Was it worth it?

I have a question. As I said before, I am 3 months out and doing well. But in the last week or so I have had slight numbness and stiffness in both knees. No pain, just stiffness and numb. I am doing everything I should be doing and it's still hanging in there. It appears to be normal in the process. Has anyone else had this happen at the 3 month mark? And what did you do about it?

Wow! A double knee transplant. I would be willing to do both but not at the same time. I am truly impressed.

Was it subvastus? Did she use a tourniquet?

@lawanna85 I still have stiffness and numbness at 4 months out and continue to use an ice machine. I also have clicking/catching on the outer edge of the knee.

@irishtrish Thanks for commenting. Did you have a double or a single replacement? Does the ice machine help? I have been using a heating pad for the last 3 weeks or so. My PT told me at this point I should use heat on my knees, not ice. He said it was ok to use ice on my calves. I see my knee Dr. next week. I will discuss with him. I started sleeping on my side about 3 weeks ago. Everything I have read says it is ok after the first few weeks. I have not experienced any clicking yet. So many little kinks to work through. All in all I am glad I did it. But I am looking forward to the 6 month mark.

@steveinarizona The reason I did both at the same time is because I suspected if I had one done, I would probably not want to go through it again. However, a lot of things have to be in place to do both at once. Choose a surgeon who does only knees and hips and who has done many procedures, incuding double knee replacement. Get Physical Therapy before the surgery so you can be as strong as you need to be for this procedure. And have PT at home the first 2 weeks. Have someone who can be with you the first week if you can. Have a positive attitude, that goes a long way. Yes, it was subvastus and they did use a turniquet. I did not use an ice machine. The hospital provided 4 large ice packs and they worked extremely well for me. And remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint! But it is worth it.

I have read your post and all the comments from everyone that has gone through the lovely experience of a TKR. LOL is it worth it? I am 6 months out and I will say yes it was worth it. Is it easy, absolutely not, and if my doctor had told me all that was involved I may not have done it. Ice machines are great, I was sent home with one and still have it, I don’t use it anymore but I do have it. Initially I was using it probably every 4 hours. I still experience stiffness after being inactive for a while or sitting for a while but it works itself out. Occasional pain, but I’m walking pretty much normal, stairs are still an issue but getting there. My knee was pretty messed up per the doctor so my experience may be slightly different. I’ve also discovered age could make a difference, I put surgery off-for about 5 years; I’m not sure I should have. Keep the faith. Yes, it hurts and the recovery can be long and tedious, but I am better than I was and able to do more.

You might have other issues that need to be attended to which are myo-muscular. Arthritic bones should be gone with the replacement, right? Try a MFR therapist and maybe an acupuncturist. Check any progression of scar tissue that causes people problems sometimes. And make sure you’re exercising enough to fully recover. Sometimes people don’t do the exercise because of the pain. Talk to your doctor about taking a pain medicine so you can do the exercise in order to recover. Muscles deteriorate with surgery and inactivity and they must be attended to so full recovery can take place.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did do all my PT and got to 130 rom. I'm working on strengthening the quad with 3x week at the gym. The main problem I'm having is a catching/clicking sensation in the back outer joint, which gets super painful after 5 min of walking. Lots of ice but ibuprofen is out due to kidney issues and Tylenol does nothing. Also using biofreeze and voltaren gel, but neither help.

@july1955 are you in Los Angeles? did you go to Dr Andrew Yun?

@insicknessandinhealt
I'm in Indiana.