TKR My Journey as of 12/16/13 - Over 1 Year and Still Trying

[Nana moon 27]

Hi Ellen

Id like to wish you a happy ankneeversary even though it's not the outcome you wanted.

The other thing is that although the revision surgery puts you right back at the start of recovery, it may help you. I really didn't want it but had no choice really. It's doing well. I still have pain issues but the physio thinks it may be nerve damage causing the heat etc. The joint definitely feels different since I had it done. The only reason I've had trouble is pure ODIC.

Take care
Love Ann x

 

[TexasTee]

Hey Ellen - I am still pre-op but have been working on the quad and stabilizer muscles - a great exercise is super easy, stand on one foot and close your eyes...you don't need to raise the food high so no fear of falling but something about the lack of vision forces your stabilizing muscles to all fire up. Sounds simple but it's hard as heck!

 

[Jamie]

I agree! That's a great exercise for any time - before or after surgery.

 

[Legin]

That is brilliant I will work on that as second hip will be done within a.year. I had problem in that firrst hip wasntt prepared enough muscle wise as from first consultation visit to opp was one week.

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Ellejay]

Happy akneeversary Ellen, I'm just so sorry it's not as happy as it should be xxxxx

 

[dogwheels]

A year on ......... doesn't time fly when you are having fun?!
You know how sorry I am that you and your knee haven't got to your 'happy ending' yet. It must seem so daunting when specialists cannot give a definitive answer and you are left in pain and in limbo (don't try that Ellen - it might be good for the quads, but no limbo dancing I think).
@TexasTee's balancing exercise is a good one, I was told it was to help balance on rough ground/to help adjust if you turned your ankle on something etc. I used to do that exercise in the pool as well as on land - giving my best impression of a stork, then a stork with its arms crossed, then a stork with its arms crossed and its eyes shut. Might be worth asking PT if a bit of non-strenuous hydro might help, as the buoyancy of the water may take some of the strain off the knee while you exercise muscles around it?
6 months does seem a long time to wait not knowing and it just seems so ironic that you have mega flexion, but so much pain and other problems with it.

As I said before I am hoping with everything I have got that the outcome will not be as bad as you fear.

Happy A-Knee-versary to you and Richard.

Much love
XXXX

 

[Legin]

Doh I just worked it out akneeversary sheeeeeeeesh keeeeeebabs

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[yiayia3]

I think it's all been said Ellen, but wishing you a much better outcome for 2015 love Terri x

 

[susanne]

Ellen, so sorry to read all that's been going on. Than was me 7 years ago but with my hip!
No one would listen for 3 years. Why I didn't see another surgeon is beyond me, but when I finally did the hip was great. Hoping you get all the answers you need. I know how frustrating thus must be for you. Love susanne. ( can u come to ny my surgeon is great)?


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[icep707]

@DogLoverx3 hey now !! Just stopping by to let you know i still check up on you and to let you know im pulling for you. So i guess its 6 more months for another part of this bone scan . In the mean time ,you will need to take it easy. Try not to over do it. I myself have cut back on weights for my legs. About 2 weeks ago i overdid it and i had a hard time for about 24 hours. I had a" come to Jesus " moment. i havent done any lower body weights since. And my knee has been grateful. i doubt ill try to build any more lower body muscle. Ill just do the bike thing, treadmill and arch trainer and stair climber. But leg presses and extension may not be worth it for me . Well Ellan , have a merry Christmas and happy and safe new year. Iceman

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hi All. Thanks for your kind words of support and encouragement. Dick did NOT get any cake for our 1 year anniversary together. In fact, I'm thinking of getting a divorce. ;-)

I've had a couple sessions with the new PT and although she is a bit of a ball buster, I kinda love her. She is very hands on and spends much time doing some sort of midieval torture massage on my knee. Which she says is full of scar tissue. Uhm.... I kinda thought that I was in the clear from that since I have such good ROM. Then I remembered the difference between scar tissue and adhesions. Adhesions impair ROM, scar tissue that doesn't form adhesions does not (but does cause pain). I'm quite disappointed in my original PT as I specifically told him that I tend to form lots of scar tissue and yet he still never did massage or anything. I just assumed that's the way of the post TKR rehab. Let this be a lesson, your PT NEEDS to be doing massage on you! There are different types, but to not do any isn't right. Yey me to be figuring this out 1 year post op. I know, I know, it was suggested that I do lymphatic massage earlier on, but I (wrongly) thought that was just for swelling and as pain was my biggest concern, I just didn't. Funny that I never actually connected all the dots.

Anyway, I'm not quite sure that the trying to manually break up the scar tissue is doing any good, but I'm going to keep going. As was rightly pointed out to me, it's taken me a year to get to this point and 'she's just a PT, not G-D, so give her a chance'. ;-) She's got me doing some non impact quad exercises and some balancing ones as well. I threw my back out on Friday so have been on a steady stream of muscle relaxers and Tylenol since then. Oddly enough, the muscle relaxers seem to help my knee. Go figure. Not sure what the correlation is but will ask tomorrow. My new PT was a bit amazed that it took me 4 '2nd opinions' to find one that was willing to investigate my challenges and she was even more amazed that my original PT (who is associated with my surgeon's office) never did massage. He would manually stretch my knee, but no massage. Boo him.

I'm going to keep going a couple times a week for her to put me through my paces and for the torture treatment. She also uses the ultrasound on my knee as well as stim and ice. Well worth the co pay. I hope everyone is well and I'll keep you posted!

 

[Pumpkin]

Glad to hear you found someone who seems to understand and is trying to help you with your knee.

 

[sandbar525]

@DogLoverx3 I've been following your thread and am so happy that you seem to have found someone who is responsive to your issues and is present in your recovery therapy. I hope that it continues to go well!

 

[Ellejay]

Hi Ellen, that is one of the most positive threads you have made in ages, I am so thrilled that something is going right for you at long last. I do hope it continues to go well, you deserve a change in fortune. I'll keep looking out for more good news xxxxxx

 

[Phil75070]

@DogLoverx3 So happy to hear something even remotely positive from you! My PT has always done some massage at the end of every session concentrating on the incision and on either side of it. I assume that is where the scar tissue is going to form and where your PT is massaging?

 

[Ellejay]

:merryx:

Have a wonderful Christmas @DogLoverx3, thank you for all your support over the year and more recently. Best wishes for 2015, here's hoping that you and Richard will resolve your differences xxxxx

 

[DogLoverx3]

Thought I would post a quick update. I've been seeing my new PT twice a week for a couple of weeks and saw her again this morning. She assures me that yes, scar tissue can be broken up after a year. She's continued to do the high pressure (no clue what the proper name is) massage on my knee and concentrates on areas that she can feel the scar tissue. She also does ultrasound on my knee (uses sound waves to break up scar tissue) and uses TENS for some quad exercises. I've been working more on balance (which is shoddy at best), strengthening my quads and walking with a proper gait and keeping my feet parallel (which I don't do). She's got a great staff in that they actually watch what I'm doing and correct my form on all of my exercises! I'm a bit sad that my original PT didn't and do think some of my current issues could have been avoided/lessened if he had. I remember repeatedly asking him to assess my gait, form, etc... when I did my exercises and thought he was, but as he never corrected anything, I figured I was doing okay when I was actually not and have continued with my 'bad habits' this entire year. Boo.

Anywhoo, the swelling on the inside of my knee is a bit less. The outside, however, continues to defy her efforts. My knee feels much looser when I leave my sessions with her and the amount of time that it takes for it to tighten back up seems to be getting progressively longer, so that's very good. I'll keep seeing her as long as I can afford to (with my deductibles re-setting in the new year, the cost will be ten fold what it is right now), but I think it's worth it. Although I do still have all my same pain issues, I can see little improvements in other areas so I'm optimistic (it's about time, right?). ;-)

I leave tomorrow for my trip to the frozen tundra. Wish me luck getting through security at the airport! Or at least hope for a cute TSA agent to do my pat down. I hope that everyone is doing well and I hope that 2015 brings nothing but wonderful things for everyone and everyone's knees!

 

[TexasTee]

Great update!! so glad there is at least some hope for a better 2015. Enjoy your holiday!! PS...sand is white, too, and not cold. Just sayin

 

[Josephine]

She .... spends much time doing some sort of medieval torture massage on my knee. Which she says is full of scar tissue.

Well, she's a clever bunny! I've been an orthoaepdic nurse for 50-odd years and never yet been able to tell that!.

Adhesions impair ROM, scar tissue that doesn't form adhesions does not (but does cause pain).

Scar tissue is the kind that heals incisional wounds and doesn't cause pain. Adhesions don't necessarily obstruct ROM. It depends where it is, how strong/tight it is and how much there is.

Let this be a lesson, your PT NEEDS to be doing massage on you! There are different types, but to not do any isn't right.

Absolute nonsense, my dear! The very last thing your knee needs is massage. It causes far more damage than it solves.

I'm not quite sure that the trying to manually break up the scar tissue is doing any good

If your scar tissue was broken up, your wound would fall open! Meaning that scar tissue is - as I said previously - what seals and heals your incision. You want and NEED that!

She assures me that yes, scar tissue can be broken up after a year.

Adhesions can but not scarring. They are two totally different types of tissue.

 

[DogLoverx3]

Thanks for correcting my terminology Josephine. She doesn't work on my actual scar. She works on either side of it and the sides of my knee where a lot of my pain is. As the surgeon mucks around all of the knee and not just the incision site, I was under the impression that scar tissue could form wherever anything was upset/moved/fiddled with. My bad. Whatever she's doing or working on is helping though, so although I may not be explaining it properly or accurately, I am glad that someone is finally able and willing to help.

The fact that the massage she is doing is actually providing relief for some long standing issues that I have leads me to assume that if massage would have been done sooner in my recovery (I did go to PT for 4 months after surgery) some of my challenges could have been avoided/minimized. While not saying that the exact type of massage I'm currently getting is what everyone needs, I would think that some sort of manual manipulation to insure proper tracking, loosening the knee, working the IT band, etc.... would be beneficial; especially to we Americans that usually are prescribed months of PT post TKR.