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TKR Speedknee Recovery

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Hi @bionic1 - I thought you might like to get a snapshot of where you are in the medically acknowledged healing phases.

The following is a link to an article which provides the science regarding the healing process beneath and around the implant and the approximate timeframes for our bodies healing phases and processes.

Healing Phases & Nutrition

Nutrition plays a huge part in surgical recovery, in fact it is one of the 'forgotten topics' of recovery..

This second link is to other nutritional articles which you may find interesting, including one relating to bone health.

Nutritional advice for pre op and recovery

This third link refers to my ongoing research..

nutritional-snippets-did-you-know

Feel free to tag me if you have any questions regarding nutrition.

However, I would appreciate if you (or any other member) do not request advice regards supplements as I would be breaking the Common Law Act (under which I am governed) to prescribe outside of my practice, especially via the Internet.
 
new update. 2 weeks and 2 days since surgery. had staples out today, that feels better! surgeon very pleased with my progress. he ordered me some norco as percocet is more than I need now and tylenol is not always enough. I will have my last in house PT tomorrow morning and then start outpatient PT next week. I can drive in 2 weeks (I didn't mention to him that I took a short drive in a very light traffic area yesterday after practicing brake to gas transfers and sudden braking in the garage before I attempted it, he does not need to know everything, right?) my flex is at 108 all this week, no gain but no loss either, don't know the number for extension but it is very close to zero. using the cane all the time now but keeping the walked around a little longer "just in case". still using the ice machine and elevation with no plans to stop. at my therapist suggestion I placed a full length mirror at the end of the hallway so I can watch myself walk, I have some gait issues to overcome, a "dip in the hip" on my non operative side and a tendency to flat foot on my surgical side. things my body learned to do to overcome the pain and difficulty walking on the old painful and bowed knee. I am determined that I WILL walk without that rolling limp! onward and upward for us all, I am so glad I had this done!
 
just had my discharge from in house PT. numbers are 110 and 0. very happy with that. looking forward to outpatient PT and really getting my life back
 
today is 3 weeks since surgery. no outpatient PT till the 17th so I have to be consistent with my walking and exercises. I am using the exercises given to me by the in house therapist and some from a book I found suggested on this site. Total Knee Replacement and Rehabilitation by Brugioni and Falkel. if anyone is reading this post and has not read this book, it is great for information and exercises. it was written by an ortho doc and a therapist who had bilateral TKA himself. I folded up my walked and stashed it in the garage, felt like a rite of passage to do that. feeling confident with the cane even outside. I do walk a bit in the house without it, but I still have the limp after just a few steps, so I guess I still need it. still taking a percocet or vicodin in the morning as I wake up very stiff and sore, but after the med and an icing/elevating session I feel good. during the course of the day 1000 mg of tylenol is enough, and bedtime varies between needing the tylenol or a vicodin, depending on the day. I am feeling like I am close to not needing the narcotics but I won't rush it. I still have a fair amount of stiffness if I have been in the same position for a while. the tight band feeling I read on here so often is diminishing and does seem directly related to swelling increases when I have been up and around for a while. 2 days ago I went to Target and then to the grocery store, even with pushing a cart, by the time I got home I was DONE! but the trusty ice/elevation put me right in about 45 minutes. I did notice an increase in swelling after that outing as well as an increase in the tight band feeling, all normal, I know. but it felt so good to get out and do a couple of errands like a normal person. I found a pool very close to home that offers a water exercise class, only once per week, and for very low cost. while my incision looks great, it is not ready for a pool yet, but maybe in another week or so (hence the trip to Target to get a swim suit). so, I am excited to give that a try soon. overall, everything is going so well, the only disappointment is the limp, but I spent a long time perfecting it and I know it just requires patience, and that dreaded four letter word: TIME. I spend a good bit of time every day reading posts here, I learn a lot from all of you. I don't often comment because by the time I see the post there have already been several responses with great information. I wish the docs and therapists could all know about this site and suggest it to their patients at the first visit. hope this day finds you all making progress and feeling well.
 
bionic1 said:
I do walk a bit in the house without it, but I still have the limp after just a few steps, so I guess I still need it.
Click to expand...
You are right,
You will want to use your cane as long as you have a limp, the cane will help you develop a normal gait. Walking with a limp only reinforces the limp.
Our neighborhood pool opened this weekend, the water felt great. You will love it once your knee is healed and you are cleared by your OS to swim.
 
well, another milestone reached. while doing my exercises this morning I got on the exercise bike expecting to just do the rock back and forth routine and found that I could go all the way with NO PAIN at all. so, I limited myself to 2 minutes this first time, but it sure felt good to be able to do something today that I could not do yesterday!
 
:yay:
 
I have that book on my Kindle! I've done a lot of bookmarking and searching on it!

Congrats on your revolution!
 
Milestones such a this (going all the way around on the bike) will become more and more frequent as you recover! Everyone is exciting!


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
4 1/2 weeks since surgery. no longer need narcotics, taking motrin and tylenol with good effect. still very stiff getting up in the morning and anytime I have been in one position for a while. still icing and elevating throughout the day, but not as often. have had some boredom and post op blues, but nothing unexpected. glad to have netflix. still can't do steps normally, but no problem doing one at a time, have not had much chance to practice so I have to change that. had first out patient (out of house) PT yesterday, no real change in numbers, flexion 111. but therapist thinks I am doing great and he does not believe in inflicting pain, so we got along real well. he actually thinks I walk better without the cane, but I do still need it for any distance. he says I just need to strengthen hips that became weak with the altered gait I developed pre surgery. I told him that I have a total gym knock off machine and I have been doing squats (within my limitations) and his eyes actually lit up. so, this marathon recovery is progressing well and I am working on my patience.
 
Great on squats. I would not attempt lol. It hurts. I am 3 months and I get stiff to. Just take a few min extra to get up

Best of luck.


FaithMitchmommy
PKR December.1,2014
TKREV MARCH.2,2015
 
6 weeks today. PT today, says I am doing great and won't need therapy much longer. numbers good 121/4. I can now go up and down stairs "normally" but slowly and with a bit of a hip hike going up, therapist said to keep doing it that way to normalize it instead of going back to both feet on each step. definite gains in strength. not too much pain. yesterday I went to kneel on a chair to reach the window and realized that I had put a bit of weight on my right knee, of course as soon as I felt it, I let up. but it was nice to just go and do something without even thinking of how to handle my knee! I have ventured outside without my cane for short distances, not ready to give it up all the way yet. onward and upward!
 
You are doing great!

Try just carrying the cane with you. I did that for a couple weeks when I went out just in case I needed it.
 
:yay:
 
7 weeks today. no new news in therapy, doing just fine. rode my bike outside today for the first time, was a little afraid at first but it felt great to be doing it. been doing well without the cane, keep it in the car but rarely use it now. incision if finally flattened out, was puckered up quite a bit at the top for a while. balance is better than it was before surgery. stairs are better, not perfect, but better. I don't have stairs at home so have to go looking for them. so, nothing to complain about here at all!
 
:thumb:
 
That is so awesome that you went for a bike ride outside. You are doing amazing!!! I was never a good bike rider, so I won't be trying that for a while! Keep up the good work, just try not to over do it now that you feel better.:flwrysmile:
 
thanks, Sharon. I'm not so great at riding either, just started up riding last summer after many years of not riding at all, so it was a little scary to get up on the seat, I just rode up and down my street several times. hoping to do some trail riding by september, but not looking to do that now. I feel that I just need to work on endurance and stamina now. I think the ROM will improve as I go but I still get tired and achy behind the knee fairly quickly. gotta be ready for those 10 hour nursing shifts by 8/10 (I think I can, I think I can...)
 
8 week update. PT today, no change to speak of, but some gains in strength. ROM 122/3, want more, will give it all the time it needs. I can pretty much do everything I need to with this ROM, except some yoga poses. rode 1.6 miles on bike outside just now and felt great! still scary getting on and off, but the ride is good. I have plates and screws in both wrists and now this new knee, so I am afraid of falling, so slow and steady continues to be the plan. hope everyone is recovering nicely.
 
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