Knee Replacement Revision

[dadmo]

I still have soft tissue pain and not the best range of motion. It's a fucntional range but not up to my or the doctors standards. I've been faithfull to my rehab workouts but the pain persists after about 110 degrees. My doctor wants me to keep streatching hard twice a week and in 6 months, if there is no progress we're going to do a revision of the previous work. It a bit of a disappointment but I can't see just sittiing around (if I do the pain goes away) so as it looks now after next summers cancer fund raising bicycle rides it will be back into surgery.

 

[Jamie]

Hi, dadmo.....it's good to hear from you again but I'm sorry you are still not at the point you want to be in recovery. Has he indicated why he feels a revision will make a difference (assuming there is no progress in the 6 months)?

 

[Josephine]

Hi dad - me too on the regrets front. That's a real bummer. I would ask the same question that Jamie has but purely out of interest.

 

[dadmo]

From my understanding the plastic piece (glide)between the metal replacement parts can be of different sizes. He feels that a thinner glide will allow for a greater range of motion and less tendon pain from the tightness.

 

[Josephine]

Oh right. That makes sense. So not really a full revision, just a change of spacer. They do come in several thicknesses and it happens once in a while that the surgeon doesn't get it quite right. Or that something changes in the tension of the ligaments that makes it tighter or looser.

Sad but true but your recovery shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as the first time around.

 

[skigirl]

I think the recovery from the spacer change is much easier than from the full on tkr. But, I wonder why he is waiting so long if that is true. it seems like now would be a good time--and then when you ride in the spring, you will have a non painful knee.

My left knee was a little loose--3 degrees and my surgeon told me that it is a judgement call on the spacer---he thought that a thicker one would have limited my rom too much. I am sorry you have to go through this. Kelly

 

[dadmo]

He want's to wait because we're really hoping that with extra pain meds I'll be able to stretch enough to make a difference. I certainly hope that's the case but I've been taking pain meds twice a week and stretching for 3 hours on those days. I can tell there is staedy improvement but the soft tissue pain after a year is annoying. When I ride the first 15 min are awful but then muscles do loosen up the riding is tolerable.
One reason I want to wait is that I promised several cancer patients that I would dedicate rides to them (some have lost their battle). It takes me a few months to get ready to ride 600 miles in six days and a surgery now may not allow me to be ready for next year.

 

[Jamie]

Thanks for the clarification, Dadmo.....I am relieved to hear that it's a spacer change instead of an actual revision. This makes sense. Good luck with the stretching.....I know you will be working very hard to get 'er done.

Let us hear from you.....it's always great to read your posts!

 

[Pat29627]

This summer, a local guy did over 700 miles in 7 days in honor of a friend of his who died of cancer and to raise money. Amazing enough, but he had barely recovered from a bad bicycle wreck (broken neck, teeth, and thumb, I think.) He has a blog and reading about his recovery was interesting.

On the ride, he kept everyone updated each day with that plus a program which showed just where he was and how many miles he'd ridden each day. It was stressful just reading and hoping he'd make it. http://lowcadence.com/2010-Ride-For-Mike/

 

[kaylisbubba]

i had a replacement of a spacer about a year ago. it was a lot better than original replacement. i was in the hospital for three days then (by my choice) to a rehab facility for about 9 days. two days after i was discharged from there i was able to get on a plane and fly cross country to spend christmas with my kids. it wasn't easy, still need pt etc. but the pain was not anything like the original surgery. best of luck