TKR Back again, 1 and 2 years post op

[sistersinhim]

All was going great, but they added 30 leg presses on the Leg Press machine, as well as step-ups, 20 front and 20 sideways, and standing balancing on the new knee ( leg) for 10 reps, 10 seconds each. In addition to biking a mile and numerous other exercises.

Oh my gosh! A knee that's 6 months old shouldn't even have this much added to it at one time. Your knee isn't out of shape, it is severely injured from major, traumatic surgery. You need to find a new therapist. This one does not know how to rehab a joint replacement. Bad PT is much worse than no PT. All your knee needs to recover is gentle everyday activity movements. As you use it normally in your day to day life, it will naturally heal without that extreme pain. Treat it like a newborn baby cause that's what it is.

 

[Honey007]

@sistersinhim
Thanks yes I feel like I was training for a triathlon. I think I look healthier than I really am. I do not think they often understand how PSA is a different beast and has to be taken into consideration when doing PT. i Will take your advice and go somewhere else!

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm so glad you've decided to go to a different place. Make sure that they advocate a gentle recovery. You don't want to run into the same thing at a new place. You can call them and ask what their treatment plan is for a TKR. It should be working on gait, getting your swelling down, and maybe some gentle massaging. There should be no forcing of the knee at all and no weights or leg presses, squats, or the things you did Wednesday. That was very bad PT for a joint replacement.

 

[Celle]

As I finish up my recovery, my husband will be having spinal fusion surgery end of month.

Complete recovery from a knee replacement takes a full year. Even though everything looks healed on the surface, there is still lots of healing going on beneath the surface.

You had major surgery that caused a lot of trauma. Bones were cut and shaped, all your soft tissues were handled and pulled aside, two large metal parts were cemented into your cut bone ends, then everything was pulled and stitched back into place. You can't recover fully from all that in just a couple of months.

Please remember to take care of yourself, and not to overdo anything while you are taking care of your husband. Best wishes for your husband's surgery. You will both be recovering together, so try to plan plenty of rest times for both of you.

Overdid P/T at the 6 week mark. All was going great, but they added 30 leg presses on the Leg Press machine, as well as step ups, 20 front and 20 sideways, and standing balancing on new knee ( leg) for 10 reps, 10 seconds each. In addition to biking a mile and numerous other excuses.

i am happy to say we achieved a 120 ROM this last time. I was very proud of myself as I like to think I persevered with my PT like a champ. But now am paying the price!

Lesson learned, I hope! Your knee is the one you have to please, not your PT therapists. Speak up to protect your knee if you feel it is being asked to do too much.

Your PTs set an inappropriate schedule for your recovery. They moved you far too quickly into strength training, when your poor knee was still trying to heal. You may have pleased them by achieving good ROM numbers early, but at the expense of pain and swelling to your knees. PTs tend to get wrapped up in their numbers game, because that's something positive they can show to the insurance companies, but it's bad therapy for your knee.

They look good, but you're the one suffering now.

Plenty of rest, ice and elevation should help your knees to feel more comfortable, but it may take a week or two to recover from the effects of over-aggressive therapy.

It feels so good to see my body active and somewhat stronger after so much pain from PSA for years, that I always leave PT grateful that I can still do the things I did not think I could do any longer.

Please, what is PSA? It's not an abbreviation I'm familiar with.

 

[Honey007]

@Celle
i understand. It has happened at another place as well for back PT. I think I try to make it look effortless, smile and act enthusiastic to be a good patient.
Trust me that will never happen again!
Thank you!

 

[Dizzy]

That's why I am choosing not to go to out - patient PT. They treat you like part of an assembly line! I will continue with the exercises from my in-house PT, which are manageable, and depend on every day activities, icing, and elevating to get me to where I am comfortable.

 

[Honey007]

I found out I have a pinched nerve from arthritis on L4 and L5 due to overworking at PT on week 6 after TKR.

i was given steroid shot, 5 day steroid pack and told they would do MRI after 5 days if not better.
The pain is excruciating worse then either of my TKs, stabbing pain when I try to walk, and have become pretty much incontinent.

I sit in a recliner and worry this is putting additional pressure on my back. Is there anything I can be doing to get relief or to not inflame it more?
i am in tears - husband in hospital now for spinal fusion surgery and will be home on a Friday. I will have to care for him and me.

Have been this way since last Wednesday and just started steroid pack this AM

 

[Jockette]

i am in tears - husband in hospital now for spinal fusion surgery and will be home on a Friday. I will have to care for him and me.

I’m sorry you are in so much pain. Try to get some outside help to come as it’s going to be very hard for you to help your husband in your condition. I know exactly how you feel, I recently hurt my lower back, which moved over to my left hip, and made it very difficult for me to care for my husband, who had major issues at the time. The more I helped him, the worse I got.

I go to a chiropractor, so that helped, as well as being able to rest more as we had our son come help, and friends came to help also.

 

[Honey007]

@Jockette Thank you I am so happy someone understands.
I will look into getting some kind of home health !

 

[Jaycey]

@Honey007 I'm glad your son could come and help. I've had the same pitched nerve in the spine and it is so horrid. Try heat on your back. Can you get a TENs machine over the internet. My TENs really helped me while I waited for the injections to kick in.

Rest if you can and please don't stress. Call on friends and family now. Your BoneSmart family is here for you!

 

[Jockette]

At only 2 months post op you are still very early in your own recovery. The post op blues are still in full force which will make you feel upset and overwhelmed very easily. Been there, done that!

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Post op blues is feeling depressed, weepy, nervy, shaky, fearful of the future, anxious, overwhelmed by what is happening to you, convinced it's never going to get any better and finally, uttering that most intense of all cries "I wish I never had this done!" It arises out of a variety of...

bonesmart.org

 

[Honey007]

Ok, now I know what is wrong- hurt myself last week of PY for my second knee replacement I had end of May.
i was doing very extensive strength excercises my last week and got hurt. X-ray showas a pinched nerve, but 3 weeks later having been in excruciating pain in back and legs, bladder issues etc. had mri -results show impinged nerves sS1 nerve root and some fractures on Sacrum.
Now I know why my left side feels like I am being stabbed in kidney area.
I also have been allowed to go back to work after a 15 week furlough - luckily I work from home but the pain in my legs is horrible from sitting. I don’t know if it has to do with back, or am I still getting over knee surgery. My legs feel lik3 a boa is wrapped around them by mid day.
i have hardly been able to walk for three weeks.
i have an appt with my Back physician/ surgeon Tuesday. I understand surgery is not usually necessary for these fractures but do not know what else he can do- do they heal by themselves? Has anyone else had this type of injury?
i read that arthritis, and I assume Psoriatric arthritis wears this area out. I can’t help being angry about hurting myself at PT As it has been years since I havebeen able to walk well and with my second knee replacement felt this could be the year I get my life back, When this happened, I am afraid I will never be the same after all.

 

[sistersinhim]

Ok, now I know what is wrong- hurt myself last week of PY for my second knee replacement I had end of May.

I'm not understanding your post. Did you injure your back at PT for your knee?

 

[Honey007]

Yes sorry about typo. I injured my back during last week of physical therapy for my knee replacement.

 

[Peaches0000]

Honey007, I am shocked at the level of PT exercises they had you do on your last day-I hope you can heal up fast-I am so sorry that you are having so much pain.

 

[sistersinhim]

What did they have you doing that cause your back to be injured? This is something all of us need to look out for. I pray you have quick healing!

 

[Honey007]

Fractured sacrum was my diagnosis after hurting myself at the last week of PT for my Physical Therapy. My knee was done end of May. It is going on 4 weeks now when my pain started in my back due to tough strengthing exercises.
Not much can be done but rest, and use walker while it heals on own.
pain goes into legs, back, sometimes feet.
im so worried that it will take forever to heal.
Im wondering if anyone has had a fracture in back area and what outcome was.
I am told to only put half weight on left leg and that was my knee replacement leg.
im not able to do any excercises at home now as I am afraid I will make fractur worse and my knee is hurting a lot.
i know anything I do could put strain on the area and cause healing to take longer is this correct?

 

[Celle]

im not able to do any excercises at home now as I am afraid I will make fracture worse and my knee is hurting a lot.

I'm sorry this happened to you and you're in pain. Over-ambitious PT is never a good idea.

It sounds as if both your knee and your back need a complete break from exercises. Jut let your Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) be your exercise. That's enough exercise for your knee anyway.

Rest up now and let Time and Nature do their job of healing.

 

[sistersinhim]

I broke my foot and ankle on the same leg that my less than a year old TKR was. I was totally non-weight bearing for 6 weeks. I wasn't even allowed to ride my recumbent bike. My new knee hated it. It wanted to be used. I was back to elevating and icing the foot/ankle and the knee. When the knee got too uncomfortable I'd do foot slides to bend my knee a little and slight foot lifts from a bent knee. It helped. But, with your back fracture, you shouldn't try the lifts. Ask your doctor if the foot slides would be OK.

Once I got partial weight-bearing my knee felt much better. I didn't lose any bend but gained it because of all the rest.

Celle is right. Your daily activities should be all you're doing now. Your body needs time to heal itself.

 

[Honey007]

It has been a year since my left replacement, and two yrs since right. Both successful.
I’m not adding to my original thread as thinking it will not post new.
I have Psoriatic Arthritis, and tried to do some excercise recently to gain strength.
I feel both knees have been hit with a baseball bat on the front.
I used my husbands Pelaton for two days on easiest setting for 20 minutes each time.
I thought I was having a PSA flair, however, my inflammation markers were tested yesterday, and one of the lowest I ever had!
What the heck did I do to my poor knees. I can barely walk.
I thought I was Bionic now!