Revision TKR Knee replacement is not nice to me...

[RestAssured]

Congratulations! Wishing you many years of happiness! He is a romantic that likes to surprise you. How neat!

 

[jancat]

Coachie, I am newish to this board and just read through your thread. First, congratulations on your wedding and I wish you a lifetime of love, happiness, and no knee pain. Secondly, I am so sorry you went through the torment of months of dr. visits and pain. Your ordeal is a prime example of how messed up our healthcare system is in the U.S., even though I am glad to be here, it does not always work as it should.
So glad the revision helped; your story is inspirational. Wishing you the very best!

 

[kneeper]

All the happiness, Coachie!

 

[Orthodoc]

Coachie,

That is an incredible story.

It sure sounds like your persistence to find the right surgeon has paid off.

Congratulations on your wedding.

Orthodoc

 

[maryo52]

Congratulations!!

 

[Coachie]

I have been swimming a lot and feeling pretty good while swimming but have a few questions otherwise...

Does anyone have sharp pain behind the knee? It's not directly behind the knee- it's near the top of the calf muscle and on the outside. It was pain that I had before my revision and was told that it could be the Popliteus tendon or something like that. I had 10 sessions of Iontophoresis, but the pain didn't stop. During my revision, Dr. W. released the Popliteus tendon and we thought the pain would stop. It never did. Every appointment I have had with him has been focused on the knee cap area and such and it seems like the back of my leg never gets addressed.

Anyway... when I am swimming my leg doesn't really hurt unless I push off a wall with it. Then it will really hurt. It hurts when I finish swimming too.
In addition to my swimming, my husband and I have been trying to walk some. Whenever I walk, my knee gets so stiff and sore- especially in the back of the leg- and if I try to get into the car, I have to lift my leg in with my hands; if I try to go upstairs, I have to go up one leg at a time, etc. I can't stand for more than 20 minutes or so without my right knee really hurting, and even shopping can cause my right knee to be very uncomfortable. I've called my surgeon a few times, but he said that it is going to hurt and that eventually it will ease up.
Do you all think this is just recovery pain? I am 8 months out from my revision and I thought I wouldn't have this kind of pain anymore.

My left tkr did not have pain like this- even though when I complained about my right knee at the beginning, a 2nd Orthopedist that I sought out told me that I probably had that kind of pain, but I "just didn't remember it". Sure. Like you can forget having this kind of pain.

Don't get me wrong- I am in less pain than I was last year at this time, but I was kind of hoping that I would have even less.
I was just wondering...

 

[maryo52]

Mrs. C, in looking over my surgeon's notes some weeks post-op he wrote that I was complaining of pain behind my knee. I don't remember that, but it seems to come up here on the boards as well.

I think these orthopedic surgeons don't quite grasp our need for explanation. This is a major process that has major impact on our physical, emotional, and work life, and we don't live in their world of understanding.

 

[Coachie]

I have been doing a lot of swimming in order to try to get in some sort of shape...

I have been doing mostly crawl and breaststoke. This morning I woke up with a lot of knee pain. It still really hurts right now on the inside area. I looked it up and found that it is most likely "breaststroker's knee".
I also saw on one website that it is not good to do the "whip kick" usually associated with the breaststoke once you've had a tkr.

What do the rest of you do for strokes and kicks? I don't want to just do back and side stroke- I want to SWIM as in work my way up to being able to swim a mile at a time. Last night I swam 0.7 miles (3700 feet). I cannot do the crawl the entire time as my arms are just not strong enough, and I tried doing a different kicking with the breaststroke, but it felt awkward.

Does anyone have any good tips or ideas? I would really appreciate it!

 

[Jamie]

Coachie, I think you are going to have to work up slowly with these strokes. I mean VERY slowly. It might be a year or more from now before you are strong enough to be able to do them.

Especially with the leg movements on the breast stroke, you are twisting your new knees. That "twisty" movement seems to be the last thing to come back....at least it was that way for me.

I suggest you use a swim board so that you can stay boyant and slowly practice that kick (as long as you don't have pain while you are doing it). Start with just a few and VERY slowly increase over the next 6 months.

 

[speccybecky]

I was told just to kick a bit 'shallower' ie . Less hard

 

[Coachie]

I kind of thought that was what people would say :(

I know that everyone recovers at different rates, but it seems like there are others who do much more rigorous things earlier on. Having this revision really set me back so much and I am struggling to find my way athletically and such.

Swimming has been the only time I have no pain- except for last night and today- and was really hoping to be able to work my way up and do something strenuous and active.

I guess it's all because of my competitive nature. All 4 of my sisters are now runners. They did something called couch to 5k and built their way slowly from nothing to running 5k's. 15k's and two of them have now run a 1/2 marathon. When we all get together, they talk about running and how good they feel about their exercising, etc. I often feel left out (especially since I was the athletic one of the family and now it's the opposite!)
so I wanted to be able to do something "big" as well. My goal is to be able to swim a full mile by the end of August. I have a summer camp on a lake, so can swim every day. Guess I should think about adapting that. Maybe I can still swim the mile, but just in a different way- like alternating from crawl to my back or something like that.

 

[Jamie]

Coachie.........you DID do something BIG. You had both knees replaced - plus a revision!!!!! Please don't "guilt" yourself into feeling less worthy.

I like your idea of setting a reachable goal like swimming a mile with a combination of strokes. You can always set another goal once that is accomplished. This place where you are residing right now is a temporary one. Time and patience will allow you to move ahead. Look how far you've come already, girl!!! This is a time for joy, not sadness!

 

[speccybecky]

Build up the 'frog' kick slowly and don't be so hard on yourself.

 

[vancouverite]

I also saw on one website that it is not good to do the "whip kick" usually associated with the breaststoke once you've had a tkr.

What do the rest of you do for strokes and kicks? I don't want to just do back and side stroke- I want to SWIM as in work my way up to being able to swim a mile at a time. Last night I swam 0.7 miles (3700 feet). I cannot do the crawl the entire time as my arms are just not strong enough, and I tried doing a different kicking with the breaststroke, but it felt awkward.

Does anyone have any good tips or ideas? I would really appreciate it!

I haven't been able to do a whip kick for some time because of my arthritis. I do the dolphin kick when doing the breast stroke and will carry on doing that once I get the all clear from the physio to get back in the pool.

 

[kneesrus]

Don't forget the backstroke or the side stroke. You can rotate the style from the crawl, side stroke on the right, backstroke, and side stroke on the left.
Also, take advantage of a kick board until you build your endurace up.
It sounds like you have a great start, keep it up.
David

 

[Coachie]

Don't forget the backstroke or the side stroke. You can rotate the style from the crawl, side stroke on the right, backstroke, and side stroke on the left.
Also, take advantage of a kick board until you build your endurace up.
It sounds like you have a great start, keep it up.
David

I use a kick board for the first 6 laps. It's a small pool, so a lap is only 50 feet.

Side stroke is ok. I struggle with the scissor kick when I am on my right side. Can't seem to get my legs coordinated or something.

I took tonight off and am glad. My knee is extremely painful- very achy and really hurts when I put any pressure on my right leg. I keep getting a lot of shooting pains through the whole knee too. If it still hurts tomorrow, I might still go in the water, but will try to use just arms and light kicking while on my back- but it really depends on the level of pain. If it's like tonight, I don't know how I'd do.

 

[maryo52]

Would it work to use something for flotation and focus on kicking keeping your legs straight? That's what I would need to do.

Biking of course is great.

I have to get into shape now too. I'm doing some weights on my ankle with straight leg lifts to build up my puny little quad. My doctor is steering me toward pilates.

My husband did couch to 5k. Great program. Keep trying! If you can figure out how to get a knee fixed that no one wanted to admit had a problem, I bet you'll figure out a fitness routine so that you feel as if you're keeping up with your sisters.

 

[1ELISEA]

I have been doing a lot of swimming in order to try to get in some sort of shape...

Good for you, Coachie! I am one week out from a TKR and swimming looks as far away from reality as the Oceans are large!

 

[Dmgkag]

Yes, you are right about the breaststroke kick . I have adapted by doing a version of bicycle pedaling while doing the breaststroke. It works for me! Don't underestimate the power of developing your upper body strength to become a long distance swimmer. Many people who have no use of their legs become great swimmers. If the crawl kick bothers you, ease back on it and let your arms do the work. For a resting stroke on my back, I lay on my back and skull with my arms and just stretch my legs out and let them go along for the ride.Have a great time swimming!

 

[skigirl]

Also, I did a lot of "running" in the pool. I wear a bouancy belt and "run" in the deep end of the pool. I can take long strides or short ones.

I also do a lot of stretching in the pool and work on adductors as well as plenty of crunches in the pool. Also, get your arms stronger by putting a kick board between your legs and just using your arms for a lap or two. K