TKR So glad the knee is in!

[Timetolive]

I am 6 months out now. Every day I feel like I gain a little. I still have swelling when I walk. My walking is purposeful. I really make sure I put that TKR leg out and on the heel, walking through to toe. It is helping my extension. I ride my bike also. As it gets more "comfortable" (meaning I can make the rotations without lifting the hip), I lower my seat to make the bend more. It might take me a week or two to get another notch down and it is not easy, but it does help bending. I had an accident 6 years ago and previous to that, I had no problems with my knees either. I had 3 scopes for meniscus tears and clean outs, developed the arthritis, and became more crippled in that knee. It took over a year for the 6 inch bone bruise to heal and then the bone developed necrosis. I understand long recoveries. My mother became sick and I took care of her until her death, then decided to have my knee done. It has not been the recovery I expected or wanted, but all I can do at this point is keep trying and living. I wish you continued recovery.

 

[Wanttobebiking]

I sure can understand wanting the knee to be a non issue! Patience has been one of my biggest challenges with this recovery. Hang in there.

 

[Celle]

@Celle the tight band feeling now occurs mostly when walking - keeping my leg from bending very far so I still walk a little stiff legged. Is that a normal occurrence?

Yes, it can happen.
Try to concentrate on bending your knee as you walk. Practice slowly, and try to think about with each step. You don't want to o get into the habit of throwing your stiff leg round to the side.

 

[Keen Skier]

I noticed you mention an iPhone goniometer....there are many....is one more accurate than the others....are any of them accurate to within a reasonable read?
I'm new to this side (2.5 weeks in) and not sure whether it's better to wait for the next reading at physio or keep my own chart.
Thoughts???
Thx


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[charmed-life]

The one I use is simple and just called goniometer. There was another one I tried but on my phone it crashed every time. I like it because it's easy to b consistent. I do measure myself frequently because I like things like that and anyway I no longer go to PT


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[Celle]

I'm new to this side (2.5 weeks in) and not sure whether it's better to wait for the next reading at physio or keep my own chart.

I think it's best of all not to measure at all. Too much emphasis on measuring just causes unnecessary anxiety.
Let the physiotherapists get hooked up on the numbers. You don't have to. You will feel when your knee is starting to bend more easily.

As long as you treat your knee gently, with very little exercise, and spend plenty of time resting icing and elevating your knee (to reduce the swelling) the bend will come.

My surgeon does not have your knees measured at all. He can assess progress by looking at your knee. He just says "Show me what you can do." His patients all do well.

What you can do with your knee is more important than what numbers you achieve.
Function is more important than the numbers.

 

[Keen Skier]

Thanks...that had essentially been my initial approach, kind of like wt loss....checking your weight more often than once a week is counter productive and artificial....because the numbers matter so much less than what you can comfortably do.


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[charmed-life]

Oh, I weigh myself frequently too - would rather catch some trend going the wrong way. Just how I prefer it. And seeing my ROM improve was very positive thing for me - although when it doesn't move, that's not as good, I agree. But I like to keep in touch with how it measures.


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[referee54]

I think it's best of all not to measure at all. Too much emphasis on measuring just causes unnecessary anxiety.
Let the physiotherapists get hooked up on the numbers. You don't have to. You will feel when your knee is starting to bend more easily.

I concur!! Why worry about the quantitative---the numbers---what is important is the qualitative!! What can you do with your new knee?

The other point is this---we gain and lose ROM from time to time, so I just prefer to look at the big picture---the general upward trends.

As long as you treat your knee gently, with very little exercise, and spend plenty of time resting icing and elevating your knee (to reduce the swelling) the bend will come.

Remember that, while at six months, you have come a long way, you still most likely have a way to go. Six months is a long time, but a TKR recovery can take about a year or so. I was at 80%-85% at six months, and at 90%-95% at eight months, but I gained ROM in tiny increments well past the one year anniversary of my BTKR.

 

[charmed-life]

Well I disagree and think it's a personal preference. I also look at what I can do - finally can pedal my bike. My doctor says I'm not likely to get full ROM (100-110 hopefully) but it's getting to where I can do more at least. I don't go to PT anymore and enjoy watching the ups and downs, which still are slowly improving.


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[Celle]

It's OK to disagree, @charmed-life . You have a particular reason for wanting to measure your ROM, because it was bad before your surgery. You are the exception but, for most people, measuring once a month would be sufficient.

I've lost count of the number of people here that I've reassured because their PT says they should have achieved a certain ROM by a certain date (that's a fallacy) or because they appear to have slipped back a minor number of degrees. They are worried and there's no good reason why they should be.

The PTs focus on measuring ROM because that's about the only way they can demonstrate to the insurance companies (who pay them) that their ministrations are effective. So they measure at almost every session and often end up getting people worried about it.

 

[charmed-life]

My PT did not always measure and doctor eyeballed it as it sounds many do. But if people want to measure, I was just replying to tell what app I use.


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[Wanttobebiking]

I use the same app to measure ROM and was quite obsessive about it in the early days. I was lucky because my ROM was good early on and steadily progressed. Now I measure occasionally but the number seems less important than it once did even though sometimes my ROM is less than other times. I can see why you are interested in measuring, and I understand that in the end it is what it is. I met a 90-year old Finn in Finland who is 7 months post-op. We didn't compare ROM but we did compare our very comparable scars.

 

[charmed-life]

@Wanttobebiking. How was your trip?


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[Celle]

@newlybionic, don't want to derail tabbycat's thread but what about a revision makes swelling last that long? Curious because my implant is one normally used for revisions (due to knee and tibia trauma 4 months before TKR)

@charmed-life - I have copied this from tabbycat's thread. By trying to ask questions of newlybionic on tabbycat's thread, you were derailing the thread. You need go ask things like the above on your own thread, not on other people's threads because if someone answers you their reply will take the thread even further off the topic, which is tabbycat's own recovery.

The type of implant has nothing to do with the amount of swelling you have. It's often the result of how much your soft tissues have to be manipulated and what other things your surgeon has to do during the surgery. Since your knee was already damaged by your accident, it could have needed more extensive surgery at the time the implant was inserted.

 

[charmed-life]

Well, it did need more - had to remove the hardware from the tibia and do a revision stem, try to get the knee lined up right. In case any of you (especially Josephine or Celle) are interested here are some X-rays - from right after the accident and and after the surgery in France. (Before TKR - when knee was still not lined up quite right.

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[Celle]

Thanks for the X-rays. I can see why you had problems bending your knee before the TKR.
With time, patience and gentle treatment, I think you will have much better knee function after the TKR.

 

[charmed-life]

Yes, and very glad my doctor pretty much agrees with the philosophy here!


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[Wanttobebiking]

Hi. My trip is going really well. We are having a great time. Logged 22,000 steps one day and both knees are being very accommodating. Interesting to see your radiographs. I sure hope your bend improves to a point that you can once again do all the things you want to do.