TKR ROM issues

[sistersinhim]

I will change your title for you.

It sounds like you did too much at one time. Try doing just one thing and see how your knee and leg react. If it's ok afterward, then your knee is ready for that movement and you can try adding something else. This recovery is a trial-and-error learning experience. Finding out what works for you with the least pain and swelling is the key to a good recovery.

 

[Fluttershy]

Today I have increasing pain as the day continues. My whole leg hurts, including the knee and the ankle - now all the way into my foot. Why

Ugh, I am so sorry! Hugs. After an increase in stretch load I would get knee swelling (which would calm in a day or two and I think was a natural response to stressing the tissues). But I never had whole leg pain from it. Sometimes I get outside shin pain that radiates down to my ankle (I think it’s from some compartment pressure in lower leg as it happens more in hot weather when my legs might swell) . Sometimes I get a numb toe that I think comes from my bike saddle and hamstring tightness. But knee flexion stretching alone doesn’t seem to bring on those symptoms right now.
I wonder if the bike is an irritating factor, maybe not quite ready for it yet? If hamstrings are tight and saddle high, it can put sciatic nerve on too much stretch (speaking from experience a couple years ago when I had to cut the cycling back to work on my hammies and glutes a bit more)

Do you get any numbness or tingling also? Do you have access to a PT (or sports medicine chiropractor) with experience in both TKR rehab and back/spine/sciatic issues who might be able to do some assessments to help further pinpoint cause of symptoms? The body is such a mystery sometimes; straightforward cause and effect can be elusive!

 

[skiforever]

Today my leg quieted down; there was no pain last night - hooray! Going down stairs felt a little easier today. Do I dare think that I could be making some flexion progress? I will continue the 5 minute bike ride and 1.5 minute seated leg straightening hamstring stretch for a couple more days then try again to extend the time and add other work.

 

[EalingGran]

Great news! Take it steady and gentle.

 

[Fluttershy]

Glad to hear it quieted down. Hope this is the start of a better trend.

About this:

Going from bending work to straightening and visa versa is quite painful. When I was going to PT they seemed to be surprised at that. Does anyone else experience that?

I do. So much that while working on flexion I stopped trying for extension. I wasn’t making extension gains anyway.

 

[skiforever]

My iPhone says I have walked an average of 4.6 miles per day this week. Maybe that is why my knee hurts at times during the night. Oh well, I am back home, ready for some ROM work tomorrow.

 

[Mutti3]

Just as a side note. I have a Fitbit and a iPhone that records my steps. Interesting both record different reading at the same time, same me! iPhone seems to record every motion as a step. Weird!

 

[skiforever]

@Mutti3
The iPhone is not very accurate but it does give information about number of steps, step length, walking asymmetry, double support time, etc., that are useful during recovery. June was a very slow month for me!

As an example of a failure, the other day it said I had 24,529 steps. Sure. Normal is perhaps 8,000. Maybe it was vacuuming or some other part of house cleanup. When I went to a museum it said I had a lot of double support time, ha, ha.

 

[sistersinhim]

I wear a Fitbit Zip and a Fitbit Sense. Even those have different step counts. I usually count an average of the two.

 

[Fluttershy]

@Mutti3
As an example of a failure, the other day it said I had 24,529 steps. Sure. Normal is perhaps 8,000. Maybe it was vacuuming or some other part of house cleanup. When I went to a museum it said I had a lot of double support time, ha, ha.

My phone used to double up steps too - for some reason it added on my Garmin activity data. I felt like a fraud ha ha.

4.6 miles equivalent is a lot! But I guess it’s all relative and you know your limits best @skiforever . Hopefully with rest/recovery and adaptation the next 4.6 miles will be followed by just a good night sleep.

 

[marmarmish]

@skiforever I've just read thru your whole thread. Wow lady - you are a force!
Though it does sounds like you've jumped back into it awfully quickly! This surgery is brutal, perhaps you need to give it more time for healing??? Of course you know your body best...

Sorry to hear about your ROM issues. I am 2 mos. postop and having the same issues. I had a great deal of anxiety over this, but found this forum a few days ago, and am soooooo encouraged by other folks' experiences with improved ROM as the months, and even years go by. Do you think all that you do, is keeping the swelling in your knee fromr ROM progress?

So I have an interesting implant! I got a Zimmer knee that has an electronic component in it with a little antenna that fits into my femur. The doctor can monitor my progress with it, and if I have issues with it years down the road, he can "look me up" on his computer and the device will show him what is going on. Further, I have an app on my phone that lets me connect to the info that is transmitted to a receiver I keep by my bed (where it uploads daily info to). So, on my phone I can see how many steps I've taken, distance I've covered, cadence, stride length, walking ROM and more. And I can see on a graph how I'm doing week over week and month over month.
Pretty awesome!

Anyway, it's been a tough couple of months, and I pray for better ROM. But it's wonderful to hear other people's stories like yours, and the feedback and encouragement I have already received.

I wish you luck with your continued recovery!

 

[sistersinhim]

So I have an interesting implant! I got a Zimmer knee that has an electronic component in it with a little antenna that fits into my femur. The doctor can monitor my progress with it, and if I have issues with it years down the road, he can "look me up" on his computer and the device will show him what is going on. Further, I have an app on my phone that lets me connect to the info that is transmitted to a receiver I keep by my bed (where it uploads daily info to). So, on my phone I can see how many steps I've taken, distance I've covered, cadence, stride length, walking ROM and more. And I can see on a graph how I'm doing week over week and month over month.
Pretty awesome!

This sounds amazing! I have not heard about it, but I will look it up and get more information about it. It sounds like something out of the fall away future but it is here now!

 

[MSuki]

I am so jealous of the device, I love to see data like that. I want to start tracking my steps soon but my watch does not record accurately when using the walker.

 

[skiforever]

Hooray! Downhill skiing works! The lack of ROM makes getting on a lift that is only about a foot off the ground rather hard, but otherwise it is great fun again!

 

[mendogal]

Good grief you did it!!!! We want details! How far, how long?!?!

 

[MSuki]

I went skiing for a couple of days with a friend when I was 13. I had a great time but unfortunately I never learned to brake well. We had an exciting experience where we fell off a t bar lift before getting to the top, went to the nearest slope, and it was “expert”. This was straight from the initial how to ski class on the bunny slope. Every time we got going too fast we would just have to fall over. Scary but fun…. I‘m glad you actually know how to ski and were able to get out there and enjoy the mountai.

 

[Jockette]

@MSuki I do hope you didn’t get hurt!

 

[MSuki]

No I was pretty resilient at that age….

 

[skiforever]

Good grief you did it!!!! We want details! How far, how long?!?!

There has been almost no snow here, so any skiing is nice to have. Sugar Bowl opened 2 runs on one lift using snow-making. Last night an unpredicted 2 inches of snow fell and made a very nice skiing surface. I planned to take a couple runs, but it was good enough for 6 runs, which took all of an hour!

 

[skiforever]

Yea, opening day for the TDXC ski center on man-made snow, a 1km loop. This use of man-made snow for cross country skiing is a first in this area (northern Sierra Nevada), and many people enjoyed it. My new knee loved it!