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TKR MariaB in recovery

It doesn't hurt to sleep with a little bend in the knee and it will be much more comfortable than trying to keep it straight. It was months before I could sleep on my back without a Lounge Doctor type leg lift. When I got tired of sleeping on my back I'd slip off of the LD and lay with a pillow between my legs on my side for an hour or so. That would soon get uncomfortable, so back on my back and the LD I'd go.

Your extension is already 0 so you have nothing to worry about!
 
You know what made the difference?! The chiropractor. My legs stopped aching and the last two nights I slept great! I wish I would’ve tried this earlier!

Question - below my knee, just to the outside of the leg bone, it gets tight and can be a bit of a pain. The PA said IT band, but looking it up, it doesn’t come down that far (it stops next to knee joint?). I think he saw where the heel of my hand was and assumed that’s where I meant - it was where my fingers were lol. Just wondering if anyone knew anything about this area - it doesn’t move as easily, so I’m thinking the facia or something is bound up. Just wondering if there’s some sort of name for this or this area so I can look it up...
 
Thanks for this thread. I’m having good and bad days too. And sleeping is a nightmare. Thanks for sharing your experiences
 
So I’m now almost 3 1/2 months post op. Come a long way! I can definitely now see the need for patience after this surgery. Still going to therapy - I have a wonderful therapist who’s really paying attention to details and helping me to work towards my goals like squatting down again.

My big issue now is that when I do bend that knee to it’s edge (almost 130° AFTER a good therapy session), I get a pinching kinda pain inside/behind the knee. It’s like something’s getting caught when it bends. The therapist has been kinda scratching her head... she said it’s not really typical to have pain there - and her only explanation is that the scar tissue in the front is pulling things enough that it’s making it tight in the back - drawing the capsule in too close to the joint so that it pinches.

Im curious if anyone here has dealt with this? What was it determined to be? How did it get “fixed”?
 
I had a sort of catching feeling in the back of my knee (not really painful) that just seemed to gradually go away. IIRC it lasted at least 3 months.
 
@MariaB I also have that catching feeling. n I am 4 1/2 mos. post op. Asked surgeon and he had no idea. I did some research and found it can be a result of a tilted patella. Anyone ever hear of this?
 
At less than 4 months it's not unusual to have discomfort in different places on your knee. You are less than 1/3 healed and your knee isn't happy with what you are doing right now. If it hurts, then don't do it. You can try it again after a couple of weeks and if it still hurts, then stop and try it later on. If it doesn't hurt then your knee is ready for it. That is why we say to let your knee's reaction be your guide.
 
@TKRsharon....this is one of the cautions about trying to use Google searches to find out what is going on when someone has a concern. A mal-tracking patella can cause a "catching" feeling, but it's something that is checked carefully in surgery. In addition, it would normally show up in the post-op x-rays your surgeon takes of your knee. So it's probably not what is going on here. I agree with sistersinhim that it is more likely to be a normal part of recovery. The soft tissues in your knee have to realign themselves with the new prosthesis. Muscles need to strengthen so that everything works properly. It takes more than a few months for this to take place in most people.

@MariaB .... I'm glad your therapist is working to help you get to where you want to be with your knee. Having 130 degrees of flex is wonderful. It may be that you need to slow down on those exercises to allow your soft tissues to catch up with the new perfectly aligned joint. I would suggest that you stop the movement before you get to that "pinchy" point for a few weeks and see if you are gradually able to bend more comfortably.
 
I actually read all my post surgery reports on line recently and read a reference to the tilted patella. Then, yes, I started the google searching and made the connection between what I was feeling and what I read. I will ask when I go about the infection - if I even remember. Right now I am more concerned with this infection.
I admit, I am the queen of the Google search and cause myself so much angst sometimes. Now I have something to really worry about and I can't find any info.
 
I think for me it was just a soft tissue healing thing, as Jamie says. The main thing is that it went away.
 
ok, I’ve been gone a while, but I realized I’m in need of a pep talk... it’s been 6 months now. Still doing pt - she’s really tweaking how I walk, and even working on some scar tissue on my other foot - she’s really trying to get me to walk properly (I’ve had knee issues most of my life - she feels retraining my muscles etc will help)
Anyway, after this long, I still need to use my arms to get myself out of a chair (or off the toilet!). And I still cannot squat very low. What’s maddening, is that a couple of weeks ago, I was suddenly able to stand up with no arm help - and about a month ago I was able to squat nice and deep — but then it went back to not being able to. I don’t understand! I’m starting to feel like I’ll never get there. One of the issues that I’ve had from the beginning is that I feel a deep pinch in the back of my knee when I try to bend past 120°. These things are my goals - seriously, will I ever get there??
 
Yes, you will get there but you are only halfway through this year-long recovery. You will continue to improve as your knee heals. You can not speed up that healing, your knee is in control of that. Doing too much can slow you down, though, but keeping your knee inflamed and angry. Just try to relax and enjoy the progress you have made so far. The best is yet to come!
 
Maria, sistersinhim is absolutely on target! This is a year long recovery, for some a little longer. It is a slow process and just can‘t be rushed. So many members here continued to improve into their 2nd and even 3rd year! This is major surgery! Sometimes I think we lose sight of that. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else! Each knee is unique. Past 120 is a mighty goal and you may take longer to get there. Try to relax. Check back often for support. You are not alone.
 
Thanks so much! This was just what I needed to hear. ☺️
 
Hey I’m back! Over a year out, and all has been good except -

- when trying to squat down there’s what the dr says is soft tissue impingement, limiting how far I can bend my knee (and intense pain if it’s pushed past this)
- and now kneecap issues. Going down stairs, the outside lower corner of my kneecap feels like it tightens down - it can get super uncomfortable, sometimes making me do one step at a time.

my surgeon sent me back for more physical therapy - his tagline is “the stronger your quads are, the better your outcome will be”. So we’ve been working on that, but the kneecap issue is not improving. Today even got worse - when lifting that knee the upper outside kneecap had pain. (She will be working on the squatting too, but I’m not so sure strong quads will help soft tissue impingement -??)
my pt seems stumped. She’s been called the best in the area too. She started working on the IT band, which isn’t particularly tender or anything.

any thoughts, ideas, insight?
 
:wave:Welcome Back, @MariaB , Could it be the squats that are causing you these issues?
I have been told by both my surgeon and my physiotherapist to avoid squatting, as it causes too much pressure on the knees, they have also told me to avoid kneeling for the same reason.
 
Hmmm - maybe… she doesn’t have me doing actual squats right now, but there are similar exercises I’m doing - the chair sit things, and mini lunges… maybe I should lay off the chair ones and see if that helps. Although the lower outer kneecap was an issue before he sent me for therapy…
 
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