TKR Left TKR with intra operative fracture
- Thread starter safi
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Thank you @sistersinhim
Yes you could be right and Friday might be my last therapy session anyway so we will see.
I also forgot and your comment just reminded me, that on Monday afternoon we walked at my slow pace from our son and daughter in laws house in their village to the local ice cream place which was not far at all but that did involve walking down one shortish hill on the pavement and up another lesser hill to get there. This was my first time walking up and down a slope and I did find the going down not easy and had to shorten my stride a lot to navigate it, I never gave it a thought after that it could be a reason for the issues , so thank you!
I will blame that on my aging memory!
Yes you could be right and Friday might be my last therapy session anyway so we will see.
I also forgot and your comment just reminded me, that on Monday afternoon we walked at my slow pace from our son and daughter in laws house in their village to the local ice cream place which was not far at all but that did involve walking down one shortish hill on the pavement and up another lesser hill to get there. This was my first time walking up and down a slope and I did find the going down not easy and had to shorten my stride a lot to navigate it, I never gave it a thought after that it could be a reason for the issues , so thank you!
I will blame that on my aging memory!
Legseleven
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Hi safi,
Its nice to hear from you!
Sorry you're dealing with some pain. Hopefully it's short-lived.
Hopefully the ice cream was worth the walk!
Its nice to hear from you!
Sorry you're dealing with some pain. Hopefully it's short-lived.
Hills do place a greater demand on the knee and surrounding muscles and can stress healing soft tissues this early on. Reducing activity for a couple of days, and icing / elevating should help you rebound pretty quickly.
Hopefully the ice cream was worth the walk!
It is hard when the weather is beautiful and all you want to do is get outdoors and enjoy what you choose without worrying about any negative effects. You're making wise choices and giving yourself the best chance to fully heal. You're doing amazingly well and setbacks don't negate the gains you've made...so keep up the good work!
Thank you @Layla
Four months seem to have both flown by and also seemed excruciatingly slow at times! I had my last therapy session Friday June 5th. PT is pleased with my progress and says I just need to keep doing what I have been doing at home and ADL and hopefully I will see improvement at least through the next year and says I can contact him at any time if I have any concerns.
I still have a lot of stiffness and the swelling seems to have increased with the onset of some hot and humid weather we had this week but I have also been trying to get some outside planting done too as I am so far behind this year, so of course that hasn’t helped I’m sure but am happy to have finally got some seeds and seedlings in the veg garden (thank goodness I have raised beds in there ) although a bit late so I get results!
Night times haven’t been great recently, a lot of zingers when I lay down and some actual jumping of the leg which is a bit disconcerting but this too shall pass I am sure given time but the numbness on the top of my foot has been improving which is good, it just has a sort of altered feeling now instead of just numb.
I wish I could say walking is better now and I do feel I’m walking with a better gait and am very conscious of making sure I walk heel to toe but it is still pretty clunky and I still have a fair bit of discomfort in the back of the leg and tightness across the knee when walking and it gets fatigued as the day goes on but I try not to let it stop me from doing what I need to do.
I am really hoping it improves some more in the next month as my other son and family are traveling to stay with us for 3 weeks in July/ early August and I would love to be able to do some walking and outings without too much difficulty or fatigue but we will see.
Enough whining from me, I need to catch up with the forum here when I get a chance, currently looking after 4 year old and 18 month old grandsons whilst Mum and Dad go for a short break, so not a lot of downtime for me till they go home, I’m pretty sure my knee will let me know how it feels by the end
I hope everyone has a good weekend!
Four months seem to have both flown by and also seemed excruciatingly slow at times! I had my last therapy session Friday June 5th. PT is pleased with my progress and says I just need to keep doing what I have been doing at home and ADL and hopefully I will see improvement at least through the next year and says I can contact him at any time if I have any concerns.
I still have a lot of stiffness and the swelling seems to have increased with the onset of some hot and humid weather we had this week but I have also been trying to get some outside planting done too as I am so far behind this year, so of course that hasn’t helped I’m sure but am happy to have finally got some seeds and seedlings in the veg garden (thank goodness I have raised beds in there ) although a bit late so I get results!
Night times haven’t been great recently, a lot of zingers when I lay down and some actual jumping of the leg which is a bit disconcerting but this too shall pass I am sure given time but the numbness on the top of my foot has been improving which is good, it just has a sort of altered feeling now instead of just numb.
I wish I could say walking is better now and I do feel I’m walking with a better gait and am very conscious of making sure I walk heel to toe but it is still pretty clunky and I still have a fair bit of discomfort in the back of the leg and tightness across the knee when walking and it gets fatigued as the day goes on but I try not to let it stop me from doing what I need to do.
I am really hoping it improves some more in the next month as my other son and family are traveling to stay with us for 3 weeks in July/ early August and I would love to be able to do some walking and outings without too much difficulty or fatigue but we will see.
Enough whining from me, I need to catch up with the forum here when I get a chance, currently looking after 4 year old and 18 month old grandsons whilst Mum and Dad go for a short break, so not a lot of downtime for me till they go home, I’m pretty sure my knee will let me know how it feels by the end
I hope everyone has a good weekend!
@safi- hello! I am 19 mos tkr- because I had a lateral femoral condyle fracture and avascular necrosis! I think all was removed and covered with implant- so interesting how everything is so unique. I did well in PT- actually a little frustrated now as the more active I am the more inflamed my soft tissue is. So I have to figure that... Best of luck to you!
Legseleven
BoneSmart Staff
How lovely the family are coming. How about using crutches or sticks so you can join in, either one or two. There’s no shame or disadvantage to returning to support if it means you can help the leg and join in. I always use a crutch on longer walks, and especially if fields are involved. It keeps me safe and I’m less tired.
I was a little disappointed to still have two crutches at a wedding 4.5 m post op, but it meant I managed and enjoyed myself.
It’s best to have fun, never mind the look, this is still temporary.
Yes they will pass, but you’re right they can really make us jump. The nerves will settle down, it’s just they regrow so slowly. It’s a clue to normal healthy healing.
Remember to keep icing and elevating. I iced after exertion up to 4.5m, right up until it made no difference.
The gardening is a lot extra so on days like these, and big family days you don’t need any extra PT.
Your body is telling you enough and it’s still early days you are 1/3 into a 12 month recovery. Be kind to yourself and let your knee guide you.
Enjoy your weekend and grab some rest.
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Hi safi, thanks for the response. It's good to hear from you.
It's wonderful you have a family visit to look forward to soon. Spending time with loved ones is the best of times!
Hopefully you're able to plan some outings that are easy enough for you to join in on. I'll bet you had fun with your two grandsons. Cute ages, eighteen months and four years, boundless energy....they can certainly keep you on your toes. Your workout for the day! At only four months post op, you still have healing to do and progress to look forward to. Slow and steady will get you there.
Happy Weekend!
@safi
It's wonderful you have a family visit to look forward to soon. Spending time with loved ones is the best of times!
Hopefully you're able to plan some outings that are easy enough for you to join in on. I'll bet you had fun with your two grandsons. Cute ages, eighteen months and four years, boundless energy....they can certainly keep you on your toes. Your workout for the day! At only four months post op, you still have healing to do and progress to look forward to. Slow and steady will get you there.
Happy Weekend!
@safi
Thank you all for your thoughts
@Legseleven thank you, that is a good idea, I will have to keep a cane in the car in case I need it.
@Readabook, that sounds awful! Yes it is amazing how different each and every surgery can be, I have learned just how different from reading other people’s stories here.
@Layla , yes the grandsons are at a cute age and definitely keep us on our feet!
The weekend was exhausting and my knee definitely complained each night and early this week but so happy our son and daughter in law got to spend a couple of “kid free days” away! Our grandchildren who are visiting next month are a girl aged 7 and a boy aged 5 and can’t wait to see them as they live abroad and I haven’t been able to visit since we last saw them at Christmas 2024!
Yes, I do try to keep telling myself slow and steady
@Legseleven thank you, that is a good idea, I will have to keep a cane in the car in case I need it.
@Readabook, that sounds awful! Yes it is amazing how different each and every surgery can be, I have learned just how different from reading other people’s stories here.
@Layla , yes the grandsons are at a cute age and definitely keep us on our feet!
The weekend was exhausting and my knee definitely complained each night and early this week but so happy our son and daughter in law got to spend a couple of “kid free days” away! Our grandchildren who are visiting next month are a girl aged 7 and a boy aged 5 and can’t wait to see them as they live abroad and I haven’t been able to visit since we last saw them at Christmas 2024!
Yes, I do try to keep telling myself slow and steady
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Glad to hear you had a good time with the grandkids, safi. You'll have just as much fun with your granddaughter and grandson visiting next month. I can imagine how excited you are since you haven't seen them in a year and a half. You'll have a lot of great memories to reflect back upon once their visit ends, and hopefully the time until you see them again won't be as long. 
For now, you can rest and continue your healing journey.
Take care!
@safi
For now, you can rest and continue your healing journey.Take care!
@safi
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Happy Six Month Anniversary, Safi!We haven't heard from you in a bit. I hope you're doing well at what's commonly about the half way point in the full year of healing that follows TKR. I'll bet you had a wonderful time with the grandkids that visited last month.
Let us know how recovery is going when you have the time. We'd love to hear from you...hope it's soon.
Take good care!
@safi
Thank you @Layla for the kind message.
I am sorry I have been MIA recently, just life has been really hectic and I’ve just been tired in the evenings to sit down and give an update so here it is at last!
We had a lovely few weeks with the family but boy was it exhausting we did quite a lot of walking which I did at my own pace and rested when I had to.
I guess the knee held up well but I did and still am struggling with swelling, heat and stiffness in my knee and also a very uncomfortable pain in the back of my knee with noticeable swelling back there, which makes walking uncomfortable and flexion painful.
This meant that by the late afternoons all I really wanted was to sit down and ice/rest, it’s not just the physical discomfort but it sort of is mentally draining too, if that makes sense.
Anyway I saw my OS on August 10th and he was happy with my X-rays and says the fracture looks good , he thought some of the general swelling might actually be because my quads are still not as toned as they were and that it makes the swelling look worse?
I mentioned the swelling behind the knee and he is sending me for an ultrasound next Tuesday 9/1 to make sure there is no fluid but having now read the visit notes he has queried if it is a Bakers cyst, so I guess I will find out next week, I really hope it’s just something simple.
In other news I now have a broken left little toe ( don’t ask ) it happened on Saturday evening and I just thought hey it will get better but by today it hadn’t, anything touching it is super painful and the foot has lovely bruising. I couldn’t put on any shoes or sandals except for a pair of flip flops which I haven’t worn since my knee surgery as they don’t give me any support and seems to alter my gait.
So X-rays revealed I have broken the toe just below the first joint where the toe attaches to the foot and now have to wear a lovely flat medical shoe and go to see the foot guy in 2 weeks!
Phew! Sorry for the long post again but thank you for your message, now to catch up with everything else on the forum!
I am sorry I have been MIA recently, just life has been really hectic and I’ve just been tired in the evenings to sit down and give an update so here it is at last!
We had a lovely few weeks with the family but boy was it exhausting we did quite a lot of walking which I did at my own pace and rested when I had to.
I guess the knee held up well but I did and still am struggling with swelling, heat and stiffness in my knee and also a very uncomfortable pain in the back of my knee with noticeable swelling back there, which makes walking uncomfortable and flexion painful.
This meant that by the late afternoons all I really wanted was to sit down and ice/rest, it’s not just the physical discomfort but it sort of is mentally draining too, if that makes sense.
Anyway I saw my OS on August 10th and he was happy with my X-rays and says the fracture looks good , he thought some of the general swelling might actually be because my quads are still not as toned as they were and that it makes the swelling look worse?
I mentioned the swelling behind the knee and he is sending me for an ultrasound next Tuesday 9/1 to make sure there is no fluid but having now read the visit notes he has queried if it is a Bakers cyst, so I guess I will find out next week, I really hope it’s just something simple.
In other news I now have a broken left little toe ( don’t ask ) it happened on Saturday evening and I just thought hey it will get better but by today it hadn’t, anything touching it is super painful and the foot has lovely bruising. I couldn’t put on any shoes or sandals except for a pair of flip flops which I haven’t worn since my knee surgery as they don’t give me any support and seems to alter my gait.
So X-rays revealed I have broken the toe just below the first joint where the toe attaches to the foot and now have to wear a lovely flat medical shoe and go to see the foot guy in 2 weeks!
Phew! Sorry for the long post again but thank you for your message, now to catch up with everything else on the forum!
Even though it was tiring I’m glad you had a good time!
Here is an article from the Bonesmart Library, about a Baker’s Cyst.
So sorry about your toe!
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You're welcome, safi!
No apologies necessary. Life can get busy, we understand. We're happy you stopped by, it's always nice to hear from you.
Great news on the flexion / extension!
Good to read you had fun with the family. It's understandable the visit was a little exhausting while you're still recovering from the fracture repair. It can be discouraging to have the swelling, warmth and stiffness, but it's considered normal and it's reassuring that your X-rays looked good when you met with your OS. Hopefully the ultrasound next Tuesday will bring good news also.
So sorry about the setback with your broken toe! I'll bet you're thinking "what next?!!" I do hope you're able to manage the pain well and it heals relatively quickly so you can ditch the medical boot for some cuter "matching" footwear.
Best wishes for your ultrasound appointment on the 1st, and also for a lovely September 2026!
@safi
No apologies necessary. Life can get busy, we understand. We're happy you stopped by, it's always nice to hear from you.
Great news on the flexion / extension!
Good to read you had fun with the family. It's understandable the visit was a little exhausting while you're still recovering from the fracture repair. It can be discouraging to have the swelling, warmth and stiffness, but it's considered normal and it's reassuring that your X-rays looked good when you met with your OS. Hopefully the ultrasound next Tuesday will bring good news also.
So sorry about the setback with your broken toe! I'll bet you're thinking "what next?!!" I do hope you're able to manage the pain well and it heals relatively quickly so you can ditch the medical boot for some cuter "matching" footwear.
Best wishes for your ultrasound appointment on the 1st, and also for a lovely September 2026!
@safi
I have Baker's cysts behind both of my knees. When I do a lot more activity than normal, they swell. Then I rest for a few days and they go back down. It's something that naturally happens with my knees and not big deal. If that's what yours is, then it should shrink as you go through some rest times. Oh, and when swollen they can be painful. When they are down, I don't even know they are there!
I did the same thing and had to wear that lovely shoe for about 2 months. I was also directed to tape my toe to the other toes to minimize movement. Both of these things helped me a lot.
Thank you @sistersinhim for the insight, glad to hear that if it is a cyst it is manageable.
Yes my toes are taped too, it’s funny as growing up we were always told oh it’s a broken toe, nothing can be done and that’s partly why I thought it was silly to go it checked but when I went I was told no, it really should be looked at in case reduction is needed, I had no idea! Oh my goodness, your poor toe, I would hate to have to wear the shoe for 2 months especially going into the not so nice weather, I’m lucky it’s hopefully only 2 weeks!
Yes my toes are taped too, it’s funny as growing up we were always told oh it’s a broken toe, nothing can be done and that’s partly why I thought it was silly to go it checked but when I went I was told no, it really should be looked at in case reduction is needed, I had no idea! Oh my goodness, your poor toe, I would hate to have to wear the shoe for 2 months especially going into the not so nice weather, I’m lucky it’s hopefully only 2 weeks!
