until I gained everything back and so much more.

Yeah, I am a very happy TKR guy.
 
Templar1974 said:
For me, I was happy after the first year of having my TKR.

I likely would have been a whole lot happier sooner if I hadn’t pushed myself so very hard to recover.

Once I backed off, slowed down and not only followed the advice on this forum but also listened to my body...everything began to fall in place.

I can’t begin to express the joy I felt and now feel everyday with my new knee, having gone so many years in pain using heat, ice, trying multiple therapies, and prescriptions that only provided temporary relief until I finally found a good surgeon that was willing to perform the surgery despite me being “too young” as more than ten Doctors had told me prior.

I didn’t realize just how much I was suffering until I gained everything back and so much more.

Yeah, I am a very happy TKR guy.
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So happy for you @Templar1974. And I hope I get there too.
 
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I'm still trying to build up stamina for walking. Can go a third to half a mile and have to stop. My daily activities steps in smaller bursts are about 7000-8000 which is great, it's longer walks that are a challenge. My new gait is improving with new shoes and inserts, and my low back is better, but the tops of my legs into my hip flexors ache afterward. Anyone else experience this and have any other tips? I will get an x-ray later to check leg length as I suspect a 1/2 inch difference.

I do chuckle at the amount of ice packs I need for various body parts now. Do they make full body ice onesies?!! Haha
 
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At about 3 months post op it’s not unusual to only be able to walk short distances. This will improve as you continue to heal. 3 months is 25% healed, in this year long recovery.
 
@Jockette "only 25% healed." Good stat and reminder. And I am sure I will need more. Thanks.
 
It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that you are still in the early part of recovery @RIT387, but it's true. You are doing fine, take a deep breath and admit to yourself that you are doing fine and this is a long slow recovery. But you are leaving constant daily pain for a future in which you move pain free. It's worth the wait!
 
I did have terrible tingling in my feet after my tkr. At night they were burning up and I would ice them more than my knee. It couldn't have been nerve pain because it was in both feet and I have only had surgery on one knee. I put the sensation down to swelling with fluid from inactivity. I'm post op about 15weeks,much more active and the feet are much improving. I still ice them both at night before bed and it helps greatly. It can't be nerve pain in both feet if you have only been operated on one knee. My OS also didn't know why both feet were hot and tingly. The burning sensation was worse than the knee at the time,much more better each week. Knee is great.
 
@FCBayern Yes, it is hard to wrap my head around only 25% there...I am still comparing and negotiating. Need to let go for some peace.

@Goma-thanks for sharing. Helps to hear another experience as it is puzzling. I think it may be anesthesia and back related for me as it happened twice after surgeries (laying on surgical table for long time?)...will try to diagnose later with neurologist if doesn't improve. My OS also didn't think it was TKR related.

I just bought some cold/heat slippers that you put in freezer or microwave that help so much. It gets worse at night. And can flare during the day. Hard to tell sometimes what is left knee healing vs the neuropathy.
 
Just a quick update. I am doing so much better after quitting PT five weeks ago. My back is settling and my leg length difference is less per the chiropractor (it was alignment related). Yeah! I am moving, stretching, walking, exercise bike 10 min, and feel some improvement in my knee. Not sure about ROM, feels the same but I am not ready to measure. I did cancel my 3 mo followup with the OS and feel like a rebel-ha. I am starting a new balance Class today but will do it gently the Bonesmart way.

I do still get impatient and discouraged with my knee ups and downs and think something is wrong. I search for symptoms here and find it is normal. Odd pains and Zingers and over doing it like doing several ADL chores and then exercise in one day. My body indeed lets me know right away! It is a mind game. I read other journeys here to relax and get inspired again. @Wolvesfan one year update was especially helpful for me recently. See below. Yep!

"When I have a good day, I’ll feel like “yay, I’ve turned a corner” and then when the soreness returns, I feel like my body is letting me down. What a crazy journey. The mind game is as challenging as the physical recovery, isn’t it!"
 
Well, I tried stairs today and my left replaced knee said, Nope, not yet! I could go up "normally" but very slowly with good knee first, then replaced knee which felt shaky. It was too much weight pressure. I couldn't go down at all normally. I did find some posts about stairs and learned probably too soon as tissues are still healing. It's aching alot so Tylenol and multiple icing sessions in my day today. Thankfully my home is one level. I am able to take longer walks now - getting close to 3/4 mile.

Move, progress, be patient, rest, ice, repeat. I look forward to my one year anniversary where I hopefully don't think about my knee all the time!
 
There was a building in town during my recovery that had very shallow steps. Those were the first I tried and had success with so I went back every few days and tried to do a few more everyday @RIT387. I thought it really helped as you didn't have to lift or lower your weight as far.
 
Going up and down stairs normally for me was what took the longest to achieve, but one day I realized I was doing it without thinking I had my left knee replaced in Oct 2019, if you follow the BoneSmart recovery not only do you do things slowly but also correctly we all rush to get our lives back to normal but this is a huge life changed and surgery so it deserves the time it needs to get better, I can honestly say that my left knee is brilliant, I'm now on a waiting list for my right knee now - I'm so looking forward to having two painfree legs. :)
 
Annie,
You’re not alone in that! I was delighted after a couple of weeks, after the initial acute pain and limitations were over. I am a bit over 8 weeks and already have the 2nd knee scheduled for a early April. So glad I had this done!
 
I'm 4 months out and stairs up and down is almost there. I can use my legs rather than hang for my life onto the rails. I yelled to my husband... Look, I can walk stairs normally. This in itself makes me glad I had tkr. Also that I can straighten my leg and stand equally on both legs without pain. Happy days.
 
It's so good to put my random thoughts and process TKR things here to get the irrational worries out of my head. I've learned to not talk to many people in my life about this as they really don't get it. Thank you for reading and listening.

1. Scar changing color is normal per Bonesmart people! Who knew! Purple to red to lighter throughout the day

2. Every week I still think something is wrong and then read similar experiences about some knee aspect here. I'm one whose pre-op pain was not as bad as post-op and recovery pain. I don't want to do the Bonesmart pre-op checklist now as the LKTR is done, but will definitely do before my right knee.

3. I also worry I will be one of the tougher recoveries or need a revision. I have to be careful to not compare or project. Too much-ha.

4. I'm still too focused on ROM but I haven't measured since 2/8. The darn OS stern voice and face about ROM still shadows me. It doesn't feel like any improvement but not as tight. I ponder if I should ask a friend to measure for me or let it go and focus on function? Yet I read in @Jockette journey today that she saw ROM improvement in years 2-3-wow.

5. I've created a list of things I still want to try to see if I can do yet but will go slow. Stairs (nope) and sitting cross legged "kind of" were this week. I want to try my outdoor bike but am still hesitant-maybe next month. Will keep using indoor exercise bike until then.

6. Foot, leg neurapathy continues to flare and low back pain. I am seeing neurologist in April hopefully for a diagnosis as this was an issue pre-TKR? I don't understand why is it so much worse after two surgeries this last year? Coincidence?

Phew...What a mind, body, and spirit journey this is. Here's to focusing on what I can do today and good self care for low pain levels. Let my knee be.
 
RIT387 said:
The darn OS stern voice and face about ROM still shadows me.
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I would feel the same as you do, that’s a visual that’s hard to forget. My OS was big on ROM and PT, which caused me a lot of stress. But, I’ve learned from other members here, not all surgeons stress about ROM.

I worried about every little thing, because my recovery was so much slower than I expected. I had a partial, promoted to be a quicker recovery, which set me up for very unrealistic expectations.

RIT387 said:
Phew...What a mind, body, and spirit journey this is. Here's to focusing on what I can do today and good self care for low pain levels. Let my knee be.
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This is a good outlook, one day at a time. You’ll get there!
 
Still early early days @RIT387. I know that isn't easy to hear but with a 12-18 month recovery you are just getting started and focusing on ROM will just frustrate you when it's not necessary.

Prior to my TKR I was aware of the BoneSmart gentle approach to recovery as opposed to rigorous PT. I was lucky enough to find the site before my TKR. Even though I knew about the BoneSmart approach my OS was all about PT and "whatever ROM you have when your scar turns silver is all the ROM you will ever have." He was the trained surgeon that has done many, many replacements, he must know what he's talking about right? So off I went to my first visit to PT, about 2 weeks out from TKR. The next day when my knee was more swollen and I was in much more pain I opted for a BoneSmart recovery. I never went to another PT session. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I suffer less pain, but my ROM has continued to improve over two years. I've been hiking over rough terrain for good distances, scuba diving, and just living a happy active pain free life with more ROM than I ever thought I would have again after many painful years. I've now had a hip replacement with equal success following a BoneSmart approach. You don't have to suffer needlessly to have an amazing recovery, but you must have patience!
 
Hello Rit387.
I followed your link, and read your story. Thanks, I was heartened by what I read hear. I have been dealing with my wife, a nurse, who thinks I have 'lost my work ethic', lol.
I tell her my knee tells me how much to do. At least I hope it is my knee and not some little lazy devil.
 
@graveday Hello. Isn't it good to find relief and inspiration in each other's journeys! Have you seen and shared this work ethic post with your wife/nurse? It sure helped me and serves as a reminder when I feel compelled to do more. I have to remind myself I am rehabbing, not training or being lazy-haha.

bonesmart.org

Lose the Work Ethic While You Are Recovering!

Lose the Work Ethic!!! Article by Referee54 (Tim) Many of us have a tremendous work ethic---and for several reasons. I can still remember, to this day, my father saying to me on the morning of my first day on a “real job”, “Give them nine hours of work in an eight hour day.” I believe that...
bonesmart.org bonesmart.org
 
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