PKR My Drama Queen Patellofemoral Knee

[Polkadot]

Pushing a cart is beneficial for balance! I always get the little carts they have now. I go to Kroger rather than our Meijer super-store because our Kroger has linoleum tiles--not too bad for softness. My husband runs to Meijer when we need stuff from there because he likes detouring into the sporting goods section.

 

[Jockette]

I prefer Target to Walmart because it's smaller and much less crowded. I can get most of what I want at Target, though not a super, it has quite a nice grocery section. I think it's our town's best kept secret for grocery shopping!
And they have the ice cream I like and Walmart does not!

 

[Canada35]

Great suggestion @Polkadot! We have a couple of hockey arenas in our area that have indoor ( sort of) running/ walking tracks on their upper levels above the ice surface. The temperature is perfect for walking as it's under a roof but still out where the ice is. And the surface is much kinder to knees than a hard surface. I personally find the mall floors really, really difficult on my TKR knee.

 

[Josephine]

@Josephine I forgot to mention that I have a new pain in my thigh at the center between LF3 and LF4 A which started last week. I did wonder how much stress affects our knee.

As much as you can do before your leg starts hurting somewhere. I think your pain is in the quadriceps tendon and likely to have been caused by anything like leg lifts, high marching, steps, squats, bridges or gym machines such as leg curl, extension, leg press, wobble board, etc., etc. Read this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

I think Polkdot has a point but I would also add the following

gravel
sand, wet or dry but wet is worse
play bark
shale or slate chippings​

In other words, anything where the surface can move when you put your foot on it.

 

[Polkadot]

I'm with you on the treadmill. Although I have used one cautiously in my previous exercise life, I think I'll stay off them for the time being. My stepson had quite a scare on the one my husband uses at home. A string on his hoodie got tangled on the apparatus and made him stumble. He sprained his ankle! As a silly aside, have you seen the video clip of Taylor Swift singing along to music on a treadmill? Google Taylor Swift treadmill.

 

[Jockette]

I have not seen the Taylor Swift one but years ago there was one I saw of 4 guys navigating between 4 different treadmills. They were great! I just googled it, it's called "OK Go, Here it Goes Again"

 

[Polkadot]

Very cool--I would fall on my face for sure.

 

[Fire wolf]

4 guys navigating between 4 different treadmills. They were great! I just googled it, it's called "OK Go, Here it Goes Again"

Spence wants to try it now! It does look like fun!

 

[Polkadot]

Well, @Fire wolf, if Spence tries it, you must promise to record the attempt and post it for us to see. If you need a videographer (or whatever they're called now), I believe my knee would be up for a quick trip over your way to help you out.

 

[Jockette]

They make it look so easy, don't they!!!

 

[Jockette]

So yesterday, while again feeling very sorry for mysejf, my ever supportful and encouraging husband asked me what things in the future would make me feel I had completed recovered.

So we set some goals.

I know not to set a rom number or a time or date as a goal, so we focused on accomplishments.

I cannot do any of these things yet:

1. To be able to bend well enough to get in and out of the car without needing the door wide open. ( sometimes in parking lots cars are too close together to do this )

2. Up and down stairs normally.

3. Go through the day without thinking about the knee.

4. Sit comfortably in a restaurant without having to prop my foot up on my cane.

5. Bowl like I used to, being able to approach the throw line like I used to, instead of the way I currently just carry the balk to the line and throw it without bending the PKR knee. --This one must be the most important to me because I cried when I said it, and am now as I type it.

Instead of enjoying the fact that I can even bowl at all, I feel embarrassed that I look like I don't know what I'm doing. However, my scores are improving as I get used to my current throw. And when I am there with my league friends I do have a good time.

I even found an article online about the 10 health benefits of bowling. I was surprised to learn that if you bowl 3 games, which we do, you walk a little more than half a mile. Who knew!

 

[Jockette]

And now for some better news!

My foot moved back even further on my bathroom tile this morning! So much so that I was afraid to keep it there more than a second, but it got there!

I decided last week to steps more often. My house is one floor so inside I don't do any. The step from my garage into the house is a cement block covered with indoor/outdoor carpet ( came with the house like that and no room to change it since it's right next to the big door that you drive in through, I don't know how it met any code!) Anyway since it's so high I don't try it with the PKR knee and my other knee isn't crazy about it.

But, my front steps are much shorter so I've been doing them. A few minutes after I've done them, I've had a deep pain in my thigh that can last up to 45 minutes.

However, today when I did them I used my cane for support on the side that has no railing. No pain today!!! And, I came in the house through the garage and used my cane there, too, and my other knee was much happier.

Maybe I should still use my cane more often. Even at 6 months. It might help my other leg more than the PKR one. Again, who knew!

As my friend once said, "every day's a surprise!"

 

[Polkadot]

Good lists! Boy, do I hate #1 on your first list! I still sometimes catch my TKR leg on the frame when getting out, especially on the passenger side. That is one good thing about having a temporary handicap permit. I don't use it all the time, but in parking lots with spaces that are narrow, I do. Handicap spaces have extra room for opening the doors--yay!

Good idea, to use the front steps rather than the garage ones. We also have shorter front steps, and that's where I practiced until I could more easily do the flight up to our second floor. It sounds as though using your cane when doing them is important, at least for now. You may not have to use it for long until your "step muscles" strengthen up, but that pain you've experienced without the cane probably isn't ideal.

And now for a question, just because I'm curious! Re #4: How DO you prop your foot up on your cane? It sounds quite inventive. I graduated right from a four-wheeled walker to nothing. My sister-in-law gave me her cane, but it had the most awful, sticky handle, so I never tried it.

If you are thinking about using your cane more often, I would try it. Your brain may have a good reason for making you think of it. You may find yourself being more active, trying more things, etc. Having it with you doesn't mean you have to use it constantly, right?

 

[Jockette]

I can't claim I thought of propping my foot on my cane myself, my friend told me that's what her husband did when he needed one.

I just angle the cane out in front of me when I'm sitting, having it between my legs, then put the part on the floor a little to the left, and let my left foot rest up on it. It's just a few inches, but my knee is happier when on I t, as most seats are too high, requiring my knee to bend more than it wants to. Even at 6 months my knee does not like sitting at a 90ish degree angle. Way past time, don't you think?! (another one of those "I should be____by now")

I was really surprised at how much better any of those steps were with the cane. I just ordered a new one from Amazon, with 2 handles, one is lower to help you get up from a sitting position. And this one folds, too. And stands by itself! I guess they don't get any better than that! My current cane doesn't have those features.

I just had such an awful time in July at our friend's house for a weekend with their lower toilet and I am hoping maybe this cane will help with that when visiting someone. I sure don't want to repeat that mistake and pay for it for weeks like I have. We've had the higher ones in this house and our last one for years, so I struggled with the low ones even before PKR.

 

[liam2015]

Jockette...congratulations on your improving bowling scores and i agree there are many health benefits to the sport of bowling. that's funny what you say about you getting used to your current throw...reminds me of hubby always trying the latest new golf swing as his body changes. i've only bowled on occasion but just being there with friends or family is uplifting and you're getting a bit of weight training in there as well, and flexibility. good idea using the shorter stairs. do you use them for practising "step ups" or just practising walking up and down alternate feet on the shorter stairs? good idea to use your cane since it helps. i have found my stairs to be the best device for "training", doing stair lunges and step ups. also good you could bend your knee more while on the throne! and yes, those low toilets can be a struggle, especially when out in a public cubicle and nothing to grab on to for support getting up.

 

[Jockette]

I am just practicing going up those shorter steps.

And now I take advantage of the handicap stalls in the rest rooms! A marvelous invention!!!

I do like to bowl. I should be more happy I can bowl even the way I do. I've seen a man there more than once who bowls while in his wheelchair! I'm impressed! That must be really hard to throw from a sitting position.

 

[kmak81230]

Good job thinking of, and making lists of accomplishments you are looking forward to achieving. You will get there! I am obsessed with your #3 - getting to the place where I don't think, feel, or focus on it every day. Congrats on your mini-accomplishments that will eventually add up to you meeting your goals.

 

[Polkadot]

Our condo has such exceptionally low toilets that last weekend we took the toilet chair with handles there. I could barely stand without anything to hold onto, and I was afraid the towel bar would rip out of the wall if I leaned at all on that!

That's a neat trick with the cane. I sometimes turn my "good" foot sideways and rest my TKR foot on top of it. Can't stay that way for a whole meal, though.

 

[Jockette]

@Polkadot that was my problem at our friend's house, not only was it too low but there was nothing to push on to help myself get up. Oh my. I just wanted to spend some time with my friends. I had no idea the result would be a drastic rom reduction that would last weeks. Just the last couple of days I am making progress again. Finally.

 

[Polkadot]

Glad you are on the uptick again! Setbacks are hard. Here's to moving forward as much as possible from now on.