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Bilateral TKR Recovery Diary

Wow, just picked up on all the replies here, thanks everyone!

Forecast now has temperatures at 10+ (50) for the next few days, and reasonably sunny, so I hope to get out more. I shan't post every day, just enough to show progress.
 
Ahem.."show progress" or show off ??? Why not - you're earning all this attention and setting a great role model..:biggrin:
 
Randi said:
Ahem.."show progress" or show off ???
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Quite right, if it's too often people will get bored, if not enough I MIGHT GO OFF THE FRONT PAGE
[Bonesmart.org] Recovery Diary
 
Roy, Josephine, Jamie,

Roy, I love your photos with suggestions about increasing ROM and extension.

At 11+ weeks post-op, my ROM is now equal to my un-operated, still arthritic knee (about 120). I can tuck both my feet under a chair as far as there is room for them to go. The chair stops any further bending.

Are there any exercises I can now do to further increase ROM in both knees?

I haven't been able to do full squats since before my original PKR back in 2000, and I assume my muscles and ligaments have all tightened up, but I really would like to be able to increase ROM a bit more in both legs.

:feedback:
 
Celle said:
Roy, I love your photos with suggestions about increasing ROM and extension.
...
Are there any exercises I can now do to further increase ROM in both knees?
Click to expand...
??

Both the squat with Encyclopedia and the stretches using the skateboard can be used to increase ROM to any level you like. I must have explained it badly?
 
Roy, I'm sure you explained them very well, but at the time you posted them I was nowhere close to needing to use those exercises, so I concentrated on the exercises needed at my stage of recovery.

Now I'm having trouble finding them again - blame anno domini!

I think you posted them in a separate thread. Please can you help me find them again?

Many thanks,
Celle

PS: (Added later) I did a search of your posts and found it! I've bookmarked it now. Many thanks!
 
Celle said:
Now I'm having trouble finding them again - blame anno domini! ...

PS: (Added later) I did a search of your posts and found it! I've bookmarked it now. Many thanks!
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At the risk of being an embarrassment, I do keep a link to the exercises in my signature.
 
Long ago I learned that "age is only important if you're a cheese--or a good wine!":th_heehee:
 
Randi said:
Long ago I learned that "age is only important if you're a cheese--or a good wine!":th_heehee:
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Or if you need an excuse for doing something stupid! :biggrin:

PS: I love your dog. We had a golden once. She was terrific.
 
Thanks Celle - Oliver is really fun -and I miss him terribly -I've beeb recuping in Florida (no complaints!) and haven't seen him for a month..but when I get back in 3 weeks he and I will be able to resume our daily hikes...and I can't wait !
 
Week 13

1st Quarter Review

Things I can do:
  • Walk pretty much as I want, as long as it's not too fast. No cane needed. Still some slight issues with relearning balance - I'm not fully up to it yet and still walk a little gingerly downhill. 98% there
  • Up and down stairs properly, no need for handrail (although I have to think not to use it!). Don't go up two at a time yet, but working on it.
  • Extension not yet where I want it (0 and 2) nor ROM (130 and 135) but gaining on it with stretching
  • Knees still have fluid but no discernible swelling, although Jo has said that there can be internal swelling that one can't see. Fluid slowly lessening.
  • Ride the bike 10-15 miles with no ill effects on the knee. Last Wednesday rode with a coterie of other old boys and of course overdid it. No bad effects on the knee. And I don't think me knees are now the limiting factor
  • No drugs.

This is pretty much an optimal recovery path, as far as I can tell.

Why I think this has happened.

  • proactively doing nothing in the first few weeks. No PT, no nothing, just rest and ice.
  • doing only stretches and no strength training for even longer. Never continuing any exercise into pain
  • Being relatively fit to start with
  • Having a surgeon who didn't mess with me too much. No bruising, wounds stitched rather than stapled.
 
Roy Gardiner said:
It's an American expression, allegedly. mess up, means 'fouled up beyond all recognition'. Well, just about. Sometimes the first word is spelt and pronounced slightly differently. See also mess up, 'situation normal, all fouled up'.
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They derive from the military, IIRC, like many other expressions.
 
Roy Gardiner said:
Week 10

This morning I walked down 2 floors (4 flights) of stairs, properly foot-over-foot not one step at a time, carrying a large wicker basket full of washing in one hand, a cup of tea in the other.

Sounds like nothing doesn't it? And don't we know better?

:dancy::yahoo::happy dance:
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It's the little changes that mean the most. Not to steal your thread, but I recall the first time during my weight loss I could sit in a diner booth. After I did it I realized what had happened, and I got up and sat down again just so I could experience it again. You must be going through some of the same emotions.
 
Ride the bike 10-15 miles with no ill effects on the knee. Last Wednesday rode with a coterie of other old boys and of course overdid it. No bad effects on the knee. And I don't think me knees are now the limiting factor


From my experience riding post BTKR the knees will not be the limiting factor. For me it was the depth of fitness that remained missing for ten months. I could do long hard rides (50+, 17+ MPH) at five months but the recovery period was about three time longer than it was when riding before. Again, that is just my experience and we all will differ. The other missing component was climbing strength. Quads were dust not firing like they used to, which of course was expected, but with the riding I did do that came back by month 7.
 
It's good to know I pretty much share your experience, so far. If I can do 50 at 17s in 2 months from now I'll be well pleased. I'm off to Majorca in April, that should help a lot.

3x recovery makes sense, knowledge and experience can push through on the ride, but you can't escape using up more of the available muscle!

Climbing too I can see; mine always has been pretty bad but has gone to rubbish over the last couple of years. I think it's because I've been unable to push, but have got away with it on the flat by (a) rapid pedaling (100rpm+ fairly typically) and (b) ducking and diving onto the right wheels...
 
100 days​

I have a theory about recovery. If you go into the pub and have 15 drinks, you will be out of your box. The body can remove alcohol at the rate of about 1 drink an hour, so after several hours -- you will still be sozzled.

After a few more hours when you have only 4 or 5 (say) units left in you, the body will still be removing 1 per hour so the percentage being removed will be rapidly accelerating. The more you sober up, the faster it progresses.

TKR is so badly damaging that however fast the body heals, for weeks it's still in a mess. Then, quite quickly by comparison, it gets better and you can do things.

If the drunk person has 1 drink an hour, they stay drunk. A sober person could have a drink an hour and barely notice it.

If you do too much early exercise in recovery, it puts you back dramatically -- even if what you do would normally be trivial. Not doing it speeds recovery, until you are able to do it much more easily.

That's my theory; whether it's cobblers or genius or just scribble the Top People here can judge (if they feel the need to read it...)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 9th: 15 miles on the bike, then in the evening walk to station (0.7 mile) wheeling suitcase, travel to Euston then Manchester and back Saturday with all the walking that entailed
Sunday 11th: Legs stiff so either (a) damaged or (b) just stiffness one might expect from exertion. 10 miles on the bike, no pressure just spinning the pedals, eased stiffness. So it was (b)
Monday 12th: 10 miles
Tuesday 13th: rest day
Wednesday 14th: 20 miles at broken link removed: https://www.roygardiner.com/hoghill/index.htm(using the flat lower circuit) but doing some proper hard digs with the Wednesday Crew.


I am a happy bunny today.

I am no longer defined by my knees.​
 
Do you know Roy It may be cobblers but it's blinking marvellous for me and gives me great hope. My equivalent of drinking on a full tank was walking way too far at five weeks - a mile a day plus other things and then quite reasonably with your theory not able to get sober - knee hurting for ages. For the last two weeks I have forced myself to be patient and just walked to the end of the road and back, just a few yards and lo and behold the knee is finally getting sober and enjoying life again. Hardly any pain today on the three very short walks out.
So it's a top theory for me. Also congrats on your ton and where you are at. Very good news!:dancy:
 
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