betsy13
member
To introduce myself--I've always had what I called achy knees. You know from playing tackle football with the boys growing up to falling on concrete in the barn to just plain falling down.
But it wasn't until Sept 13th, 2001 when I fell on both knees that the problems really started. I thought I'd hurt the right knee more because it was the scraped up one. It wasn't until the fall of 2002 that I started really having problems with the left knee. In Feb 2003 I had a lateral release--would do it again!--done and the doctor cleaned out behind the patella telling me I had Chondromalacia Patella. He said I had some arthritis but not enough to worry about.
In 2006 I had problems with the knee and my primary care doctor was going to send me back to the same OS. I told her no way! I had an OS that specialized in knees picked out--he had done a friend's TKR and she loved it.
After getting new x-rays and meeting the OS he told me my left knee was almost bone on bone on the medial side. I chose to take the conservative route. After a couple of years of cortisone shots and exercising to build up the knee/leg muscles I finally realized it was time.
I had my LTKR on Aug 31st, 2009.
I'm was very fortunate I had very little day to day pain up until the last 2 weeks from the knee. Sure I had to take a Vicodin when I exercised or I didn't walk out of the gym! and on a really bad day 1 to sleep. But by the weekend before my surgery I could hardly walk it hurt so bad.
I had the surgery on Monday morning, started PT on Tuesday and was home by Wednesday night. Then I started outpatient PT--my biggest complaint to my therapist was the staples were hindering my progress.
Before I left the hospital I could bend my knee 90 degrees and at the end of 2 months I'm consistently between 116-120 degrees depending on who measures it.
Weeks 3 and 4 were the worst ones. I had shin splints and pains in the muscles at the top of my scar. But by the time week 5 rolled around I had ditched my cane and almost all pain pills.
At the start of week 5 I went back to work 4 hours a day and at week 7 I started back full time. I'm lucky I have a sit down job, I still have some aches and pain in the muscles. A big dead spot on the lateral side of the knee and a scar that I'm using Aquaphor on.
After I went back to work I found this site. I only wish I had found it before my surgery!
My question to you all is: How long can I expect to have muscle pains? I've been told it can be up to a year. My PT guy has told me repeatedly that I'm ahead of the game and don't over do it. But it's hard not to when I'm almost pain free for the first time in years. My OS, who I don't have to see for 2 years, told me at my 6 week check up I was at where most people are at 12 weeks.
betsy
But it wasn't until Sept 13th, 2001 when I fell on both knees that the problems really started. I thought I'd hurt the right knee more because it was the scraped up one. It wasn't until the fall of 2002 that I started really having problems with the left knee. In Feb 2003 I had a lateral release--would do it again!--done and the doctor cleaned out behind the patella telling me I had Chondromalacia Patella. He said I had some arthritis but not enough to worry about.
In 2006 I had problems with the knee and my primary care doctor was going to send me back to the same OS. I told her no way! I had an OS that specialized in knees picked out--he had done a friend's TKR and she loved it.
After getting new x-rays and meeting the OS he told me my left knee was almost bone on bone on the medial side. I chose to take the conservative route. After a couple of years of cortisone shots and exercising to build up the knee/leg muscles I finally realized it was time.
I had my LTKR on Aug 31st, 2009.
I'm was very fortunate I had very little day to day pain up until the last 2 weeks from the knee. Sure I had to take a Vicodin when I exercised or I didn't walk out of the gym! and on a really bad day 1 to sleep. But by the weekend before my surgery I could hardly walk it hurt so bad.
I had the surgery on Monday morning, started PT on Tuesday and was home by Wednesday night. Then I started outpatient PT--my biggest complaint to my therapist was the staples were hindering my progress.
Before I left the hospital I could bend my knee 90 degrees and at the end of 2 months I'm consistently between 116-120 degrees depending on who measures it.
Weeks 3 and 4 were the worst ones. I had shin splints and pains in the muscles at the top of my scar. But by the time week 5 rolled around I had ditched my cane and almost all pain pills.
At the start of week 5 I went back to work 4 hours a day and at week 7 I started back full time. I'm lucky I have a sit down job, I still have some aches and pain in the muscles. A big dead spot on the lateral side of the knee and a scar that I'm using Aquaphor on.
After I went back to work I found this site. I only wish I had found it before my surgery!
My question to you all is: How long can I expect to have muscle pains? I've been told it can be up to a year. My PT guy has told me repeatedly that I'm ahead of the game and don't over do it. But it's hard not to when I'm almost pain free for the first time in years. My OS, who I don't have to see for 2 years, told me at my 6 week check up I was at where most people are at 12 weeks.
betsy