Please come back frequently to give others your sensible tips. Always with those tips comes your wonderful sense of humor. You are a pleasure to have around!
TKR Tykey's second knee replacement
- Thread starter Tykey
- Start date
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
Hi folks, nice to pop in and see you all again, hope you are all keeping safe in these dangerous times.
Sara prompted me many moons ago to give you an update.
Finding my old thread was buried deep in the forum and difficult to find, but I used my animal cunning and searched for "jam roly poly", and there I was. Many, many times
It must now be knocking on 10 or 11 months for my second knee, it has progressed well, except the famous tight band appeared a couple of months ago. I never had it earlier, and I never had it with my first knee recovery 10 years ago.
Strangely, my old knee began to develop a bit of the same.
I had a word with the physio who told me to rest, elevate and ice. Resting isn't in my nature, but I have elevated and a bag of sweetcorn was discovered in the freezer (The petit pois has hidden itself at the bottom)
This improved it a bit, but my unpaid advisor, aka Penny, noticed something.
This morning, it's windy and as I went out and opened the car door, a carrier bag blew out and down the road. I hate litter, so chased it down the road. Every time I bent to pick it up, another gust blew it 10 yards further on. Eventually I managed to trap it and walk back to the car.
Penny, when she stopped chuckling, said "Do you realise how little you are bending your knees, especially your new one?"
Later on I took the little pooches for a walk, and when no one was around deliberately made myself kick my heels up. I must have looked a prat, but very quickly my ROM increased markedly, the stiffness eased a lot, the tight band feeling went away, and I was walking much faster and easier.
Let's hope it lasts. But it shows how bad habits with our gait come back to haunt us little by little, and we don't realise it.
Everything else is hunky dory (an English expression meaning tremendous), except that I have put on 20 pounds during recovery and lockdown and jam roly poly-fests, and I'm rejoining Slimming World.
I'll keep you informed about the success (or failure) of my tight band elimination strategy.
Keep safe
PS I was reading about a businessman, who whenever he was asked how things were, always answered "tremendous!!" He was known as tremendous Jones. I caught it from him!!
Sara prompted me many moons ago to give you an update.
Finding my old thread was buried deep in the forum and difficult to find, but I used my animal cunning and searched for "jam roly poly", and there I was. Many, many times
It must now be knocking on 10 or 11 months for my second knee, it has progressed well, except the famous tight band appeared a couple of months ago. I never had it earlier, and I never had it with my first knee recovery 10 years ago.
Strangely, my old knee began to develop a bit of the same.
I had a word with the physio who told me to rest, elevate and ice. Resting isn't in my nature, but I have elevated and a bag of sweetcorn was discovered in the freezer (The petit pois has hidden itself at the bottom)
This improved it a bit, but my unpaid advisor, aka Penny, noticed something.
This morning, it's windy and as I went out and opened the car door, a carrier bag blew out and down the road. I hate litter, so chased it down the road. Every time I bent to pick it up, another gust blew it 10 yards further on. Eventually I managed to trap it and walk back to the car.
Penny, when she stopped chuckling, said "Do you realise how little you are bending your knees, especially your new one?"
Later on I took the little pooches for a walk, and when no one was around deliberately made myself kick my heels up. I must have looked a prat, but very quickly my ROM increased markedly, the stiffness eased a lot, the tight band feeling went away, and I was walking much faster and easier.
Let's hope it lasts. But it shows how bad habits with our gait come back to haunt us little by little, and we don't realise it.
Everything else is hunky dory (an English expression meaning tremendous), except that I have put on 20 pounds during recovery and lockdown and jam roly poly-fests, and I'm rejoining Slimming World.
I'll keep you informed about the success (or failure) of my tight band elimination strategy.
Keep safe
PS I was reading about a businessman, who whenever he was asked how things were, always answered "tremendous!!" He was known as tremendous Jones. I caught it from him!!
Last edited:
Hello @Tykey - been wondering what you were up to these days. Sounds like you are doing really well with this recovery. Yes, old habit die hard. Good thing someone actually observed your lack of bending the knees. Now you can work on easing the stiffness.
Stay safe my friend!
I have also gained weight! And I don't even eat jam roly polys! I can only blame it on the stress of all this and maybe not walking as much as I used to.
Stay safe my friend!
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
Snacking is one of my biggest failings, I have worn a hole in the floor in front of our fridge!
Yep, I'm among the weight gain club. I never asked me to a member, they just crept me in there!
I'm not a snacker. My problem is eating meals when I am not really hungry. My partner is OCD and this lockdown has put him into a very comfortable "auto pilot" mode where we do everything at a certain time everyday.
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
I feared that yesterday's short term improvement might be only temporary, and my knee would go backwards overnight by swelling up and getting stiff and uncomfortable again.
I'm pleased to report that it HASN'T
So it's more silly walking for me today!
I'm pleased to report that it HASN'T
So it's more silly walking for me today!
Sara61
Staff member since March 23, 2020
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2019
- Messages
- 2,957
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Portugal
Good Morning my dear friend, great to see your update and that you have finally sussed out why your knee was getting stiff. The dogs, will surely benefit as will your waistline with all this extra walking you will now do, if only your lovely Missus will stop baking ...sending virtual hugs to you both - all the way to Yorkshire 
xxx
xxx
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
Thank you, Sara.
We see lots of issues in recovery which have little to do with the actual surgery. There is no doubt that change in gait can certainly cause pain in the hips and back.
We also recognise (I certainly do) that failure to plant our heels first and rolling onto the foot when walking can cause horrible pain in the front of the shin (aka shin splints)
Although it's early days to be certain, but walking with a stiffish leg doesn't stretch the front of the knee and it just sits there and sets, and is very annoying. I flick my knee up at the back to its limit if no-one is watching, but also make sure I roll forward in my stride, so that all my weight is taken on my big toe. (That's its job, and it's remarkably strong, and why nature makes it longer than all the other 4 pinkies)
Heel and toe.......
We see lots of issues in recovery which have little to do with the actual surgery. There is no doubt that change in gait can certainly cause pain in the hips and back.
We also recognise (I certainly do) that failure to plant our heels first and rolling onto the foot when walking can cause horrible pain in the front of the shin (aka shin splints)
Although it's early days to be certain, but walking with a stiffish leg doesn't stretch the front of the knee and it just sits there and sets, and is very annoying. I flick my knee up at the back to its limit if no-one is watching, but also make sure I roll forward in my stride, so that all my weight is taken on my big toe. (That's its job, and it's remarkably strong, and why nature makes it longer than all the other 4 pinkies)
Heel and toe.......
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
I know I've posted this before, but for our newer members, here's a demonstration (somewhere, anyway)
KMLknee
member
I'm so glad you are doing well. Continue to keep us posted.
But if you'll notice, Monty does the heel to toe gait.
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
Day 3 of silly walks, and it's taught me something else new.
Ever since my op 10 months ago, the limit to my ROM has always been that at a certain point, the two big tendons at the back seem to suddenly go into painful spasm. It's never got better. I have enough ROM for my daily activities, so never worried too much about it.
After only 3 days of my silly walk, that problem has virtually disappeared, so I can now be much bolder with climbing over fallen trees and rocks in the woods. The knee feels even more comfortable and loose. I reckon it's due to these tendons being made to work instead of being passive.
So it maybe shows even more that later in the recovery stage, after healing is complete, stretching is an important thing to consider to get you over the finishing line.
I'm dead chuffed with this late progress.
Ever since my op 10 months ago, the limit to my ROM has always been that at a certain point, the two big tendons at the back seem to suddenly go into painful spasm. It's never got better. I have enough ROM for my daily activities, so never worried too much about it.
After only 3 days of my silly walk, that problem has virtually disappeared, so I can now be much bolder with climbing over fallen trees and rocks in the woods. The knee feels even more comfortable and loose. I reckon it's due to these tendons being made to work instead of being passive.
So it maybe shows even more that later in the recovery stage, after healing is complete, stretching is an important thing to consider to get you over the finishing line.
I'm dead chuffed with this late progress.
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
Still progressing very well. I've just brought my new knee on its first caravan holiday. We are now in the lovely county of Norfolk, doing some mountaineering!
OP
OP
Tykey
big-cheese
I have to be honest, but the highest mountain in Norfolk is all of 150ft!!
That's higher than 0! Enjoy your day.
Sara61
Staff member since March 23, 2020
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2019
- Messages
- 2,957
- Gender
- Female
- Country
- Portugal
So happy to see that you have both finally managed your trip caravaning, it will do you the world of good to get away and your knees will benefit as well, good fresh air and holiday spirit is the best remedy xxx
Bikeknit
member
There is a donut shop 2 doors down from my PT. I tend to think I need a reward every time I leave.
