Happy dance for you @JusticeRider . gives me hope and inspiration <3
PKR JusticeRider’s rehab adventure
- Thread starter JusticeRider
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Omg! I’m SO happy for you! Like crying happy! I bet you are still smiling. I have a big mover too. Totally get it. he’s a dreamboat to ride, but definitely moves me around too. HahaSo, I posted over on @Darkang ’s thread about an exciting milestone I hit on Friday and wanted to share it here on my thread as well.
I finally rode in my saddle! I’ve been nervous to try it again because in the months after my injury and leading up to surgery I was convinced that if I could just push through the pain I’d be able to post the trot, stand in my stirrups, etc. I tried everything, but putting pressure on the stirrups resulted in intense stabbing pain. I kept trying it because I was desperate to really ride, and honestly thought maybe I just needed to toughen up. I haven’t been able to forget that awful pain and I needed a lot of time and more confidence in my knee to get back in the saddle.
I’m happy to report that the stabbing pain is gone!! Everything felt pretty good except for some twinges at the back of my knee when I posted the trot. First time posting the trot (without agony) in 2-1/2 years!! The twinges were fairly minor and felt like soft tissue stuff. It will take some time to get everything working again, but it was VERY encouraging! Whatever that feeling on the back of my leg is, I’ve felt it before in other situations, so I think I’ll ask my massage therapist about it next week and maybe she can find something there. Meanwhile, maybe riding will be a sort of therapy for whatever it is.
There is an added bit of challenge because of the way my horse moves. He is what you’d call a ‘big mover’, meaning he has a big spring in his step. He’s not bumpy or rough at all, more like a huge trampoline that launches you into the airFortunately he’s an absolute angel whom I’ve had since he was born (27 this year!) and will go very slow if I ask him to. I trust him completely. But he really loves to move out and eat up the trail. I can’t wait till I’m able to keep up with him again! It’s coming!
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Flashlight
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Congratulations!! My daughter picked up her saddle and has started riding at a stable close to her job. I haven't seen her so happy in awhile. The owner talked her into trying a horse that has an attitude and many didn't want to. They are getting to be best buds. The owner appreciated her grooming him after the lesson and was surprised when the horse gave her a hug. I'm sure you two would have a good conversation about horses! You are doing great, and I enjoy reading your post.
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@JusticeRider hi! Sorry I missed the last message you sent me (I think that the @ was missing and I didn't get it but I have just read it all!
Thank you again for your sympathy and above all, congratulations on your recent huge progress with the horse riding and the musical outing/stroll!!
You must be feeling good right now!
Looking at your pic's profile it looks that you live in a lovely nature place. Nice!
And you are not a snail anymore lol
Thank you again for your sympathy and above all, congratulations on your recent huge progress with the horse riding and the musical outing/stroll!!
You must be feeling good right now!
Looking at your pic's profile it looks that you live in a lovely nature place. Nice!
And you are not a snail anymore lol
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@Flashlight I’m sure we could talk all day about horses! So fun to talk to other horse lovers, though it can be hard to ‘rein in’ the conversation
I’m so glad your daughter is riding, happy, and found a horse she can bond with at her stable.
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@Mariposa isn’t it wonderful we can come to BoneSmart and share our victories and struggles and support each other? I am so very grateful to all of you for being part of my recovery journey. Reading others’ stories and being able to share my own brightens my every day!
Yes, I am very fortunate to live where I do! I never take it for granted, truly. The profile pic is my horse Justice standing on the trail near my home with the sun beginning to go down. We have numerous trails and parks, two rivers that converge near us, farmland throughout our valley, and a cute little downtown. It’s a wonderful place to recuperate, and I hope to live out my old age here
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Well, just a few days till 7 months! I will leave a full ‘monthly update’ later on, but I have two exciting pieces of news to share!
1) I have ridden in the saddle twice now. The first time was last week and I wrote about it here on my thread. Then I got a cold and wasn’t feeling good for a few days. But a couple days ago, on Sunday, I rode in the saddle again. I took my horse out on the trails near my home. And you know what? It felt better! At the walk and sitting trot that odd feeling on the back of my leg was gone or almost gone! I was really surprised at the improvement from just waiting a few days. I did not try a posting trot because my horse hasn’t been out on the trails enough lately, has too much energy, and was high as a kite! He was a very good boy but could hardly contain himself at a walk and slow trot, and if I had let him move out at the trot he would have been even springier than usual (a launch pad!) so that can wait
I really think even just riding at a walk is like pt for my knee and hip right now. I ended up riding for two hours and everything felt fine afterwards! So happy!!
2) I just got in from the wood shop where my stationary bike lives. I have been feeling like it might be time to try lowering the seat again. I was out there today and thought, why not now? So I let it down another click and…omg…I did it!! I pedaled full rotations and it did not hurt!! Remember when I said lowering the seat another click would be a momentous occasion? Well it has arrived! A major benchmark of improving ROM!
1) I have ridden in the saddle twice now. The first time was last week and I wrote about it here on my thread. Then I got a cold and wasn’t feeling good for a few days. But a couple days ago, on Sunday, I rode in the saddle again. I took my horse out on the trails near my home. And you know what? It felt better! At the walk and sitting trot that odd feeling on the back of my leg was gone or almost gone! I was really surprised at the improvement from just waiting a few days. I did not try a posting trot because my horse hasn’t been out on the trails enough lately, has too much energy, and was high as a kite! He was a very good boy but could hardly contain himself at a walk and slow trot, and if I had let him move out at the trot he would have been even springier than usual (a launch pad!) so that can wait
I really think even just riding at a walk is like pt for my knee and hip right now. I ended up riding for two hours and everything felt fine afterwards! So happy!!
2) I just got in from the wood shop where my stationary bike lives. I have been feeling like it might be time to try lowering the seat again. I was out there today and thought, why not now? So I let it down another click and…omg…I did it!! I pedaled full rotations and it did not hurt!! Remember when I said lowering the seat another click would be a momentous occasion? Well it has arrived! A major benchmark of improving ROM!
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Great news! So pleased to hear that you are doing so well.
Now I know why they say someone is "back on the saddle " when they are feeling better!
Out of interest- do you still get any swelling/ warmth or soreness in the evening now?
Now I know why they say someone is "back on the saddle " when they are feeling better!
Out of interest- do you still get any swelling/ warmth or soreness in the evening now?
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Thanks @EalingGran and @Ayse ! I’m feeling really good about all this 
EalingGran, my surgical knee is usually warmer than my other knee. If I do a lot on a given day and notice my knee feeling a bit stressed, there will sometimes be a lot of warmth. I haven’t had much swelling for the last couple of months (fingers crossed!) and when I have it hasn’t been visible or extreme, just that feeling of some pressure inside the joint. Then I’ll put on my knee sleeve and/or elevate for a while. Or if it’s really noticeable, ice. I elevate a lot still, always after any activity like a walk, ride, barn chores, etc and my knee likes that.
EalingGran, my surgical knee is usually warmer than my other knee. If I do a lot on a given day and notice my knee feeling a bit stressed, there will sometimes be a lot of warmth. I haven’t had much swelling for the last couple of months (fingers crossed!) and when I have it hasn’t been visible or extreme, just that feeling of some pressure inside the joint. Then I’ll put on my knee sleeve and/or elevate for a while. Or if it’s really noticeable, ice. I elevate a lot still, always after any activity like a walk, ride, barn chores, etc and my knee likes that.
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The things that make you go ->
The sound of a click as you lower the seat. Great news. Nice progress!
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Thanks that's helpful to know. I still get slight swelling and definite mild warmth by evening and it is reassuring to hear your experience a month or two ahead.
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This is so awesome! I feel this so much! I'm so so so glad for you! I hope to ride a bike some soon too. How do you do going down stairs now?Remember when I said lowering the seat another click would be a momentous occasion? Well it has arrived! A major benchmark of improving ROM!
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Hi, when I say someone is younger than me, I'm not saying their recovery must be easier. Because even an NFL football player with iron thighs takes a good 7-12 months to recover from torn ligaments. I feel someone who is younger than 60 has more stamina than I do at 71. Even though in my mind I'm still young!
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Hi @Flashlight ! Thanks for replying on my thread…I didn’t want to derail Michelle’s thread too much with my rant! I definitely understand where you’re coming from with the stamina issue. Maybe it was because so much time passed between my injury and my PKR and I was in pain so long, or because I had two other surgeries in such a short time. I just felt I had no margin left and no stamina at all! I was a mess! I felt completely defeated. And I can’t even count the number of people who said to me, “you’re young! You’ll be fine! It’ll be a piece of cake for you!” And then when I wasn’t fine and kept having setbacks and was comparing myself to people much older than me who were doing great, I felt like a total failure.
I know I can’t be the only younger patient who struggled and had a slow and difficult recovery. I hear other younger people getting those same comments before they have a TKR and I just cringe because I know how it affected me. So I wanted to just tell the world, please stop doing that! I must have been holding that in for a while and it just had to come out, haha! Hopefully it didn’t make anyone feel bad…it definitely wasn’t directed at anyone at all, just a soapbox moment! Thanks for listening
I know I can’t be the only younger patient who struggled and had a slow and difficult recovery. I hear other younger people getting those same comments before they have a TKR and I just cringe because I know how it affected me. So I wanted to just tell the world, please stop doing that! I must have been holding that in for a while and it just had to come out, haha! Hopefully it didn’t make anyone feel bad…it definitely wasn’t directed at anyone at all, just a soapbox moment! Thanks for listening
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Not too bad. Still a little awkward but I can alternate feet as long as there is a railing. I thought it would never happen! How about you?
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Alright, well here I am (as of yesterday) at 7 months post op!! It has somehow both flown by and also seemed to last half a lifetime! It’s been quite a journey so far. I wanted to give a full monthly update here. I’m going to tag @Cheleigh and @panammaniac too.
Am I glad I did the surgery? Yes! I really am! I am doing SO much better than I was since my injuries 2 years before this surgery. Is my knee perfect? No, it definitely still has plenty of healing left to do. In the end, I hope to be at least as good as I was BEFORE the injuries I sustained in 2020. Anything above and beyond that would be an incredibly wonderful surprise (my knees have been ‘difficult’ for 25 years but it was manageable and didn’t stop me from doing what I wanted to do). I hope and pray my other knee and my operated hip can hold out for as many years as possible. I really don’t want to do this again any time soon!
I haven’t needed Tylenol or ibuprofen much at all the past several weeks. My knee is usually pain free. It will hurt if I try to push the ROM past where it is currently comfortable or if I try to walk too fast, or strangely, if I bend over the wrong way. It will get uncomfortable if I ride in the car for more than a hour or so. But 90% of the time, no pain.
Speaking of ROM, it continues to improve. At a glacial pace, but nevertheless, steadily in the right direction! I’m sure my surgeon and pt wouldn’t be satisfied, but who really cares what they think? I’m happy with my progress! It needs to go at its own pace, and I expect it will keep improving for maybe even another year. It’s already quite functional.
Speaking of functional…here are some of the things I can do that I couldn’t previously: I can go up stairs normally! I can go down stairs alternating feet (with railing)! I can walk up to four miles (without a limp)! I can walk on soft ground, like across my pasture, with no sharp pains! I can sit in a normal position for at least a couple hours without discomfort! I can ride the stationary bike with the seat three clicks lower than before! I can ride my horse in a saddle (still lots of work to do there)! I can carry pretty heavy things! I can do lots of chores on my farm! I can put all my weight on my operated side and bend my knee with no pain (before surgery I could not do this without severe pain and knee collapsing)! And many other things.
My scar looks good, thin and silvery and quite flat and smooth. The numb spot on the lateral side is shrinking. The swelling that plagued me for months is mostly a thing of the past. It looks almost like my other knee and very rarely, I will feel mild swelling but nothing visible or extreme like before. No more hot, meaty pot roast! The knee is usually warmer than my other knee, and will produce heat if I stress it, but again, nothing extreme. Losing the swelling was the turning point in my recovery.
Things I can’t do yet: I can’t walk as fast as I used to. I can’t ride my horse fast yet either. I can’t muck stalls or shovel compost onto the garden or similar activities. This is partly because of my knee and partly because of my hip. I can’t walk on steeper hills without twinges and discomfort, both in my knee and in various muscles in my leg ( no hiking yet for me). I can’t run or jump. I can’t go all day with no stretching without feeling some discomfort. I can’t bend to a normal degree.
Here are some things I am still doing to care for my knee: I still do gentle stretches multiple times a day. I still elevate multiple times a day. I still ice, but only if I feel I’ve overdone it. I still sleep with a pillow between my legs. I still use the compression sleeve, but only for longer walks or riding my horse, or if I’ve overdone it and it feels like there might be swelling inside. And my embarrassing guilty allowance: I still have my toilet rail up in the bathroom. I have a very low toilet and it is so nice to have that rail to help with the up and down. I should probably take it down…
Exercise I do currently: daily walks of 1.5-4 miles. 20 minutes on the stationary bike once and usually twice a day. Occasional calf raises, single leg balancing, and short arc quad lifts, when I think about it. Riding my horse at a walk and slow trot. Barn chores. Light garden work. And of course the gentle stretches.
All in all, I am very happy with where I’m at! My mental state is good, and my knee is feeling stronger all the time. I am SO GLAD those first 4 months of hell are behind me. Month 5 wasn’t bad and months 6 and 7 have been quite good! And I am looking forward to making more progress over the next several months. The adventure continues!
Am I glad I did the surgery? Yes! I really am! I am doing SO much better than I was since my injuries 2 years before this surgery. Is my knee perfect? No, it definitely still has plenty of healing left to do. In the end, I hope to be at least as good as I was BEFORE the injuries I sustained in 2020. Anything above and beyond that would be an incredibly wonderful surprise (my knees have been ‘difficult’ for 25 years but it was manageable and didn’t stop me from doing what I wanted to do). I hope and pray my other knee and my operated hip can hold out for as many years as possible. I really don’t want to do this again any time soon!
I haven’t needed Tylenol or ibuprofen much at all the past several weeks. My knee is usually pain free. It will hurt if I try to push the ROM past where it is currently comfortable or if I try to walk too fast, or strangely, if I bend over the wrong way. It will get uncomfortable if I ride in the car for more than a hour or so. But 90% of the time, no pain.
Speaking of ROM, it continues to improve. At a glacial pace, but nevertheless, steadily in the right direction! I’m sure my surgeon and pt wouldn’t be satisfied, but who really cares what they think? I’m happy with my progress! It needs to go at its own pace, and I expect it will keep improving for maybe even another year. It’s already quite functional.
Speaking of functional…here are some of the things I can do that I couldn’t previously: I can go up stairs normally! I can go down stairs alternating feet (with railing)! I can walk up to four miles (without a limp)! I can walk on soft ground, like across my pasture, with no sharp pains! I can sit in a normal position for at least a couple hours without discomfort! I can ride the stationary bike with the seat three clicks lower than before! I can ride my horse in a saddle (still lots of work to do there)! I can carry pretty heavy things! I can do lots of chores on my farm! I can put all my weight on my operated side and bend my knee with no pain (before surgery I could not do this without severe pain and knee collapsing)! And many other things.
My scar looks good, thin and silvery and quite flat and smooth. The numb spot on the lateral side is shrinking. The swelling that plagued me for months is mostly a thing of the past. It looks almost like my other knee and very rarely, I will feel mild swelling but nothing visible or extreme like before. No more hot, meaty pot roast! The knee is usually warmer than my other knee, and will produce heat if I stress it, but again, nothing extreme. Losing the swelling was the turning point in my recovery.
Things I can’t do yet: I can’t walk as fast as I used to. I can’t ride my horse fast yet either. I can’t muck stalls or shovel compost onto the garden or similar activities. This is partly because of my knee and partly because of my hip. I can’t walk on steeper hills without twinges and discomfort, both in my knee and in various muscles in my leg ( no hiking yet for me). I can’t run or jump. I can’t go all day with no stretching without feeling some discomfort. I can’t bend to a normal degree.
Here are some things I am still doing to care for my knee: I still do gentle stretches multiple times a day. I still elevate multiple times a day. I still ice, but only if I feel I’ve overdone it. I still sleep with a pillow between my legs. I still use the compression sleeve, but only for longer walks or riding my horse, or if I’ve overdone it and it feels like there might be swelling inside. And my embarrassing guilty allowance: I still have my toilet rail up in the bathroom. I have a very low toilet and it is so nice to have that rail to help with the up and down. I should probably take it down…
Exercise I do currently: daily walks of 1.5-4 miles. 20 minutes on the stationary bike once and usually twice a day. Occasional calf raises, single leg balancing, and short arc quad lifts, when I think about it. Riding my horse at a walk and slow trot. Barn chores. Light garden work. And of course the gentle stretches.
All in all, I am very happy with where I’m at! My mental state is good, and my knee is feeling stronger all the time. I am SO GLAD those first 4 months of hell are behind me. Month 5 wasn’t bad and months 6 and 7 have been quite good! And I am looking forward to making more progress over the next several months. The adventure continues!
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Great update! I remember well that glorious feeling of reaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
Happy trails!
Happy trails!
JusticeRider, you are coming along so well. It just goes to show you how well a person can do after this surgery if they use a sensible, gentle recovery. Well done!
