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PKR It's a knees up - SuperSnappers recovery

Great report!! I especially love to hear a positive "partial" experience. Hope it's nothing but the best for you from here on out!


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Hi there - reading your posts with interest. Im having my left PKR on thursday in London. Dreading it really. Had my right knee done in 2013 in NewYork and should have had the other done a few months later but a family tragedy changed everything and its taken me two years (of hobbling) almost to be able to consider being in the right place to go ahead with the left knee.
Anyhow - this thursday it is! Im having an Oxford using Embody? It's different to what was used on my right knee. Id love to hear if anyone else has had this?
I was surprised at how much you all seem to be doing on your new knees so quickly - I was much slower at being up on my feet and have had similar advice about taking it slowly for this op. You all seem to be doing really well.
Im very pleased with my right PKR - it gives me no problems really apart from a sharp pain when the dog tripped me up and the very occasional ping. Long may it last!
 
@Hopper Good luck with your forthcoming operation. I have no idea what type of implant I have - I never asked the question. But mine seems fine. I think the reason I am able to do quite a lot is that I did almost nothing except simple stretches for the first month. Then I increased activity very slowly. You might find that the amount of PT you get in the UK is very much less than in the US but I found I didn't need to do much anyway just kept the knee moving gently regular short walks, lots and lots of ice and stretches worked well.

Hope all goes well with you and I'll look out for you when you post. Have you got your own recovery thread up and running yet?

Best wishes
 
You are right - in the US I had a prescription for 6 weeks of physio - three 90 minute sessions per week. Here it was suggested I wouldn't need much, if any really once out of hospital!! Such a contrast.
However, I reality enjoyed my physio the last time around and it was very gentle. I found having the tissue around the scar manipulated particularly useful.
So Ive arranged to have physio here and initially they are coming to my home (their suggestion).
 
@Hopper I was offered physio at the hospital through choose and book and could have had six sessions in a group but I had already met a lovely physio at my gym and I saw her twice privately. She just encouraged me, showed me some exercises, checked progress and then told me after the second session when she helped me with some machines at the gym, that I really didn't need to have anymore sessions but just keep doing what I was doing. She never touched my knee and it's been great. I could go back to her if I have problems , I have her email address but I haven't had to use it. When I had previous arthroscopies and was not weightbearing for up to 12 weeks, I did find the physio really useful and especially the massage and ultrasound treatment. If you feel it would help, then I'd definitely go for it.
 
Hi @SuperSnapper
Great to read your report, and I'm so pleased that all is well with you now. My six month anniversary will be next week, my first knee is now nearly eighteen months and I am also really pleased with both of them.
I do come on here sometimes just to read how others are doing, but I seldom post now. It was lovely to chat to others who really understood what we were going through, but now it's all over and it's good to get back to normal and forget our knees.
I wish you all the best for the future, thank you for all your encouragement over the past six months, keep up your great progress, xxx
 
Just on our way home after a wonderful holiday. The last week which we spent in Switzerland was great. My knee behaved impeccably with not even a minor glitch. I've walked up to 5 miles every day up and down very steep hills and even tackled lower slopes of the the odd mountain. Swimming was good too each day and I'm happy to report that I think my breaststroke leg action is better than before! I even did aquarobics 4 times- a first for me! I can swim for 1/2 hour without stopping these days. So would like to increase that a bit. Wish I could say I was thinner but the food was too good to miss.
Both knees are a bit stiff in the mornings or after sitting but they ease up after a couple of steps and then I'm ready to go! So tired out but very pleased with my knee.
Hope all my friends on here are doing well.
 
@SuperSnapper that sounds fabulous and well done on all that activity, strengthens the knee each step and stroke :loll:
Loved your comment on the breaststroke, looking forward to my technique being improved over time.
 
Sounds like you've had a wonderful holiday and what an inspiring post for all of us who are further behind in the recovery journeys or, as in my case, haven't started yet! Welcome back!
 
Welcome home - when you get there, @SuperSnapper - sounds like you had a wonderful holiday! All that testing of your new knee and it's passed with flying colours. We're on the road and finally reached one of our chosen destinations. We spent the last 5 days driving but today were able to see some amazing things. It will be fun to look at your photos on Flick - they'll be so different from the ones I've been taking! Good to hear from you!
 
@SuperSnapper - it's wonderful to hear from you, what an inspiring post, I'm really happy for you that your knee is behaving so well and that you've been able to enjoy your holiday. I think the timing of our knee ops was perfect, isn't it great to be able to enjoy the summer?
Both my new knees sound similar to yours - stiff if I've been sitting, or first thing in the morning, but once I'm up and about there is no stopping me these days. I'm at the gym early on 3 mornings a week and at the pool the other two. I'm still not too keen on doing breast stroke, but I've bought some swim fins, having read a suggestion on here, and am now getting much better at crawl. Weekends are for going on long walks or bike rides. I just can't believe the change in my life, I feel so much better for being able to do all this exercise, I'm sleeping well and losing weight, for me, my new knees have brought me a wonderful new life. The other day I was even playing chase with my 3 yr old grandson, he has always been able to catch me easily, but to his (& mine) amazement Grandma could run!
To everyone in those dark days of recovery, don't despair, it really is worth it, life gets very much better eventually.
 
@SuperSnapper Hi, how are things since returning from your holiday?

Are you managing to keep up with the activity levels still? I am really enjoying my walks, almost at 2miles a day (5 weeks post op) and 2 miles bike ride every day.
 
@jac65 Hi,

I've done ok this week with two gym visits and two longish swims but not a lot of walking. No ill effects at all after our holiday. I've been really busy with other stuff and exercise has taken a back seat.
How are things going for you?
 
That's really good to hear, well done on swims and gym.

Knee not too bad thanks, still uncomfortable doing certain actions (climbing stairs sometimes) but other than that really OK. Purchased a Cempax machine this week (Muscle Stimulator Machine) so very excited at trying that out whilst I am doing my exercises and hopefully it will have a positive impact on building my quad.

Enjoy the week.
 
7 months this week! Just a quick note to all of those still going through the difficult early few months, it gets better every month and my knee feel stronger than last month and even though now and again, I have a bit of an ache and ice it, it really is amazing and wonderful and I am so very grateful for my surgeon's skill, our brilliant NHS, my lovely physio ( even though I only saw her twice!) and all the support on here. I honestly believe that the gentle way with knee recovery is the best way - I never did anything that hurt me in the way of exercise and my bend is great +145 and my leg is completely flat - in fact, I now have a degree or two of hyperextension!
 
What a great update! So reassuring for me who is now less than 48 hours from surgery :scare:

It's so good to hear you're doing so well and so happy with your knee. Out of interest, do you think you'll need to have the right one done too at some point?
 
@Raffs Yes, the right one will need doing too in a couple of years. It was originally the less good knee anyway but the microfracture on that one has lasted such a long time (14 years + which is almost unknown) but now there are cysts in the bone which is bad sign. I am hoping now the left one is so good that I can keep going for another few years. The right one catches now and again but it's not painful the rest of the time and it doesn't stop me doing anything at all.

I do hope your surgery goes really well. I know you will be worried but I found that the anticipation was much worse than the actual event. Good luck with it all.
 
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