TKR Popliteus tendon

@DMcM
I'm not sure what machine the hospital supplied you with but mine was Aircast Cryo. I had frozen loads of ice cube bags before going in to hospital as we don't have an ice machine on our fridge but after a few days, I realised the squat cottage cheese cartons were perfect for the Aircast and so easy to keep filling up for the freezer.
I too was scared stiff [hence my name] but found the horrendous stories I'd heard and read didn't apply to me. The meds kept the pain under control and all I have had is discomfort. I did all my exercises apart from anything which involved heel lift/quad strengthening. That hurt too much. Interestingly, five months on, I am lifting 10kgs on the leg extension machine in the gym [I was an habitual gym user before and was used to all the machines] so the two month wait for anything involving the quads didn't do any harm whatsoever.

My new joint is a success but I do have a hamstring problem which my physio and I are working on and which could take a few more months yet to resolve, but then I had a problem with it before the op so I ignore it apart from getting into the car [have to put the seat right back] and getting up from a low chair.
I have a manual car, had a LTKR and was driving at four weeks which will give you an indication of my recovery.
Hope yours goes as well. :)

ps
Nocturnal dipping into this forum in very common too. I habitually chatted with others with sleep disruption, at 3am ish. It goes, eventually. :) :)
@Scaredycat10 - love your name!! Thank you for your post. I too am on the Aircast Cryo. Feeling a bit deflated today as I just cannot do the straight leg raise. It’s just so painful. It’s reassuring to know though that you were like this too. Think I overdid things today as I tried to reduce the pain killers but the pain has come back with a vengeance!! I’ve only been on light painkillers anyway I.e paracetamol, ibuprofen and 1 tramadol twice a day. This afternoon it really hurts so just drugged up and thinking it’ll be better tomorrow! Thank you for your insights xx
 
@DMcM

I followed the meds schedule, codeine phosphate and paracetamol, to the minute for at least two weeks. Don't try and be a brave bunny. It's just not worth it.
Leg lifts? They weren't just excessively uncomfortable, they HURT. I left them alone for months but the swinging off the kitchen table, as opposed from the chandeliers :) probably helped the quads in the long run. You do what's best and leg lifts were a no no for me for a couple of months. 10kg on the leg extension now shows I had no ill effect from waiting.
 
@DMcM

I followed the meds schedule, codeine phosphate and paracetamol, to the minute for at least two weeks. Don't try and be a brave bunny. It's just not worth it.
Leg lifts? They weren't just excessively uncomfortable, they HURT. I left them alone for months but the swinging off the kitchen table, as opposed from the chandeliers :) probably helped the quads in the long run. You do what's best and leg lifts were a no no for me for a couple of months. 10kg on the leg extension now shows I had no ill effect from waiting.
@Scaredycat10 thank you so much for the reassurance!! I was feeling rather worried that I should be doing more. But the good news is that the leg lifts are back - I can do them again - phew!! How far can you bend your leg?? I’m at just over 90° but it feels so tight. I’m hoping it will go further in time

Many thanks

Debra
X
 
cannot do the straight leg raise
We call that log leg and it's perfectly normal. Your quads will wake up at some point and you'll be able to lift your leg again-just be patient.
As thank you for the reassurance @lovetocookandsew. The good news is that I’ve been persevering and the leg lifts are back!! I have a god bend too - just over 90° but knee is very tight. Staples are still in so that won’t help. How far can you bend yours and how long did it take? Did you do anything particular to encourage it?

Thank you

Debra
X
 
Your bend will get better as your leg heals. The reason it doesn't bend a lot right now is because of swelling. Swelling can be external and visible or internal and not visible, or both. Icing and elevating does help a lot with swelling and pain; as long as you keep a cloth between your skin and the ice, you can ice as long as you like. I iced and elevated a lot in the early days, taking breaks every hour or so to walk around the house, and later outside. You can't exercise your knee into reducing the swelling; that's a natural process that happens over time, it just takes patience.

I have no idea what my ROM is as I've never let it be measured. A number really doesn't matter to me, rather the ability to do things such as go up and down stairs foot-over-foot, ride a bike, etc, are what matters to me. I never set any goals for my knee as I know every knee heals at it's own rate, so I just gradually increased my activity as my knee allowed, until I was able to pretty much able do the things I used to do.

I do have some residual swelling, even now, but that's rare and a product of my own physical make-up somehow. I can't give you a time frame for when your ROM will be better, nor can I tell you what number your ROM will get to when the healing is complete. But, at some point, the swelling will be gone, as will the pain and you'll feel much better. Many people feel much better around 3 months post-op, but complete healing takes a year, and sometimes longer. It takes a great deal of patience to get through this recovery, when our minds are raring to go and our knees aren't. But, we do get through it, and you will also.
 
@DMcM So glad to hear you're reassured. It's scary [well it was initially for me] when one doesn't meet hospital physio targets until someone sensible like the folk on here and in my case, my own wonderful physio set me straight.

How far can I bend my knee? That's a hard one to define. Lying on my back with my knee up and bent, it's around 90 degrees. Different position with leg on its side and bent, it's almost as bent as the other knee. Hard to describe but the joint itself is wonderful, but my hamstring isn't and it's not getting any better so the bend depends on leg position and not knee joint.

I can climb up stairs a bit laboriously and can come down properly, again a bit gingerly both with occasional help from a banister but by habit, one and one, I can get off the loo with just a slight grimace but still can't get into the car without putting the seat back.
At the moment, the knee is great, the hamstring isn't but in no way is it affecting the quality of my life. I can lift 10kg with the new knee on the seated extension as opposed to 5kg with the other, which theoretically should be replaced but no way can I contemplate it until my hamstring is sorted, and am now vertically leg pressing 60kg. Not too bad at all at five and a half months post op. :)
I leave the walking pole behind now unless I go for a yomp [over a mile at the moment is a yomp for me] and all in all, if it wasn't for the ligament problem, I'd be thinking knee problem? What knee problem.

So saying, I haven't attempted to kneel on it yet and won't for some time to come.

Keep going. It gets better and better.
 
Hi @Scaredycat10 - apologies for delay replying but I don’t know where the time goes. I’ve been to the gym several times now and managing to do full rotations on the static bike so long as I have the saddle high enough! I’ve also been walking on the dreadmill - holding on of course. Not sure how I’m going to have time to work when I have to go back!!

Staples have now been removed and My knee bend is coming along but I’m still finding the knee quite painful if I’m honest and it feels really tight. Some days are definitely better than others though. I do find that if I’ve been to the gym one day the knee definitely let’s me know and I can’t usually then make it the following day. The next day is just rubbish normally and I seem to need to rest and ice it. I think I’m doing ok - it’s almost 4 weeks now since the op but I still can’t walk without limping if I don’t use my crutches so physio has told me to use both of them still. I did limp a bit before so hoping to not do so going forward. That’s why I’ve been using the dreadmill and hoping that helps.

Thank you for all your guidance and sharing your recovery with me. As you say you never know if you’re doing things right or wrong so the people in here really help.

Have a lovely weekend and keep in touch xx
 
Thank you @lovetocookandsew for sharing your experience. It definitely reassures to hear from someone who’s been through it before!

I totally agree that my mind is wanting to do more than my knee welcomes. I’ve been on the static bike at the gym and doing full rotations if the saddle is high enough but I do suffer afterwards. I’ve also been on the dreadmill as a substitute for walking with my crutches in the vain hope it helps with my limp - physio has told me to continue with both crutches for the time being but hoping a reduce down to one (or none!) soon.

The bending is coming on nicely but knee is really tight and scar feels tight. I have started massaging it to loosen it so hopefully that will help.

Thank you for sharing your experience- it is really reassuring and please do keep in touch xx
 
It sounds like you’re overdoing it at the gym if you’re suffering the next day. At less than one month post-op you should really be focused on the healing and reducing any swelling. Do you ice and elevate when you get home from the gym? It might help if you’re not already doing so.
 
I agree with @FourCats , if you're suffering the next day it sounds like you're doing too much at the gym. I would concentrate on walking and doing easy stretches rather than going to the gym. The bike is fine as long as it's only for about 10 min a day and no resistance at this early stage.

I did not reach 90 degrees flexion until about a month post-op. That bend will come in time once the swelling goes down. The swelling will go down when you allow your knee to heal without pushing it too hard, along with lots of ice and elevation.
 
I used a walker for about three weeks, then switched to a cane. I used that inside for at least three more weeks, and maybe longer. Even when I no longer needed it inside, I kept it in my car for outside walks and trips. As long as you have a limp, you should be using a walking aid. Once you're steady and the limp is gone, you can set the walking aid aside. But, there's no time frame for when that happens; it depends on your knee and how it's healing.

As for the gym, the extra pain and "tightness" are your knee's way of telling you it's not yet ready for that activity. Tightness is swelling, and swelling, along with added pain, are both indicators of your knee's recovery. You're only four weeks into a 52-ish week recovery; you need to listen to your knee and what it's telling you. If you participate in an activity and your knee sails on through with no pain or swelling, either right away or in a day or so, your knee is ready for that activity. However, sometimes your knee will allow an activity one day and rebel another day, so paying attention to it's reactions is the best gauge of it's readiness.

This recovery is not a race to see how fast you can get from point A to point B and so on, it's a slow journey, with constant ups and downs, that demands patience, and your knee will let you know if you're moving too fast, or if you're ready to move a little faster.
 
Hi @DMcM
Glad to hear you're ''coming along''. Funnily enough, I have kept away from the gym over the last three weeks whilst the schools have been off and haven't missed it one jot.
Before Easter, my aim on the treadmill was elevation which I seem to have sorted but bear in mind I'm just under five months ahead of you. However, the treadmill doesn't do downhill and that's what I need. We live on a hill and I know I can walk back up but the art is in getting down first and that's still a work in progress hence, I use the car to get out of our close.

I seriously would advise you to be in no hurry to ditch the walking aids. I always have a crutch in the car and my walking poles. OK, I usually don't need them but they are there if my knee feels unstable which it still does occasionally which is why I believe this will take many more months to completely heal.

My good news is, I forget occasionally to push the car seat back and the ''ouch'' doesn't always follow. I can walk upstairs OK but habitually still do the one step/one step descent.

I can relate to the static bike seat on high and it does go lower eventually but do make sure you don't over do it.
I found the rower a good alternative as your knee certainly dictates the angle of flex as opposed to a full rotation on the bike.

You sound determined to ''get there'' as am I and we will. Just don't over do it or take a tumble. As I have said, no badges for being brave but over enthusiastic bunnies. :)
 
It doesn't hurt a thing if you feel more secure using a walker, crutch, or cane for awhile. What does cause an issue with your knee is not listening to it and stopping using the walking aids too soon. With my first TKR sadly I'll admit my vanity didn't want me to "need" any of those things. Until I realized I was walking so poorly without them and causing myself grief. Out the window went my vanity very quickly!!!

I occasionally still use a cane - I have one in the car and several in the house. I'd rather use a cane and walk better than take a tumble without it. We are all different and heal differently - it takes time.
 
So 10 months after my Right TKR, yesterday I had an arthroscopy to resect my Popliteus tendon which had been causing immense pain since my surgery. The sleepless nights were something else. It’s very early days of course and I’m still anaesthetised to some extent but wow I can honestly say I feel like I can straighten my leg more and I can rest the back of my knee on the bed which I couldn’t do before because it was too painful.

The tendon was catching on the prosthetic so every time I bent and straightened my knee it was painful. The tendon was quite frayed so a simple procedure to just cut it and let it die itself. Wow who’d have thought. Apparently I don’t need the tendon anyway now as I have a posterior stabilised knee (due to having no knee caps pre the TKR).

I cannot express my gratitude for my amazing surgeon who diagnosed the issue, confirmed it by ultrasound and then managed to resect it by arthroscopic means rather than opening up the side of my leg. Happy days! A couple of weeks recovery and hey presto!

Anyone else had this??? Apparently it’s relatively uncommon as most will settle but mine just kept catching and fraying. My surgeon said he has only had to do this once before in his career so quite memorable for him. Physios also said they’d not heard of it before so could not advise me on the physio and had to be guided by the surgeon.
 

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@DMcM As you can see in my avatar, I have been on the board for awhile and I can't say I have heard of any members having this procedure. So glad it was successful for you!

I merged your latest post to your original recovery thread so that we have your full history in one place.
 
This is fantastic news! I understand your struggles and am so happy that you have found relief. I am having arthroscopic surgery Feb. 9th to release my popliteus and hope that I have the same success.
 
The tendon was catching on the prosthetic so every time I bent and straightened my knee it was painful.

I cannot express my gratitude for my amazing surgeon who diagnosed the issue, confirmed it by ultrasound and then managed to resect it by arthroscopic means rather than opening up the side of my leg. Happy days!
Wow, I am so impressed with your surgeon that he even thought to do this!

Something is absolutely wrong with my PKR. It’s been 6 years and my recent 3rd second opinion is not really looking past my knee X-ray and is focusing on a possible spine issue causing my knee problems. I do realize spine issues can affect knees, but I don’t agree my spine is the cause of my poor outcome. I want him to look more at my knee. If he won’t, second opinion #4 may be in my future. Wouldn’t it be amazing if something along the lines of what you had is happening to me!

Thank you so much for this update, it gives me encouragement.
 
This is fantastic news! I understand your struggles and am so happy that you have found relief. I am having arthroscopic surgery Feb. 9th to release my popliteus and hope that I have the same success.
Honestly it’s amazing!! 10 whole months of no sleep and immense pain when I straightened my leg and when walking and this is something else. I finally feel like I have the new knee I was hoping for. Do let me know how your surgery goes. To be honest the pain relief was so apparent almost immediately! I look forward to hearing more from you - good luck!!
 
@DMcM As you can see in my avatar, I have been on the board for awhile and I can't say I have heard of any members having this procedure. So glad it was successful for you!

I merged your latest post to your original recovery thread so that we have your full history in one place.
Thank you - I could not work out how to do that so I’m very grateful!
 

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