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TKR JJ65's RTKR Recovery Thread

For most, going up is easier and comes quicker than going down. I was going up foot over foot several weeks before I could go down foot over foot. @Pheebs52 's PT recommended walking downstairs backwards as a lead up to going down forwards - using the railing of course. I still find going downstairs troublesome if I am extra swollen.
 
@kmak81230 I could just see me trying the walking downstairs backwards thing and taking a big tumble down the stairs.... I am so clumsy. I will have to ask @Pheebs52 how that goes so I can do it without falling.
 
Don't try it without a railing (or both railings). And take it slow.
 
I, too, would be afraid to try walking down the stairs backwards!!!
 
Just try one step, with railings and go very slowly. Look behind you first to make sure all is *clear*! In my house, that means no dog toys on the stairs!
 
Ok, wild question for everyone, does the weather change bother any of you ? My knee is aching a bit and that is the only thing I can think of that may have done it. I don't think I injured anything.
 
Yes! But not every time it rains or storms, so it is a mystery. But my knee suddenly felt it this afternoon. It is better now, but not as good as this morning. And I did not have this problem before surgery.
 
I was dithering about not being able to go downstairs foot over foot, and I think it was Celle said it's often difficult to do until at least 4 months out.
 
i reluctantly tried walking down the stairs backwards, alternate feet, and to my surprise it worked and it felt good, using proper form and not swinging my operated leg to the side which sometimes happens walking downstairs alternate feet. you just have to take it slow, look behind you at first and hold on to the handrail. now i do it frequently as an exercise and a warm up for my stair lunges and step ups and then i practice going downstairs alternate feet forward. i'm usually quite stiff in the morning and i will even take a load of laundry in one hand, hold on with the other hand and go down backwards. i know it sounds strange and i was sceptical at first, but if the suggestion came from @Pheebs52 's therapist, gary glitter, then that's good enough for me.:hi:
 
At 10 weeks out , stairs are still not perfect for me. I can go up and come down with only slight discomfort/pulling. I can go up foot over foot with concentration and holding onto rail. Sometimes I can go down foot over foot but it is awkward and I revert to one foot at a time going both ways unless I'm forcing myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It's quicker just to one foot it down stairs. The good thing is going up and down isn't such a big deal anymore. Before surgery it hurt and I was rationing stair trips. Same with after surgery. The first two weeks I only did my one step up to front porch and did not attempt to go down basement stairs at all. The next couple of weeks I was rationing it to one trip a day downstairs to my office. It didn't matter much because I could only sit at my desk for 15 minutes or so without hurting early on. Now I bop up and down the stairs at least 8 times a day without dreading the trip. I'm grateful for having that back. I keep trying to practice foot over foot and believe I will eventually go up and down like normal people. I'm going to try that backwards stuff someday when I'm feeling brave. I remember in his later years, my dad would come down his stairs backwards in the morning and said it was easier. It seems harder to me but then I've never tried it. Maybe I'll make my husband stand a step or two below me to catch me.
 
yes, @Jajakio ~ that would be a good idea to have your hubby spot you on the stairs at first until you feel confident putting your foot flat down on the step. i can't remember when i started the "going down backwards stair descending" but it was way past the 10 weeks where you're at. best to be safe and do the "bad foot down, good foot up" routine until you get more of a bend.
 
At four months out, I can go up and down stairs easily. I'm also almost there on my front steps, which are 8-9 inches high. I still do onesies on those sometimes.

Oh, yes, sometimes my knees (*coff* Lefty) do not like the weather. But like @Jockette said, not every storm, not every rain. Have yet to see about snow. It's a mystery, but I can definitely tell it's the weather. I never had weather-sensitive joints before surgery. I'd be happier about it if they forecast the weather instead of just telling me something I already know because I stuck my head out the door. :bored:
 
Just wanted to update. I had PT yesterday and and got 124 and also 0 on my extension. It was hard getting those numbers. I was hurting afterwards, that is for sure. My other knee is the one bothering me now... PT suggested I tell the OS about my non surgical knee hurting. And I think that I will ask about what can help me hold out until next spring sometime.
 
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Had PT today hit 125 and 0 on the measurements. I have my discharge appointment next week. My OS has released me to go back to work 4 hours a day for 4 weeks and with a stool that I can sit on. He only wants me standing for 2 hours at the most. So can go back to work on the 2nd of October. Hope everyone else is doing good.
 
That's a bit early, but hopefully going back part time will help. I experienced energy drain when I returned part time at 12 weeks so I spent many afternoons with my legs up and resting. Congratulations on the great ROM!
 
Yeah, I am not going to push for too many days each week ... just a few to break myself in slowly. My knees are both feeling it since I had PT today, half tempted to look at a career change.
 
Well, standing for longer than 15-20 minutes was hard for me at 12 weeks. I had a stool in my classroom as well as other areas where I could sit but still be above the students before my TKR and used them the same way after.
 
Awesome rehab! You are really doing well. Just remember for stairs, different stair risers can be different heights. Just take ALL stairs carefully and hold on the the railings, no matter which direction you are going.
 
Anyone experiencing any pain in your quad muscle sometimes? If so, how long does it last. It is just bothersome right now.
 
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