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TKR I’m having “Irish Twins”, the 2nd (LTKR) is due 9th Sept 2014

Good to hear from you. Funny how even professional opinions differ. I was told not to use weights, only my own body weight. Mind you there is enough of that!
 
Month 6 (9 February to 8 March)

This has been a really good month for my recovery.
  • My ROM is back to where it should be
  • My strength is also back
  • My knee still gets stiff but not too often
I still haven't gone back to my physio, but I will make an appointment soon for a rub down & general assessment.

I have to watch myself because I am prone to overdoing it either too much weight (sore knee next day) or too many exercises. I am now scaling back and will try to use the bike more often, especially now that the weather is starting to improve (I think?).

I still have a long way to go but feel that I am progressing well towards my target of being sorted by my summer holidays in July.

Take care

Mike
 
Hi, Mike!!!! Sorry that I'm just now catching up with your last post. It's great to hear that you're doing so well!!! Keep up the great recovery.
 
Month 7 & 8 (9 March to 7 May)

Hi all,

I haven't posted for a while because I was having a couple of niggles with both my knees.

My knees were getting sore & stiff after I was going to the gym (I know that I tend to overdo it due to my enthusiasm and impatience on getting my knees "sorted".

I knew that what I was doing in the gym was right but that I was going about it the wrong way....
I was using the machines e.g. leg extensions, leg press etc. - the problem with these machines is that you tend to use too much weight (which then becomes painful later) and also, if your leg is wrongly positioned within the machine (which you probably do not know at the time!) leads to more pain. A recipe for disaster!

I dumped all the machines and went with body weight & free weight exercises. The results were almost immediate, the pain/stiffness reduced 90%+. The exercises had very little effect on my knees (and if I was not happy during an exercise, I knew it quickly and could stop immediately) but built up my muscles just as well if not better because more muscles in my legs were potentially engaged.

In the last 2 weeks I have started cycling (with a Turbo Trainer) but have fitted a cadence gadget to ensure that I spin lots but do not have the gears too high. My plan is to stay on the same cadence & heart rate but move up a gear every week or two depending on how I feel. If everything goes to plan, I will start to cycle on the roads (if the rain ever stops) in June.

I feel that I am back on track "to be happy" by the time I go on holidays in July. The next few weeks will be very important - I have finally learnt to be patient, I think?

Take care

Mike
 
IrishMike said:
I knew that what I was doing in the gym was right but that I was going about it the wrong way....
I was using the machines e.g. leg extensions, leg press etc. - the problem with these machines is that you tend to use too much weight (which then becomes painful later) and also, if your leg is wrongly positioned within the machine (which you probably do not know at the time!) leads to more pain. A recipe for disaster!
Click to expand...
When I was in PT, my PT's insisted that the weights that I used were less than my own weight---and that I took it easy on the reps.
IrishMike said:
In the last 2 weeks I have started cycling (with a Turbo Trainer) but have fitted a cadence gadget to ensure that I spin lots but do not have the gears too high. My plan is to stay on the same cadence & heart rate but move up a gear every week or two depending on how I feel. If everything goes to plan, I will start to cycle on the roads (if the rain ever stops) in June.
Click to expand...
I think that this will most likely do you a great deal of good---after PT, I never touched another lower-body weight machine---upper-body, yes, but all I do now is either elliptical or cycling.
IrishMike said:
I feel that I am back on track "to be happy" by the time I go on holidays in July. The next few weeks will be very important - I have finally learnt to be patient, I think?
Click to expand...
I agree---you are coming to terms with how your body feels and what is best for you---and I think by the time of your holiday in July, you will be in fine shape!
 
I agree with you 100%. I do Yoga, pilates and cycling. I like to spin sometimes too. But, those leg extension machines are just so boring. I find that I walk my dogs aboutr 4 miles a day, do 30 min on the bike and try to add yoga. I actually feel like i am in bettter shape.
 
@referee54 @skigirl I agree with your comments.

I find it very difficult to make time for the gym so tend to go at 6:30 am before work and try to get as much into the session as I can. I always (used to) work at 60-80% of my body weight but do a lot of reps, the effect was still the same, sore knees.

I am 4 weeks into a 6 week programme that works the whole body and is very mobile so my legs are working all the time but do not know it! I have also reduced my gears on the bike so that I spin at a cadence of 95 - 100 rpm putting less pressure on my knees, for example, my speeds have reduced down from 40km per hour to 30km per hour - a big difference.

In my younger days I was always reasonably fit so I suppose the new knees have made me remember how that feels again, sadly, I am 30 years older now - I must remember that in the future...

Take care

Mike
 
Today is my 71st birthday. I walked the dogs their 2.5 mile hike this am, rode my bike and am getting ready to go out to lunch. I find that I don't go as hard as I used to when I was younger, but I am still moving on a daily basis!!!
 
Mike, I like the changes you've made to your gym routine....smart, really smart!!! It's Ref's famous old saying to "work smarter, not harder." Good job. I don't know if I'd call you "patient" quite yet :heehee:, but you're definitely headed the right direction!
 
@referee54 I agree with you totally, I am a lot younger now (with my new knees) than I was a few years ago. It also helps having 8 & 10 year old daughters....

@skigirl a belated happy birthday for Friday - keep being active and continue to stay young!

@Jamie Smart training is the way to go. I have started using formal exercise programmes to get me out of my comfort zone and try new things. Today I was doing Box Jumps, which I would not have been brave enough to try a few weeks ago! I also adapt some of the exercises to suit my knees e.g. "Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat" becomes "Dumbbell Lunges" - I have better control over bending my knees and how low I go. I am still able to work my legs but with the comfort of knowing that I shouldn't hurt my knees - so it seems to be working. It's great being wise after the event! We all have to learn our limitations somehow.

p.s don't talk to me about patience :bored:

Take care

Mike
 
Thanks, Mike---as my Uncle Frank once said, "I am always happy at my birthday---when you consider the alternatives, happy is the way to go."

I am mixing up my workouts too---I am tired of what I have been doing. I am doing water aerobics, pilates and zumba, which is a ton of fun.
 
Mike,
I like reading your thread near month 6 &7. It reminds me of now, just 5 months today! I over do it at the gym and then take a pain med to do my walk while my kids 9 & 12 are at swim practice. Then my tibial band hurts like crazy, I limp, and berate myself for pushing it. But I so want to be strong and feel young again. Before my knee I really felt old at 50! I took out my mountain bike today and did a spin around the block. The neighbors laughed as I was in slippers and a helmet, but cheered me, knowing I am recovering from a TKR. Since today is Sunday and the last two days I walked 11k steps each day, I am making today a resting day, reading maybe a lunch out and no walk, gym, grocery store, swim meets or anything of the sort!
 
@50something I know where you are coming from - been there, done that etc. etc.

I have decided to take a week off from any exercise just to have a rest, I will start again on Monday with a new fitness programme.

Trust me being in pain after exercising too much will slow down your road to recovery. If you have to take pain meds then you are definitely doing too much!

I have now (at last) realised that the slow patient build up etc. is the best way. I have found working to a formal programme stops me killing myself and also gets me to try exercises that I would probably have not thought of trying.

However, when I next update my monthly report, I may be saying "I overdid it again!"

Take care

Mike
 
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