TKR Montecresto’s Recovery

Thank God you found out where the pain was coming from and have shared that with us so we won't do the same thing!
 
Had another good day of PT. I seem to be getting ready to put my cane up, and if it wasn’t for the pain management regimen my surgeon has me on I probably would be doing that but sense it’s got me a little ‘spongy’ I’m going to keep it close by….

I’m seeing a lot less swelling in my knee, but I still have the feeling of tightness. It still feels very stiff, awkward, like not a part of me, and I still feel a long ways away from natural and flowing movement. To walk without the cane, and to be moving in normal fashion requires concentration, it’s not just happening naturally. So before having my knee chopped off I didn’t have to think about anything while walking, it was just natural, second nature, conducted in the subconscious I guess. Hoping this doesn’t last too long…..
 
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It will get better! Just keep going. I am around 18 weeks and I finally don’t have to think about gait. I did have to change our shoes 2 times since surgery (3/31/22) once in May and once just at the end of July. As my gait changed (for the better) my shoes started feeling weird. My leg was extremely out of alignment before surgery and I limped for 8 years so it has been a long road. I still have to work on alignment up and down the stairs. While on the bike (my foot wants to twist out) and do flute and hip strengththening exercises. To keep that leg straight. I also walk slowly on the treadmill to lengthen my stride and keep my hips knees and ankles in alignment.
 
It will get better! Just keep going. I am around 18 weeks and I finally don’t have to think about gait. I did have to change our shoes 2 times since surgery (3/31/22) once in May and once just at the end of July. As my gait changed (for the better) my shoes started feeling weird. My leg was extremely out of alignment before surgery and I limped for 8 years so it has been a long road. I still have to work on alignment up and down the stairs. While on the bike (my foot wants to twist out) and do flute and hip strengththening exercises. To keep that leg straight. I also walk slowly on the treadmill to lengthen my stride and keep my hips knees and ankles in alignment.
Ok, if it’s going to get better, then I’ll just keep going and tell them it’s your fault if it doesn’t…..:heehee:
 
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To walk without the cane, and to be moving in normal fashion requires concentration, it’s not just happening naturally.
You are right -- it DOES require concentration! That's because your body is still out of alignment from all that time you favored the right knee.

But if you focus on heel-toe walking, it will improve. This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. It's important to slow down your pace and concentrate through the entire step. Here is a visual:

1639236580030.jpeg


It may take a few weeks of practice, but -- if you are consistent -- you will reach a point where it happens automatically and walking will feel natural again.
 
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To walk without the cane, and to be moving in normal fashion requires concentration, it’s not just happening naturally.
You are right -- it DOES require concentration! That's because your body is still out of alignment from all that time you favored the right knee.

But if you focus on heel-toe walking, it will improve. This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. It's important to slow down your pace and concentrate through the entire step. Here is a visual:

1639236580030.jpeg


It may take a few weeks of practice, but -- if you are consistent -- you will reach a point where it happens automatically and walking will feel natural again.
Wow, thank you so much for that. The things that make this whole thing a bigger deal than I ever was prepared for continue to add up…..I didn’t know I was going to have to learn to walk again too…..

Again thank you for the instruction….:) :-) (:
 
Mowed my back yard today, using a ZTR, so nothing for my legs to do. Split a small trailer load of firewood, and again, just upper body use basically. And did a little maintenance work on equipment in my garage. Felt good to do some normal things again and get out of the chair. Of course I also did some home exercises…..:wow:
 
I found the vibration bumping of the mower hurt my knee. Did you have a problem with that?
 
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I found the vibration bumping of the mower hurt my knee. Did you have a problem with that?
No, and I moved extremely slow where there was any rough areas, but my lawn is pretty smooth. Did fine with that….

Went on an 8’ ladder this morning and trimmed some trees hanging down on the driveway that were dragging the car coming and going….:yikes:
 
To walk without the cane, and to be moving in normal fashion requires concentration, it’s not just happening naturally.
You are right -- it DOES require concentration! That's because your body is still out of alignment from all that time you favored the right knee.

But if you focus on heel-toe walking, it will improve. This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. It's important to slow down your pace and concentrate through the entire step. Here is a visual:

1639236580030.jpeg


It may take a few weeks of practice, but -- if you are consistent -- you will reach a point where it happens automatically and walking will feel natural again.
Of course I can’t do much with it in the house with a couple steps here and a couple steps there, but I’ve been using your instructions here when I’m outside on longer stretches to move the sprinkler or walk to my shop and what a great idea this is. Thank you once again for sharing this with me……:yahoo:
 
Headed to PTF….

That’s PT Friday. Hoping for another fruitful day without any residual pain following, just as has been the case for a week now….:) :-) (:

Going without my cane, I’m afoot now…..:yahoo:
 
Those pain medications you started taking last week have been amazing, with all they let do, as you were in pretty dire straights just a week ago, before your doctor changed them.
 
Why do you need PT when you are doing all you can do? All this 'homework' is PT! How blessed your recovery is!
In particular I haven’t yet achieved my accepted ROM that my surgeon finds acceptable, 120*/-2* and as mentioned a few times before, my own goal of 130*/0*

The structure of the rehab center, the equipment that they have, the personal care and hands on my leg and knee, messaging my scar, kneading my knee cap back and forth and up and down, the traction and flexion I’m getting by hand, and the encouragement I’m receiving, both from the PT/PTA and the other patients I’m getting to know, watching their progress, they watching mine and the comradery of it all. I find very useful and productive to my physical and emotional well-being…..

Pt is only Monday, Wednesday and Friday while my homework is Tuesday's, Thursday's and the weekend. I’m well aware of your opposition to PT, and I appreciate your opinion of it and the personal experiences that you have shared with me here, thank you sister….

I’m just sharing here in my own thread, my experiences and what’s working for me. I’m not going about the forum to other threads and proselytizing or advocating for others to do what’s working for me, in any sort of opposition to the Bonesmart* anti PT mission statement. And I hope that my success with PT isn’t threatening to Bonesmart’s* MS……
 
Those pain medications you started taking last week have been amazing, with all they let do, as you were in pretty dire straights just a week ago, before your doctor changed them.
For clarification, it’s the same Oxycodone pain medicine I was on all along, he just ordered a more aggressive every 4 hour use as opposed to the every 6 hour use as the bottles prescription instructions read, and he said that’s regularly and around the clock, including setting the alarm to get in the two times during the night….There was a couple additions however, one being a nerve pain medicine that’s taken three times a day, and probably the biggest game changer of all, the very aggressive 12 day steroid Medrol dose pack. That cannot be taken in any on going bases. It’s not safe. It’s one of those regimen’s that you may be familiar with that begins with the highest dose on day one and slowly decreases to the least dose on day 12……..I’m on day 9 so about finished and then I can take no more for a period I’m not real sure of but likely beyond a useful timeframe. I had already been prescribed and used a 5 day dose pack earlier in my recovery…..
 
If you have a good PT and listen to your body, PT can be very valuable. I had a good PT with my second knee who treated me as an individual rather just using a cookie cutter approach and that was good. Since it was my second knee I pretty much knew I could do exercises on my own and so we agreed that I could go 2x per week rather than 3. I was able to leave PT at 6 weeks and continue to progress on my own. Some people find going longer beneficial.

On the other hand, some people wind up with PTs who push too hard too early and people wind up with more pain and swelling than they'd have otherwise that slows them down. That's why we encourage people to listen to their bodies as well as to their PTs.

Congrats on being able to go cane free! :egypdance:
 
If you have a good PT and listen to your body, PT can be very valuable. I had a good PT with my second knee who treated me as an individual rather just using a cookie cutter approach and that was good. Since it was my second knee I pretty much knew I could do exercises on my own and so we agreed that I could go 2x per week rather than 3. I was able to leave PT at 6 weeks and continue to progress on my own. Some people find going longer beneficial.

On the other hand, some people wind up with PTs who push too hard too early and people wind up with more pain and swelling than they'd have otherwise that slows them down. That's why we encourage people to listen to their bodies as well as to their PTs.

Congrats on being able to go cane free! :egypdance:
Thank you. Yep I’ve got me a nice PT. Did have to fire the first one though, so I’m well aware that theres differences….

I can do whatever schedule I want or not at all. I’m good with three times a week. Some insurance companies won’t cover beyond 6 weeks. I’m not sure what mine will do but as I posted back some time ago, I have requested a lighter schedule with less weights and restrictions than average preferring a slower but steadier approach without set backs. I realize that it may take me much longer to achieve my goals this way but I already told my PT that I’ll continue coming as long as I think I need to, even if I have to start paying for it direct at some point….
 
Pt is only Monday, Wednesday and Friday while my homework is Tuesday's, Thursday's and the weekend. I’m well aware of your opposition to PT, and I appreciate your opinion of it and the personal experiences that you have shared with me here, thank you sister….
Oh no, you have me wrong. I'm not against PT at all. I'm against aggressive, painful PT that sets a patient's recovery back. I'm just amazed at all you can do at less than two months out! That is why I'm saying you are blessed with all you can do already. Your PT sounds like they have helped you get there already. You don't come home crying and all swollen up for three or four days like many here have done. It hurts my heart so much to know that this happens to many members that don't realize that they don't have to go through that agony that just sets their recovery back.
 
Pt is only Monday, Wednesday and Friday while my homework is Tuesday's, Thursday's and the weekend. I’m well aware of your opposition to PT, and I appreciate your opinion of it and the personal experiences that you have shared with me here, thank you sister….
Oh no, you have me wrong. I'm not against PT at all. I'm against aggressive, painful PT that sets a patient's recovery back. I'm just amazed at all you can do at less than two months out! That is why I'm saying you are blessed with all you can do already. Your PT sounds like they have helped you get there already. You don't come home crying and all swollen up for three or four days like many here have done. It hurts my heart so much to know that this happens to many members that don't realize that they don't have to go through that agony that just sets their recovery back.
No, I was responding to your question to me “why do I need PT”….
The short answer is because I just had my knee chopped off and I’m trying to regain my ROM. :heehee:

And I already gave you the long answer lol….:) :-) (:
 
Tomorrow is my 5th week milestone. The updated pain management regimen that the surgeon switched me to when I saw him on July 28th made both home exercises and PT doable. The primary facilitator being the steroid dose pack ends today. So I’m not sure where things will go now but I’m about to find out. I see the surgeon again on Thursday the 11th…..
 

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