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TKR liam2015: 1 Year Anniversary, Life Goes On!
- Thread starter liam2015
- Start date
Canada
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liam2015
post-grad
so true @KyrieTimo ~ individual differences and best to not compare numbers.
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Oh, I almost forgot to mention this to you, and it relates to dogs and knees; hah! I had to bring Nemo to the Vet today for a persistent ear infection. Nemo weighs 28 pounds, not a large dog, but still, heavier than anything I've been lugging around lately. I also have to walk him a bit before he enters the Vet office and this was my first time taking either of them out on a leash walk since TKR. Well, Nemo is short, the SUV Dogmobile is tall, which is to say I had to carry him out of the backseat and place his little legs on the ground.
So, I'm standing at the back door of the SUV and wondering if I should *sacrifice* my back or my knees to carry the little devil out. I chose the knees because the back has been really nasty of late. I was so pleased to be able to actually pull off this maneuver without hurting him or myself....win/win! Obviously, I had to squat a fair amount to get his 11 inch legs on the ground, but...no pain and I did it. Later, when I got home, my knee swelled a bit and got stiff (big surprise, right?) but I iced and elevated and that seemed to help. After dinner, it was still feeling tight, so I just hopped on the bike for 4 minutes and...voila....major loosening!
This is why I keep pushing you toward your bike even though you can't do full revolutions yet. If you persist, they will come. Riding the bike loosens my concrete knee more than any massage, stretch or PT session. We've just got to get you rolling!
So, I'm standing at the back door of the SUV and wondering if I should *sacrifice* my back or my knees to carry the little devil out. I chose the knees because the back has been really nasty of late. I was so pleased to be able to actually pull off this maneuver without hurting him or myself....win/win! Obviously, I had to squat a fair amount to get his 11 inch legs on the ground, but...no pain and I did it. Later, when I got home, my knee swelled a bit and got stiff (big surprise, right?) but I iced and elevated and that seemed to help. After dinner, it was still feeling tight, so I just hopped on the bike for 4 minutes and...voila....major loosening!
This is why I keep pushing you toward your bike even though you can't do full revolutions yet. If you persist, they will come. Riding the bike loosens my concrete knee more than any massage, stretch or PT session. We've just got to get you rolling!
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liam2015
post-grad
that's good your knees cooperated lifting nemo out of the s.u.v. ~ you must have been practising your squats, the little ones, not the deep ones i hope! our last setter had a lot of ear infections, poor thing. what did the vet say?
as for the bike ~ i tried again a couple days ago and still no cigar. i don't like how it feels just rocking it to the place where it hurts ~ no satisfaction, just frustration lol! i much prefer going down the stairs backwards to loosen up my knee and guess what ~ the last couple days, it's been a lot better. i'm going down the stairs in proper form, still holding on to the rail on both sides and still "guarding" at the top stairs, but letting go for the last step. i find the stairs my best home exercise since it's a required skill and i have to go downstairs to do laundry and empty the de-humidifier. i've been doing stair lunges (10 reps x2) step ups (10 reps x2), walking down backwards, up forwards, then practising going downstairs the correct way. i'm also walking in the backyard, up and down the hill on poop patrol lol. why does he poop right down at the bottom? i might be able to post a pick of the hill i walk down. i'm feeling more optimistic this week as i'm finally seeing improvement, even in bending my leg backwards, which used to hurt when i pushed. still have that pain and stiffness that many have standing from sitting, which seems to be quite normal and will eventually diminish.
thanks for the bike encouragement ~ that is my next goal and you will be the first to know when i finally make a full rotation.
as for the bike ~ i tried again a couple days ago and still no cigar. i don't like how it feels just rocking it to the place where it hurts ~ no satisfaction, just frustration lol! i much prefer going down the stairs backwards to loosen up my knee and guess what ~ the last couple days, it's been a lot better. i'm going down the stairs in proper form, still holding on to the rail on both sides and still "guarding" at the top stairs, but letting go for the last step. i find the stairs my best home exercise since it's a required skill and i have to go downstairs to do laundry and empty the de-humidifier. i've been doing stair lunges (10 reps x2) step ups (10 reps x2), walking down backwards, up forwards, then practising going downstairs the correct way. i'm also walking in the backyard, up and down the hill on poop patrol lol. why does he poop right down at the bottom? i might be able to post a pick of the hill i walk down. i'm feeling more optimistic this week as i'm finally seeing improvement, even in bending my leg backwards, which used to hurt when i pushed. still have that pain and stiffness that many have standing from sitting, which seems to be quite normal and will eventually diminish.
thanks for the bike encouragement ~ that is my next goal and you will be the first to know when i finally make a full rotation.
Does every ex bike have a no resistance setting? I don't have a bike of my own, but live in a 55+ community. We have a clubhouse with an exercise room that has 3 bikes but I can't get any of them to zero resistance. I've tested each one by moving the pedal with my hand and there's a lot of resistance and no one knows how to get it to zero. I thought I had it made with three bikes to choose from!
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liam2015
post-grad
i don't know. is there someone you can ask? i use my city bike which is on stands, no resistance. have a look around the monitor to see if there's different settings. hope you can figure it out.
kmak81230
post-grad
kmak81230
post-grad
On all the stationary bikes I have used (3 different styles) there is either a lever or a dial in the center area that you can either turn or move up or down to adjust resistance. These are kind of older style bikes. Some of the newer bikes have an electronic display where you can adjust the resistance. My home bike is on a stand so has some resistance (not much) that I can't adjust.
Pheebs52
big-cheese
The only squatting I do, if you can even call it that is the very ungainly, unseemly and most awkward "Crab Walk," with the butt sticking out at PT only, lol. So, no, no *real* squats, and I've no intention of getting into those as yet. I don't know when those would be allowed on a bionic knee, but I think 14 weeks is just too soon. However, I was really pleased I could manage the modified squat with chubby Nemo today. The TKR knee really felt very strong and stable. 
But, I was even more pleased that I didn't hurt my back! 
Poor Nemo is most likely deaf in that ear now, but we're not 100% certain. Now, he has to go on ear drop antibiotics and oral antibiotics for 8 weeks ugh! He was such a nightmare at the Vet today they had to wrap him up tight in a towel *straightjacket.*
'Twas awful, for him and for me, but he won't cooperate with anyone when it comes to his poor ear. He *boxes* with them, and I can't say I blame him; pffft.
All the things you are doing are definitely helpful for the knee, but they stretch a different area than the bike. Unfortunately, I think it's the stuff that gets stretched on the bike that makes the most difference. As Gary would say, "You don't really have to like this activity, you just have to do it," lol. Personally, I hate toe-raises, but I do them when I'm there; hah!
But, I was even more pleased that I didn't hurt my back! Poor Nemo is most likely deaf in that ear now, but we're not 100% certain. Now, he has to go on ear drop antibiotics and oral antibiotics for 8 weeks ugh! He was such a nightmare at the Vet today they had to wrap him up tight in a towel *straightjacket.*
'Twas awful, for him and for me, but he won't cooperate with anyone when it comes to his poor ear. He *boxes* with them, and I can't say I blame him; pffft. All the things you are doing are definitely helpful for the knee, but they stretch a different area than the bike. Unfortunately, I think it's the stuff that gets stretched on the bike that makes the most difference. As Gary would say, "You don't really have to like this activity, you just have to do it," lol. Personally, I hate toe-raises, but I do them when I'm there; hah!
Pheebs52
big-cheese
I'll just echo what @Kmak said about bike resistance. Newer ones have an electronic display and you would push the Manual Setting and adjust the cursor down to zero. The older models usually have a dial or lever, somewhere below the seat area.
kmak81230
post-grad
Glad to hear you are noticing some improvement in your movement @liam2015. Sounds like you are doing many necessary activities like poop patrol (LOL) as well as a lot of stair work. It sure is tough to stay patient isn't it? I think I'm doing pretty well but can't help wondering if I'll be stuck like this (stiff and less than desirable bendiness) forever. I must say that I am glad to have company in the slow benders & straighteners club. Selfish, eh?
Polkadot
graduate
Hey, @liam2015 , if you have an opportunity somewhere else--PT, friends house, sporting goods store?--try a different bike. I could do one kind of recumbent bike at PT on correct setting for me right away, but it took me 3+ months to move to other models there. Just a few days ago, I was able to ride their upright stationary bike, and it wasn't until this weekend that i could properly do a full rotation on our recumbent model at home. Oh, i hear you loud and clear about hating the rocking. My in home PT started me doing that right out of the hospital, and it never seemed to get easier--I stopped doing it when I could do one at outpatient PT, but every once in a while, I would check it--and no go. It helped me to discover that it was the model and not me. I could ride a bike, just not that one--yet.
kmak81230
post-grad
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Great information @Polkadot and I'm sure I'd run into the same situation. I've only tried the upright bike at PT and the one I bought is also upright, but mine is MUCH easier to pedal than theirs! A few years ago, I had a road bike on a trainer and that still had some fairly heavy resistance or so it seemed to me. If that's what you're using @Liam, then I suspect it's the bike and not you.
Pheebs52
big-cheese
@kmak81230, no, you definitely won't *stay like this forever.* And yes, it takes enormous reserves of patience, doesn't it? Hah, LOL at being *selfish* for wanting good company in the SLOW LANE! Good grief, imagine if we were alone here? It just doesn't bear dwelling upon, does it?
phrog
senior
@liam2015, hang in there. The pedaling will come. My sister did the back and pedal thing for a couple of months before she could turn the pedals all the way over. Maybe find something to do while on the bike to distract yourself? I'm a great believer that exercise should be fun, but some of what they want us to do for rehab, just "ain't fun!"
@Jockette, about setting resistance on a bike: I have a rather nice stationery bike, but it is an air bike and there is no zero resistance setting on it. The speed at which you pedal sets the resistance and I found I couldn't use my bike for about the first five weeks after my surgery - and then I had to pedal very very slowly to keep the resistance down to an acceptable level (the faster you pedal, the more resistance with an air bike). I didn't ride my home bike until I got permission from my PT. Do the bikes at your fitness center have a large wheel in front that has holes in it? If so, it may be an air bike. I bought the bike a couple of years before my surgery and had no idea I'd need one with no resistance.
@Jockette, about setting resistance on a bike: I have a rather nice stationery bike, but it is an air bike and there is no zero resistance setting on it. The speed at which you pedal sets the resistance and I found I couldn't use my bike for about the first five weeks after my surgery - and then I had to pedal very very slowly to keep the resistance down to an acceptable level (the faster you pedal, the more resistance with an air bike). I didn't ride my home bike until I got permission from my PT. Do the bikes at your fitness center have a large wheel in front that has holes in it? If so, it may be an air bike. I bought the bike a couple of years before my surgery and had no idea I'd need one with no resistance.
Lil Cyborg
junior member
Riding a bike can be great exercise once your knees cooperate! I have a small, under-the-desk model with a zero resistance setting. It was relatively inexpensive but solid and bought from Amazon. It works really well and is perfect for New York City apartment living. I am now able to make full rotations, which is great progress from the first time I tried when I could barely lift my leg up to get onto the pedal!
@kmak81230 I hear you about being a member of the slow benders & straighteners club. I think we all have worries about fully recovering. But I am confident you will continue to do well. Progress may be slow, but it is still progress.
Congrats @Pheebs52 on being able to bend down with your doggie. I'm jealous! But I am working on it.
@liam2015 I am impressed with your stair work. I had no idea you could practice going backwards on the stairs. I am just beginning to practice stepping up and down on one step at P/T. I live in a building with an elevator and have no stairs to climb, so it was not a priority. I can't wait to get good enough to try it backwards! Or maybe like Ginger Rogers, "backwards and in heels!"
@kmak81230 I hear you about being a member of the slow benders & straighteners club. I think we all have worries about fully recovering. But I am confident you will continue to do well. Progress may be slow, but it is still progress.
Congrats @Pheebs52 on being able to bend down with your doggie. I'm jealous! But I am working on it.
@liam2015 I am impressed with your stair work. I had no idea you could practice going backwards on the stairs. I am just beginning to practice stepping up and down on one step at P/T. I live in a building with an elevator and have no stairs to climb, so it was not a priority. I can't wait to get good enough to try it backwards! Or maybe like Ginger Rogers, "backwards and in heels!"
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liam2015
post-grad
thanks @Polkadot for the suggestion. maybe i should go to the mall and try out the different exercise bikes. thanks for understanding the frustration. if i didn't love my bike so much, i would kick it lol!
@kmak81230, i think we share a similar degree of extension. i was shocked when i sat on the floor, extending my legs, to see the lack of extension on my operated leg. funny but it doesn't seem to bother me when i'm walking ~ no pain at all and no limping. i can get my whole hand under, so have that to improve. and you're not selfish at all enjoying the company of others in this club. as @Pheebs52 posted "good grief, imagine if we were alone here"? 
btw i had a good physio treatment today and melissa agreed that i've made some improvement in r.o.m. and especially in function. i asked her about the kinesiology tape and she's going to get some to try on me as the ones they have there aren't very good. today's treatment was massage, cupping, laser, small needle acupuncture and tens, with cold packs underneath and on top for around 20 minutes. we also talked about the new sleeve i bought and asked me to bring it in next time as it might be too tight for me. she recommended a type of support that goes around the knee and is adjustable with velcro.
@phrog ~ thank you for the encouragement on the bike. i will keep at it but i won't like it lol.
i've never been much of a "gym person". the best one i went to, i did my routine, then the fun part was sitting in the jacuzzi hot tub after. however, i love zumba, yoga dance, salsa lessons and yoga. exercise has to be fun for me and i love the music and the challenge of perfecting and memorizing the steps, not that i'm any good.
@kmak81230, i think we share a similar degree of extension. i was shocked when i sat on the floor, extending my legs, to see the lack of extension on my operated leg. funny but it doesn't seem to bother me when i'm walking ~ no pain at all and no limping. i can get my whole hand under, so have that to improve. and you're not selfish at all enjoying the company of others in this club. as @Pheebs52 posted "good grief, imagine if we were alone here"? btw i had a good physio treatment today and melissa agreed that i've made some improvement in r.o.m. and especially in function. i asked her about the kinesiology tape and she's going to get some to try on me as the ones they have there aren't very good. today's treatment was massage, cupping, laser, small needle acupuncture and tens, with cold packs underneath and on top for around 20 minutes. we also talked about the new sleeve i bought and asked me to bring it in next time as it might be too tight for me. she recommended a type of support that goes around the knee and is adjustable with velcro.
@phrog ~ thank you for the encouragement on the bike. i will keep at it but i won't like it lol.
i've never been much of a "gym person". the best one i went to, i did my routine, then the fun part was sitting in the jacuzzi hot tub after. however, i love zumba, yoga dance, salsa lessons and yoga. exercise has to be fun for me and i love the music and the challenge of perfecting and memorizing the steps, not that i'm any good.
Lil Cyborg
junior member
@liam2015 Cupping? Do you get cupping on your knee? On the patella? My physical therapist used a little plunger (like a toilet plunger) on my patella prior to surgery, but not now. Also, how is the laser used? I am quite interested in all of this. My P/T seems very boring in comparison with yours! Thanks!
