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TKR kmak's TKR recovery thread

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@kmak81230, this is a really chipper report! I had no idea you were able to cycle so much; huge kudos! Just be careful of that tempermental *pop* muscle....seems worthwhile to shorten that name.:SUNsmile: Wishing you a great weekend in the garden. I hear strains of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," in the background.:flwrysmile:
 
Kmak, I'm becoming aware of that . Got PT this afternoon , so that will break up the day a bit :smile2:
 
Week 9 Breakthrough (of sorts)
Had PT this morning - I knew it was going to be a "progress report" day as we had postponed on Monday due to my revisiting the ODIC over the weekend. I babied my knee all week, light spins on the bike, lots of resting, icing, elevating, a few gentle heel slides, walking. This morning I warmed up the quad and hamstring, spun easily on the bike,wore my lucky cycling jersey and headed to PT. Are you ready . . . . 106 flexion (and this was without any extra effort or discomfort - the way it should be! :wowspring::happydance::yay::dancy:. My last official measurement at 4 weeks was 83. I was so excited that I didn't care that my extension has not improved from 5. Still work to do on extension but I think that will come - extension has been hampered a bit lately by some soreness in the back of the knee, along with extremely tight hamstring. My right (nonop) leg has 4 extension currently. I want the extension to improve so that walking gait will be better so will continue to work on it and add some massage to mix. Plus, I'm sure my OS will want to see better extension when I see him in two weeks. Small victories!
 
@kmak81230 , this is HUGE! I'm *wicked* excited for you! :happydance:

You've just proved it, "Dreams Do Come True!" Woot!:spin:
 
I know @Pheebs52! I was so hoping to reach 100 -- exceeded my dreams. I'm hoping this will be you in two weeks *my twin* :fingersx:. We all did the happy dance at PT today.
 
Well Twin, you really did budge my excitement monitor and that's been a tough job this week! I might even be able to say I'm looking forward to the 9 week mark now....:chinstroke: Yes, I am. Something has to give eventually, right? Why not at 9 weeks, eh? You proved it!:yes!:
 
And you didn't do anything *special* (hah, what a term!) to get there, right? Just the usual moves? You know, @dvannie also had a breakthrough last night.....maybe something's in the air? If so, I'll hafta do some deep breathing.....
 
@rubyyarn I get it! As you can see from my thread title, I am "one of those people" who want to hurry things on. However, this forum has helped me sit back and become more patient. You are still in the early days of your journey and as another poster said -- we are on the scenic route! Come here to rant. We have all done so. There are sympathetic ears here and we have been helped through it by others who have travelled the same path.
 
Just the usual moves - a few stretches (the ones in bed you recommended) in the morning after warming the quad and hamstring -- if I was feeling good and not swollen I would hold the throne slides for a few minutes at a time - to the "feel good" stretch. Spinning on the bike 2-3 times a day. This week I was afraid to do much of anything as I had been more swollen for some reason.
 
If you are not biking yet, no worries. Cycling has been one of my main hobbies so I do it more for my mental health than anything. It does feel good and gives me a stretch, but I don't push it.
 
I should add a caveat to say that I know we should not be obsessing about ROM numbers and also that it is sometimes hard for us "slow benders" to not think about ROM, particularly when some of us have OS's or PTs who encourage us to reach certain targets. I have become much less focused on it since joining BoneSmart - going from measuring myself at least once a day to not at all or maybe once a week if it seemed like I had made progress. Yet I still had some targets in my head, like triple digits for flexion - probably to make sure my OS would no longer mention MUA. I am happier to have increased functionality (which is most important) and will try to not think about the numbers anymore. As @SusieShoes reminds us, "It's only math!"
 
That is wonderful kmak81230! Week 9 has brought me more comfort and better sleep. I don't know if I will make any excellent strides forward as you have but I am happy. I am so excited for you that your biking passion light at the end of your tunnel is shining brighter. Soon it will be a bonfire!
 
Really envious you are back to work :wowspring:. wish I was my tlkr 6 weeks in, :what: mine has been really painful just walking up the road , get swollen very easy and suffer for a day or two, you have to send me some tips
 
Thanks for the encouragement @Canada35 - small victories are huge in this long journey.

@bland9 - good to hear from you. I know the desire to get back to work for all sorts of reasons. My tip would be to not rush it. At 6 weeks I was not working full time at the office and even that was too much as my knee was exhausted by the end of the day - and I have a desk job that allows me to elevate with an ice pack throughout the day. It has only been in the past week that I am feeling more "normal" at work. When I was at 6 weeks like you I swelled very easily - I often joke that my knee would swell if I looked at it. As the very smart advisors on here remind us, we are still healing for at least the first 12 weeks - you're halfway there! I have less swelling throughout the day in the past week but it is still easy to overdo it. You will get there with patience, rest, and continued ice and elevation. Be nice to yourself. :flwrysmile:
 
@kmak81230, I agree. Once we start to feel better, then we tend to overdo, not realizing that we will be paying for it later on. How depressing that next time is. Just when we thought we had this almost licked, then back comes the reality that it's a year long or more recovery.
 
Good correction @sistersinhim -- I was thinking of the more intense healing prior to going back to work. You are correct that the journey is 12 months! DARN!:yes:
 
Excellent 9 week report. I look forward to getting there soon. I love that you wore your lucky jersey to PT.
 
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