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TKR Knees 1 AND 2 up and running

Oh: what''s in your Bonesmart packet!? Love that idea! So glad you are mending well!
 
Bonesmart packet is a print out of the articles we get when we first come and a big print out of Bonesmart Mantra. :)

Day 3 :)Slept really well (yay gabapentin ). Had a semi- shower and freaked out that incision was pulling part. NOT. Thanks to secret flashlight inspection ( Audrey!) I realized its glue.

Coming down stairs was terrifying. Knee 2 felt like it was going to buckle.

Waiting on PT, icing and elevating. Feel wiped out after the stair terror. Knee 1 is doing well, easy to forget it still needs attention.

I hope everybody has a zig day. I'll check on y'all later today-- been totally self absorbed last couple of days. Learned the first time that's ok for a couple of days, but longer than that my dread of non-existent complications and rare diseases starts. Prayers and hugs for all.



Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
 
Prayers and hugs right back atcha :) I am glad you slept well. Going down stairs is definitely more scary than going up, but it won't be long before you are acing it.
 
Hugs back at ya. Glad you were able to sleep well and that #1 is behaving.
Have a pain free day.
 
Thanks.

Should I try going down stairs backwards? I was reading that was easier somewhere here. I was literally shaking after the trip down this morning, even with hubby one step ahead of me. PT guy said new knee won't buckle but it felt like it was going to this morning (I was stupidly putting all my weight on it while putting pants on other leg). Really spooked me-- it felt like it was going backwards.

PT was great -- even more gentle than last at-home person. The PT person at hospital yesterday told me I had let knee 1 get lazy because my flexion was "only" 122. She was quite rude about it and said, "you got your surgeon so you can get to 135". That's not true - I didn't know 135 from 2 when I hired him. Anyway, this is a good lesson for my own practice -- the smallest things can really hurt a patient -- I will be much more careful in the future.


Shelia
RTKR - 8/23/16
LTKR - 10/11/16
 
sheliac said:
PT was great -- even more gentle than last at-home person. The PT person at hospital yesterday told me I had let knee 1 get lazy because my flexion was "only" 122. She was quite rude about it and said, "you got your surgeon so you can get to 135". That's not true - I didn't know 135 from 2 when I hired him.
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It is wonderful that you have a PT who is gentle and not pushy!

Unfortunately, PT's are a quantitative lot, and they can be often obsessed with numbers. What truly does matter is the quantitative aspect---what are you able to do---and do it pain-free---that helps to enrich and fulfill your life?
 
It's wonderful that you can take a positive lesson from a negative comment. I know that 122 flexion is good and very functional - and that it is wonderful that a baby knee is doing so well. I have two hand rails on my stairs and that gives me more confidence. I am sure that the stairs will get easier soon. Remember you just out from surgery.
 
sheliac said:
Should I try going down stairs backwards?
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I would not do this. I am not used to going down steps backwards, and this may create a problem for you.

When I was at the in-hospital PT, they taught me "up with the good, down with the bad."

Just take the stairs slowly and carefully, and allow the muscles to slowly regain their strength.
 
I definitely wouldn't go down stairs backward this early on. You need all the focus on safety right now. Doing something like that wouldn't be safe. Take each step carefully and slowly.

The only reason I go down stairs backwards is because my IT bands are painful, but I'm almost a year out on my second knee, have great balance, and am walking 15 miles or so a week. It's not for anyone who is the least bit unsteady. I also only do it in my own home. In public, I go down stairs the regular way.
 
I went down backwards for a year before my TKR so it was something I was quite used to. I wouldn't try it if you're not proficient at it. Backwards was far less painful for me before TKR, now it doesn't matter, but I still do it when I have a laundry basket. It feels safer than not being able to grab a banister.
 
referee54 said:
Unfortunately, PT's are a quantitative lot, and they can be often obsessed with numbers. What truly does matter is the quantitative aspect---what are you able to do---and do it pain-free---that helps to enrich and fulfill your life?
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I am so lucky that my surgeon is not focussed on the numbers. He says that function is more important. What you can do with your knee matters much more than the degree of bend. Instead of measuring, he says "Show me what you can do."

@sheliac - that PT was wrong. Although knee replacements can theoretically bend to 135 degrees, very few people achieve that and, actually, bending as far as that could cause premature wear on the spacer.
122 at your stage of recovery is excellent. It would even be great if that was as far as it got, but you still have plenty of time for further improvement.

I'm sorry you had a scare going down the stairs. I wouldn't try doing it backwards. Just do one step at a time, resting when you have to, and only going down (and up again) once each day. As referee 54 said, "up with the good, down with the bad." Or, if you prefer, "good leg goes to heaven, bad leg goes to hell".

Would it help you to feel safer if your husband went down a couple of steps before you? Since I had a fall on a a huge escalator last year, I make my husband do that. Going up, he is behind me and going down he is ahead of me.
 
So sorry you had that scare on the stairs. Remember your leg muscles are weak after surgery and it takes awhile for them to fire and support the knee joint. My first thought is maybe you could stay on one floor for a few days - your surgery was only a few days ago.
Don't forget knee-twin sister: 'patience'. :chillpill:

With my June knee, Home PT taught hubbie to follow me closely going up the stairs while placing his hand firmly on my hip area, supporting me. Going down the stairs he stayed about 1-2 stairs below me, with his hands ready to catch me under my arms. Sending you a hug.
 
TML said:
Remember your leg muscles are weak after surgery and it takes awhile for them to fire and support the knee joint.
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I was amazed at how quickly my leg muscles atrophied!

We do indeed have to be patient---the strength and stamina will come back, albeit slowly.
 
Happy to hear your surgery went well and you are home and recovery with hubby as your nurse :friends:
please be careful on the steps! this is how I was told to do stairs: up with the good and down with the bad or the good go to heaven and the bad go to hell :heehee: as my PT put it!
I'm only 3 weeks out from my TKR, luckily I don't have many steps in my house but they still freak me out when I have to use them.
Get lots of rest and don't forget to take advantage of the free nurse:heehee:
 
Congratulations on your second baby knee! I'm glad that your surgery went well and you are safely home. I wound up calling my daughter while she was at work to remember which foot should go first. I had her text it to me because I couldn't remember!:heehee: I'm sure that since you were probably doing it the stairs with the opposite foot first during the first recovery it's going to take some practice.
 
Knee 1 getting lazy? I think 122 is awesome, and that PT is so off base there. Your big sister leg is doing you proud! Stairs sound scary. Everyone has good suggestions for you. I wonder if you can stay on one floor for awhile, too. Thinking positive thoughts for new knee.
 
We have a ranch home, and I did not go downstairs to the basement for a while. I let my legs strengthen a great deal before I did steps. Even then, I could up slowly and gently, but glaciers moved faster than me going down the stairs.

Going down stairs normally is a major milestone and requires muscle strength, muscle stamina, fine motor control, proprioception, and ROM. It is normally one of the last milestones to be achieved, so I would not necessarily avoid stairs, but use them on a limited basis.
 
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