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TKR Mitzi here....one month past LKR

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@kneeper Thanks for caring to share. Yes, it is baffling how to exercise, deal with Fibro & do little stuff that needs doing. I feel like I don't exercise enough I won't have a working knee.

My new thing today is to ask did anyone have a sore ankle in process of healing the knee? The ankle, the back tendon going down to heel. My other knee in the back is stiff & sore. I wonder if I walk different throwing things out of alignment. I will go take another pain pill.


My surgery was Nov. 17th, 2014
Perserverance68
 
On Mon tomorrow it is 8 wks. I have felt good. Saw surgeon Fri & x-Ray was good. He wants me back at PT. I go to PT tomorrow also. I must admit I am apprehensive. I did exercises today..mor & eve. Tonight I used the strap that pulls your foot back. At first I was doing ok & then the pain hit! At the bottom of the scar is tight & when the pull started pain hit and frustration and what they will do tomorrow crushed in me & out came the tears. I read the article about stiff feeling across the knee. I have felt that often & now I understand that. Glad for the article. I read quite a bit more. Still I cried awhile feeling it's useless to do this harm to me. I don't do pain well. I haven't taken much pain med lately. Gathering from some readings I am where 8 week patients are weaned off pain med. Now I definitely need pain. Another thought that went into my tears. Pain is real & I don't don't like it. So I will speak up at PT yet I don't know if I will feel heard. I am dry eyes now but my stomach is upset. Crackers & soda help it. I do have acid reflux but on med.

Well, thanks for listening. I needed to talk & where to go but where the subject is understood. To bad I didn't have a sit for back surgery last year...I sooo needed it. Bad experience.
Perserverance68
 
Hi @Mitzi Please don't ever apologize for telling us how you feel. What you have been thru is HUGE your body needs to heal and part of your body is your mind and your emotions. If you are in pain speak up. I hope you are feeling more comfortable after your meds. You know that there is always someone here who will listen.

I've got another 2 weeks until my surgery and I'm sure that I will be using this forum and getting support in my recovery. Take care - Maggie x
 
@Celle, I am 8 wks today. Pulling my knee back is soo painful. I thought I was going somewhere but now that's that's just a stiff knee that doesn't want to go back. I can pull my ankle back some with my other foot. Do 5 to 8 holding 10sec. I try the strap exercise and I am in pain. Hate the strap. My surgery & all pre was easy compared to this getting a knee in good shape. I just think there has to be a substitute. Or in on double pain pills with muscle relaxer pill also. I was in pain & got surgery to do more pain to my knee to get better. Crazy.

Any encouragement I appreciate it. I read the articles about a tether feeling across knee cap. Tight. It is tissue that thins down in time and bending is better. Then I know about the concern of adhesions yet reading ends mostly with saying very few get this. Working at it I get, but tears I don't. I will take a wash cloth in to put in my mouth to do pain even though we are saying no pain no gain is not fitting for TKR.

Perserverance68
 
@Mitzi
You must not keep on hurting yourself!
All that pain is just so unnecessary. Even worse, by doing that you are irritating those wounded soft tissues that are trying to heal. Upsetting them like that makes them more inflamed and more swollen, which totally defeats the point of exercise and makes you more likely to develop adhesions.

All you have to do is gentle exercises. Apart from walking around the house, all you need to do right now is heel slides, without that blessed strap. Just use your own knee muscles and don't push on your leg.
Heel slides and how to do them

Just do those heel slides a few times each day and no other PT for a while. Give your knee a vacation and concentrate on lots of rest, ice and elevation.

You've been trying to do your best, I know; but, truly, working your knee hard is not the way to get the best results. Be kind to your knee and kind to yourself.
 
Can you com to my house....I sure could use a daily of your support. Of course, I know that is not possible. Also PT uses the strap regularly. Adhesions confuse me. If you don't move your knee (after that was said constantly) I felt manipulated. Some were so adamant. Yet hear it could cause adhesions if I treat soft tissues harshly. Oh what to do. My surgeon saw me and said he wants me in PT. I feel I am acting to know more by disagreeing. Are there more articles in bone health to reading this? I have read quite a bit yet not all.

Appreciate your feedback, thanks
Perseverance68
PS If knee doesn't slide back under chair will it in time?
 
Mitzi, please.....it is helpful if you create a signature that includes your surgery date. To do this, mouse hover over your username at the top right of the screen. Choose Create a Signature from the drop down menu and type in your surgery information like this: LTKR - 10 January 2015. We really need this information handy in order to properly respond to your questions and concerns.

Also, take a look at this article from our BoneSmart Library. It may help you with exercises.

Exercises for TKR Patients
 
@Mitzi DON'T do the strap! Good Grief, I hope you're not hurting yourself because of something I said, or because I I like my strap?? Seriously, if something hurts either stop doing it or do it so gently that it doesn't hurt. No washcloth or muffled screams (omg!) because you shouldn't hurt like that.

Take a relaxing breath and remind yourself of some mantras; No pain, MORE gain, Rome wasn't built in a day, slow and steady wins the race, etc. Please listen to the moderators and forum advisors.
 
@Jamie ....Thank you. I looked over the exercises. I did not see how often in reps to do each...do you know? Also up to which week of healing does basic end? I do need a gentle program, a no pain one and to be clear how often so to not over do it.

A different question: adhesions form because of lack of exercises or too much exercises? I did some reading on last one I said of too much exercise causes this and am still confused. Are there more specific articles on this subject?

Appreciate your help. People like you are the hand leading the blind!

Perseverance68
 
Mitzi said:
A different question: adhesions form because of lack of exercises or too much exercises?
Click to expand...
Adhesions are more genetic than anything else---some people are more predisposed of getting them---I got them after my BTKR. Lack of exercise will not cause them---and neither will too much exercise, but too much exercise will cause inflammation and that will also cause pain.

Have you tried using a heating pad on your quads---the heat will allow the quad muscle to become more pliable and flexible---allowing for a better and gentler stretch. you can also sit in the shower and let the hot water pulse on the quad, too.
 
@referee54 ....Thank you. It gets my brain out of the middle of these two thoughts how adhesions are caused.

Thanks for hitting pad tip too!

Perseverance68
 
Try not to worry about the formation of adhesions. it's actually not all that common even though you certainly hear lots of talk about it. It's more important, as folks have said, to keep inflammation reduced. Some people tend to swell or get inflammed tissue more than others, so it is something you just need to watch for. You'll know it's a problem if you have pain or swelling in your knee. That's from inflammation.

There is not need to do a lot of the exercises to start. Five to ten reps once or twice a day is fine. You want to keep the joint moving, but not overworked. You'll be getting exercise too when you move from place to place throughout the day.

There is no set time to move from basic to more challenging exercise. This is a time you must listen your body. But....when you decide to try any new activity, start slowly and build gradually over days and weeks, seeing how your body reacts each time. If you experience pain or swelling afterwards, they you're not quite ready to go there yet.

You can't really mess this up if you are watching how you feel. All of us overdo the activity or exercise now and then. The key is to realize it and pull back a bit. Recovery is not a straight path. There will be good days and not so good ones. Expect not to begin feeling like yourself for maybe 12 weeks or so. Some people move faster, but others take longer. It's all up to your body and how it heals.
 
Hello to all who help me & all who make this possible. Well I went to PT today & talked about cutting back reps & pain I had the day I left. Then was said you need to continue reps & increasing to make your knee work. I said I will work into some discomfort but not pain. I told them I was bother two days & a nite. They mentioned the adhesions & I said I read adhesions can come from over working the knee also. Some real messed up knees there are. I enjoyed the session & felt good.

Thanks All! I am sure I have plenty more to learn.

Perseverance68
 
Good for you!!!
 
@Jamie .....thank you! Also for adding inflammation vs adhesions. I was on ice & next I want to try heat under my knees. Sounds good to help quads. I l o v e frogs! I have around the house. Frog means fully rely on God and I do that a lot too!

Thanks for your feed backs & support!
Perseverance68
 
Hello, I love elephants too like frogs. This particular one my daughter made in a class near our home. A man who was quite an artist....this was great for the trunk broke to her sadness and he fixed it good. She's 31 yrs now. Special:)
I just love this site!
 
It is a balancing act. You do need to move the knee, but overdoing causes more inflammation which can mean less bend. then if you work to hard trying to improve you get more swelling.
Just keep on with few exercises a couple of times a day. Another thing I did: when you sit in a chair just casually see how far you can pull back your foot and hold it a few seconds. Do that a couple of times a day.
Do a little walking as the knee tolerates.
Otherwise do a lot of icing and elevating.
hang in there.
 
Hi Mitzi are you able to do any other gentle exercises at home like legs lifts and pointing your toes if you are in bed or on a recliner? Nothing too strenuous but movement of the muscles in your legs..I hope you continue to improve....

Vinny
 
Hello knee per & Vinny, balance & gentleness seem to go together!

I was at PT today & keeping it balanced in what is discomfort & pain. Doing a lot of exercises at 10-15 reps. If pain occurs I cut back or quite. It has been goog. Go two days a week. Was on bike with seat where you rock back n forth. Wow an Eye opener ! Gentle is the practice.

I walk around & do simple things...never was a good sitter. So I work at time outs.

Thanks again...Love all on this site:)
 
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