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TKR Unknown lump on front of knee'

@smarttoys I realize how ignorant I was about what was going to actually be done. My OS never explained but I never asked either. I don't even know what a "release" is. But it looks exactly like its in the LCL region to me too. And I can't remember if my doctor called it a tear or sprain. My husband said he thought he said strained. I'd rather have strain than tear. I feel something move there where the lump is when I walk. I thought it was just fluid. What you can't see is the swelling underneath.

But I've had a really good day. My house got cleaned, I took a shower, and a made pot of beans for red beans and rice tonight. I sat down to chop onions. The house smelled so good and the sun was shining and I just didn't worry about my knee. It's felt pretty good today. Less pain and I think the oxycodone is out of my system. The pain medicine I take for my back seems to be handling the knee pain supplemented with tramadol and Tylenol and whatever anti-inflammatory I take.

@sistersinhim first, I love your avatar name. They sent me home with this icing machine when I left the hospital. It has a little cooler that you fill with ice and water and it's pumped through a hose connected to the pad.
Breg is the maker of mine. It's really handy. I think you can get it on Amazon. I alternate cold paks and the pad. It's really good at night when you don't want to get up to change a cold pak.

@Clipless Diana, I wish it was just a bump but I knew from the beginning it wasn't right. I didn't have any stiffness in my knee before this showed up and the swelling and stiffness come from that corner. I really don't have any swelling anywhere else. But can't do anything but the old ice, rest, elevate which I was doing anyway. It's all going to be okay though. Thanks to everyone's support and encouragement I think I believe it!
 
@Jackieray, thank you for the compliment about my name. I am half of a singing ministry named SisterinHim Ministries. I thought it would be a good one to use here. HE will be my guide through all of this! About your Breg, did your insurance pay for it? Does it last all night long? I got something like that after my shoulder surgery, but it was much smaller and the cold water lasted only a few hours. I want something to last all day or all night. I will check it out on Amazon. I have to get a wedge pillow anyway, and Amazon is a good place to look for that, too.
 
Luckily my surgeon did explain things to me more than once and I read the surgical report. I watched many TKR surgeries on YouTube leading up to my surgery. I also stayed awake during my surgery and watched every step. Seeing how they release ligaments it doesn't surprise me that I still have residual pain and swelling in that area. Not to mention the whole procedure in general. It's amazing how well our bodies eventually recover from something so traumatic.
 
@sistersinhim Thats why things turned around for me today. I realized how steeped in fear I was and knew what that meant so I just gave it all up to Him. He's always been there for me. My husband fills the cooler once in the morning and once at night and it'll stay pretty cold for 12 hours. Just be sure to unplug it when you are not using it. My insurance paid for it but you will probably need the doctor to write you a prescription for it. It's made by Breg and that model is called Polar Care Glacier. Just use big pieces of ice. We froze water in small plastic food storage bowls and popped them out. They don't melt as fast. Here's a photo. I put a tv remote on top for scale and the white side goes on your knee. Don't ever use it without something between your skin and the pad! I just put it around my pant's leg. If you can't find it on amazon just google Breg. [Bonesmart.org] Unknown lump on front of knee' God bless you.
 
Thank you so much. That is very helpful! I will start searching for the Polar today. As the song goes, "Without Him I Can Do Nothing", is so true. And I wouldn't even want to. If what I do is His Perfect Will, then everything will turn out for good! I have no doubt about that! I believe He lead me to this site. I was so confused before finding it and now I know what has to be done. I will never let anyone hurt my knees in therapy and I will take my time and look forward to my new knees where I can do the things I love to do again! Have a blessed day all you Smarties!!
 
I went with the "ignorance is bliss" route when I had my BTKR. I was happy to not know what exactly it entailed until it was all over.

Only when I was ready did I look at those videos, and it was then that I realized how much trauma my knees underwent.
 
@sistersinhim You are so right. When Hunter had his accident he was at a tournament in Huntsville, AL. After we found out about his paralysis, I was on my way down to be with him. I passed a church marquee that said
"Your children will walk. . ." There was more but that's all I saw as I passed it. No coincidence there! What are the chances to see something like that a week after Hunter's accident! Two years later his legs are moving and his core has enough strength now to enable him to stand. Praise worthy, huh? That's one physical therapy I totally believe in. Definitely stand up for yourself if PT gets aggressive. One PT told me I was going to do something and I said no I'm not and she said yes you are. Couldn't believe it. I'm stubborn. Don't tell me I'm going to do something when I say no! Glad I could be helpful!

@referee54 I've only been able to look at one. It makes my leg hurt to watch. I love to watch
The Incredible Dr. Pol about the vet and it even makes me hurt to watch him treat the animals. Hahaha!

This morning is okay. The only thing that keeps hurting pretty bad is the same old pain on the medial side of my knee which I guess is where he had to cut soft tissue to get to the knee. It feels like something is poking me. It doesn't throb. It's just a hard pain. It seems to start up at night but I guess that's when my pain meds are at the lowest. Here's hoping everyone has a good day today!
 
Jackieray said:
I've only been able to look at one. It makes my leg hurt to watch. I love to watch
The Incredible Dr. Pol about the vet and it even makes me hurt to watch him treat the animals. Hahaha!
Click to expand...
Oh, it took me some time before I could look at either pictures or a video of a TKR. I guess it took some time fore me to really come to terms with the type of invasive surgery it was.
 
I must have overdone it yesterday because I have more swelling and pain today:bored:. I kept telling myself don't over do it but I don't think I listened. I just felt so good! So it's back down, knees up, and icing going on but the ice is starting to hurt. I have it around my pants leg but they are thin so I guess a tea towel would be good.
 
The red beans and rice were so good last night. My sweet husband never cooks but we have been doing it together and he's doing a bang up job! Better than me. I made the sweet corn muffins (a recipe from the old
T Factor diet) and I we couldn't figure out why they wouldn't rise. Then I realized I put in a tablespoon of cornstarch instead of baking powder! We ate them anyway. Just a little dense. :heehee: My husband is a real trooper. He handles most of the chores now in addition to his job. I encourage him to go out with his buds. They are a bunch of dirt bike riders and they like to meet for dinner occasionally. It's good for him. He's been great! I know he's worried. Keeps asking me if I can still bend my knee. I tell him yep, it's stiffer than it was but it still bends. It's hard for all my family to believe you can better without PT. Heck, I got worse with it!
 
@smarttoys Hey, John, can you give me a link to one of the videos that shows how they release the ligament? I just would like to see how it's done and what it is. Thanks!
 
I can't think of any specific links to videos that I could recommend but if you do a Google or YouTube search for ligament balancing for TKR you should have a fairly good selection to choose from.

My LCL was released with the pie-crust technique.
 
@Josephine Ace makes something called Knee Brace with Side Stabilizers. I bought it and only put it on when I walk. It makes the pain so much better. I wouldn't mind keeping it on all the time but am not sure if that's good for my replacement. Also, is there such a thing as icing too much? The only time I don't ice is when I get up and that's not for long.
 
My revision OS who did a fellowship at Mayo Clinic prescribed non-aggressive pt for me. My soft tissue was compromised and he felt aggressive PT would aggravate it even more. Consequently, I loved PT!
My PT regimen was the same until I got a bit more ROM, then the pt would add more time or a new exercise. Even if I had a different therapist the regimen was followed to a T.
 
@KarriB Hahaha! I just sent you a PM asking how I could find your thread. I've been wanting to read about your recovery since I've had to stop exercising or even being up that much. When whatever I have going on is over and I can return to my knee recovery and even want to have a PT, I'm going to be careful about who I get. When they switched therapists all the time at my PT, they all did something different. When they would be working on three of us at a time, we never knew who he was giving instructions to. My group of OS owned the PT and it felt a lot like money driving the PT.
 
The pt group I went to after my infection surgery isn't owned by my the ortho group, but is affliated and in the same location. There were PTAs who put the program designed by the PT for an indivual in place, then I saw the therapist for the last half hour or so. He would stretch my legs bit, never to the point of pain or really discomfort and then massage. The therapist notes went directly to my OS. I was very fortunate that all my pt was covered by insurance. I felt pt was essential in getting ROM after having a straight knee for over a month. I had no confidence in the first pt group I went to directly after my RTKR, with that group there were exercises I refused to do because they hurt. They had me doing squats 2 weeks after surgery, I said no! I hate pain!
 
Jackieray said:
https://sbfphc.wordpress.com/2013/0...hysical-therapy-after-total-knee-replacement/
I don't know if anyone has seen this article but it's very interesting. They indicate findings by surgeons at the Hospital for Special Surgery. This hospital was named the number one hospital for orthopedics by US News and World Report. Just maybe attitudes toward aggressive PT in the US are starting to change.
Click to expand...
Fantastic article, thank you for sharing it! Moderators, doesn't this article needs its own sticky here?
 
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