TKR Just curious

[Jamie]

Your surgeon gets a Gold Star for recognizing that some people heal at a slower pace than others. The steady progress (even if it’s slow) is always a positive and demonstrates that you are getting there. Good for you for accepting this and allowing your body to work in its own time. With the swelling you have, it’s likely you will keep seeing improvements in your ROM as it goes down.

Once your incision is healed, you will enjoy the water therapy. Most people find the extra support the water gives to be very comforting and it can allow you to more easily do the gentle bending and stretching that helps increase ROM. But because it feels so good, it is easy to overdo things - especially at first. So ease into it and see how your body reacts. Water walking is a good exercise as is sitting on a pool noodle (if your water is deep enough) and moving your legs in a pedaling motion like riding a bicycle.

Thanks so much for your update. I can promise you that hearing your story will help others who may be having some challenges in their recovery. People sometimes are so geared toward “how fast can I heal” that they don’t recognize that for whatever reason, some people just take longer to get there. But the final result will be so sweet for you!

Let us know your milestones - however small - and we’d love to celebrate them with you! And, of course, we’re here for any questions or concerns that may come up.

 

[Photogoddess]

Thank you so much @Jamie for your kind words. The support I get here is so appreciated beyond words!! I will definitely keep updating! Have a wonderful evening.

 

[Photogoddess]

Thank you @Layla I could be doing more elevating and icing as @sistersinhim mentioned, sometimes I get so busy I don't stop and allow myself to do this. That is something I am working on. Thank you for your kind words of support and hope you have a wonderful evening.

 

[Photogoddess]

Oh yes, you can see the swelling. Are you icing and elevating enough? Doing so will help that swelling go down. Getting that down will also help with stiffness and discomfort.

It's good that your doctor is happy with your recovery. That always eases our minds!

I could be elevating and icing more for sure. I get busy and end up not allowing myself to do this which I will be changing this.

 

[Photogoddess]

I’m glad to read that you are confident that you will recover, albeit slowly. You go, girl!

Some of us take longer than others. I’m so glad your doctor is happy with your progress, that is such a blessing! We all need our medical teams to be encouraging.

Best wishes as you continue healing.

Thank you Jockette!!

 

[Photogoddess]

Just checking in....have some good news and some not so good news. Good news, my ROM reached little past 105 degrees assisted, which I will take it. The knee is still swollen to a degree which hinders going further, but it will happen when it calms down. My extention is still going slowly at 8, but, again swelling is hindering this as well. But all in all I will take the slow and steady progress for sure!

Bad news....Went to my surgeon yesterday and he is going yo have to do a little procedure to remove these dissolvable stitches that refuse to dissolve and they keep this part of my inscion from healing. (see pic). I have taken antibiotics, antibiotic creams and keeping it clean to no avail. Not happy that this is what he needs to do, but will be happy do get this part to heal correctly so that I can get in the aquatics.

Hope everyone is having a good day and recovering well.

 

[Jamie]

That’s an unusual situation, @Photogoddess, with your stitches, but you will feel much better to get this resolved. I’m glad your surgeon is going to do the procedure for you. It shouldn’t be much to recover from, so don’t worry. Your steady progress is great! It’s a fact that we’re all different in the way we heal and it sounds like you’ve found your rhythm. Hang in there….you definitely have the right attitude and you will get there.

I’m betting that your swelling will improve once your incision heals. Any inflammation like you have can cause your body to send fluid to the area for healing and it could be what’s going on now. Please let us know how things go.

 

[kneed to know]

Hello from another person on the slow track. When my surgeon d/c ed PT after 3 mos, I was 0 for extension & 95-111 on flexion. À 3 phase nuclear imàge about 6 mo out showed blood flow was good & there is still bone activity. Surgeon said wait til one year to reevaluate. I just started a second regime with a different PT, with a combo of àqua therapy & land exercise. My initial eval with this second PT showed me at 6 extension & 94 flexion. I had not been working on extension at home, as it had not been a problem, but I have been continuing flexion work throughout, so regression on both was concerning. The slow progress is discouraging, but maybe the àqua work will bring some improvement. Best with your stitch recovery, so you can move forward again.

 

[Photogoddess]

That’s an unusual situation, @Photogoddess, with your stitches, but you will feel much better to get this resolved. I’m glad your surgeon is going to do the procedure for you. It shouldn’t be much to recover from, so don’t worry. Your steady progress is great! It’s a fact that we’re all different in the way we heal and it sounds like you’ve found your rhythm. Hang in there….you definitely have the right attitude and you will get there.

I’m betting that your swelling will improve once your incision heals. Any inflammation like you have can cause your body to send fluid to the area for healing and it could be what’s going on now. Please let us know how things go.

Thank you so much @Jamie

 

[Photogoddess]

Hello from another person on the slow track. When my surgeon d/c ed PT after 3 mos, I was 0 for extension & 95-111 on flexion. À 3 phase nuclear imàge about 6 mo out showed blood flow was good & there is still bone activity. Surgeon said wait til one year to reevaluate. I just started a second regime with a different PT, with a combo of àqua therapy & land exercise. My initial eval with this second PT showed me at 6 extension & 94 flexion. I had not been working on extension at home, as it had not been a problem, but I have been continuing flexion work throughout, so regression on both was concerning. The slow progress is discouraging, but maybe the àqua work will bring some improvement. Best with your stitch recovery, so you can move forward again.

Thank you @kneed to know. I am hoping once the inscion heals after this procedure that I will be able to finally get to do the aquatics.

 

[benne68]

Let us know how the procedure goes, @Photogoddess. We'll be sending you positive vibes .

 

[Photogoddess]

Hi All...everything went well on Thursday. He did a local, so I was awake for the procedure. It only lasted 10 minutes. He did say there were was stitch that was causing the issue for sure. I will say this was little more painful after the numbing meds wore off than I expected, but he gave me some pain meds ahead of time for this. He knew it was going to be painful. No where near as painful as the knee replacement. I will say it is a little difficult to do any major ROM exercises because the bandage pulls on the cut, so only doing lite walking and bending until I see him next Friday. I am just glad its finally done and I can get this section healed and move forward with my healing. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and Happy mothers day to all!!

 

[Jockette]

I will say it is a little difficult to do any major ROM exercises because the bandage pulls on the cut, so only doing lite walking and bending until I see him next Friday.

The gentle movements you are doing are all your knee needs right now. The important thing right now is to let this new procedure heal.

 

[Jamie]

Great that the surgeon found the problem and was able to resolve it. This should make all the difference in the world. Don’t worry about exercises right now other than those gentle bends and stretches. There is plenty of time for ROM and strengthening.

 

[Layla]

Wonderful news that you had those pesky little stitches removed finally. Sorry it's currently painful. Great time to take a relaxing break and get back to your routine once you're feeling up to it.
Have a lovely weekend and Mother's Day, if it pertains.
@Photogoddess

 

[sistersinhim]

With those stitches out, after healing from the procedure, you should feel much better and can get on with your TKR healing!

 

[Photogoddess]

Hi All. Just checking in with an update. Saw my surgeon today and got my stitches out and all looks great. Need to keep it covered for the next 10 days and then go back in a month for him to see how it is healing. Fingers crossed this will be behind me. On another note, I did ask him about the stiffness and what causes it, which I know this is mentioned a lot here, and he says scar tissue and swelling. I will be 8 months post tkr on May 17th and still have the stiffness and swelling, which I know can last a long time. I am still going to PT because they are good to me and help me. He is still happy with my progress and continues to encourage me to keep going and working at it. Now that my annoying dissolvable stitches issue is taken care of, I can hopefully look forward to aquatic PT.

Thank you for listening and hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

 

[Photogoddess]

Here are a couple shots of the stitches that were removed and after.

 

[Jamie]

Oh yes! That is healing nicely. Thanks so much for the photos. They really help tell the story and are a great benefit for our staff and other BoneSmarties. It looks like you’ll be in the water soon. I’m so happy for you.

 

[Layla]

Wonderful news, Photogoddess! You're back on track, making great progress.
Swelling can last a full year, per my OS. Possibly you're noticing an increase in swelling after sitting or standing for long periods, or after PT sessions. If so, I suggest you ice afterward to help reduce the inflammation, if you're not doing so already.
Soon you'll meet your goal to get back into the pool. Woohoo! Take care. and enjoy the weekend!
@Photogoddess