TKR Kneeling after TKR<

[fishy]

Thank you. I really love hearing everyone's experiences with this. It helps a lot.

 

[Josephine]

@fishy you don't have to quote someone's post to reply to it. Just scoot on down the the bottom of the page and start typing in the box where it says "Write your reply..."

since they are all professionals and do this every day.

They are but then so are many of us! I've been doing this all my life so I could fairly safely say I have MORE experience than your PTs and maybe even the surgeons!

it's hard for me to accept that what they are telling me is all wrong!

Not wrong exactly, just out of date!

I just feel torn as to what I should do.

Well look at it this way - what you've been doing thus far hasn't been a howling success, has it?
Perhaps time to try an alternative?

From previous surgeries I've had, I do know that my body likes to form adhesions and scar tissue and from what I was told by PT, that is the concern if you don't do exercises. Scar tissue will form and prevent the bend from advancing where you want it to be.

This, my dear, is the biggest con and 'old wives' tale' going! In my experience, PTs and sometimes even doctors, use this 'threat' to make sure their patients continue to comply without debate! It's not true.

To start with, adhesions and scar tissue are two different things. Used correctly, the term scarring refers to the stuff that heals your wounds whether it's a surgical incision or a small cut with a kitchen knife. That is necessary to close your wound. Adhesions are excess fibrous tissue that stick muscles, tendons and ligaments down so they can't move the way they should. It look something like this

Obviously the scarring is necessary and if it doesn't develop, you'd be in trouble with a permanently open wound!
But adhesions are abnormal and actually relatively uncommon. They occur a lot less frequently than 'professionals' would have you believe. But so long as they can convince patients of this 'inevitable' demon, they will get compliant patients! That's the philosophy! Don't fall for it.

 

[fishy]

Thank you for your reply Josephine. Regarding scar tissue vs adhesions... I have had three c-sections and have had a lot of adhesions which cause me some occasional tugging and slight pain in my abdomen. During my last c-section my doctor told me I should definitely not have any more children because I had so many adhesions from my previous surgeries that he had a hard time identifying my uterus! Needless to say, he wasn't my doctor after that! lol! I don't know if it's accurate or not, but I've heard that some people are just more likely to develop adhesions than others... I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. That's really what concerns me about my knees. Do you think it would be the same with them as with my other surgeries or is there no way to know?

 

[fishy]

Jockette,
Thank you for your input. I'm so happy for you that it's worked so well for you. I live in a very small town and we don't have a pool here for PT. I'm surprised that the pool caused you pain, I would think it would be less painful that way. I'm hopeful that I will find Bonesmart to be the answer for me as well.

 

[Jockette]

Most of our members love the pool. I’m not crazy about one when I’m healthy, let alone when I’m recovering from knee replacement.

The main issues for me were, it was way too early in my recovery to go in the pool, and the session was way too long, at almost an hour, and they gave me way too many exercises to do.

Floating and relaxing in the warm water might have been ok.

But I was very tense the whole time because the therapy pool was crowded, which gave the water a lot of movement, and my balance had not recovered yet since surgery, and they had me walk backwards, and it was just an all around bad experience for me, which after a few other bad experiences at PT, this was the last straw.

 

[Didot]

I love the pool. I try to spend an hour in it everyday - walking, forwards, backwards, sidewards - and very gentle stretching and bending. My whole body gets a work out. It’s the best part of my day.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Jockette]

See how different we all are!

 

[Josephine]

I have had three c-sections and have had a lot of adhesions which cause me some occasional tugging and slight pain in my abdomen.

Intra-abdominal adhesions are a different issue to adhesions in the knee.

That's really what concerns me about my knees. Do you think it would be the same with them as with my other surgeries or is there no way to know?

Unlikely. adhesions in the knee are caused by many other factors that I can't go into just now but it is different.

 

[fishy]

Thank you Josephine. That gives me hope then.

 

[Pamjam68]

@fishy I feel for you I had 3 knee jobs last year starting with meniscus tear in January, TKR1 in May and TKR2 in December and second TKR has been much more challenging. I have had a lot mire stiffness and struggle still to get close to ROM/extension I got with my first.

My first OS retired so I wondered if it was because Second OS was not as experienced but perhaps two the same year offers challenges we didn’t expect. I was hoping for similar experience but that didn’t happen.

I am almost 12 weeks post op and disturbed sleep and stiffness are two problem areas for me. I had a CPM machine for three weeks with TKR1 but not with #2.

I get around ok but very stiff if I sit still more than an hour and hoping this is just temporary. I read my journal for last year to compare comments when I was 12 week post op first go round and I realize #1 took time too. Good luck we still both have a way to go.

 

[fishy]

@Pamjam68 Wow! We do sound like we are in a similar boat don't we?

I know the stiffness after sitting for a little while, laying in one position at night for long and after standing up for more than 20 - 30 minutes makes me feel like I'm never going to be 'normal' again! I hate it!

I wish I had kept a journal with my first knee so I could more accurately compare the two. I do know that I've had a lot more actual knee pain with this one than the first.

My knee really never hurt much with the first one but I had a lot low back/hip pain that radiated down my thigh that was miserable! I think my IT band has caused a lot of that pain.

With my first one I woke up from surgery with my foot being numb and tingling... the sensation you get when your foot is asleep. I still could move it and feel it to touch it but the tingling was/is really annoying and drove me crazy! That foot is still like that, although I THINK it might be a little bit better or else I'm just getting more used to it.

Fortunately, that didn't happen with the second knee! It's so nice to have this forum to commiserate with others going thru this as well! Thanks for your reply.

 

[Pamjam68]

@fishy yes I think at times you wonder if you did the right thing but I try to think back and remember before surgery pain level was high too.

I am having issues with “spitting” a stitch right in the bend of my knee. I got it trimmed by Orthopedic Nurse six weeks ago but it has continued to feel sore and a scab has formed so each time I bend my knee it is tender. OS said “it happens sometimes” and be patient. I am 3 months post op so was hoping by now stitch issue would resolve by dissolving, I am debating whether to go back again to see if they need to pop scab off to trim protruding stitch again. Would have preferred it just fell off because it really hurt last time.

My first TKR was very routine, not easy and first 3 months were challenging but all good now. I never had any issues with the incision on first one; this scar looked uglier from the get go but two different surgeons didn’t help.

I am hoping by this time this year we are saying like others best thing we ever did.

 

[fishy]

@Pamjam68
I had the same stitch issue with my second knee as well but not right on the bend, so mine wasn’t painful. It finally did resolve itself.

I’ve used Mederma on my incisions daily, as soon as they closed and it has helped A LOT with the scarring. It’s just an over the counter gel that comes in a small tube and is pricey but well worth it.

I hope you are right about us feeling it was a good decision by next year. I hate to wish away time, but I’d like to fast forward a year if I could! Lol!

 

[Pamjam68]

@fishy thanks for the info. I am encouraged to hear yours resolved itself. I am 3 months post op and I guess I am getting impatient, I want to feel normal again as I spent last year recovering from knee surgeries. Have almost forgot how it feels to wake up in the morning and not have wonky knees, I will get some Mederma abd give it a try, I think it is hard with 2nd knee as we tend to look back abd exoect knee number 2 to act same as first one even though I was warned not to do it but it is hard not to. I feel sure a year from now we will be dancing a happy dance happy it’s all behind us ‍‍‍‍‍

 

[fishy]

I have a new question for you all... First of all, I am doing better, thank goodness. I don't often have a lot of knee pain and am able to sleep pretty well most nights.

I do find, however, that if I stand for more than 30 or 40 minutes, like when I'm preparing a meal or something, that my legs both just feel very stiff and kind of achy and I really have to sit down to recover. Is that normal this far out from my surgeries?

I wear a pedometer and I am walking between 2 and three miles a day on average. Walking isn't as bad as standing still, or nearly still. That is really difficult!
Thanks for any input.

 

[sistersinhim]

Walking isn't as bad as standing still, or nearly still. That is really difficult!

That is quite normal. Even now, I still can't stand for long in one place. If I'm stuck somewhere and unable to walk, I march in place. That helps a lot.

 

[fishy]

Even now, I still can't stand for long in one place.

Really? And it's been since 2016 since your TKR? So are we stuck with this forever? I am really hating it!!

 

[sistersinhim]

So are we stuck with this forever? I am really hating it!!

Look at the history of my knees in my signature. That is why we say to never compare knees, every one of them is different. Even on the same body they're different. So, your answer is more than likely, no, you will not have this forever. There are so many members here that can empathize with what others are going through. That is what makes us unique and so valuable to each other. I certainly didn't mean to discourage you or scare you. I just want you to know that I know what you are going through.

The good thing is I can stand in one place now much longer than I could before my tkr! So will you.

 

[fishy]

I certainly didn't mean to discourage you or scare you.

Oh no, I really appreciate your reply! Your poor knees! I'm glad you have seen improvement. I am hopeful that I will as well. I'm working on cleaning out my pantry right now and had to take a break and sit down for a minute and saw your post. It's like I just get this stiff feeling just above my knees after standing and it also still feels very stiff when I first stand up after sitting. I don't know that I'd say 'painful' but very, very uncomfortable. It's in both knees about equally now even though I had one done 7 months ago and the other just 3 months ago. I just hope it goes away. I'm wondering if I need to be doing some kind of exercises to help it? Thanks again for your comments and advice.

 

[Celle]

It's like I just get this stiff feeling just above my knees after standing and it also still feels very stiff when I first stand up after sitting. I don't know that I'd say 'painful' but very, very uncomfortable. It's in both knees about equally now even though I had one done 7 months ago and the other just 3 months ago. I just hope it goes away. I'm wondering if I need to be doing some kind of exercises to help it?

It's normal and, annoying as it is, it will eventually go away.
There aren't any exercises you can do that will help. It's really just a matter of time.