TKR The Other Knee

[goforwalks]

I'm in my 6th week of a TKR on my right leg. My left leg looks just as bad in X-rays (osteoarthritis) but is not painful at this time. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to avoid or postpone surgery on my left knee. I just added it to my PT activity which includes a stationary bike because I was told that strengthening the muscles around the knee would be helpful. However, my left knee had a new pain today. I'm not sure if I should proceed. I'm afraid to increase the decline of my left knee. Thanks in advance.

 

[Celle]

Hi @goforwalks
I'm glad you found us.

Your left leg is doing extra work while your right leg is recovering. For now, that's probably enough exercise for it. Many of us have found that the "good" leg starts complaining while the new knee is healing. I think the answer for now is not to stress it further, so I'd cut back on the extra exercise for that left leg.

Here is some post-operative reading, to help with your recovery. Most of the articles are short, so please don't feel overwhelmed by them:
First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist (PT) - to do it to you. exercise only gently
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lie down!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs

Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Activity progression for TKRs
Heel slides and how to do them

Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

Best wishes - do come back and let us know how you're getting on.

 

[Floridagal]

Hi, @goforwalks, this is a great place to visit regularly. Welcome! I also have a left knee that the OS originally told me wouldn't need to be replaced. It has acted up since my RTKR and now the OS is saying "maybe - I will see you in a year." Now that I am four months out I am doing what I can to strengthen it without irritating it. I agree that for now don't add any additional stress to it until the TKR can take over its share of the duties. Then proceed gradually and carefully.

 

[Tabbycat]

Hi @goforwalks
A very warm welcome to the forum. Your dilemma is one that's relevant to many of us. I think it's a fine line between doing enough activity and not over stressing the new knee and the non TKR one. Strengthening exercise is not advocated (on this forum) until about twelve weeks. 6 weeks is still very early in this recovery, the main thing to do at this stage would still be rest, icing and elevating if there's pain and swelling, and some gentle stretches and the activities of daily living will be sufficient exercise for both knees.
Wishing you well.
Tabby xxx

 

[Josephine]

I merged your threads as per this request One thread for your recovery please?

It is so much easier to be able to help you and give you the advice you need when we are able to easily see when your surgery was, what other issues you may have had, and what has been going on in your recovery just by looking at one thread instead of bouncing back and forth between two or more other threads.

We also have help articles here, you know! In here How To Use This Forum (it's in the "Help & Info" tab across the top of the page).
The article you want is this one How can I find my threads and posts?

 

[BBCG]

Hi from a fellow walker, @goforwalks... I was very much helped by everyone here, too, so welcome. Like you, my right knee was equally "bad" on X-rays, too. In fact, my OS wondered why I was having the left done first. My response was that it was the one that sloughed off bone spurs painfully regularly! My right knee has been doing some grousing too, as it sounds like yours has... I'm at 12 weeks this week, and just this past week resumed strengthening work for both legs in Pilates sessions. I had been doing so for about a year prior to my TKR, too, and I think that my overall strength and conditioning was helpful prior to surgery and in recovery, too. My PT folks have me doing some specific strengthening exercises to help me better recruit muscles that have tended to be lazy, but only fairly recently. Until about the 8-week point, my efforts at strengthening ended up setting me up for a painful recovery day the next day, so you might carefully assess if it's beneficial based on your experiences the following hours or days? There is plenty of time to do more official strengthening a few more weeks down the road, too, if you find yourself fighting a more painful day after... It rather sounds like that's what you're finding, too... Since you really want to conserve the non-"new baby knee" leg a while, maybe being gentler to it makes sense, something I decided earlier in my recovery when I tried doing too much walking... Just my 2 cents!