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TKR Trailspud Recovery thread

Glad to hear you enjoyed your spin outside with no ill effects, How is your knee feeling today? Like you 1ELISEA, it is raining here today, so I can''t do that stroll in the pool I was planning on.

Good luck to you and keep in cycling but don't overdo.

Dorothy
 
I'm going to put my new knee to the test this week too..I'm off for 4 solitary days in the woods about a hundred miles from here..where a cabin, a private lake and a mountain preserve await! I have been so careful as I've waited for this trip, because I want to have fun and use my new knee..and not be laid up with another back spasm, or that inflame-y thing that swells sometimes and gets pinched in my prosthesis. So I have essentially been living the life of an ill-fated Veal calf for the past 10 days; not a lot of activity, staying inside during the heat wave..tippy toeing around, wearing a power lifting belt when I train, sitting very still the rest of the time. ( by the way, veal calves do not wear power lifting belts when they do chores/train..just so you know.)
All I plan to do is hike a bit on trails,but these muscles of mine are unpredictable, so I continue to mince about, til I leave tomorrow a.m..Once I get back though, I will become bolder and try more things.
 
Turtle, no problems w/cycling yesterday, but my knee still has lateral soreness and my extension needs work. I'm working in the yard and garden today...no cycling, but may do a light gym session before evening church. I have some definite recovery to achieve when it comes to walking and straightening. My PT quit just as I got sick a couple of weeks ago so I plan to find another to help w/extension and the lateral pain.

Ms.fixit, I hope the retreat to the woods is refreshing and you come back healthier in all ways.
 
1ELISEA said:
Good to hear trailspud that you are out and about moving through the time and space continuum!

It's pouring here, my biking is limited to inside, sigh, can't even be outside breaking in my hiking boots.

Well, I cooould be doing that but there's that eucky weather outside, I'd get all wet! [as she looks for smilie showing drenched person] :loll:
Click to expand...

We had some good rains last week and with the drought could use more. A lot of the snowpack in Idaho comes during early spring when the valleys get rain and the high country gets snow. Not this year and part of winter was light on precip., too. Could be a long fire season.
 
Setbacks happen. Probably did too much once off antibiotics. I am at 8 weeks and have triggered more pain in the newly replaced knee...mostly lateral. Took yesterday off and thinking maybe a week off will resolve things. I know it's still early, but things went so well for 5 weeks I sort of projected a progress now delayed.
 
Trailspud, it seems to be the way of recovery after the Levaquin. Overallmine is gradually getting better (the muscle strain) but still swollen. Going to try a little pool exercise this afternoon so hopefully that will help. And taking time off really does help.

Dorothy
 
Dealing with a setback at 2+ months. After a minor medical issue in mid-May, I got back to the gym and on the bike for a couple of weeks. I was increasing work levels, but some new lateral pain arose. I took a few days off, but a week ago went out for a 2- hour ride...bad idea.

I finally went to PT yesterday and it is my ITB. It's still painful today, although a little better, and this really feels like a slow healing and recovery. It is frustrating as I was doing so well early, and even improving ROM after taking an Rx that affects connective tissues. It's also summer vacation for me and plans to cycle a lot are on hold now. The bright side is there is nothing wrong with the knee that rest, ice, PT, and some intelligence rather than impatience will resolve in due time.
 
Sorry to hear you've had another setback. From what I've read and my experience after the Levaquin, it can take quite a while for these already fragile tissues to get over the effects of this drug. I've been trying to be more active but also make sure I ice and elevate several times a day. Keeping the pain levels down with Norco seems to help. And as you just said there's that old element PATIENCE, which is the hardest to come by.
 
It is impossible to nail down the exact cause, but the pain on the side of the knee has really lingered on. I suspect there might be an effect from the Levaquin, but overdoing things was certainly part of it. I go to therapy in an hour. Today the pain is less than it has been in over a week so I hope PT helps even more and I can get over this inability to exercise my knees.

After PT: My new PT helped me get a lot of extension back today. I was around 15 degrees on Friday and being that bent was probably aggravating the ITB (according to my PT) as the band may not be moving properly across the knee, but rather getting sort of hung up. I was able to do straight leg raises and get the quad firing while nearly extended (didn't measure, but probably got to at least 6-7 degrees). A little more hope now that I can get back to activity reasonably soon.
 
trailspud,

I have been on Levaquin several times and did not experience any ill effects! I guess it depends on the individual. I am allergic to amoxicillin though, so my choices are limited. I am glad they took care of your infection! The IT band can be stretched with some simple exercises and a tennis ball or a foam roller or even your fist!

Good luck to you!
 
It was nasty when I was on it...both legs very stiff and lots of soreness. However, I did increase my ROM briefly after going off Levaquin. I have no idea whether it contributed to my ITB issue, but can't wait to get past the current pain and stiffness and back to fitness activities using my legs.
 
Summer Blues:

Well, I'm 19 days past a 2-hour bike ride that resulted in blowing up the lateral side of my newly replaced left knee. I still have a lot of swelling, and despite two weeks of PT (which did help w/extension), I'm really not that much better. The area where the ITB crosses the lateral femoral condyle seems to be the main problem area, but no matter, it's just not healing. I know tendons can take a while to heal, but I don't see any real progress coming on three weeks of limited use. I do a slow 1+ mile round trip walk Mon.-Thurs. to/from a class, but that's been it. No cycling, no elliptical, no additional walking except around the house and yard (although I am doing PT exercises a plus a couple of gym machines my PT says is okay). By far, this is the most frustrating thing I have had to deal with following two TKRs.

I was doing so well early on...well ahead of pace in recovery compared to my RTKR. I do suspect an 8-day course of the antibiotic Levaquin may be a factor. I was two weeks past use when I did that last bike ride, but looking back at my notes I think I had some signs. I have since read that the effects of this antibiotic can linger and some people have reported ruptures and the onset of serious tendinitis weeks after ending its use.

It may also be that I just pushed things to quickly. My good cardio base combined with a quicker early recovery from my LTKR may have lead me to do too much, too soon. My extension was the only thing not ahead of pace (before the Levaquin) so maybe my ITB was tighter before and just got worse after (antibiotics). I really don't know, but it's patience, patience, patience, for the time being. It's tough with a week of 100+F weather forecast. One good thing, I did set a PR on the arm bike for 60 mts., but I'm getting tired of it. I want to be outside moving at pace.
 
trailspud,

I know you want to be out and active, but it is time to let your knee have a break! Did you do too much? Quite possibly knowing the drive and determination that lights your competitive fire every day!

I would not rule out Levaquin completely until your OS has said something about it, but I know you. You want to be well, to get out there and ride as much as you want WITHOUT pain! A very worthwhile pursuit. But, if you don't pay attention to your knee are you helping yourself or hindering your recovery?
 
RestAssured,

I am pretty much doing nothing with my legs except PT exercises and a couple machines at the gym w/PT's okay. I broke another 60 mt. personal record tonight on the arm cycle. People look at me a bit strangely...no one does that arm bike for an hour...except for that sweaty, old guy with a grimace on his face as he times out mile intervals.

I have nothing to do but be patient until the tendinitis settles down. What is so frustrating is that I waited longer than I should have for my RTKR. I gave up a summer or two where I could have been hiking. And, I could have waited until the end of this summer for my LTKR as I was pretty active before (hiking, walking, gym, and a little biking as the weather was still cool). However, work and other reasons lead me to choose an April 2013 date. If I had waited, my summer would have been a lot more fun to-date. Now, my summer is somewhat ruined. I was looking forward to doing some short hikes by the 4th of July along with lots of medium range bike rides. I will get through this eventually and I am on vacation so perhaps I should complain less.
 
One bad last month: I'm making some SLOW improvements, but a month after that ill planned bike ride, I am not able to use my left knee for cardio exercise. I have improved my ROM although it's still less than it was at 5 weeks (now at 3 months). I have less pain and I'm walking more normal. The lateral swelling remains, although I think a bit less, and the healing process is very slow at best. During my 1st TKR recovery I had a stretch where I lost ROM and increased swelling albeit no pain (as with this situation). I took 9 days off, increased ROM, reduced swelling, and went right back to working out with gradual, continual improvement. My current situation is something different.

Upon reflection and research, I think I have what some call "Levaquin tendinitis" which is different from other types. The theory says the healing process has been halted due to the effects of this Rx. According to some, the healing process can take a year to reboot (in some cases never). I see my doc next week, but in an e-mail exchange, he suggested I think in terms of several months to get past this. I do think my case is not as bad as others I have read about, and I am hoping I get more insight at my appointment.
 
Trailspud,
Thanks for the update.
I tore two ligaments in my foot 5 weeks after TKR, and while they were pretty much healed in 3 months, I did not feel 100% recovered from the torn tendons until a year. While this is not like your injury, it can take awhile for ligaments to heal. Hope your doctor has more information for you.
All the best and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Pumpkln

Tendons do take awhile to heal. I was concerned about a possible tear but my PT says he can heel the connections. I assume he is correct so it's tendinitis that is healing very, very slow at best.

Nice avatar!
 
Trailspud aka one with similar experience with Levaquin. I had the Levaquin at nine weeks and since then I've had a couple of issues but I'm still taking it very easy with just stretches, leg extensions. I don't know how long the effect lasts but I've talked to 3 dr.'s who have agreed that drug should never be used on patients with recent joint replacements. And yes I agree it's tendonitis and it's taking a very long time to heal although getting much better. I think the coumpound cream the OS subscribed has really helped. Here's to your continued improvement.

Dorothy
 
turtle68

Thanks for the wishes. I see my doc in 4 days. Although I exchanged e-mails, I think I will gain some insight w/the visit. He can examine and I can ask questions. It has been 4 weeks since the initial global swelling settled down, but some of that soft tissue on the lateral part of the knee remains about the same (I think a little better). It does have me worried about permanent damage. I didn't go through two TKRs to be so limited in function due to some weird, unexpected occurrence. My doc did mention (e-mail) he does not know or think the damage, if from Levaquin, is permanent. I certainly hope to be reassured of this and even more hope to see real progress sooner than later.
 
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