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Revision TKR My left knee story, revision complete 8/14/12, hopeful

Dawn, I have been struggling with plantar fasciatis all summer. Mostly because my calf muscles on the right leg are so tight. I have been stretching and stretching. but, my heel does hurt when I walk---it feels like I am walking on a stone.
 
Sandy, I googled the walking company, and realized I they have a store in Concord and in Salem, so next time we head that way, I will check it out. Great selection online for them, and I did see their orthotics, so this could be a help. I will also talk things over with my internist and see what she suggests with the foot issue. She is so practical and smart, I hope she has good suggestions.

I agree getting out there and testing how much I can do is best. I know when I hit the wall to sit down and rest for a few minutes. After our excursion on Sunday, all I really wanted to do was sit with my feet in a warm whirlpool!

My OS faxed a referral over for the therapeutic pool at the local hospital. They called yesterday to ask me to come in for an evaluation and get a routine started. It's really inexpensive, 10 visits for $40, I was shocked. They have an exercise class early mornings 3 times a week, so once I get acclimated, I may just do that.

As for Reese's jumping in the mouth, while I love Reese's, I am a comfort foodaholic! Mac and cheese, French fries with gravy, corn chowder with extra bacon and cheese....you get the picture. I just need more activity and moderation of intake. Plus, let's not forget the dreaded age issue; at 49 I am going through perimenopause with some symptoms, and I know weight gain is one of them. I also need to get my thyroid levels checked again. I have a couple of nodules which have been there 4 years now and are benign thankfully, but should be measured again and blood work done. Writing all this makes me think i should take a week off and get all this done at once! Even my dentist wants to see me to get a crown done, cha Ching!

Thanks for all the feedback and camaraderie! We are certainly all in it together!

Be well friends,

Dawn
 
Hi J,

Thanks for the hello! I am doing okay. Not much new to post on my knee except that I have an appointment with the therapeutic pool on November 6 for evaluation and first time in the pool. They told me I would have a few sessions with a pt to come up with an exercise routine, then I can start going to the pool on my own, which is great. Pt sessions cost $45 each but using the pool on my own is $4 a visit, so I really want to transition to that soon. I need to get going in that direction because my knee is still stiff, although much straighter than before the revision. That is because I am sitting at my desk and not stretching like I should. I get up frequently and simply need to do more.

Otherwise, just super busy at work. Year end for me is only 6 weeks away which means there is a mad dash to the finish line. Lots to do and little time left. My schedule has exploded, with several days away from the office visiting clients, which is great but means I am in the car a lot which sucks the productivity out of my day. It's also challenging on my knee, since every trip I take is 90 minutes or more each way. I shouldn't complain because it beats the alternative!!

Generally I feel pretty good. The weather is really shifting now and those cold frosty mornings are upon us. I did find my knee aching a lot more this weekend, and medicated accordingly. I can't wait for the day when the knee is an afterthought! I know it will come with time. And I can't forget that I am only 8 weeks from my revision, so I count my blessings!

Be well friends,

Dawn
 
Hi friends, it's been a while but I do have an update. I had my first pt appointment in a therapeutic pool. It was 92 degrees, it felt amazing! I spent an hour in the water walking, bending, stretching, doing squats, and in the deep end with flotation making bicycle motions. At the end she massaged the gastrock which she said was quite tight. While in the pool the knee felt great. She noticed that the right leg hyper extends and said we need to watch that carefully, strengthen the hamstring with it as well. As I exited the pool, my legs felt like blocks of wood, heavy and clunky. Like after other pt appointments my leg was sore but didn't hurt. I have it elevated as I type this and will see how I feel tomorrow. I have another appointment of Friday. At the beginning of the session she measured my flexion at 110 and extension about 2. My long term goals are 125 and zero, I really want to be able to get into and out of my kayak next summer!

So far, so good!

skigirl, I have been doing some reading and feel almost certainly I am dealing with plantar fasciatis on my right heel, the non op leg. It is painful. I ordered some heel seats for my shoes and hope they make a difference once they arrive. What have you done to deal with this issue?

I see the OS at the end of November and hope I arrive with improved rom as I go through these next few weeks!

Be well friends,

Dawn
 
Knee was definitely stiff this morning, and somewhat swollen. I guess I haven't worked it that much in a while. The exercises we did were not strenuous or painful, but in the water, I may not have noticed. The pt took a fairly gentle approach. On Friday I will see the other pt, hopefully he will have a similar style.

For any of you who have been in a warm pool, what is your verdict, do you think it helped?

Weather is getting much colder and snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, that may be playing into the stiffness as well.

Wishing everyone a good day out there in cyberspace!

Dawn
 
Dawn, plantar fasciatis is a pain. Here are some things which have helped: stretch your calf as much as you can. I wear crocs in the house and they seem to be cushy on my heel. I freeze bottles of water and roll it around with my heel to ice the heel. That feels great at night. Otherwise, I have just tried to move forward. It hurts if I do a lot of hiking up hill. I have been taking Aleeve for it.

I use the warm pool often. It is easy to overdo because the water is so forgiving. I always feel better when I get out. I wear a floatation belt in the deep end and pretend that I am "running". Short steps, long steps. I think it has helped me get great rom too. Kelly
 
I agree Kelly, your description of stepping on a stone is exactly what It feels like. I got the new insoles today which I will start wearing tomorrow to see if it helps at all. I will stretch the calf as well, plus try the frozen water bottle idea. It is so painful, and my assistant commented that I am limping again because of it, which I will have to curb.

The knee was pretty unhappy all day and swollen a bit. I was in the car for 4 hours yesterday and sitting for long spells which didn't help. I think maybe I did overdo it a bit in the pool, will just have to be careful. I don't want to agitate the knee but at the same time know I need to work rom and strengthening. It's a balancing act for sure.

Be well friends,

Dawn
 
Dawn good to hear you are progressing. It is not a straight progression, as you know by now. It is up and down. Glad to hear you are in a warm pool doing exercises. I know it is easy to overdo in a warm pool, cause it feels wonderful. Even before my surgery, that pool was the only place I had to go to be pain free. Sounds like you are doing all the right things. It is just going to take longer. Your ROM is better than mine! When I went to PT for my neck they measured me and I was maybe 107 and not quite 0. I can do everything well so I will work on it. I have been using a big exercise ball to gain ROM and it is working.
My daughter continues to improve and she has started to run 2 miles at a time!!! Makes me crazy, but she feels fine!.
 
Hi Mimi, so good to hear from you! Glad your daughter continues to improve, she is quite a success story. However, as a Mom, it doesn't make you worry any less, right? I do hope she keeps improving. And I hope you feel better soon as well.

The pool is wonderful, and the time flew right by. I haven't spent an hour exercising in forever, so I do need to keep this in mind. As you said, it simply takes time. I know with persistence, I will continue to improve. Now if I can kick this plantar fasciatis, I will be really happy.

Pool again tomorrow morning. Will check back after.

Dawn
 
Hi Dawn,
Haven't read threads in a few days. I'm fascinated that you have pt in a pool. I am definitely jealous! I can't find anything like that here, but I'm going to ask around a bit more. It's not surprising your knee reacted, and four hours in a car...that's too much! But I'm glad the therapy seems to be helping. You go, girl!
 
Thanks Judy! The car ride is unavoidable, but I do try to stretch as best I can, and stay squirmy in the seat!

It was interesting doing pt in the pool. The resistance of the water is gentle but does help with toning and the warmth is great when stretching. I go again this morning. The pool is in our very small country hospital, donated by a wealthy family many years ago. It truly is a gift to the community. I saw quite a few people there taking advantage of it, many with TKR badges of honor. Thankfully it is only a few minutes away from home. Once I know what I am doing, I plan to start going on my own. They also offer an exercise class 3 days a week so as I get stronger that will be next. I hope you can find something like this as it may really help to keep your rom increasing.

Time to get moving, have a great day out there!

Dawn
 
Judy, I did warm water exercise for years prior to my TKR in a therapeutic warm water pool in a physical therapy pool. It was the only way to relieve my pain. Call some physical therapy places and see if they have such a pool.

Now I work out in the indoor pool in my community. It is not the 94 degrees of the therapeutic pool. It is usually 86 degrees. It feels cold to go in, however once your body adjusts to the temperature, the workout result is the same. I usually run in the water for the first 5 min., then do grapevines, walk backwards and forwards,then I am warmed up. Use a noodle and bicycle front and backwards all around the pool. I wear pool shoes and use a float belt. In shallow water and I am with my shoulders in the water, , it provides resistance and in deep water it keeps you up. I can bicycle with it on in deep water with no noodle. Give it a try, you just have to warm up first in the water.
 
Dawn, I just thought of something too. I suffered with the plantar fascia tis all summer---but, the only shoes that I could walk in with any degree of comfort were Kalso Eartha Shoes. I have two pairs and I wore them all summer---I stayed much more comfortable when wearing them. I think mabe because they gently stretch the calf while you are wearing them? I know they are expensive (and clunky) --but, if you have to work and walk, I think it would be worth it to try a pair. Some of the new ones are not too bad. Make sure the heel is lower in the shoe---I see that they make high heels now too. The difference was extraordinary for me. Also, I wore crocs at all times in the house---I think walking bare footed makes everything worse. The crocs were cushy and helped somewhat too. I wore them at all times in the house.

If you don't want to go the Earth shoe route--maybe you take a pair of crocs to the office and only wear them in your office when no one else is there but employees. They do not say "office attire" to me, but my heel did hurt and I was willing to try anything!!! Kelly. It is now Nov and the problem is greatly relieved--but it took almost 5 months to clear up. K
 
Thanks Kelly, I will check out the earth shoes and also the crocs. At this point i don't care what they cost or look like, as long as the pain stops. When I mentioned the plantar fasciatis to the pt she said I had relatively flat feet, which contributes to the issue. I did try the new heel seats I bought and they worked pretty well. I will keep trying them and see if it helps.

Today in the pool was good. They had me doing a motion in the deep end like cross country skiing. That was quite a workout! It seemed so strange to be sweating in a pool! The knee felt pretty good all day. I really like this option, wish I had done it a year ago.

Onward and upward!

Dawn
 
Check out Orthaheels - this is what they are designed for. Zappos and Footsmart, among others, carry a variety of styles, inclucing perhaps the most important item - slippers!
 
Yes, I have been living in an orthaheel maryjane and I love it! They also help you to strike your heel first. On the footsmart site they even have boots. Worth a look.
 
Had another pt session in the pool yesterday. It feels good to get the stretching done in the warm water. It's also amazing to me that the simple task of walking and stair stepping is made more difficult in the water, in a good way. Also working on balance while on one foot is helpful. It shows me I have a ways to go yet, but maybe I have found the keys to the kingdom....recovering more fully!

After we were done, I spent some time with my foot, heel and calf being massaged by the jets. That felt especially good. It's making me think I need one of two things at home; either a whirlpool tub in the master bathroom or a small hot tub! The warmth of the water and using the jets for specific massage feels so good!

I am hoping to get to a store where I can try on a pair of earth shoes or orthaheels. I am sort of between sizes and hate to go through ordering and returning. This plantar fasciatis is a giant pain in the you know what....hope it resolves soon.

So in an effort to set some goals for myself, I am writing them down to keep myself honest, so endulge me; I am going to a work conference for a week in January in Florida. I went last year and there was so much walking and it nearly killed me. My goal this year is to have enough stamina in knee and muscle strength, so that the TKR doesn't interfere with my enjoyment while there. Second goal is to be able to go on vacation in March and be able to sightsee without the knee cutting these adventures short. Third goal is to be able to get into and out of my kayak so hubby and I can enjoy the quiet water that is all around us in New England. Not aiming too high, just wanting something that resembles my life prior to TKR. Fingers crossed, prayers said!

Be well my friends and celebrate the little things; they add up!

Dawn
 
Dawn, those are really good goals!! We had a house with a hot tub in the bedroom and I hated it----it made everything in the room damp and sort of musty. We did put a hot tub in a bathroom when we had kids, they loved it. Now, I just go tot he spa. Lots of folks in Montana have outside hot tubs, which I think is the best. After you get out of the tub, it is fun to run back to the house through the snow!! Kelly
 
We had one outside in our other house. Best time was when it was snowing, to sit in the hot tub. Now, in the 55+ community we live in, we have an indoor pool and hot tub. It has been wonderful during mt TKR recovery. I would use it prior to going into the pool to warm up my joints.:dancy:
 
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