United States
12/29/2022 was my big day after two postponements by my surgeon’s office. 3 countdowns later and surgery went well. I have spent my entire adult life with swelling, stiff, painful knees. Began in late teens. I haven’t been able to squat down since then. I have always wanted to know why what was the cause for such early onset of “arthritis” but there’s never been an answer. My own research had lead me to think possibly psoriatic arthritis. By the time I sought care (2017) I was 53 yrs old and was completely bone on bone in both knees. I was terrified of this surgery and recovery. But by age 58 I was ready for the plunge. I think if it had discovered BoneSmart prior to this surgery I might have gone for bilateral to get it all over with! Once you learn the BoneSmart way there’s almost no reason not to. However after my first at home PT experience(mostly ok except him wanting me to use my newly sliced quad muscle) I dove into research about recovery and found you and had my instincts confirmed: why in the world would anyone expect you to do leg lifts w a muscle that had just been medically injured??? That is insanity to me. My OB didn’t require crunches 4 days after my c-section! So we had a little talk on his second visit and I told him I’ll do nothing that makes me cry in pain. lol and it’s all been ok since then. I did 4 weeks of at home pt and have been going to outpatient for 3 weeks now. Again I informed the outpatient I won’t be doing anything that causes severe pain and they’ve also been accommodating. Thank you thank you BoneSmart!!
As of Monday my flexion is 117 (prior to surgery I was probably literally at 75/80) so I’m already thrilled with my results! My extension is another matter of course. *QUESTION*: what happens in surgery to disturb the muscles at the back of your knee? That is definitely the hardest part of recovery for me. I do the gentle stretches using gravity a few times a day but not usually for more than a few minutes because of the dull but very hard type pain it causes. I believe my extension is at a 5 as of Monday. The therapist didn’t tell me the actual number.
The biggest challenge I’ve had is the hypersensitive skin on the side of my knee and all done the front of my calf. Very painful like a severe sunburn. It has dissipated with time but I do still have it in a smaller area. Hopefully it will continue shrinking.
So that’s where I’ve been and where I’m at! Thank you so very much for all the great information and confirmation that pain is absolutely zero gain when it comes to tkr! Also thanks for sharing how important elevation is in recovery - it changed everything for me with swelling. I was not told that at all by anyone that cared for me!
As of Monday my flexion is 117 (prior to surgery I was probably literally at 75/80) so I’m already thrilled with my results! My extension is another matter of course. *QUESTION*: what happens in surgery to disturb the muscles at the back of your knee? That is definitely the hardest part of recovery for me. I do the gentle stretches using gravity a few times a day but not usually for more than a few minutes because of the dull but very hard type pain it causes. I believe my extension is at a 5 as of Monday. The therapist didn’t tell me the actual number.
The biggest challenge I’ve had is the hypersensitive skin on the side of my knee and all done the front of my calf. Very painful like a severe sunburn. It has dissipated with time but I do still have it in a smaller area. Hopefully it will continue shrinking.
So that’s where I’ve been and where I’m at! Thank you so very much for all the great information and confirmation that pain is absolutely zero gain when it comes to tkr! Also thanks for sharing how important elevation is in recovery - it changed everything for me with swelling. I was not told that at all by anyone that cared for me!
