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TKR One year after surgery

I would anticipate you will be fine for the road trip in July. At worst, you might just need to stop a few more times than normal to get out of the car and stretch.
 
I am so with you on the stupid socks, wore them for 3 weeks, but then was supposed to carry on wearing them at night for I don't know how long, after a week they had their final wash and they're gone , much more comfortable now. Moving in bed is easier, and no more constricting rolls. At 4 weeks post up, with aforementioned puppy, I'm up and down a lot, so I'm not too worried.
 
As long as you stop for breaks you'll be ok. The knee will be stiff when you get out of the car after a few hours, but will loosen up as you walk around the rest area.
 
I am five monts post op. At two months we did a five hour trip. With a stop it was fine ( usually we never stop). For the last month ( months four to five) we have done a long road trip covering some six thousand miles. Some 10 hour days.. Now my knee does not even notice and get stiff! It did a little when we left Feb5. Nothing March 7.
I expect you will just be fine!
 
Little Red Canoe - you drove to Florida, (and obviously further), right? Good to know you didn't have many problems.

We normally have to stop every couple of hours on a trip to get out a stretch or make a pit stop. My husband is very active and doesn't appear to have any issues until we stop - then he hobbles out of the car just like me. He must have a little arthritis settling into his hips.

P.T. went well this morning and it was a relief when the therapist indicated I didn't need to worry about an MUA. He said if the swelling went down, the motion would probably double (duh!) but seemed pleased at how well the knee was doing after 3 visits. He doesn't usually say much so it was exciting to hear.

 
*sigh* It isn't my imagination. My right knee is now officially jealous of all the attention the left one is getting and has decided to start being difficult. Judging from the latest x-rays, the inside of the knee's cartilage is gone; it's just a matter of time before the other side disappears. It doesn't hurt as much as the other when it was bone on bone, but it's starting to ache and ice helps it. Anyone have any suggestions about how to help support the knee? It must be benefitting from the p.t. but I was wondering about stretchy knee supports which offer a bit of compression. If you've had any experience with one, would love to hear what you think. Thanks!
 
It's not unusual for the "good" knee to start hurting, because it has been doing extra work while your TKR knee recovers. It takes more of the load, which can stress it. My left leg first started giving me pain after I had my right knee replaced, 5 years ago.

If you're lucky, as your left knee heals it will resume its share of the work and your right knee may settle down again. There's no way of telling how fast your right knee will deteriorate. You may need a TKR on that knere too, or you may not.

It wouldn't hurt to ice both knees for a while, if you can.
 
I agree with Celle. My right knee was painful all through recovery, but once my TKR got stronger it took over stairs and the majority of the work load. I do need it replaced now, but you may get some time out of it still.
 
Hopefully y'all are right about the other knee not needing to be replaced for a while although it would make sense (insurance wise) to do it this year.

Does your knee click? All the time or just occasionally? The OS said people always come in and ask him about it so he tells them in advance that it will do so. I just didn't realize it would happen so frequently. It may drive me a little crazy.

Karri B - Every time I see a posting of yours, I think about the 6 weeks spent in Pittsburgh in December 1996 - January 1997. A family member was there in the hospital and I'd never seen so much snow or experienced such cold....it takes a hardy soul to live in that town! I would walk from the hotel to hospital and everyplace else and couldn't get used to going from the extreme cold into overly warm buildings. By the time I got home, the skin on my back and shoulders looked like it was rusted because of the extremes. The food was certainly good and hardy and everyone was very nice but it was wonderful to get back home.
 
LaurenKate, it is notoriously cold in downtown Pittsburgh because of all the rivers which seem to create more wind. The baseball park and football stadium are right on the river, so they can get really cold! I live about 20 minutes North or the city. I'm glad to hear the people of Pittsburgh were nice, that's something I hear a lot.

Here's something about the clicking from your knee.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/clicking-clunking-knee-joint-after-surgery.13534/
 
A cautionary tale, a retired cardiologist friend and his wife took many long road trips. After one particularly long day, his wife developed a DVT which resolved itself into a pulmonary embolism and several days in the hospital. He then suggested that there is a reason to stop and walk around the car frequently. I have found that the non-industrial strength knee-high compression socks are actually comfortable. Mine look like crew socks. I had them on for our flights from Chile to Montana last January, about 24 hours and they aren't uncomfortable. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Ok.....it's been about 9 weeks since surgery. There is a little bit of improvement each day although icing and elevating are still part of the daily routine. P.T. is going well although I'm getting a little antsy about it. Still can't count on restful night's sleep but I probably haven't slept through the night in 10 years. Swelling is still an issue but not as much as two or three weeks ago; biggest complaint is the tightness & feeling like a giant rubber band is being twisted around my knee all the time.

All in all, this process has been better than expected but was wondering.....at what point did you stop thinking about your knee? 6/7 months out?
 
Here's an article for you about the tight rubber band feeling:
"Tight band" feeling across the front of my knee

I hardly think about my knees at all now, but they are 2 and 5 years old. I can't remember when I stopped thinking about them, but it was probably at about a year. It's a gradual process. One day you'll probably realise that you haven't thought about your knee all day.
 
Thank you Celle; I've actually copied that article to give to the physician's assistant if he starts in about an MUA at my next appointment. It is an annoying sensation but better than the bone on bone pain.
 
Hello everyone....just realized I had my left tkr one year ago today. Whew. It's been an experience. I have one odd question and wondered if anyone else experienced the same because I can't tell if this is my imagination or what.

In the past year, arthritis has really settled into my bones. In addition, the my left leg is still numb from the knee to the ankle (peripheral neuropathy which set in before the surgery) and it's still slightly swollen (some days worse than others). Anyway, here's my question....does the rise or fall in barometric pressure make your knee replacement (leg) feel tighter?

That doesn't make any sense because there isn't any bone there - but cold, damp weather makes it feel as stiff and creaky as my other joints. It doesn't hurt like my other joints but it just seems strange.
 
My new knee is definitely bothered by weather. Rain or snow coming makes it more uncomfortable and being outside in cold temperatures makes it very uncomfortable and stiff. None of that bothered me before surgery. :blackcloud:
 
I’m at Mother Nature’s mercy since my tkr with a mcl repair (July 5 2107). But, I’ve found that a lightweight compression brace helps my new knee tremendously.
 
Hello again, @Laurenkate
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread.
For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on - it gives a complete picture of your recovery.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here.
Don't worry that we won't see your question because, between us, the staff read all new posts every day.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.
 
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