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TKR One year kneeversary

My PTs used kinesiology tape for my Plantar Fasciitis. But it wouldn't stay on my foot.
 
I've read about this but never knew of anyone who actually tried it. It does look impressively bad***. Looking forward to your firsthand report!
 
I've heard of it and actually have some. It didn't work for me for my pre surgical pain but you now have me thinking about it for my post surgical swelling.

Hmmmm not going to PT anymore so not sure who to ask about applying it correctly.
 
I've actually used it on my good knee when it's been pesky. It was recommended to me by a massage therapist who also happens to be a runner. It did help alleviate some pressure for me at that time, but I don't know that it would work on my current tree stump leg? Still, what've you got to lose and hey, it looks seriously *bad*!
 
Oh boy do I have experience with it.
Positive : after first meniscus tear 4 years ago, it helped stability. Used it for one week. So much better than the clumsy ace bandage.
Negative: Just one month before this TKR:
They must have changed the glue or I got some different brand because after only 5 hours I got a serious allergic reaction and hives all over the knee where the tape was put on. It was a frightful sight and itched terribly.
The pimples were still there at evaluation before TKR op and nurse said to make sure all was healed before operation day.
With the aid of real lavender oil (from apothecary) They all healed in time.
 
Wow @VW54, happily I'm having no adverse reaction but don't think it's doing much to make a difference otherwise!
 
SO FRUSTRATED ABOUT PT!
The saga continues...went to PT clinic closer to home today, they could only fit me in at their downtown D.C. location for 4 visits before I transfer to the location 8 blocks from my house...
The PT basically refuted everything I told her about how I wanted my PT to be conducted. She didn't do anything except take some measurements and assessments but we talked quite a bit about her methods. I told her I was okay with manipulation but only to point of discomfort, and she replied that I would not achieve sufficient improvement unless I was willing to tolerate some pain.
Told her I needed her guarantee that if I tell her to stop when she is manipulating that she will. She was reluctant to agree but finally did.
Just not feeling good about going back there on Friday, nor am I feeling great about continuing with this clinic at any of their locations. I wish I had stuck with my original plan to go to the Clinic where I had PT previously but several neighbors recommended this other and so I thought I'd check them out as it is so convenient to home. But convenience isn't everything!
Of course underlying this indecision is the recurrent fear that I will not progress in ROM without PT. (been at 90 flexion and -10 extension for two weeks. )
For those of you who didn't do PT or did very little, what was your ROM progrssion like? I feel like I can get to -5 on extension, which is where my other knee is, but I am worried about flexion. Oh yeah, PT told me today that manipulating of scar was going to be very important to freeing up movement too (?!?)
 
@keefsmom, Arrrgghh! You said "convenience isn't everything," and you're right. Sure it's great if it happens to coincide with your plan, but if not, well...not so much. How far away and or inconvenient is the place you liked for PT prior to THE KNEE? It sounds as though they would be your best bet?

I know many will say just drop the PT, but most Americans (perhaps not all) are under tremendous pressure from their surgeons to at least give it the old college try. Most surgeons would not be pleased with a forever bend of just 90 degrees and I'm fairly certain most patients wouldn't be either. I know I live in fear of not achieving the *magic* numbers and I don't think I am unusual in that respect. We are thoroughly brainwashed when it comes to believing another way might work, despite the success stories we read here.

So far, my PT has been a touchy compromise. I allow manipulation to the point of discomfort, just bordering on pain. When I say enough, he says "Are you sure?" I say yes and he stops. Yesterday, he asked if he could massage my kneecap; egads! I allowed it because I knew he would respect my *enough.* Guess what? It wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was kinda/sorta pleasant. He was very gentle. He also said it was important to *freeing* things up. When I got home, I was looser and more pain-free for the rest of the day and into the night. I still am. You can be as well, IF you find someone who respects your *enough.*
 
Just catching up on your thread, and am impressed with how well you're doing! I've had both knees replaced, and had two very different recovery experiences. With the first TKR, I didn't completely listen to the suggestions given here, in that I let my PT work my knee more than necessary. However, I didn't do much between sessions other than walk and do some gentle stretching. Once I quit PT at 9 weeks, my knee settled down and my ROM improved quickly. With knee #2, I followed the Bonesmart instructions to the letter. I had 6 visits from a visiting PT, and made it very clear that I wasn't going to overdo the exercises. All we did was walk, do some heel slides and passive stretches by hanging my leg over the side of the bed and letting gravity do it's thing. I added more activity slowly along the way. My flexion came faster with the second TKR because it wasn't constantly irritated. I didn't hit the 90 deg. flex benchmark, that so many surgeons insist upon at 6 weeks, and both knees have had the same outcome. The first one took a lot longer to get there, since I was pushing it too much. I now have 0 ext/135+ flexion in both knees! It's so hard to wait for the healing to happen on it's own, but it really does. The body knows what to do. I hope this helps.
 
@Pheebs52 it IS hard to buck OS's recommendation particularly as I think he's a great surgeon and I will want him to do knee no. 2 when time comes.
@swmrgirl thanks for sharing your two approaches, really is helpful. I am psyching myself up for next encounter I want to be ready to say no but open to suggestions at same time. Hard to strike that balance. I just didn't get a good vibe from this place today. I think DH and I are going to pop into their other location in our neighborhood tomorrow to see if that facility is nicer, better appointed with equipment, etc.
 
keefsmom said:
Of course underlying this indecision is the recurrent fear that I will not progress in ROM without PT. (been at 90 flexion and -10 extension for two weeks. )
For those of you who didn't do PT or did very little, what was your ROM progression like? I feel like I can get to -5 on extension, which is where my other knee is, but I am worried about flexion. Oh yeah, PT told me today that manipulating of scar was going to be very important to freeing up movement too (?!?)
Click to expand...
It's not even 4 weeks yet since you had your TKR and you're already at 90 degrees! That is really very good. Most surgeons don't expect 90 degrees until 6 weeks.

I think that there is far too much emphasis placed on measuring ROM. Your knee will continue to improve and all that measuring just worries you.

Yes, I'm going to advise you to give your knee a complete break from all PT and exercises for a month, except for the things you do in your daily life. You see, it's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.

All the exercising you're doing, plus an over-keen therapist, are what is holding back your knee's healing and ROM. Doing too much exercise, and forcing your knee irritates your wounded soft tissues, which makes them swell up still more, which in turn lessens ROM. It's a vicious circle.
Knee recovery - Lose the Work Ethic!!

Instead of going to PT, spend extra time resting, icing and elevating your knee, to help reduce swelling.

I did no PT at all for my last TKR, and only went to two sessions for the one before that. Both my knees are strong and reliable. They straighten fully and bend to somewhere between 125 and 130 degrees. I don't know the exact number, because my ROM has never been measured. My surgeon doesn't measure (he forbids PT for the first month after surgery, too). He just says "show me what you can do. Function is far more important than the numbers.

Manipulating the scar is completely unnecessary, too. Your PT is misinformed.
Mother Nature is pretty good at doing her job of healing, without outside intervention.

Pheebs52 said:
I know many will say just drop the PT, but most Americans (perhaps not all) are under tremendous pressure from their surgeons to at least give it the old college try. Most surgeons would not be pleased with a forever bend of just 90 degrees and I'm fairly certain most patients wouldn't be either.
Click to expand...
What do you want to do? Please your surgeon, or have a good knee recovery? Read the article I left above.

Who gave you the impression that your ROM would halt at 90 degrees if you don't go to PT? It just isn't so.

In any case, there's really no need to discuss PT with your surgeon. He/she can recommend it, but you are an adult and you are in charge of your knee. Not going to PT will not prevent your ROM from improving.
And ROM can continue to improve for a year, or even longer, after a TKR.

This is what one of our members wrote about the slow development of her ROM. (Thank you, @Campervan ) As you can see, her flexion continued to improve for a long time.
"I had a slow recovery. Here's my flex measurements at various points:
92 - 8 weeks post op
105 - 10 weeks
107 - 5 months
110 - 6 months
112 - 7 months
116 - 9 months
119 - 11 months
118 - 1 yr
120 - 1yr 2 months
125 - 1 yr 8 months"
 
There's a place for PT, but only if it helps your recovery. So much of American PT focuses on training, not rehabilitation. Make the knee stronger, they say, and no pain, no gain. This philosophy leads to stressing the knee when it is at its most traumatized and vulnerable. I have had to moderate every PT I have worked with. It helps to be a stubborn cuss. I might even have converted one. I frustrate him, but I also have better results than his other patients! Is that just me? Or is it that I don't let him push me too hard?

If you can find a PT you are comfortable working with, that's the one for you. If you can't find that elusive creature, or PT becomes a great inconvenience, you're better off to postpone PT until later when your knee is more recovered and you are ready for the strength training so much PT focuses on.
 
My PT had me believing my ROM was slow and said I need to work more. But I slowed him down and just did what I was comfortable with and did none of the exercises at home. I was going twice a week.

At week 4 I was at 100 and then went up by anotther 2 or so each appointment. It felt agonizingly slow. By week 8 I was at 113 and I told them I wanted to stop therapy all together and see what happens. I did no formal exercise at home except my stationary bike.

Yesterday at my 12 week follow up appointment I was at 126. Even though I still feeling great swelling each day my ROM went up from 113 to 126 in one month with no PT. It can be done and I am much happier not worrying about each appointment.
 
@Celle to be clear, I have done very little at home exercises--just what Josephine prescribes plus using the mini peddling machine for 10 mins or so about 3x a day mostly because it feels good to loosen up. So no aggressive PT so far. I think I'm going to shop around a bit for a different therapist whom I will trust more. I hate that I am spending all this time and $ chasing the right PT though, so I hear you on the drop the PT advice!
Thanks for sharing campervan's progression, and thanks @flyaway79 for your story and sage advice.!
 
@Celle, I'd like a good knee recovery AND a good working relationship with my surgeon because I have another knee that will need surgery and I want him as my surgeon. I really don't think that's a difficult concept to understand nor grounds for a lecture. Like @keefsmom, on days I have no PT, I am barely doing any exercise; just the basics, as outlined by Bonesmart. While I fully appreciate the Bonesmart philosophy, that doesn't mean I am opposed to other options as commonly practiced here, PT being one of them. My therapist has been gentle, and strictly concentrating on ROM, so I feel fortunate to have found him.
 
I would have been so upset if my OS had felt a 90 degree bend was insufficient. I would love to see where he would be on this journey. I am kinda over professionals saying "It doesn't hurt" or "You should be here at this point". Today when my staples were removed, the nurse said it didn't hurt. Just a couple of tiny stings. I asked her if she ever had staples removed and she kinda murmured no. She didn't use any type of deadening agent (I hear some do) and most did hurt more than a little sting. I listen to the Smarties here living it more than I do the professionals about many things. Congratulations on your bend:yes!: More is just around the corner.
 
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