Bilateral TKR Where were you at six months?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Nana Judy

new member
Joined
Jun 16, 2012
Messages
1
Age
77
Gender
Female
Hi, Gang. I spent a lot of time lurking herr and reading all your advice the first few months of my recovery from double surgery. Now it's been over six months and I am still stiff and sore. Is this unusual? I went to PT for 5 months and am still doing exercises. I am stronger and my balance is better. I think I just started looking normal when I walk, but I'm getting depressed over the discomfort. When I stopped therapy I had 125 degrees flexion in my right knee and only 105 to 110 in the left. My left knee was the bad one before surgery since I had ACL repair back in the dark ages of 1962, and I never had great mobility there. I was told I'd feel better at 6 months. What happened. I'm so mad I skipped my last follow-up with my OS. I was no farther along than when I'd seen him the month before. I need some hope! You got any to spare?

Cy's Nana, 4/2/12
 
Hi Nana Judy, I sometimes feel I'm no better than I was at my 5 month appointment and I'm now 10 months. But of course I am when I think of what I can do now that I couldn't do then. I know I'm better off than before the surgery, when I could only walk 5 minutes before I was in immense pain - now I can walk 2 hours up and down trails. I do get depressed at my lack of ROM of 108 and quad lag and wake some mornings quite angry. I also have "start up" pain, ie if I sit with bent knees its tough to get moving, but pain goes after around 10 paces. I've finally listened to everybody that there really is no magic number of months at which you'll be better - it takes as long as it takes.
 
Nana Judy, hang in there! You're a BTKR just like myself and I don't care how long it takes me. All I know is that I don't have that god awful pain I used to have in my knees before I had my BTKRs. Yes I'm still waiting for full recovery and I know it can take 1-1 1/2 year for that to happen, so in the mean time I'll enjoy what I have. I stopped PT after 12 sessions and never looked back. Don't put yourself under more stress about visiting you OS he/she is there for you, not to judge you. You need their input so you can go forward. Don't fret! You know what you want and need, go for it. I don't even know what my numbers are now, I just know how we'll my knees feel! You should too, it's about you, no one else!

Stay well and stay positive my BoneSmartie friend! :friends:
 
Hi, NanaJudy....welcome!!! I know it seems like you've been in recovery forrrrrrreverrrrrr! But it can take some time and especially with a BTKR (and a "problem" knee to boot). Your body is still healing and it may be a year or more before you really begin to feel normal. But it will come.

Please don't skip any appointments with your surgeon. You are a team in this recovery process and he needs to know how you're doing. You still may gain ROM in your left knee. I know one bilateral BoneSmartie who had improvements in ROM after two years!

I don't think you necessarily need therapy if you are active and working to stretch your knees each day. Most people can do the exercises themselves once they are learned. Try to focus on how far you've come and keep the patience going!!!
 
Well, if you promise you won't tell Katie, I swept all my kitchen floors, got the dishes caught up, cleaned the guest bathroom, wrote two papers, one thesis, one portfolio, and went and helped Hubby at his office. In my house, I have quit using crutches unless I feel tired. The knee brace is on when I go out but not in the house. So I would say, Yes, I have made a lot of progress! :happydance:

The funny thing is my ROM is 130, but my muscle inside the knee still won't do a leg lift!
 
You know Debbie,

When I do things I have one speed? Well, this morning the speed was slow. That darned knee is mad at me and it is rocking! :headbang:
 
I'd say I was much improved at 6 months but not "all better." It took me the full year my OS said it would probably take to feel "normal." I'd go to your followup Nana Judy. For me I was having some muscle/scar tissue issues and with more/different exercises & some PT I improved.
 
Yes, go to the follow up! That is a great idea! I have been one to test my "limits" occasionally, :whistle:, but I am bouncing back faster after each trial. You will find after a time, that you no longer think about your knee, like I have been with my left, and you will get to the business of living life again! :happydance:

I guess I should mention that it took about 10 months to forget it was fake! The right one is still reminding me! :)
 
My recovery from my BTKR was very frustrating---it took months and months and it was not until I was at about 5-51/2 months that I began to actually "get there"----but I still had a slight limp, so I completely understand your frustration. It was not until about six months that I began to feel "pretty good" and at eight months I would say that I was at about 90%-95%.

Remember, please, that recovery from a TKR or a BTKR can take upwards to a year to return to "normal", so, while it is frustratingly slow, you are still in that window.

I, like the others, would also tell you not to skip those appointments---while it is indeed frustrating, you need to check in and see what the OS has to say about it.

Hang in there---you are being challenged, but you have to understand that these things do indeed take time---and I feel how frustrated you are, as I was also there---but the results, are certainly worth waiting for!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,180
Messages
1,597,060
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom