Bilateral TKR La's new knees (recovery diary)

[Josephine]

I think Tim meant they were cut and tied up as in sutured. It might have been so in his case, but the infamous 'quad snip' is rarely used nowadays because of the bad impact it has on progress.

However, there is a great deal of manipulating and pulling applied to the quads during this surgery, all of which has consequences during recovery. So in that case, I would say that pain when standing can be very normal for some people.
Others are lucky and get away with it (Roy!).

 

[Larosser]

I would bet my ancestral home* that that exercise did more harm than good, and that it did no good at all.

*(if I had one)

Roy, what's truly exasperating is that it's not an exercise intended to do good, it's a test they use to evaluate how much progress I've made. That, ROM measurements and strength tests are what they use to determine that I'm well enough to move to outpatient PT. *sigh*

 

[bassplayer]

Re: Cutting back on painkillers?

Thanks, Bassplayer, I appreciate it! You're in Israel, right? I've never heard of Optalgin and I don't think I've seen it in stores here in Texas, but I will check into it!
La

Sorry but I think it's not available in the US. Anyway it's good to try different meds until you find one or a combo that works for you.

 

[tashia]

Re: Cutting back on painkillers?

I hate taking meds of any kind but I do have to admit there is a time and place for them. When I had my knee done, I didn't need as much as the doctor said I needed and boy did I pay for it. I now know that if I need them, I do take them, I have found that some creams work and keeps me having to take as much as if I don't. I tried Tiger Palm and Arnica cream or oil espically after exercise to the areas that are tender. I know everyone has a subjection and as usually you are the one who has to find the right combination. I like using natural stuff if possible. Take care :doggieshmooze:Tashia:flowerysmile:

 

[Roy Gardiner]

...there is a great deal of manipulating and pulling applied to the quads during this surgery, all of which has consequences during recovery. So in that case, I would say that pain when standing can be very normal for some people.
Others are lucky and get away with it (Roy!).

Jo, the more I think about this the more I wonder if recovery pain is most directly affected by the surgeon. I wonder if Mr Ireland for instance isn't perhaps gentler or more sympathetic than others?

Or am I just lucky?

Cos I don't see how it can be just luck, particularly as recovery rates seem to vary so hugely.

This would make it a primary consideration for people selecting a surgeon, if true.

(sorry for being a bit off-topic)

 

[Josephine]

No, you're right - absolutely right. It's much like bathing a baby - some people are really gentle and others make bubba scream! It's all to do with knowledge of the consequences of certain actions, experience and confidence. It's been my observation over the years that less confident surgeons (and there are more of them out there than you want to know) tend to be rougher with tissues. They can also take a lot longer to do the procedure which also adds to the post-op trauma.

Back to the old adage
Q: How do I get to Carnegie Hall?
A: Practice, practice, practice!

 

[kneeper]

I've been catching up on your reports, La. Goodbye to Evil Chester!
I really don't get that sit-stand test. :(
It sounds like you are doing great.

 

[Randi]

I do think recovery seems to have lots to do with the surgeon. I've been lucky...Good for you for sticking up for yourself.

 

[Larosser]

Jo, the more I think about this the more I wonder if recovery pain is most directly affected by the surgeon. I wonder if Mr Ireland for instance isn't perhaps gentler or more sympathetic than others?

Or am I just lucky?

Cos I don't see how it can be just luck, particularly as recovery rates seem to vary so hugely.

This would make it a primary consideration for people selecting a surgeon, if true.

(sorry for being a bit off-topic)

I don't think it's off topic at all. Next time I talk to my OS, I'm going to ask him if they cut my quad. I seem to remember hearing that he did, but I was in a fog of anesthesia at the time. He was explaining some of the complications he's encountered (baker's cysts, giant bone spur, etc) and I think he said he had to in order to deal with them, but I could be wrong. I was pretty woggly at the time.

I did notice that the staff at the hospital seemed to feel like each surgeon had his or her own approach and results profile. I would hear things like "Dr. P's patients are always on their feet quickly" or "Dr. Wolf's people have very little pain". I can see how a surgeon's technique could have a lot to do with that.

Best
La

 

[Campervan]

Hi La,

My quads are also sore. And yes hurt when I sit down, move my leg off the bed, do the leg raises. And I'm 8 weeks post op. Physio has no idea why so I'll ask my surgeon when I see him on 16 Feb. I've no idea whether they were cut during surgery, but worth asking I think.

 

[referee54]

I am sorry if I was misunderstood. My quads probably had some part of an incision made in them, but after surgery, the muscles really, really tightened up on me---the quads and the hamstrings both were very, very tight and had to be stretched.

I get the feeling that, after surgery, many folks have issues with muscles that are tightened up more than they have been used to .

 

[Larosser]

Now, this is interesting

Not necessarily for the squeamish, this interactive simulation of a knee replacement shows the main activities peformed during the surgery.

broken link removed: https://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/

 

[Campervan]

Re: Now, this is interesting

Thanks LA. Before my surgery I didn't want to know what they actually did, just the final result. Now I want to know, but I couldn't watch an actul op so this was perfect.

 

[RunA42K]

Re: Now, this is interesting

This may be hard for some to look at, so good that there is a virtual surgery which is good for those who do not care to see. I looked at these kind of pictures before my surgery because I was curious and wanted to know what they were doing to do to me. I must say that I was shocked the first time I looked at similar photos as this link shows. After my surgery, I did watch several videos of different TKR surgeries and what it did for me was it allowed me to give myself permission to heal, to not be in a hurry, to not be down on myself if the timeline was not what I had planned. It is indeed a major, major surgery to recover from.

 

[Retsel]

Re: Now, this is interesting

Interesting videos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[PooShay]

Re: Now, this is interesting

Up until last week, I wasn't up to looking at any picture of the operation, let alone a video. I saw this last week though, and looked at the virtual operation (and I understood how my leg would be straightened), then I looked at the pictures. Everyone who's in a rush to heal should look at these pictures and see the trauma inflicted on their poor knee! \0/

 

[shr]

Re: Now, this is interesting

Way cool!

 

[jerseychick]

Re: Now, this is interesting

I watched this a couple of months ago. It took me a while to work up the guts to view it. I don't think I will ever watch the regular video of the surgery. It freaks me out. :no2:

 

[Larosser]

Re: Now, this is interesting

Before my surgery, I'd read about it, and my surgeon talked me through it using my xrays, but as the day approached, I really started getting freaked out by the thought of what was going to happen. The night before surgery, I took a look at the pictures of an actual operation an was relieved - it actually wasn't as extreme as I'd been imagining. :th_heehee:

In any case, I liked the virtual sim both because it sort of showed the timeline, and some of the ancillary stuff like the tourniquet and the brace, and also because it was abstract enough to be easier to look at.

La

 

[Josephine]

Re: Now, this is interesting

Not necessarily for the squeamish, this interactive simulation of a knee replacement shows the main activities peformed during the surgery.

broken link removed: https://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/

That link has been posted in this forum so many times I'm thinking of charging them referral fees! :DOH:
It's in the Library somewhere (which means it's pretty darn good site!) but I'm afraid I don't have time to look for it.