TKR It's The HoneyB's Knees

[Katlyw]

It's a good idea to be cautious about starting weights early in recovery. To me, it makes sense to allow your knee sufficient time to start healing well first. That's why we usually recommend waiting until about 3-4 months after surgery. "Heal first, then strengthen." In the early months post-op, your muscles will be strengthening themselves, as you use them to get around.

I was using the machines before my surgery, so I know where to set the parts. Even before the surgery, I did the same machines you are on with low weights, so I'm not too worried there. Checking with my therapist as I have a tendency to try to push myself without him to reign me in. obviously, if I can't do them, I won't. But they helped a lot with knee number 1, so I'm not super concerned. But yes, I will definitely take it slow...

 

[HoneyB]

New Knee #2 Day 26: Hip flexor muscle problems are a pain in the behind, literally.

 

[Celle]

Maybe you need to go easy on the exercises that use those muscles. You don't want to develop this:
Piriformis syndrome - a pain in the butt!

 

[Katlyw]

Have your therapist massage it out!! It feels amazing afterwards!!

 

[HoneyB]

New Knee #2 (RTKR) is four weeks old today. I celebrated by driving myself to physical therapy with stops on the way home for dogfood and sunscreen for my knee scars. Driving! WooHoo! This is one time when it’s good to be short. There’s plenty of room for me to drive with my right leg extended as far as I want. Speaking of knee scars, the swelling has gone down enough on Knee #1 (left knee) that I’m starting to see my knee cap reappear. It’s still hard to see, but I can see it trying to peek through. Knee #2 is probably still weeks away from having a knee cap peek through.

 

[HoneyB]

Thanks, @Celle - I read the link you provided. Good info.! The exercise I'm doing that causes the most hip flexor pain is an exercise to stretch my hip flexor muscle. My therapist said that my right hip is slightly forward of my left hip. We're trying to stretch my right hip flexor muscle to get my hips aligned properly. It's a 15-minute stretch. Ouch. Thankfully, it is a little less painful now than when I first started doing it, but I think I've still got a long way to go with it.

 

[Celle]

Ow! 15 minutes sounds an awfully long time to do that stretch.
Could it be broken up into several periods of shorter duration? Little and often can work, when doing something for a long time is painful.
Pain is never a good idea. It's a warning sign that you're doing too much for your body.

 

[HoneyB]

@Celle - My therapist showed me how to break it down into three 5-minute stages. It's most intense with the leg flat on the floor. To make it easier, I start with my leg raised (propped up) for five minutes, lower it (still propped up) for the second five minutes, and then do the final five minutes with it flat. He said that he knows that it's hard and it's ok to release the stretch and take short breaks as necessary. I posted a copy of the exercise sheet in my Post #160, except that I'm doing it with the opposite leg. I got my daughter to try it, thinking it would be a hard stretch for anybody. Nope, she felt absolutely nothing. It's a tough one for folks with a tight hip flexor.

 

[HoneyB]

Ice pack on my knee, heating pad on my behind (hip flexor muscle), Tramadol in my stomach, and coffee in my hand. Is it the weekend yet?

I got to use a new weight machine today at PT: the seated knee extension machine. The seat is slanted down from knee to butt, leg starts with leg hanging down and knee bent at 90 degrees with a bar in front of the shin/ankle. Lifting the foot to extend the knee raises the weights. I had tried this machine more than a week ago, but even before I’d made a movement, my therapist told me I wasn’t ready for it based on the look on my face. Today I was ready and could do 20 reps. I didn’t notice how much weight I was lifting, but I’m guessing not more than 20 pounds using both legs.

For those of you that worry about me using weight machines, I asked today about doing simple step-up exercises on my porch steps or stairs to get ready to start doing stairs normally. My therapist said, “No!” He said that my knee won’t be ready for step-ups until I’ve mastered the four weight machines I’m using. I thought that was kind of funny. I have to say that, at the 4-1/2 week mark, my right leg is feeling strong and stable. I don't know what my ROM is because they didn't measure or mention it today. They just said that my gait is looking good.

 

[HoneyB]

What causes the “spongey” feeling when kneeling on new knees? Granted, with my left knee only 4-1/2 months old and my right knee not quite 5 weeks old, I don’t do a lot of kneeling, but when I’m getting up from the floor after doing exercises, I do kneel briefly and lightly on my left knee. It always feels kind of spongey. I’ve seen this mentioned in the forum before so I’m guessing it’s a common sensation. A neighbor who had a knee replaced five years ago said he can kneel without pain, but has the spongey feeling that feels creepy to him. I plan to ask my OS about it, but I don’t see him again until July 31 when I go for my RTKR 8-week checkup.

 

[Celle]

I can kneel, but it feels strange and I only do it when I really have to.

Some people have the back of their kneecaps replaced with a plastic button. Maybe that's the reason for the odd feeling?

The other thing is that your kneecap is articulating with the metal of the femoral implant when you kneel and that could also feel strange.

Some surgeons prefer their patients not to kneel, so it's a good idea to check about that.

 

[chicklet]

@HoneyB This has nothing to do with kneeling, but I wanted to let you know that I tried the Lounge Doctor again and this time, for some reason, it’s working great for me. I know you had said it was not comfortable for you. It wasn’t for me when I first got it about a week after my surgery (mid May). I tried it off and on for days and it made my knee hurt every time so I put it away. I got it back out a couple of weeks ago and now I love it! Weird, but great!!!

 

[HoneyB]

Thanks, @Celle - I didn't get a button. My OS just "polished" the backside of my kneecaps. He told me before my first surgery that kneeling would be fine as long as I was comfortable doing it. I'll report back on what he says about the spongey feeling.

Thanks, @chicklet - I might drag my Lounge Doctor back up to the sofa and give it a try. I have so little swelling now that I haven't worried much about elevating lately. However, it might feel good just to put my body in a different position. I told my husband that we're getting new family room furniture as soon as I feel like shopping for it. I battled the flu for three weeks just before my first TKR, and slept propped up on the sofa during that. I moved my home office to the sofa after my first TKR and I'm still working from the sofa. I'm so tired of sitting on and looking at this furniture. My husband is not crazy about the furniture so he said he's all for replacing it.

 

[HoneyB]

Another week of physical therapy is in the books with no ROM measurements. I guess I should be happy that they’re not concerned, but I’m beginning to be curious. I’ve added a piriformis muscle stretch to my repertoire to go along with the hip flexor muscle stretch. In other news, I’m now walking the full 1/2-mile circle around my neighborhood with no pain. I didn’t set out to walk 1/2 mile, but noticed that the walk “X” minutes away from the house was taking me more than halfway around the circle, so rather than walk “X” minutes back, I just completed the loop. Yay! It’ll be good to have a chance to see all of the neighbors during my daily walk. At 5-1/2 weeks post op, I feel like I'm starting to turn a corner.

 

[HoneyB]

New Knee #2 is 6 weeks old today and New Knee #1 is almost 5 months old. Since physical therapy is progressing uneventfully for Knee #2, I'm proclaiming that I'm now on the downhill side of this journey. I know I still have a long way to go to full recovery, though. I still have stiffness in both knees and I still have mild pain in Knee #2 while taking Tramadol 50mg three times per day, but things definitely appear to be heading in the right direction. Still always thankful that the body parts that gave me trouble were replaceable parts that didn't require a donor.

 

[SusieShoes]

It's the six-week turning of the corner! Keep in mind that #2 is still a very young and easily annoyed knee. When we feel most like we've reached the top of the hill is when we're most susceptible to joining the ODIC. And yes, it's wonderful to live in an age where certain parts can be replaced!

 

[HoneyB]

@SusieShoes - I joined the ODIC at about this time with my left knee. As itchy as I am to try to get on with life, I constantly remind myself to try to stay out of the ODIC with my right knee. Every time I want to push for a little more flexion, I tell myself, "Nope. Not worth it. It'll come." I sure wanted it to come along faster this second time around, though. Oh well, these knees have their own minds.

 

[SusieShoes]

Oh well, these knees have their own minds.

Gosh yes. Mine were replaced at the same time and one raced toward recovery right out of the gate, whereas the other played catch-up for months. It was like my right knee was taunting my left. "Look what I can do! Why are you so far behind?" But there was no way to push Lefty to be where Righty was, though I would have loved to do so and just get recovery over with. All I could do was smile, gird my loins, and keep up the good fight.

Your patience will pay off. I can't tell the difference between my two knees now. Both are pain-free, strong, able, and have the same ROM. It helps to think of TKR as a "long game" with a big payoff at the end of it all.

 

[pacosmom]

Sounds like you continue to do well @HoneyB - congrats! Other than the ear ringing of course. I did well taking Aleve when I stopped the pain meds, not sure if that would work for you or not. I also like the Aleve PM. It works well and I do not wake up all drowsy like with some other sleep aids.

 

[HoneyB]

@pacosmom - Unfortunately, I can't take Aleve. It (and every other NSAID I've tried) makes me swell. Ugh. I can't take any of the "PM" type medicines that I've found. The "PM" ingredient (one of the active ingredients in Benadryl) makes me faint dead out on the floor, as does caffeine. Again, ugh. I'll pretty much have to go from Tramadol to nothing. My GP, who has been my doctor for 25 years and knows the weird effects medicines have on me, said that he has a sleep aid he thinks I'll be able to take if I need it. I'm not sleeping all night, but I'm getting a decent amount of sleep so far (knock on wood) so I haven't asked him about that. It's good to hear from you! I hope you're doing well!