MUA Steelergal's Recovery Thread

Glad travels went well. So, sitting in a row of seats worked out for you! That’s one of the things I’m hoping for. I’ll have a shorter test when I go to theater on Thursday.

I’ll be interested tohear how the dry needling helps with ROM.

Have a good rest of your day.
 
You've done very well on your traveling. Many find it very difficult and painful and you survived it just fine! Your ROM will continue to improve as time goes on. Your knee has quite a history and needs more time to heal. But, you are healing and you are improving. That's what counts!
 
@Helizabug Three dry needling sessions over the past two weeks and I’ve seen about 5 degrees more flexion with about 3 degrees extension. It may not seem like a lot to most people but it’s HUGE for me. Still a long way to go (I’m averaging 102-105 extension now), but I’ll glad it’s still moving in the right direction. Walking down stairs foot over foot is getting easier. So we’ll keep working on it!
 
Is the dry needling procedure painful?
 
Not really. I’m a huge baby when it comes to needles so i can’t watch. I can’t really feel the needles unless it hits the nerve just right and then it’s not fun. But that’s only for a second or two. It’s much less painful compared to cupping. My therapist sometimes uses electrical stim attached to the needles and that feels really good. My calf muscles are very tight so i have soreness a day or two afterwards but it feels like after a good workout.
 
Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll try it. My PT people offer it. Needles don’t bother me too much.
 
Talk through it with your therapists and your doctor. Make sure you’re working with someone who really understands what they’re doing and what your body is going through. I did a lot of research to understand the process and recommend watching videos. I will say it can sometimes (not often) cause bruising. But it’s given me a few degrees of bend so I’m happy with it.
 
I'm glad something is helping, even if it is very slow.

I still can't foot-over-foot the stairs either. My surgeon told me that is usually the last thing to come back.
 
@luvcats I’m glad to know your surgeon said that about stairs. Right now i feel like such a failure because i can’t quite do it yet. One therapist (not my main one thankfully) said “if you can ride the bike that easily you should have no problem with stairs”. Those are two totally different things!
 
Hi everyone, i hope you’re all staying safe and healthy!

I need some tips. Since my flexibility is still pretty lousy, I’m wondering how I’m going to cut my toenails now that nail salons aren’t open. I don’t have a spouse or family member close by that I can ask for help. Are there adaptable toenail clippers out there? I haven’t found much online. any suggestions would be appreciated!
 
I'm in the same boat. I can bend my left leg fully with no problem, but can't easily cut my nails on my right foot. What I do is I either cut them in the bathtub where I can prop my leg in a perfect place for me, then I bend over at the waist, do one nail at a time, then straighten up and breathe, and so on. Or, I sit on my bed with my legs on it, bend at the waist again and trim them there. I don't like doing it on my bed since I then have to go get the vacuum, so I prefer to use the tub. I have a seat in my shower but can't stand on my right leg with my left leg propped on it, and forget propping my right leg at the angle of my seat. I also can't bend to the floor while sitting and cut them. My two baby toes on the right foot are hard to reach no matter how I do it, but I just give those two a quick (and uneven) clip.
 
I sat in a chair and bent over and did mine. I still can't do my tkr knee the normal way since I can't bend and twist my knee over my old knee, so I bend down and but those nails.
 
Have you looked at toenail grinders?
That sounds like torture! :rotfl:
I just googled it, it’s a real thing!

I have trouble trimming mine, too. I have not worn nail polish since I took it off for my surgery, 3 years ago, because my toes are too hard to reach. My toes look awful with no color, and I wear sandals all the time! :bawl:
 
Thanks everyone, I found some clippers that have a bit of a longer handle so I'll try those. I can pull out my shower stool and see if I can manage it there. I've reached out to a few friends who are in the salon business to see if they know of any out-of-work nail techs who might want some business and would be willing to do a quick "outside on the deck" pedicure.

@Tykey The toenail grinders scare me a bit, so I think I'll manage with uneven toenails. No ones seeing my feet right now anyway! :)
 
Steelergal, I just read all of your posts tonite and just want to tell you how impressed I am with your
"fighting spirit" you have really been through a lot and still keep on improving yourself everyday-
It is really a tough road-so frustrating most of the time, when I read the real truth about recovery here, it does make me feel less alone- we sure are all in this battle together.
 
Aw, thanks @Peaches0000! That’s very kind of you. I certainly don’t often feel like I’m handling this recovery well, but i really have no choice but to keep going. We are all in this together and it’s so much better to know there are so many others who know what we’re going through. Now if i could just get this stupid knee to bend and stop being so sensitive to touch, everything would be great!
 
@Steelergal - how are you doing? I am definitely better! I'll probably post a 10-month update soon, but wanted to reach out and check on you!
 
Hey @FitGal! Glad to hear you're doing well! Thanks for reaching out!

I'm hanging in there. I guess this is a 10-month update for me too! :) No joint pain and getting stronger (I'm walking about 4 miles a day), but I'm still have issues with ROM. I can do most things, but walking down stairs normally is still an issue. Since I stopped PT in the middle of March, I do light stretches at home and use my under the desk bike. I'm also still having some nerve pain on and around my kneecap. It's still very sensitive whenever anything rubs against it (super annoying), but I think it's getting slightly better and I hope that's a good sign. Overall, I'm glad to be joint pain free, but certainly wish I had fewer complications. I'll just keep doing what I can and hope my ROM continues to improve after the first year!
 

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