TKR RTKR. 17/2/23

[Tentcamper]

@Anniemof I take heart and keep going because of @JusticeRider. She didn't improve a lot until 5 months. I don't know how she did it but if she can than so can all of us. When I started on this journey I thought I'd be driving after 4-6 weeks. Well damn, it didn't happen until 7-8. At that point I figured milestones would be a better measurement. Keep plowing through it.

 

[JusticeRider]

Thanks @Tentcamper for the shoutout
Gonna head on over to your thread next! @Anniemof , if you’re interested, you can read my thread to see my long, slow journey (granted, it’s a lot of reading!) Where you are at at 6 months I finally felt like my recovery was picking up some steam. I didn’t gain much flexion at all the first few months. I have been gaining slowly but surely in the months since then, and still am (literally over the last few weeks).

Your attitude is so great and I think that makes a world of difference. My neighbor, who took 2 yrs to get full range of motion told me, ‘keep your short term expectations low, and your long term expectations high’. I found that really helpful.

I guess the biggest factors for improvement were massage (which you are doing- yay!), stretching on my stationary bike every day, and more recently, doing more downhill walking. I also found heel slides did not work for me, and for the first several months preferred hanging my legs off a table and working on pulling my feet back (with no pulling, pushing, or forcing even from myself).

I still feel the main problem is down to my tendons, ligaments and quads

I absolutely believe this has been one of the main challenges for me too. My new PT (I quit for several months and then more recently decided I was ready to start with a new, very different therapist) taught me this fantastic stretch that has been a minor miracle in stretching everything from my hip down to my knee. I think it has been a huge factor in recent gains. I will find it in my thread and post it below this.

I also want to give you a virtual hug and my continued sympathy on losing your dear Patsy. The grief doesn’t just go away, I know. I’m sorry for your hard year. When it rains it pours sometimes, doesn’t it?

 

[JusticeRider]

So the stretch: Lie on your back on a firm bed, bench, etc. Lie at the very edge closest to your surgical leg. Hang your surgical leg off the side so your foot comes to rest on the floor. Then raise your other knee and put that foot flat on the bench/bed etc if you like. Here’s the crucial factor: the surface you’re lying on needs to be low enough that you can place the foot of your surgical leg flat on the floor. When you first let that foot come to a rest on the floor, don’t worry about putting it flat right away. Just let it rest there however it wants. You should feel a gentle stretch in your hip and maybe a tiny bit in your quad. But when you place that foot flat on the floor, you can move your heel back (toward your head) slowly until you feel your quad stretch. Go just until you feel some resistance first, hold for a bit, and then experiment to see how far back you can place your foot without pain. This is a hold for a few minutes kind of stretch, not a back and forth kind, so linger for a while. It’s amazing how much you can stretch your quad this way! I hope I was able to describe it in a way that makes sense. Give it a try if you like, and let me know how it goes!

 

[Anniemof]

@JusticeRider Thank you for your tip to stretch my quad and hip, it does work and I can feel the stretch when I do it.
I also like your neighbour's thoughts on expectations and keeping your long term expectations high. My current aims are to make my knee as functioning as I can and if I gain more flexion in the long term, great. I stopped a while back trying to bend my knee past where it wanted to go and it hasn't got any worse. The best physio I've had is the myofascial release and massage. It really loosens everthing up and I get benefit from it.
My other knee is also arthritic but I couldn't consider having that done any time soon. I couldn't put myself through it. I'd love to know if anyone who had a very slow recovery has plucked up the courage to have their other knee done.
I enjoy reading other peoples recovery journeys, especially if they have made slow recoveries, it gives me hope in my recovery. xx

 

[JusticeRider]

My current aims are to make my knee as functioning as I can and if I gain more flexion in the long term, great.

That’s exactly how I feel. So far, so good!

The best physio I've had is the myofascial release and massage. It really loosens everthing up and I get benefit from it.

I agree, massage was the best therapy I had the first several months post surgery.

My other knee is also arthritic but I couldn't consider having that done any time soon. I couldn't put myself through it.

Omg, me too. I’m begging that right knee to stay strong and hold out as long as possible!

Thank you for your tip to stretch my quad and hip, it does work and I can feel the stretch when I do it.

I’m so glad it works for you too! I try to do it every day and notice a difference if I miss a few days. I even stop to do it on benches on hikes sometimes!

Here’s to functional knees

 

[JamesW57]

You posted your frustration with slow ROM and swelling. Have you turned the corner and if so at what point. I had TKR on July 18,2023 then MUA on Sept 26, 2023. My last PT day will be Nov 20, 2023. I also had dry needling done twice sinc Sept. I am still at 100 ROM and it’s very uncomfortable getting there. I still have inner quad issue and a lot of pain. Swelling is still ridiculous which is what causes the pain. I ice, elevate and rest. I can ride my bike using an Ortho pedal and the seat raised. I can go 2 minutes or 30 and either way the knee yells at me for a couple of days. Standing and walking for more than 20 minutes or so just kills me. Really feeling down today! Is it ever going to get anywhere close to normal??? Ok I’m done whining for now but any thoughts are appreciated. Take care everyone.

 

[Anniemof]

Well it's been 13 months since my TRKR and I thought I'd share my progress. The knee is still tight and the soft tissue surrounding the knee remains uncomfortable. I'm back at the gym lifting weights, not too heavy, but it's very slow progress. My right quads are very weak. I liken my knee to an old fashioned clock that's been overwound, well that's howI imagine it. I'm still having Myofascial massage but I'm going to stop soon as not sure it's helping.
I am functioning but it's definitely not the outcome I was hoping for, in fact I call it my not so successful knee replacement, as that's how it is. I know some people say it can take up to two years, so I still have some hope. I can cope with the 90 degree bend if only it didn't feel so uncomfortable and tight. I feel I've changed one set of problems for another.
I've had very successful CMC joint removal with tightrope proceedure to both hands in the past but I still need surgery to my L toes and L knee, however this RTKR has put me right off orthopedic surgery.
Sorry it's not a more positive update, I continue to follow but don't post now as I don't want to put others off. Bonesmart has been a great help throughout my journey and I'll keep following x

 

[Jockette]

I totally understand where you’re coming from. I didn’t get the outcome I was expecting, either, and even 7 years later, I still have more limitations than before this surgery. Even so, after a tough first year, I did have a lot of improvement in my second year, as my whole leg continued to relax and heal. I hope you’ll see the same.

 

[Anniemof]

@Jockette, Thank you for your reply, I hope I make some improvement in my second year xx

 

[mendogal]

I'm really sorry you're not having the function we all hope for. Hoping you do improve over time.

 

[EalingGran]

I'm back at the gym lifting weights, not too heavy, but it's very slow progress. My right quads are very weak.

I am sorry you have not had the results you want and still feel stiff and sore.
What weights are you using? Are these ankle weights? And what exercises? Just wondering if somehow something is aggravating things. Gymns can be competitive places in my limited experience.
I am a great fan of pilates- which I credit with giving me good ROM without ever pushing me to pain. I would tend to avoid group classes, as there is a tendency for peer pressure to make us join in when we shouldn't. But maybe see if there is a good private teacher or look at my teacher's many free classes on YouTube- Google Katja pilates. There is a side lying leg/ glutes one which is knee injury friendly(no kneeling or squats). This was my go-to rehab.