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Knee Infection* One Good Leg.

After 6 weeks of PT for plantar fasciitis I've been released. The ROM in my right foot was far better than my left at the beginning and even better at the end! Left without PF was 8, right with PF was 15 to start and 19 at the end. The pain is not totally gone, but is far less, even in the am or after a day of teaching. My PT does think retirement will benefit my foot. I did learn that my calves are not very strong at all. There were no exercises that caused pain in my foot, but one computer game I played by raising up on my toes while laying down caused soreness in the back of my calves, almost to the point of a Charlie horse. In the beginning I could barely play for a minute, but was able to do 3 minutes today. Oddly my foot didn't hurt, but my calf did! A few times while the pt was massaging my foot/calf area I could feel a knot in my calf and discomfort while the pt tried to work it out.

So I'm to continue stretching 3x a day or the PF will come back. Think I'll stretch the left as well just to be sure!
 
Hi dear KarriB:

How are you? I too am grateful to you for all of your help, support and repeated efforts to reach out...

One of the best things I ever learned, when it comes to aching, sore, right calves/upper legs, was the art of trigger-point therapy. I think I began researching it when I had my left hip replaced about a year and a half ago. It ha been a lifesaver for my legs and it really "busts" up (which is to say it smooths them out) the painful nerve points that can develop when working to get stronger muscles.
It's fairly easy to do on yourself- I won't go into detail here...just type in 'trigger point therapy' in your browser bar on your computer.
If you do end up taking advantage of it please let me know how it works out for you. Big hugs to you woman!!
Diana
 
Diana, last night a video came across my FB feed of a trigger point massage for plantar fasciitis. It's a little hard to do on your own foot, but I'm very flexible and think I'll be able to do it. The PTs did trigger point on my foot and calf, my could I feel the knot in my calf! Now I need to figure out how to build up my calf muscles here at home. I am planning on joining the YMCA in the fall since I won't be at work, so maybe a trainer there can help me. Thanks so much for the tip!
 
Karri:
So good for you that you may get some help for your PF through trigger point massage- I think I may have mentioned to you that I had it at one time about 15 years ago...a lot of ballet and releve work (dancing on tip-toe). For some reason it went away all on it's own but I had it for a month or so..,

At the end of the day, when my entire leg is screaming "ENOUGH ALREADY!!" I start some simple, 15 minute trigger point therapy exercises. I don't if this is what you experience with your leg but I can get a significant amount of nerve pain which annoys the bee-jesus out of me. I can't sleep with this kind of discomfort.

So, I lie down on the floor (can do this while watching TV) and I take a tennis ball and place it underneath my recovery leg. Then I sit up with legs still flat on the floor and tennis ball underneath the leg; it can be anywhere under the leg, doesn't have to be in any specific spot. I find that if I gently start rolling my leg OVER the tennis ball, (leaning most of my body weight somewhat over the recovering leg) the ball just naturally starts to "hit" parts of the leg where your nerves are "pinched" thereby causing you to have the nerve pain. Believe me, you'll know when you've "hit" a pinched nerve! When you get a "hit" on a nerve that's pinched simply let the tennis ball rest on that nerve for about 30 seconds- (make sure you're leaning that upper body weight over the recovery leg, you'll get more positive effects with the weight on the pinched nerve. You will also feel the nerve quivering up and down the length of your entire leg. If you're doing it right it WILL BE UNCOMFORTABLE! But ohhhh....when you're finished the nerve pain RELIEF is so awesome...btw, this is great for calves, backwork, shoulders..mi love it, 'specially cause i can watch tv while I'm doing it. Not that you asked for this explanation of how I do it...I think I just love it so much i like to tell people about it...hope I didn't bore you silly, but oh well...if you read this just before you go to bed, and it really IS boring, you're guaranteed a good night's sleep, ha ha

Hope all else is going well- cloudy and cool here today in funky little Johnstown.
Diana
 
When the PTs did trigger point therapy on my foot and calf the foot didn't really hurt, but my calf...eeeek! I've learned my PF is probably due to my lack of calf strength. I found a ball on Amazon that looks like it may replicate the trigger point therapy. I may try it. I'm amazed you can get up and down off the floor at this point. I didn't dare get down on the floor. At five months I tripped/fell in my basement and got up by going up the stairs on my backside. I've had PF since my TKR, so,it's been over two years. I was so thankful my knee worked I tried to ignore the heel pain.
 
Oh, cool. If you found something in Amazon that works, go for it.

As far as getting up and down off the floor, if you only SAW ME doing it you'd be rolling on the floor yourself...laughing hysterically
:headbang:
 
@RestAssured and @Josephine I saw my friend who had a TKR with infection a year after me. Her original OS didn't believe it was infected, washed out with saline only and put her on an antibiotic without taking any tissue samples during the wash out surgery. My friend, Cheryl, couldn't get another OS to look at her knee because not enough time has passed. I encouraged her to then go to an ID, which she did by heading to the hospital the ID was working at, she was admitted and the next day a different OS (in the same practice) took out the knee and put in the antibiotic spacer. Six-eight weeks later labs were good so they put in a new TKR, however the infection had gone down to the bone and a LOT of bone was cut off during the first stage of the revision.

A year and a few months later her TKR is hot and swollen again. The OS had told her if the infection returned he may have to amputate her leg as there wasn't enough bone left to do another 2 stage revision. When I saw her yesterday I mentioned Dr. Maale and told her she should contact him before going through another surgery.

What are your thoughts? Did I give good advice?
 
You gave her excellent advice.
Dr Maale has saved more than one members leg. She can have a consultation over the phone, for another opinion.
Here is a link to his office, you can forward it to her. broken link removed: https://dfwsarcoma.com
 
Chris, I just sent her the link. I'm just sick about this. Her ID didn't keep her on a maintenance antibiotic. I know that's not perfect, but when you are in her situation it would be better than an infection again. I thank the Lord everyday I have the Drs I have.

Thanks, Chris!
 
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That's a very sad story indeed. I hope your friend can have a good outcome to her problems with her knee. It's hard to find competent and caring doctors. The statistics you see on line don't always show the true picture of a doctor. I will say some extra prayers for her.
 
Marian, my friends original OS was one of our choices when my dad was taken by ambulance with a broken hip. I told the nurse, under no circumstances was that dr to touch my father. She was very surprised and then asked why? I told her about numerous people who have had issues with this dr. She replied that they never see his patients come back to the hospital and I said that's because they have to find other physicians to care for them.

I wanted to put him back in the ambulance to transport to another hospital where my OS could care for him, but Dad was in too much pain. The alternate, younger OS was great though. We really liked him.

But my friend with the infection hasn't been able to work in over a year. She's a chef, so on her feet a lot.
 
I hope she gives them a call in the morning. She should exhaust all possibilities before agreeing to anything as drastic as an amputation.
My MIL had an infection after her THR, she was on doxycycline the rest of her life, she did very well. Surprised she was not kept on something.
 
@KarriB, you've come to the right place to tell about your friend. She'll get lot's of prayer from many of us. Please keep us informed on how she's doing.
 
Chris, I've been on doxycycline since I went off the rafapim and IV antibiotics. My ID started me at 200mg and lowered it to 100mg a year after the infection and I'm ok on it. At first I was upset at the thought of antibiotics forever, but the more I thought about the infection the better I liked the idea. Now I don't want to go off and pray my labs are good every six months.

Cheryl hadn't yet called her OS, she just noticed the heat and swelling on Friday. But I also hope she calls. Yesterday she said I can go with her to Texas since I'll be retired in a few weeks! I'm not sure she wait that long though. That's what did her in before, it was weeks before she could get anyone to take a second look at her knee.

@sistersinhim , my friend is also a pastor's wife and the mother of two of my past students. I appreciate your prayers and know she will too.
 
Your description of the ID doctor's method of surgery was appalling. Wrong in so many ways I cannot begin to list them. I am not at all surprised she is bad again as her infection was never properly treated in the first place. And certainly there is a lot more can be done before she even needs to think about amputation! The very idea! What an incompetent man.
 
I will keep her in my prayers and hope every thing works out. She is lucky to have you there for her with all the right advice.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Hi Karri:
I've been out of commission so to speak for the past few days...then had to take a couple of days to "re-sign" up with BS.
So sorry to hear about your friend...I can't even imagine the angst she must be going through.
Good to hear that you're doing fine...
 
I'm sorry your friend has to go through all that. She's lucky to have a caring friend there for her, especially one who'd been there! I'm also glad you're doing so well. Take care.
 
@KarriB

Dr. Maale has worked on people who have been told their only option was amputation! One woman had so much bone cut off by her former OS that Dr. Maale had to put the knee in the thigh! She is one happy camper today and she gets down on the floor to play with her grandkids. I have to say, when I first saw her new knee, I was a little shocked. But, it works perfectly!:idea:
 
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