TKR More front tightness after 18 months

[katydid3]

Hahahahahaha! Bend at the waist and put your hands on the floor. I havent seen my waist for years!
With all the floor postings, I waited for my husband to get home and tried it. Since my right knee isn't happy either, I put several layers of my fleece blanket on the floor. I got down on the floor okay but once down, realized I should have started closer to a piece of furniture. Crawl, drag. Crawl, drag. Made it to the chair, kneeled onto my good knee and stood, keeping my 'new' knee out to the side. One more fear dissipated!

 

[Titianlady]

BRAVO! ladies!!!!!!!!

 

[Janet2012]

Debbie, I'm envisioning this carefully, step by step, and honestly, it seems I would have to be able to levitate to go from on my toes, butt in the air, on my forearms (if I could even get that far into it) and then somehow stand up! You are one talented lady!!

 

[Josephine]

I know a lady in her eighties, retired nurse and very nimble in mind and body except that she has wide spread arthritis in her knees, hands, shoulders and probably other places as well. She's never even been to her doctor about it much less had treatment. But she sits on the floor to do things! And when she wants to get up, without ever getting onto her knees, she somehow turns her body over until she's on her hands and feet with her bum in the air like so!



She then 'walks' to the nearest chair or sofa, continues on, hands up onto the seat, until she can stand up. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen but she does it more easily than she can stand from sitting!

 

[Debbie_joints]

That is it Jo, I even showed my husband last night how I do this and he said how much more nimble I have gotten. It does take upper body strength, so even though you guys can't do much exercise with your knees, go to a sturdy chair with arms and lift your butt off the chair. Before surgery I would have my butt near the edge of the chair and stick what was going to be my operated leg out in front of me, raise my butt off the chair and even lunge out in front and lower my butt lower then the chair seat. Really helps building up the arm muscles.

 

[keith55]

A similar question - how long to step over step (i.e. normal) up and down stairs. I have to single step downstairs and use a banister up and down.

 

[keith55]

Are there any videos of fully recovered TKRers walking etc. esp posters here - and can you edit the thread title?

 

[Josephine]

You mean can you edit your own thread title? The answer to that is no but any member of staff will be more than happy to do it for you.



As for the videos, the only ones I know of showing a "fully recovered" patient are these two!! Not a lot of footwork but I think it shows the confidence and stability of the patient!

This one was done about 10 months post op




and this one 3 years post op

 

[1ELISEA]

I like this one and watched it before my surgery; it is a half hour in length but I liked that it went into more depth. You can skip through it if you only want the before and after walking comparison but I thought it was a good watch.

Video

It talks about minimally invasive surgery. The man featured had two knees done, one the old way and the other using minimally invasive surgery.

The man is shown before his second knee surgery playing frisbee with his dog and attempting to dance. Then he is shown a couple of weeks after surgery, and then at the end of the video he is shown walking and biking.

 

[skigirl]

Let's see if I can upload my video Well, here is at least a shot of me skiing after two tkrs.

 

[keith55]

I just wanted to correct the spelling mistake recovery not recovery.
here's one of Fabio Capello (ex England football manager) who had TKR in Jan 2010 - kicking a football in 2011:

and getting into a car in 2012


I think John Lloyd the tennis player also had TKR but I can't find any dates or videos of him.

 

[Campervan]

Hi

There's a whole bunch on YouTube. Just search "walking after total knee replacement"

Good luck

 

[Brownie51]

My doctor did the "OLD" way!

 

[1ELISEA]

My doctor did the "OLD" way!

Well, if he is skilled at it and it worked...... no harm no foul.

 

[keith55]

 

[keith55]

So I had my left knee replacement op free on the UK NHS - op was pm on Mon 20 May - may that be a good day!
Initial thoughts on hospital stay:
1. It's good to be home! Many of the staff were very patient but being on a ward with other patients can be trying esp at night.
2. I had a spinal and sedative and felt myself going under before going into theatre. The worst bit was the spinal going in felt like someone was shovng a crowbar in - and there's some kind of furrowed mark/area in the middle of my back - is that normal?
3. I only remember the staples going in and asking if my surgeon was doing that but in fact he had left that to someone else and taken a break. He doesn't have an actual break and was operating all day so I don't blame him.
4. In recovery I tried lifting the operated leg and succeeded! but can't do that now - effect of scarring?
5. In ward stuck in a dingy corner with PSA and cannula. I had PSA until Tues. On Tues all I managed was to sit out in the chair for a while. I was falling asleep over my cereal! Pain managed ok except the first time I moved operated leg down to the floor - that was pain like I've never experienced. Cannula was very convenient - no messing with bottles. Have since learned the technique of hooking with the good leg.
6. Used walker on Weds for short trip to physio - just measured my angles bend 65 deg ext'n 6 deg
7. Thurs: graduate to two sticks - supposed to be better (Why?) Needle in my hand and cannula taken out.
See my surgeon: Tightness behind because he has corrected the shape of the knee - muscles and ligaments are readjusting. No cartilage at all behind the kneecap so in his view op justified. Post op xray and op itself fine. Physio start doing some exercises 67/9
8. Fri do some shallow stairs and more physio 81/5. Start to use ward bathrooms. Find I can stand to wash and shave ok without support. These trips wipe me out though.
9. Sat do the steeper steps and achieve 100 bend but I wonder if this was an error 100 + 80 being the angle of a straight line. Do we have a diagram that shows this. To my mind if your thigh is level then 90 deg means your leg is straight down and foot is flat. Discharged pm

 

[keith55]

Further thoughts on NHS. The orange emergency cords in the toilet/bathrooms of the ward "didn't work"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! think that's unforgivable. Also one of the raised toilet seats was loose - I pointed this out and it was fixed a few hours later.

At home wake up today: whole top of my left leg is ultra stiff was this due to

1. Trying too hard in physio on Saturday to get good bend.
2. The business of the return trip and getting unpacked. Luckily the people who brought me home stayed to help.
3. Doing no physio after I got back.
I was threatened with MUA and a "stiff knee" if I don't do the physio.

 

[bottomshollow]

and

keith55, to the "other side" and the wonderful world of recovery. It's been a long road to get here, but you have arrived. Since it's been a while, I want to share the BoneSmart mantra with you again:
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!

I also want to give you the required reading list for TKRers:
Group A
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Progression of activity for TKRs

Group B
How Long Does Healing Take ......
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevating your leg to control swelling and pain
Using ice
Constipation and stool softeners
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

Group C
Knee Replacement - Where Am I in Recovery?
So What Is It Going to Take? The Five “P’s” of Knee Recovery
Work “Smarter” and not “Harder”
About recovering a knee - from one who knows!
Some suggestions for home physio (PT) and activity progress
Myth busting: The "window of opportunity"

Group D
MUA (manipulation under anaesthetic) and adhesions
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's Worth the Wait for ROM
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

We are here to help in any way we can: answering questions and concerns; supporting and encouraging you from start to finish; giving you a place to vent, whine, complain if you need to; sharing experiences with one another; and having fun and some laughs along the way.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[puffin]

Glad to hear you have made it over to the other side and that things went well

Don't forget to follow the Bonesmart mantra

 

[keith55]

So I think I may have overdone it on the heel slide in order to "achieve" better ROM plus the extra physical demand of coming home and getting set up - or it could be the natural filling of my knee with healing fluid (from a concrete mixer!).
When sat with my legs down foot naturally is forward of 90 deg ie natural ROM is 60-70.

Pain: I'm taking max allowed paracetamol 4X/day as I did for the osteoarthritis plus 3 X 400mg ibuprofen. They offered me codeine as well but that always makes me constipated and that makes me more depressed than pain. Bowel movements ok now. In fact I've thought of a deliberately ridiculous chat up line for orthopaedic inpatients: "I've had a bowel movement today ... have you?" Well that's my weird sense of humour. Trouble is asking the forum or GP for a different or extra pain killer is difficult since we all react differently to them but if anyone knows a good one that doesn't cause constipation then I'd like to know as pain at night is an issue for me.

So stiffness seems to be getting worse. I didn't do any heel slides yesterday but did the exercise of putting my foot (operated leg) on a step and leaning backward and forward and did a few PC plod both knee bends up and down by the sink also pushing knee down into bed. Another surgeon said that extension was more important than bend now since bend can always be worked on later.

I'm getting the "jumps" (i.e. the knee jerks involuntarily) at night which from memory is due to muscles/nerves reconnecting. As you say it's hard to settle in bed. Still tight behind knee which doesn't help. So I woke up early for the UK BBC Springwatch webcams and to ask questions here.