Hitech
member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2014
- Messages
- 142
- Age
- 78
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Male
I think it all started about 20 years ago when I had a bad fall skiing and really wrenched my LT leg. from that day on I had pain. About 10 years ago I went to an "ortho" and he did an arthroscopic "repair" and the left knee was never the same after that. It clicked and popped and was swollen at the end of every day.
About 5 years ago I started having pain in the posterior area of the joint on the left knee and general stabbing pain the the right knee and I just lived with it. In the last year or so I was in constant pain and could not stand for more that 5-6 minutes. So I had an "evaluation" of the knees. An MRI showed bone on bone in the left knee and advanced arthritis in the patella and adjoining joint area of the right knee. In technical terms he said my knees were "shot".
My biggest concern was the how I was going to cover the time off needed to have the surgery and recovery which he said,in the "best case", was 6 weeks. I asked him to evaluate me for doing both at the same time to shorten the total recovery time. So I had health work-ups and testing which cleared me for the bilateral procedure which was done on September 10, 2013. I had general and a spinal. When I woke up there was no pain or feeling in the legs due to the spinal. They also had me on the normal pain medications so I was anticipating the coming pain.
The day after surgery they got me up and I took about 20 or so steps and still had no pain in the knees. The upper thighs felt like someone had uses them for a punching bag. I had a catheter for two days so I had no need to get up - the pain med's took care of me needing to use the john at all . The knees were stiff and the thighs were sore but nothing like I was expecting. They had the ice machine going while I was in bed and I had the compression stockings. They would put the passive motion machines on both legs but I was not having any knee pain at all.
I was released on day 4 and went to a short term rehab center which was great. I did have trouble sleeping at night because I was used to sleeping on my side not my back. With the compression stockings removed at night the legs were very sensitive to the slightest touch of the sheets on the sides of the knees - not pain but just very uncomfortable.
I stopped taking the oral pain med's and and the catheter was removed. I had a walker by the bed and I got up by myself to use the bathroom and I was amazed that all my previous pain was gone. I used a walker to get around for the first 2 days in rehab then while holding by wife's hand, walked all over the place including outside. The next morning I went to rehab without my walker of anything and they could not believe it.
I worked very hard in rehab and was over 90 deg ROM after day 7. I escaped from short term on day 16 and then had outpatient twice a week. I returned to work (including driving) 3 weeks to the day after surgery. I ceased outpatient after 2 weeks with a ROM of 115. I have continued to do my stretches and strengthening exercises and my current ROM on both is 128. My LT knee is a bit "noisier" than the RT but I feel great.
There is a Video of me on day 6 after Surgery further on.
About 5 years ago I started having pain in the posterior area of the joint on the left knee and general stabbing pain the the right knee and I just lived with it. In the last year or so I was in constant pain and could not stand for more that 5-6 minutes. So I had an "evaluation" of the knees. An MRI showed bone on bone in the left knee and advanced arthritis in the patella and adjoining joint area of the right knee. In technical terms he said my knees were "shot".
My biggest concern was the how I was going to cover the time off needed to have the surgery and recovery which he said,in the "best case", was 6 weeks. I asked him to evaluate me for doing both at the same time to shorten the total recovery time. So I had health work-ups and testing which cleared me for the bilateral procedure which was done on September 10, 2013. I had general and a spinal. When I woke up there was no pain or feeling in the legs due to the spinal. They also had me on the normal pain medications so I was anticipating the coming pain.
The day after surgery they got me up and I took about 20 or so steps and still had no pain in the knees. The upper thighs felt like someone had uses them for a punching bag. I had a catheter for two days so I had no need to get up - the pain med's took care of me needing to use the john at all . The knees were stiff and the thighs were sore but nothing like I was expecting. They had the ice machine going while I was in bed and I had the compression stockings. They would put the passive motion machines on both legs but I was not having any knee pain at all.
I was released on day 4 and went to a short term rehab center which was great. I did have trouble sleeping at night because I was used to sleeping on my side not my back. With the compression stockings removed at night the legs were very sensitive to the slightest touch of the sheets on the sides of the knees - not pain but just very uncomfortable.
I stopped taking the oral pain med's and and the catheter was removed. I had a walker by the bed and I got up by myself to use the bathroom and I was amazed that all my previous pain was gone. I used a walker to get around for the first 2 days in rehab then while holding by wife's hand, walked all over the place including outside. The next morning I went to rehab without my walker of anything and they could not believe it.
I worked very hard in rehab and was over 90 deg ROM after day 7. I escaped from short term on day 16 and then had outpatient twice a week. I returned to work (including driving) 3 weeks to the day after surgery. I ceased outpatient after 2 weeks with a ROM of 115. I have continued to do my stretches and strengthening exercises and my current ROM on both is 128. My LT knee is a bit "noisier" than the RT but I feel great.
There is a Video of me on day 6 after Surgery further on.
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