I need your help: Has BoneSmart helped in your TKR recovery?

[Josephine]

Dear members - I am shortly presenting a short paper at an important meeting of orthopaedic surgeons and want to address the issue of TKR recovery and exercising which you all know is a hot topic for me!

Now I could start reading through all the threads to find this information but it would take me days and I just don't have the time. I only have 2½ weeks! So please, can you post here if you feel you have been significantly helped by the BoneSmart mantra and advice and give me a link to your recovery thread?

Many thanks
Josephine

 

[Ellejay]

Hi @Josephine, I will gladly stand up and proclaim that BoneSmart really helped in my recovery. After my RTKR in January I was entitled to four group Physio sessions at a North London hospital, and each week I was told I was making excellent progress and certainly seemed to be above average for the group. I was ignoring their recommendation of icing for "20 minutes at a time, 3 times a day" (I think that's what their literature said.) At my six week check up my OS said that I "was ahead of the game" and was very pleased with my recovery progress. Ever since, any health professional that I have had dealings with have all been surprised at the speed and the quality of my recovery. I put this down to following the BS mantra, I rested, I elevated, I iced, I medicated by the clock and I exercised in moderation. It is now seven months since the TKR, and my right knee is really strong, just about pain free and I am thrilled with it. The left knee is now playing up, but that's a different story. The link to my thread is in my signature below, if I can be of any further help I would be pleased to be able to give something back to this incredible site.

 

[Shortie]

TKR recovery and exercising.

The information I received both form my initial TKR and my revision both have been an 8 page information leaflet with the standard post op exercises. This has both times been backed up with an outpatient physio / physio assistant coming to my house to make sure I am doing exercises correctly and checking my ROM. At my 6 week check with my initial TKR (only currently just under 2 weeks post op with revision) I asked about what exercises etc. I can do I was told "do anything you feel you can do cycling and swimming are good!" And that was it!

My initial TKR I wasn't advises about ice or elevating at all just told to do the exercises 3 times a day and to go for a walk but given no advice as to how much to do. My revision I was provided with ice packs to use in hospital and then to take home to be used at home but again no definite information about how long and how often to ice my knee.

However the advice from individuals both moderators and those members who have been through TKR and the library articles on BoneSmart have been far more useful and informative than any of the information I received from post op information received in hospital. The information in hospital appeared to be much more about achieving certain criteria for discharge rather than information useful once at home.

The BoneSmart information and mantra has enabled me not to do too much to take things easy, without BoneSmart I would be pushing myself (possibly to destruction!) to recover quickly. Most information available gives targets such as return to work at 4 to 6 weeks unless very manual job then will take a little longer, this it appears is an unrealistic goal for most and caused me much anxiety for my initial TKR. However BoneSmart's activity progression information give a realistic (rather than idealistic) idea as to what to expect. This time I have seen reality and am not rushing my recovery and as such my stress levels are much reduced.

The everyday activities are also not discusses - other than being told to get some meals sorted for the initial post op period and that you may need some help when you get home this was all the information I was given. However when at home no advice was given as to how much is possible of day to day activities and again the advice and information and BoneSmart mantra has given me and my family a reality as to what to expect of me in things things such as housework, ironing, shopping, cooking, etc.

I can honestly say that without BoneSmart I would have tried to rush my recovery causing increased pain and swelling as well as being at massive risk of depression / anxiety believing my recovery was too long / going wrong despite following the advice I had been given.

In addition as my original TKR failed without BS I would have been in total despair. I wouldn't have had hope that things could be better and would have possibly accepted a reduced ROM and moderate / severe pain for the rest of my life, however with advice, support and information from BS moderators, members and library articles I have been empowered to go on with hope and information as to what is possible even when things don't go to plan.

My thread is https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/this-road-is-so-bloomin-long.18799

Shortie x

 

[Baileysmom]

Hello Jo, I credit Bonesmart with mental health as well as help with the physical recovery process. Virtually all of us come into this operation with little or no information about the recovery process, it's length, the effects of narcotic pain meds, the amount of pain that we can expect and a myriad of other issues that we all face. Bonesmart provides answers to all of the problems that TKR patients may encounter. The mantra and the accompanying articles are a guideline to what is happening to your mind and body in this very long process. Pictures and charts make the information easy to read and absorb from how to elevate properly, exercises to do and those not to attempt and a good timeline for what to expect at each week of the recovery. Communicating with others in the same situation as you are and the professional advice given provides a roadmap for recovery. The site is a clearing house for all of the issues that you cannot get from your surgeon or your PT.

Baileys mom, the thread name is still in pain at every step
BTKR June 25, 2014

 

[Ollie]

I absolutely believe that Bonesmart has helped my recovery to be smooth and essentially pain free. Without the support and advice here, I would have been lost and would have believed that more is better, no pain no gain. The information articles, the mantra. . . All have helped both me and my caretakers/support staff understand the entire experience and make good decisions.

I have learned things here that my surgeon and my PT never told me.

Ollie. LTKR June 10, 2014

 

[yiayia3]

From the day I joined Bonesmart I have had so much help and support,it's wonderful to be able to click on and get advice and chat to other members in the same situation,I will be having my other knee done soon,and will be following the mantra and advice from this great forum

 

[Dhare63]

Hi Jo,

It's been three years since TKR and 2 years since revision. I can honestly say that without Bonesmart I would not have had the courage to go through with the revision, or even to know how to advocate for myself. The advice and guidance that is available here helped educate me on how best to recover. It helped me understand that it is a recovery and not a training to get back to good health. As a former athlete I had the mindset that if I didn't work hard and push myself past the pain, that I
wouldn't get rom back.

Bonesmart helped me understand that less is more, less pain more gain, and slow and steady is the best course. The support of first person patients, the compassion and caring plays a substantial role in recovery as well.

You have created a worldwide network that is the best hope for those of us who need help in a way that is not usually endorsed by modern medicine, especially in the states. I send any person I know who is having TKR or thr here in hopes they find this site as helpful and supportive as I have.

Good luck on your paper! And thank you and the entire community for your unwavering commitment to recovery!

Cheers,

Dawn

 

[speccybecky]

Bonesmart saved my sanity! I got so much help and support from all the kind bonesmarties!
Not good at the techie stuff, my thread was ' getting somewhere at last' but to be honest it's so long since I saw my own thread!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Aside from the amazing camaraderie found on Bonesmart, the mantras absolutely helped me. Being the stubborn American that I am in addition to being on the younger side of TKR, I believed that lots of PT and exercise was the way to recovery. I feared that if I 'took it easy', I would miss my 'window of opportunity' to gain ROM. I think I was about 75 when I left the hospital, up to 105 a couple weeks later, then fell back to 85 after that. Although I was skeptical, when I got 'stuck' at 90 degrees for several weeks, it was Jamie that reminded me of the mantras and urged me to take a 'knee-cation' for a couple of weeks. Although I was scared that it would set my recovery backwards, it did just the opposite. By taking a week off from PT, resting my poor knee and icing and elevating, my ROM began to increase again.

Bonesmart has helped with my recovery in innumerable ways and until I found this site (around week 3), I was terrified that everything I was doing and going through was wrong.

The link to my thread is at the bottom of my post. Thanks for all you do!

 

[Brithael]

Thank goodness I found BoneSmart before my surgery as the information on the website gave me the right questions to ask my Ortho surgeon. I was able to prepare myself pre surgery and take care of myself after surgery based on the information on this forum. It has now been over a year and I am doing fantastic. I have NO pain, swelling or stiffness. My surgery knee is strong and secure. Thank you BoneSmart!

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads...ned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-knee.20260/

 

[Josephine]

Wow! This is all meaty stuff to use in my talk. Only pity is that I only have 10 mins to deliver it - could have done with 40! Thank you all for your contributions.

 

[marmora]

@Josephine

I found BoneSmart about 10 days before my LTKR on 17 July 2014. This allowed me to prepare with "experts" those people who had TKRs !

My fellow BoneSmarties were there with me before surgery, the day of surgery and everyday since.

There is no judgement from others, only the sharing of experiences, advice and most importantly genuine concern.

We live in the internet age, so access to fellow BoneSmarties at any time of day, in any part of the world makes this support unique.

Without the support of BoneSmart, I would be on a very lonely and uncertain recovery road.
But, with BoneSmart, I am not alone and this is what has and is helping my recovery.

Cathie

 

[tiredwife]

@Josephine I think the main thing that helped hubby with recovery is the don't let anyone push or pull on your leg or knee rule. Over zealous therapist can cause some serious problems and knowing before hand about it, has helped us know to say no. Also the stressing of ice and elevating, which helps a lot with swelling and pain.

 

[madinana]

@Josephine I feel this site help me prepare for my surgery. It inform me what supplies I needed. The library was a wealth of information. The amazing thing no matter what part of the world we were from everyone was helping each other with solutions or advice. I was so glad to have discovered this site before my surgery or I would have had a difficult recovery but after learning all the in and outs from this site I have been fortunate with a good recovery

 

[dogwheels]

Hi Josephine - I was lucky, in that I truly think my hospital follows the BoneSmart Mantra. I know you already have plenty of input, but wanted to add this comment:

The setback I had at 6 weeks was (to me) scary, very worrying and happened at the weekend. It certainly didn't warrant a trip to A & E but to go from 115+ ROM to no bend at all, in less than an hour, was horrid. The immediate support, advice and warmth from everybody on here, including yourself, when I posted my worry and concern, made an unnerving situation much more manageable until I received a diagnosis and a management plan from my medical team at the start of the working week.
I don't know what I would have done without BoneSmart and its followers at that time - probably spent hours trawling the internet for advice, finding lots of scary anecdotes and little help. I needed BoneSmart - it didn't fail me, and I am immensely grateful.

The friendship and support on here has been an unexpected bonus.

I think all manufacturers of knee joints should ensure that every new knee comes with Bonesmart details!

Chris

.

 

[bichonmom]

Hello @Josephine...my dear sweet savior! I was scheduled for a rtkr last summer (June 19,2013),and had no idea what to expect...so I did some searching on the internet and just by accident I found Bonesmart..thank God for small miracles! I cannot begin to express my gratitude for all the help and encouragement I received during a really rough recovery. I spent countless hours in the middle of the night reading other posts that seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing at that time...and if I had a question to post, I always had an answer or comment to help guide me through the darkest weeks of my recovery.

So..I just had my Second tkr on my right knee on July 9th of this year...and again another very difficult recovery due to the same old contracture problems as with my first knee surgery... But this time, thanks to the Bonesmart website, I knew what to expect. And I know where to go to find the answers to any questions I may have.

This website is without a doubt, a true blessing and a Godsend to those of us poor souls floundering around trying to find answers to so many questions...so Thank You Bonesmart, and all you wonderful moderators..and a special hug to @Josephine and @Jamie...what angels you are!

 

[scaredinCA]

Bonesmart gave me the courage to go ahead with the surgery. The emotional support was fantastic. I went into surgery as well informed as possible due to bonesmart. When I woke up from surgery and saw that my own blood was being collected and pumped back into my legs, I was comforted because I knew this was a good procedure that I had read about on bonesmart. I tried using the bonesmart mantra but it seemed to go against my all my pt's at Kaiser, they wanted us to do too much exercising! It caused a bit of a problem between me and them, but now after a year has gone by I believe the bonesmart method is correct. The emotional support cannot be overlooked after this type of surgery and bonesmart is here 24 hours a day no matter what part of the world you live in. The library is always open. I honestly don't know if I could have gone through the recovery without this forum to get encouragement from. I believe doctors should treat the whole patient, not just a body part such as the knees. Patients need to be educated and then supported through this surgery and recovery and without so much fear being put into their minds about time tables, ROM, etc.. Thank you for Bonesmart.

 

[Jozilla]

Absolutely helped me! It helped me while waiting for my rtkr when I had a bakers cyst and was advised by Josephine and Referee54 who diagnosed me quickly and correctly before i could even get in to see my OS. That is across an ocean and half a country.

I am thankful for the logic of the recovery which I followed starting in the hospital. I am in the U.S. so the mantras and info here had a great deal of influence on me. My doctor, nurses and PT also agreed with my Bonesmart ways! If not I was certainly empowered with knowledge and strength to deal with it. I am now getting ready for my ltkr and know I will also have a world of support from the BS community!

 

[icep707]

Thanks Josephine !! For this amazing forum , along with all the great moderators and helpful members. As you probably remember my recovery went exceptionally well and now 6 months after, Im better than I could have imagined. This forum is number 1 in my opinion. Thanks again , Iceman

 

[ZaniBrani]

I am a lurker!
I lurk.
You may call me Jackie, the lurker.

I had a partial in 2011 which was botched. The implant was out of alignment by 3 mm and pretty much ruined my life. I posted a few times in 2011/2012 about the complications I was experiencing.

On 8/1/14 the partial was removed and the knee converted to a total. With that beings said, I have been in here many, many times, lurking.

Today I am seeking information on walking and stiffness.
How far should I be walking? (I am up to 4/10'ths of a mile, on crutches)
Why is my knee still so stiff?
Why is my quadricep so weak?
How come recovery sucks so much?
Should I really have expected my 18 year old daughter to be a good caregiver?
Why am I back at work already? What's up with that?

These are questions I may never know the answer to, but if I am to find them, this is where I come!