TKR Patience really is a virtue….

[mendogal]

@Dmcfad2 yep, the ODIC bench for you!

Besides the ongoing healing, any given set of muscles must have a day of rest. It's inherent in the strengthening process: the exercise literally breaks down muscle fibers, and the rest day is when the rebuilding of better muscle happens. Taking a walk and ADLS or light gardening are good rest day activities. This basic physiology will hold true at a year post op, five years postop, and as long as we're alive.

My 15 month and 10 month knees finally got back on machines yesterday and it was awesome!

 

[Loulou67]

@Dmcfad2 hey!!! I’ve been searching for your thread just to see if you were in the same boat as me!!!
This “being patient” takes its toll after a while, doesn’t it!!!
I really am truly greatful for the lack of arthritic and damaged ligament pain but this recovery is sooooo long!!
I’ve gone back to icing and elevating so hopefully that’ll help ease the soreness, and my operated leg has been zinging for the past couple of days so there’s obviously more nerves waking up…..
Stay strong, as will I, and hopefully the next time we post it will be some good news x

 

[AnnYo]

@Loulou67, I am right there with you! At almost 6 months I feel like I have more pain than I did a couple of months ago and am contemplating getting out the ice machine. yikes! And @mendogal, I'm glad to hear you say that going back to icing and elevating might be worth a shot at this stage of the game!

 

[mendogal]

@AnnYo my reference to machines in the above post was to workout, not ice!

 

[AnnYo]

Haha I knew what you meant, @mendogal --sorry I was not clear--I was referring to your Monday post about slacking off on ice and elevating when you're between 4 and 6 months. You weren't exactly saying to go back to it, but it offered a good explanation of what things change at this stage of the game to make one feel like they're regressing a little!

 

[Jockette]

@Dmcfad2 hey!!! I’ve been searching for your thread just to see if you were in the same boat as me!!!

Here is her thread:

TKR - My new knee

Surgery was yesterday at noon. I spent the night in the hospital. I walked with the walker right away and did steps. Minimal pain until this afternoon. I think the nerve block wore off. It’s not unbearable, I’m just very aware of it. I am home now, icing and elevating.

bonesmart.org

 

[Maisie8]

I‘m so pleased that I’ve been following this thread. I haven’t been on here for a while because everything was going well and I was just getting on with life.
However, the last few days my knee has been feeling increasingly stiff, sore and uncomfortable with lots of the dreaded zingers making a reappearance
I’ve also had a really tight back of thigh muscle too.
I think what you‘ve both said @mendogal and @benne68 is spot on. I’m 7 months post op and am not giving my knee the tlc that it deserves and that it got in the early days of recovery. I’ve sort of neglected it really by just trying to carry on with everything as normal.
Maybe It’s time to remind myself that this was a big op with at least a years recovery and I should go back to taking a bit more care of it and myself.

 

[Loulou67]

So…… I’m now 7.5 months post op left TKR….
Scars healed nicely….. walking is much better …. Stairs are easier to come down than go up at the min….. all in all I think my journey to full recovery is going well, however, I do seem to have 1 issue that doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.
My leg still has some numbness on the outside and I sometimes find it difficult getting up off of a low chair … and I cannot kneel on my left knee without it feeling sore.
I’m hoping this is all normal for this stage, but would appreciate some clarity from other bonesmarters who are at the same stage as me or further on.
For any newbies on here….. this site is great for support and if you ever feel that you’re not sure if you’re heading in the right direction then just read through my thread and many others to see that the Bonesmart way is the best way ….. Happy Healing to all

 

[mendogal]

You're doing great!

The numbness might eventually go away, or only affect a smaller area...or not.
Currently... Hmmm
Well! I hadn't checked knee number 1, which is a year and 5 months old, in a while! Practically zero numb area!
Knee number two, approaching one year, not 100% numb anymore but definitely still altered sensation (diminished sensitivity and yet and a bit sensitive to touch).

It's totally normal to have soreness trying to kneel on the new knee.
On both of mine the sensation, even with my bend at 90 degrees (so my butt is well off the ground) is very... odd. No longer hurts but is definitely weird.
I can now stay at a kneel, with my butt maybe 2/3 of the way down towards my heels, pretty comfortably on a carpeted surface for a few minutes to do some cleaning.

 

[EalingGran]

Knee number two, approaching one year, not 100% numb anymore but definitely still altered sensation (diminished sensitivity and yet and a bit sensitive to touch).

At 18 months my patch is like @mendogal Not numb but definitely it still has altered sensation. It doesn't bother me unless it is knocked- as it is still more sensitive.

 

[EalingGran]

can now stay at a kneel, with my butt maybe 2/3 of the way down towards my heels, pretty comfortably on a carpeted surface for a few minutes to do some cleaning

I can kneel with a thin knee pad on my hands and knees for back exercises in pilates classes for a reasonable period ( say 10 minutes at a time)
I can kneel briefly on a wooden floor to get things from a low cupboard.
I wouldn't sit right back on my heels. When kneeling- my knee still feels a bit odd but it is not painful.

 

[Loulou67]

Hey…….. Hi to all bone smarties…… old and new
I’m now 10 months post op and my mobility has gotten so much better, however, I still really can’t kneel on my new knee without discomfort….. it’s not the knee itself but I think it’s just the scar that hurts…. I also still have a degree of numbness on the outer side of my knee ….. is this normal for 10 months out??

 

[mendogal]

Hi @Loulou67 !
Great report!
Post op numbness can last very long term.

My knees are each over a year old and still have smaller *totally* numb patches than before, but not yet totally normal sensation over the original larger areas.

My approx 25 year old lower abdominal surgery numb patch lasted many years, very very slowly changing to diminished/weird sensation, which is normal, and then one day I realized it was fine!

There's no real timeline on kneeling. It can feel weird both inside and skin-side, or just one, and there's no way to predict how any individual learns to adapt.

 

[EalingGran]

I still really can’t kneel on my new knee without discomfort….. it’s not the knee itself but I think it’s just the scar that hurts

Have you tried using a knee cushion and just practising a few minutes per day?
Kneeling is the activity that people find most difficult after knee surgery but there is a paper that says doing it regularly helps. My own kneeling has got easier in recent months. It definitely improved from a year onwards, so I wouldn't give up on this. I needed to do it because I have really bad lumbar arthritis and spinal stenosis; and back exercises involving four point kneeling are the only way to keep my back pain in check. So I had a real incentive to keep trying.

 

[Toothfairy]

I still really can’t kneel on my new knee without discomfort….. it’s not the knee itself but I think it’s just the scar that hurts

Have you tried using a knee cushion and just practising a few minutes per day?
Kneeling is the activity that people find most difficult after knee surgery but there is a paper that says doing it regularly helps. My own kneeling has got easier in recent months. It definitely improved from a year onwards, so I wouldn't give up on this. I needed to do it because I have really bad lumbar arthritis and spinal stenosis; and back exercises involving four point kneeling are the only way to keep my back pain in check. So I had a real incentive to keep trying.

That’s interesting. I can kneel but find the sensation unpleasant. Maybe I should practice. Not much point in starting at the moment as I’m having a revision in a couple of weeks but I’ll think about it in the future. A really useful tip EalingGran. Thank you.

 

[Dmcfad2]

I actually have no problem kneeling, but I do it very slowly.

 

[AnnYo]

Hi @Loulou67--totally agree that for me, it's the scar that hurts! My scar is really sensitive. Have been using silicone tape to keep it from getting bumpier, as my scars tend to do, but it's still a very sensitive area. I guess I should start practicing kneeling too, as that would definitely impact my awkward gardening and getting up off the floor--neither is a pretty sight!

 

[Loulou67]

So today I had my ( almost) 1 year check up after my LTKR.
My consultant was very happy with how I’m walking.
I described how when I kneel I find it a little sore along the scar line , to which he said he was impressed that I was kneeling after 1 year as he said a lot of patients are never able to kneel again without a lot of discomfort, let alone after 1 year.
He said the slight numbness I still feel is normal.
All in all a good visit.
My left knee was done privately through my employers private health care, my right knee is now ready for replacement, however, as I’ve taken early retirement I no longer have private health insurance.
My consultant has referred me to have my right knee replacement , via the NHS, to be a patient of his and to have my operation at the private hospital that I had me left knee done at.
I’ll have to go on the waiting list , however, I feel that I’m on the right road now to have 2 knees that work way better than they did….. hopefully the wait won’t be too long!!
Thank you to everyone on here who has guided and supported me over the past year. Your advice and support has been very much appreciated and hopefully sharing my experiences may have helped others

 

[Layla]

Thank YOU, for sharing your journey with all, loulou! I am sure your thread will be of interest to many following behind you.

It sounds like you had a great visit with the consultant and hopefully you will not have too long of a wait to have your right knee replaced. We welcome you to share that experience with us also. Enjoy the rest of Autumn!
We're close to peak of the season as far as the changing colors go, at least in my neck of the woods.
Hope you're enjoying the beauty of the season also! Take care!
@Loulou67

 

[sistersinhim]

It's great to read that you are doing so well!