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TKR Ortho dr or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Knee!

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Hey there! I haven't been here as much lately since I'm back to work. Sounds like you're doing great!! Isn't it wonderful to be able to drive again and feel a bit more normal? I'm a card-carrying member of the ODIC too. I really need to go to the grocery store today and I'm dreading it. Hubby went to our lake cottage in MN for the weekend to start closing up. I didn't think I'd be up to it after only three weeks, so I'm on my own.

Your physical therapist sounds great! So glad it worked out for you...I know you had some issues at first. I found my out-patient therapy was so much better than the home therapy. My first knee home therapists didn't do much of anything. I switched for the second one and actually had my out-patient Wonder Woman come to my house for the second knee! Turned out so much better!

Keep up the good work!! All of us Chi-town ladies are going to have to get together one of these days!
 
Yeah, I have been paying attention to the knee and the back fit jealous. I take it your bothersome issue is extension? I a. The opposite. My extension is 0 but the bend is so slow. I joined the ODIC today and now am elevating and icing. Sometimes I like to pretend my knee is normal and try to do too much. We have two grand kids over tonight and they are such a delight. They have been very concerned about Mimi. Brinley, the nine year old helped me do some exercises tonight.
 
I am going to see my two grandkids next month. Flying for the first time since TKR - that will be fun.

Back is much better now. It usually only takes 2-3 days when this happens, and it only happens a couple of times a year.

Got back to my at home therapy the last two days, and my knee is much happier. I wonder if I'm going to have to do these daily stretches the rest of my life? Not that it will hurt me, but it's amazing how stiff my knee got without the stretches. Yes, my extension is my worst - I think my flex is almost normal. My PT doesn't measure it, but it seems to match up to my other leg. My PT told me that extension is harder to get than flex.

Last night I had the funniest little feeling on my knee - like little nerves dancing around. It didn't really hurt, and it didn't last more than five minutes, but it was strange.

We hope to drive to the Folk Music festival at Geneva and hear Dulcimer Diva tomorrow. We'll see how my knee likes that!
 
Got to hear Dulcimer Diva sing and play her guitar and dulcimer and generally had a great time at the Fox River Folk Festival today. I drove up and back for an hour or more each way, and I walked almost a mile, and had my leg down for over five hours. A little swollen and stiff, but nothing icing and elevating can't take care of. The weather was gorgeous, and the park where the festival was held was beautiful!
 
Had my first therapy in over a week since my back caused me to miss last week. They worked me hard as usual, but I always come out feeling good. Today my extension measured -5! Woot! That's quite a change in only 4 visits plus the in home stretches I do. They also took me to the staircase, and I walked up and down stairs like a normal person several times. Haven't done that in years! Spending the afternoon icing and elevating - maybe even a nap!
 
Therapy today! I always feel so good after therapy - tired, but good. Today we did some new stuff - walking backward on the treadmill, scooting across the floor using my heels to propel - along with all the usual suspects. She measured my ROM for the first time since I started five sessions ago, and it is now equal with my left knee at 135. Still working on the extension. If I am sitting up and pressing my knee down, I get a 0, but if I am lying on my back, it's about -8. She also measured my strength, and I am much stronger in my legs than at the beginning. It's great to see measurable success. I love this knee!
 
Doing great!! Good for you! I have one more week of therapy left, then back to the gym I go. Seems like I've been going to therapy forever! Well, it's been since my first knee the end of June then just continued to the next knee. It's starting to get old. I asked my therapist how long I had to keep doing my exercises at home and she said the rest of my life! What?? Will my going to the gym be just as good? I do 30-40 minutes of exercises before work every day and if I don't have therapy, do about 20 minutes later in the day. Please say I won't have to do that forever!

Your trip to see your grandkids will be fun! I'll bet you're really looking forward to it. We're going up to our cottage for a long weekend in October, so I'll get to see how the flying goes, too.

I was home alone all last weekend. I should have met you and gone to see Sandy with you!
 
I wish we had thought of that - we could have swung by and picked you up! We all do need to get together IRL sometime.
I may have to do hamstring stretches the rest of my life. My knee is stiff without them. I've decided to start doing them first thing in the morning before I get out of bed.
How's your pain level with your knees? It's almost like having a bilateral, isn't it. I have OA in my left knee, not as bad as my right was, so I'm hedging my bet on having it replaced. If I have to, I have to, but I've had such a good recovery with this one, I'm afraid to tempt fate.
My visit to the grandkids will be short - in on Thursday, out on Sunday, but we're really only going to see my granddaughter march in her high school band (Her Daddy is the band director - so it's really special.) We're going to spend a longer time in November. We just ordered a tiny little travel trailer called a Casita which is manufactured in Texas. It will be ready the week before Thanksgiving, so we'll pick it up and continue to the coast to visit with my daughter. When we come back to Illinois, we'll have a short bit, then we have a trip to Vegas in early Dec. (celebrating our 45th anniversary.) When we get back, we head down to TX again for Christmas. (Our son and DIL who live in Homewood are flying down, so we'll have a big family Christmas. After Christmas, we're heading West, going to Snowbird for a bit in the desert and leave the bad weather behind. I'll get back in time for my six month OS appt.
 
Hi Jean and Suzanne! I am getting tired of therapy too. I had my 12th session today. I have two more appointments scheduled. More may be tacked on. Extension is at 0 and has been since about the third week. I can only bend to 109 which is good since I was at 84 degrees the first day of therapy. The therapist said that if I can get to 115-120 that will be good enough. I don't know how long the insurance will pay for. I away pretty happy with my progress although I still have pain issues and probably will for awhile.
 
Carolina girl - isn't funny how your extension has been so good almost since the beginning, and mine has been so bad. My ROM has never been a problem, yet you have to work at yours. I wonder what makes the difference? That's a sure sign though that everyone's recovery is different, just like labor when you have a baby. You never know going in how bad or how easy it will be. I had 12 hours with my first child who weighed in a 7lbs. 4 oz, and 8 hours with my son who was a whopping 11 lb. 4 1/2 oz. My daughter had her first child in 4 hours and her second in 2! I wish everyone could have a trouble free recovery from TKR!
 
Yes, I wonder about that also. Someone said maybe it depends on what our situation was before. I do not know if that is true because I don't remember any issues with ROM before. I couldn't kneel but that was because of the bone-on-bone pain. I know when the in-home PT came the week after surgery she was pleased with how straight my leg was. I wonder if it has to do with the prosthesis design? Who knows? I just came home from four errands and I am in a bad way. Knee and ankle are swollen. I took pain med and am icing and elevating. All five of my grandchildren will be here at 4:00 so Mimi has to get her act together!
 
My extension is still at 2 or 3, but my flexion is "at least 125" she says. Maybe 130. I work like crazy on extension and it just won't straighten any more. On my first knee I struggled with it, too. Flexion was good right away with that one. My therapist said it's quite possible that my extension was bad for years as I dealt with my knee problems and that it will take quite a while. That doesn't mean I have to continue to go therapy just to get there. Today she told me that once therapy is done (one more week??) I need to continue with the stretching, but working on strengthening my muscles at my gym would be my focus. I'm looking forward to being able to go to the gym after wok instead of therapy!

For some reason, both knees were really bothering me late yesterday and most of the day at work. My legs were achy starting Wednesday evening. I assume it was from my back. It was bad enough for people at work to ask what was wrong this morning. Fortunately, I had some meds with me, which I seldom takes and took one around 10:30. By the time I left work I was feeling pretty good.

Tomorrow is our first football game of the season! We're big college football fans...Northwestern..Go Cats! Our parking space is about two blocks farther away this year. I think I'll bring my cane just in case.

Have a great weekend ladies! I'm so jealous of your visits with your grandkids! Someday......
 
Jean, I have a feeling I will be working on flexion for some time whether in PT or not. I have to admit I am impatient.
 
And I'll be working of my stretching and extension! Both knees feel quite stiff today, even after doing my exercises. Sitting with ice on both knees and heating pad on my lower back. We leave in a few hours for our football game. Hope to feel better by then!
 
Are we twins or what? My knee has been so stiff since therapy on Thursday and my back is killing me. I have a couple bulging disks in my lower back. They particularly hurt when I stand for awhile and I imagine the new knee has everything kind of uneven now. I did get through a cookout/birthday party for my youngest grandchild but then had to take a Percocet and lie down for awhile. I know things are going to get better but it is tough right now. My grandkids just went for a walk with their mother and I so wanted to go too!
 
My flexion is still very behind. I'm just now past 100 but my extension is 0 easily. I have horrible tightness across the patella and it makes bending extremely difficult, but it is trying to push through. Yes every one is very different in their healing and its hard to hear some are doing so great with their healing and I feel Ike I'm still back peddling. I have to remind myself I've come a long way from just a few weeks ago when I couldn't get past 85.

Brithael I'm so happy yours has been an easier recovery! I need to convince my knee to take pointers from yours!
 
It has taken me almost nine weeks to get from 84 to 109. I have done what I could. I know what you mean about that horrible tightness. I also live with that. We have to just hope things will improve with time.
 
The tightness does get better with time. I thought I would never get rid of the two tight bands around my knee. The tightness is not totally gone, but has gotten much better over time. I am at 11 weeks 3 days and I only feel tightness in the front of my knee from the middle of my knee cap to the inside. The tight area is about the size of a toaster pastry instead of all the way around the knee top and bottom.


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