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Bilateral TKR Recovery Diary

:) Ooooh that sarcastic tone 'written by a Brit', are we all illiterates or summat?
 
TheHistorian said:
No, not at all. But the UK is suffering from advanced stages of political correctness. I'm glad you are immune.
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Political correctness is one of the least of our problems, but I'm pleased to be considered immune anyway, thank you!

There is actually a point to all this, as you've all spotted; ignorant opinions are often expressed with as much conviction as educated ones, but are not helpful (to say the least). Irrelevant most of the time, but significant when spouse or friend of a TKR holds such about knees and tries to convince the recovering person of it.
 
It has been awhile since I have been on the BS forum. At 18 months now and the good news is that my knees and legs keep getting better. The latest breakthrough came to be by taking surfing lessons, of all things. The rubbing of the scar on my right knee caused some irritation. Subsequent soaking in the salt water while snorkeling caused a large hunk of scar tissue to come to the surface and I was able to actually pull out a 1/2 inch by 1/8 inch hard piece of tissue. After that piece came out I noticed I was able to fully lock out and engage my quads. As a result, now I can stand and really engage my right leg when climbing. Something I could not do before without feeling an urge to take the pressure off of that leg. I think that piece of scar tissue was acting like a trigger point and was interfering with the nerves that engage the quads. If you have ever had a corm or planters wart in your foot, you know how just a small hard object can cause pain. Now I can stand and climb so much better it will allow me to train better. I also now walk and run with much more ease. Funny thing is I was satisfied with what I had, but now, after 18 months, I have even more. Just had to share this so you all know that there are many stages to the recovery that takes a long time to come to fruition.
 
Gosh! I never knew tissue could come to the surface and pulled off! Anyone else had this? Should we be soaking in salt water?
 
That is a strange story, and fortunate for you it sounds like! Self surgery, so to speak! I guess that would speak to the benefits of scar tissue removal at some point. I have a little knot forming, but at 4 weeks, too early to be thinking about that. The PT is working on that spot though. Thanks for the report!
 
July 26th, 7 1/2 months, Another milestone.

First fast (for me) group training ride on Cape Cod, 26 miles @ 19mph average. No pain from the knees, plenty from everywhere else...
 
Roy Gardiner said:
July 26th, 7 1/2 months, Another milestone.

First fast (for me) group training ride on Cape Cod, 26 miles @ 19mph average. No pain from the knees, plenty from everywhere else...
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I don't care if you are a Brit, I want to be you when I grow up. :)
 
Today, trip to dentist. 0.7 mile walk to tube station, sit for 45 minutes, get up no problem, 0.5 mile walk to dentist's office. Walk back, down 100 stationary escalator steps, not quite skipping down but at normal person's pace. Ssit another 45 minutes on the tube and walk up the hill home. Wearing light canvas deck shoes, it's hot here (well by London standards, 20+ degrees). All really without having to think about it. The clicking and clunking we are all familiar with just about faded away now.

But recently developed a niggling pain down my right leg on the outside, over the last three weeks or so. Couldn't work it out for a while -- but went back to concentrating on my pedal stroke on the bike, which I'd gone back to taking for granted. I'm now fairly sure that my body was trying to revert to my old pre-surgery style where I favoured my knee by pushing outwards to the right, so the right knee was sticking out slightly. Now consciously keeping the leg straight has reduced the pain 95%. I reckon the 5% is residual due to strain and will soon go.

This is IMO where physiotherapy should score; not in training but in coaching. Helping us to walk and stand (and maybe cycle too) correctly during the recovery process, to correct errors of posture, etc. We all of us to a greater or lesser extent compensate, pre-surgery, for the pain and crippling nature of defective knees and it's not obvious IMO that we revert to correctness afterwards.
 
TheHistorian said:
I don't care if you are a Brit, I want to be you when I grow up. :)
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I don't care if you're a colonial, you have my permission:)


Now I know you were having a little go at me for showing off, fair enough, but seriously for a sec: you are 15 (about) years younger than me I reckon (dob 3 Feb 52) so you have a long time to effect (say) 25 miles @ 20mph. Go for it.
 
So today was my 8 (edit: oh alright then just shy of 9 :) ) month check-up with the OS Mr Ireland.

ROM 0 to130 (right), -1 to130 (left). All functions working properly. Some fluid still on the knee, to be expected.

On standing up, the right knee 'crunches'. This turns out to be (if I can read John's writing...) 'peri patillen fibrosynovial thickening'. That means 'gristle formed on the back of the kneecap', which is being squeezed by the act of standing up. It is, apparently, nothing to worry about.

John has no other patients who cycle as much as me so can offer no evidence on long-term future. Thanks, mate :sad:. But he seems to think that progress so far is spot on so no real need to worry.

I am now able to walk as far as I want, limited not by knees but by tiredness. Same thing on the bike, I'm now able to ride hard enough actually to train, which is great. Rode 5 days out of 7 last week, 135 miles. Just over 1600 miles total this year since February.

The previously reported pain on the right of the knee has almost gone now.
 
Great report Roy. But don't you mean 9 months? Isn't it great to be back doing the things we love doing.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Recovery Diary
Keep those wheels moving and have more fun!
 
Dec 6th 2012 Surgery, so now just over 9 months (counted carefully on fingers).

Progress continues. Went out for walk with wife and eldest daughter yesterday, 3.8 miles. No effect on the knees at all, tired at the end because I'm still not really used to walking much.
 
Roy Gardiner said:
Dec 6th 2012 Surgery, so now just over 9 months (counted carefully on fingers).

Progress continues. Went out for walk with wife and eldest daughter yesterday, 3.8 miles. No effect on the knees at all, tired at the end because I'm still not really used to walking much.
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Very good to hear! 3.8 miles is a nice walk!
 
I really liked your one page account of recovery, it was quite helpful. I wonder if anyone else has done this? I think it will be one of my goals to write a one page summation of my recovery. I know mine will be different but it is nice to see it all on one page. Glad you're recovery is going so well.
 
:blush: I haven't updated the one-page thing for a while; as yours is in fact the first comment on it I thought no-one was reading it. Maybe I should put in a bit more detail. Task for tomorrow when it's raining and I can't get out on the bike.
 
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