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TKR on the mend

Jan--- I hope it was decent Chardonnay! There is lots of so-so Chardonnay produced here (California) alongside the better tasting stuff. A recent favorite of ours is broken link removed: https://www.jamiesonranchvineyards.com/product/2012-Reata-Carneros-Chardonnay. It is not too oaky and has nice balance to it.

I am doing ok, but not as well as I had hoped. Week 7 to 8 found me with problematic low back pain that slowed down my activity. So, since last Friday I have taken it easy and Sunday through this morning I could have been mistaken for a sloth. But, this afternoon I got in my bike for 20 minutes and did some extension work (hold the leg on a foam roller for 5 minutes --- it kills me right now). I feel as if I have lost some ROM, but I am going to do wall heel sides with 3 pounds of weight and use therabands while laying on my stomach to pull my leg forward to work on flexion. I am only taking vicoden at night to help with sleep and it mostly works.

Like you, I plan on having my other knee replaced this year, probably in August when it is too hot here to do anything but stay inside. That knee is suffering from the increased load placed on it since the TKR.

You have done great and I enjoy reading about your experience, keep up the progress!
 
@janmont ,
Saw in another thread you were referring someone to your thread, just put a link to your thread in your signature. That will make it easier for others to find your thread.
Sounds like you are doing great, how was the pool?
 
Oh @janmont

Lucky you. I hope you enjoy the hydrotherapy. I loved it. It was six weeks of sheer bliss, I always came out so relaxed but you do work hard with out realising. I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Love Nana moon 27 xxx
 
@janmont good news on the kneeling! And the glasses of wine!
I've also been practising getting off the floor without holding on to anything and can do that now too. Not elegantly but it's improving! Off for a 4 mile hike today - hope I can manage it.
Enjoy the pool.
 
That trips sounds fantastic. I want to visit Nova Scotia--there is a big hike there and it would be so lovely.

3 glasses of wine! Lucky you. I had two the other night and it made my legs get so restless and then I couldn't take anything for it. Thinking this will ease with time.
 
Thanks everyone for the nice words. My piriformus muscle is bothering me today. My pt upped my step height on Monday. She said push through my heels when she saw me do it wrong. I wasn't bringing my knee to just over my toes I felt the muscle stretch and now it hurts. I am taking muscle relaxers. It's always something. Maybe more wine today, even the perc didn't help last night.

I haven't seen that chardanay but I know Ca. has some amazing wines that you can't buy here. I worked as a buyer for Central Market and had the good fortune of being friends with the wine buyer. I got to taste some amazing wine. My favorite is Konrad and Konrad savignon blanc from NewZeland. It is usually allocated to restaurants.
I went to the gym today, I rode the bike, got in the pool and did some stretches and water walking. I also tried to stretch the gluteus on the stretch machine, that helped. No pain meds today.
 
The periformis problem is an unwelcome add-on to the knee pain. I hope you find some relief from that so you can concentrate on healing! You are still making good progress and have kept steady on your PT. That is not the easiest thing to do, as you well know. I hope things continue to go well as you move ahead.

I know the Konrad Sauvignon Blanc, a great example of Marlborough style, which I love to drink during the summer.
 
janmont said:
She said push through my heels when she saw me do it wrong. I wasn't bringing my knee to just over my toes I felt the muscle stretch and now it hurts.
Click to expand...
Remember that "mechanics is muscle memory", and that often times we have to "relearn" the correct way to attain the proper gait---what feels correct may need some tweaking. Then the new mechanic---the correct one, feels weird and takes extra concentration.
 
When I was coaching football, I had to coach QB's to throw correctly---and many of them had lousy mechanics from poor coaching from when they were in leagues for smaller kids.

What felt natural to them was the worst mechanic for throwing that I had ever seen; so, while they changed their mechanistic, they felt awkward and the throwing motion felt unnatural.

Later on, when the dysfunctional mechanics were changed, the throwing motion was clean, crisp. and effective---and felt natural.

The same thing holds true for relearning how to walk after a TKR---for some time, our gait has possibly been dysfunctional, so it eventually felt "normal."

When you change these mechanics, it takes some time for what is correct to feel normal.

Hang in there---your mechanics will become new and clean again!
 
Thanks, that makes sense. It's been a week and it still bothers me more than the knee!
 
HI Jan, I feel your pain. My back continues to be worse than my knee. I am going to see the docs PT Thursday to see if he can help. My outpatient PT gave me some exercises for hip stabilization and they made the pain more intense and more frequent, so I stopped them! If my back felt as good as my knee, life would be easier.

I think what Tim has to say about relearning the mechanics is right. I concentrate very hard when walking to do the heel strike, transfer weight to mid-foot and push off on the fore foot. And, my new thing is posture as I do all of that so my hips and legs learn to work together again.

But, I am suspicious that it will take surgery on my left knee to cure the back problem.

I hope you are doing well and getting ready for your BC adventure! If you come near Northern Cal on the way, stop in for a glass or two of wine!
 
Hi @janmont just dropped by..how did the hydrotherapy class go. Your recovery will come in your own time. We all variate greatly because of the difference in how far deteriorated our knees, bones are, our physical fitness pre op. A whole host of things.

I've had more than my fair share of rotten recovery but at last things are going kind of well at last. The TKR is finally getting strong and at long last after over 12 weeks of hydro, followed by physio still ongoing, my quads are finally responding.

Please pop to my thread when you want a chat. You are more than welcome x x x

Love Nana moon 27 x x x
 
Thanks @Nana moon 27 , I know everyone is different, being a little overweight doesn't help either. I actually have never had hydro therapy, just pool class arobics. I was released from pt two weeks ago and now I do things at home and the gym. I been going to the stores and standing and walking for several hour at. Time. Sometimes I over do, but mostly it's ok. Some days I do nothing, I guess it's the energy drain everyone talks about. I am happy to hear you have turned corner, I was worried for you for a while. I wish I could have hydrotherapy.
I still take 7.325 hydrocodone at least once a day sometimes 2 a day. Those are the days I do too much. I have tried to move more to make the glutes stop bothering me and I have succeed with that. I think all the walking, standing and pool class has strengthened my muscles and glutes and that is worth a little knee pain. I dont take any pain meds before bed, I sleep fine. I am doing well over all, just a little longer and it will be all good. I still have swelling, my OS said I would for 6 months. I tried on some capris and my knee was too big for the legs of them. I guess I'll be in dresses, sweats and jeans for a while. I usually wear shorts because it is so hot here, we'll see how it goes.
 
@janmont,

You'll be back in your capris by the summer x aquacise or aqua aerobics is brilliant. I love the feeling when you come out and you feel exhilarated and sooo good x

Please be aware that you are in the early stages of recovery still. There bound to be discomfort but not terrible pain. If there is, then you maybe overdoing it a touch.

I still cannot stand for more than fifteen minutes at a time. My non TKR starts that bad and I still get some swelling in the TKR since revision. It does feel heaps better since revision x

As soon as I can get up to my caravan in Wales, I'm rejoining the class there. The pool is spotless and everyone's so welcoming. Even better there is all us over 50's, all shapes and sizes, no one cares less and the pool is completely closed for the hour to anyone else. Therefore privacy is ensured. I'm looking forward to hopefully returning to that at Easter if I don't get called in for my op x x

My hamstrings and glutes are great but still some weakness in the quads. It's probably more to do with the fact that my mobility is limited walking wise. Plus I gained a stone and a half through the immobility. I won't use our local public pools. Not great at all. I'm probably over fussy but I can't help how I am x x

Please take good care of yourself, yes, push yourself gently, test your limits but recognise when it's not right. I've achieved more through being gentle since the revision.

You're doing great x x x
 
@janmont Noticed your bit about NZ wines. We were lucky enough to go to Hawkes Bay and had an evening visiting vineyards. First Vidal for a starter, then Craggy Ranges for the main course and then the Mission for dessert. Wonderful food and wine at each stop! It was magical.

Hope you are feeling better. Your knee swelling will go down but you are only as Nana Moon said in the early days yet. After two months I bet you begin to see small improvements each day. There'll be no stopping you.
Best wishes
 
Hi Janmont - happy to hear that all is going well! I think it's great that you are able to go to water aerobics - I bet that will do you just as much good as formal hydrotherapy. At this point it's more just getting used to doing things again and keep working to recover flex and strength, as I keep telling myself, both of those will take time.
 
Does a grade 4 mean a harder recovery? My 1 year old knee, the worst one, hurts along with the 10 week old one when I do assisted squats and lunges. Both hurt almost the same. The 2nd knee recovery is much better.
 
@janmont Beats me.Just means it's in pretty bad shape.
Both of mine are fours so there ya go lol.
I'll have to let you know on the 2nd one.
What I'm seeing here on the forum no two are alike.
Good luck the rest of the way.

Dave
 
@janmont, from what I've learned on bonesmart, lunges & squats are really tough on the knees. Maybe that isn't the best thing for you to be doing. I'm sure there will be other comments about this. Good luck in your recovery☺
 
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