TKR Over exercising 21 weeks post TKR

[ChillTime]

Thank you @BlueSkiesHere for your thoughtful post. It helps me to hang in there. I am up, down and across the board depending on the week! It's been a long, hard road, hasn't it? My husband had lunch with some college buddies today, and one had a TKR several years ago with my same surgeon. He told my husband that he was playing golf within 3 months (I think my husband was hesitant to tell me)! Happy for him, but that's not me.

I'll be checking in again soon in September. I am scheduled for rotator cuff surgery on October 5 (really not excited about this, but has to be done), and it's on my dominant hand side, so I won't be posting for a few weeks. Thinking that since I'll be very sedentary and on meds for at least 2 weeks, maybe it'll help my knee? We shall see.

Thanks again for checking in!! Wishing you continued progress!

 

[Jockette]

He told my husband that he was playing golf within 3 months

Whenever we hear something like this, we picture the person fully recovered. However, how well did he manage playing golf at 3 months:

I was in a bowling league when I had my surgery. I also started back at 3 months.

However: I only bowled one game, not our usual 3, my first time back. For a couple of months my husband carried my bowling ball for me. He helped me get my shoes on because I couldn’t bend enough to do it myself. It took me 2 months to work up to bowling 3 games, and I still could not approach the throw line the same way I did before surgery.

So, I could honestly tell people I was bowling at 3 months, and I was, but it’s not the whole story.

 

[BlueSkiesHere]

hahahah @Jockette ...I love your posts. You've been an inspiration and solace to me also. I've read your entire 96 page thread.
@ChillTime I'm glad I checked in when I did. Sending you healing vibes, courage and COMPLETE recovery with your rotator cuff surgery. Geez...always something. Keep us posted until .... well, you can't for awhile.
Yeah, I have a buddy who had TKR just after I did and she was out walking her little trail and driving in no time. Now that will work on the mind. However, her first TKR was a totally different story and was a difficult and longer recovery. I'm just gonna stick with faith that in a year's time we will all be able to post...it just takes time.

 

[ChillTime]

I saw a different OS from my surgeon last week for an opinion as to why I am not doing better at this point. I seem to have plateaued activity at 2.5 miles of ADL walking and nothing else. He took X-rays and was thinking I might have a Patellafemoral issue but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He looked at my operating report and explained that the medial area of tissue above and beside my kneecap is painful because my surgeon cut that tissue to insert the implant. He cuts a different ”route” and it typically does not cause as much pain. He almost laughed when I told him I am at 8 months out and said that I need to give my knee more time to heal. Then, the next two days, I was pain free all day. It felt great to not think about my dang knee! The pain returned when I did some house cleaning, and obviously it was too much. I have suffered for a few days but can feel the lessening of pain. I am so looking forward to going out and walking FOR EXERCISE and not even think about what my limits are. I know it’s coming … patience!

 

[2chains]

@ChillTime ...Glad to hear you are feeling less pain after doing too much housework. Do you find you have less "downtime/pain days" as you progress?

What kind of issues do you experience which limits your walking? What is your maximum time you can walk? I've been struggling with walking as well at +7 months.

 

[ChillTime]

Hi @2chains and thanks for the well wishes! My knee is all over the place and sometimes has less “downtime/pain days” but other times, I can’t believe that the “small amount of activity” I do can create pain. I have, however, learned to tell when I am overdoing activity and have to just stop and rest. It does drive me crazy!

The issues I struggle with include achy pain in my medial knee which, if I push it, turns into intense achy pain inside my central knee area with a little swelling. I am able to walk comfortably for about 2.5 miles each day (usually doing ADL and not formal exercise) and that’s it. If I want to ride a bike, I can’t walk as far. If I water walk at the pool (can’t swim due to shoulder injury), then I can’t do more than 15-20 minutes or the pain will start up. Sometimes I am able to do very light weights. All in all, I am better than at 3-4 months, but it has been very small baby steps! I am now at 8 months. All very frustrating, but with some pain free days sprinkled in, I am hopeful that my knee is turning the corner.

I have another surgery in 2 weeks for a torn rotator cuff and hope that with a few weeks of less activity, maybe my knee will improve greatly?? I’ll let you all know!

 

[BlueSkiesHere]

@ChillTime! Thanks for the update. All in all - that second surgeon's exam feels quite encouraging. At least he explained why your pain is lasting longer. It also must be reassuring he almost laughed at 8 months and you (us) thinking we should be recovered.
I find that report hopeful also. I'm at almost 7 months and like you I do have sprinkled in times where it is better and I can see a bit of progress. I guess my expectations would be it would be faster. Welcome back to the slow but FULL recovery team here. Still cheering you on. I am pretty much doing the same as you to aid my recovery and I still ice and elevate, also. Like you...I'm kind of getting to know when that point of down time is arriving. I keep trying to push it a LITTLE bit further every month on the walking. And I mean a little bit.
Good luck on the rotator cuff surgery. I think you might be right it will be a good thing to rest the knee a bit as well. I find when I go out of town and am riding more in the car...when I come back my knee feels better. Go figure. I think I've heard it somewhere..."it takes a full year to recover". Wonder where we have heard that? Nice that a surgeon admits it for once.

 

[2chains]

"I have another surgery in 2 weeks for a torn rotator cuff and hope that with a few weeks of less activity, maybe my knee will improve greatly?? I’ll let you all know!"

Best of luck with your surgery. Keep us posted!

 

[ChillTime]

Thank you @2chains and @BlueSkiesHere for your nice feedback (and well wishes with my latest surgery "on dock," lol)! You two are right in there with me, and we will get through this. Bit by bit. Small improvement by small improvement. This TKR recovery is the biggest mental and physical challenge I've had in a long time and has kept me on my toes. PLEASE keep me in the loop with your recoveries, and I will post again before surgery and then as soon after as I can. I am thinking of you!

 

[BlueSkiesHere]

@ChillTime ...how are you doing? Any updates and how is your rotator cuff recovery? I hope all is well with you.

 

[ChillTime]

Hello @BlueSkiesHere and thank you for reaching out! I have been meaning to post for some time but have taken a break from most things (it has been nice).

First of all, my rotator cuff surgery was a breeze, and I’ve experienced little-to-no pain, which has been a complete surprise (from what people told me). I did use the pain med schedule after this surgery that I learned from the TKR surgery and know that helped immensely. I’m 6 weeks out, transitioning from the sling, and having more intense PT now, but all is well.

As for my knee, I’ve been back for PT twice in the past few months. My PT dry needled and cupped the vastus medialis muscle which is part of the quad and runs down into my knee cap. It seems to be the main cause of my pain. He told me to buy cups and use them myself to break up the scar tissue around my knee. That area seems to be the culprit, and it has helped! I’ve been able to walk farther distances and am now trying to condition my legs and lower body after a few years of very little exercise. There’s still a bit of pain around and under my knee cap at times when walking, but most days I don’t even think about it. I’m so much happier about it! Am hoping that in a few more months, any residual pain will have disappeared.

How are you doing @BlueSkiesHere and @2chains? Thinking of my healing and supportive friends!

 

[BlueSkiesHere]

I am so glad to hear the rotator cuff surgery went well! I am going to update on my thread @ChillTime and @2chains so I hope you will skip over there. I've been updating myself on both your threads since I have not posted in awhile. I still empathize with both of you! It sounds like you have had improvement in the knee recovery area. I, too still struggle with the discomfort around and under my knee cap at times. So off to my thread I go...join me there?

 

[2chains]

Fantastic news! Glad your rotor cuff surgery is now past you. Still rough going for me and doing everything in moderation...still.

Snowy roads and icy sidewalks are here now so have stopped walking...things are now a little less inflamed so maybe a good thing! Still have vertical band, shin bone pain and inside knee pain though.

 

[ChillTime]

Hello all, including @BlueSkiesHere and @2chains! It has been some time since I last posted (almost two months). I needed to take time off from thinking about and obsessing over my painful knee — and having to recover from rotator cuff/SLAP tear surgery definitely took my mind off the knee. (The shoulder recovery has been a breeze, and my range of motion is excellent at three months out. I have been lucky! Things are progressing very well).

As for my knee, I had some cupping and dry needling of soft tissue done the last time I posted. About a week after that PT visit, at approx 10 months out (I am not even looking at a calendar or counting weeks anymore), my daily pain disappeared. I realized one day that it was no longer a constant. YAY, it has made such a difference in life! I was very timid at first walking longer distances but gradually relaxed. I am able to get out and walk distances and not even think about how far it is now. I occasionally have a bit of pain going downhill but that seems to be dissipating with more activity. I can ride a stationary bike easily (cannot ride a road bike yet due to my shoulder surgery), and I am elated. It seems that the dry needling of soft tissue that had been so sore after meniscus surgery (almost a year before my TKR) was the answer and the remedy to my recovery. My PT says that I probably have some scar tissue under my kneecap that causes the downhill-walking pain but am cupping it myself, and that helps.

I did realize that once I forgot about my knee, I knew that it was healing and that I would be fine. I am elated. @BlueSkiesHere and @2chains please let me know about your progress. I think of you often and am truly hoping to hear good news from you both!

 

[2chains]

@ChillTime Hello all! also @BlueSkiesHere That is wonderful news you are increasing your walking distance! Being able to focus on other things is also something I have been working towards! Also great to hear that your rotor cuff surgery is mending after your surgery. I will update my thread and link you!

 

[BlueSkiesHere]

@ChillTime ... I don't know if you check in at all but would love to know how you are doing. I take by your "silence" that you are out living your life and recovery has continued. I hope all is well.