← Return to 1 year anniversary of TKR

Discussion

1 year anniversary of TKR

Joint Replacements | Last Active: Sep 26, 2019 | Replies (50)

Comment receiving replies
@debbraw

@ellerbracke - Congrats on your anniversary! I'm not quite there yet. My 2nd one was 1/29/19. I don't kneel on it. Too uncomfortable. Like you, I have great ROM, I walk a couple of miles each morning, and I have no swelling or ongoing discomfort. But my balance is not anywhere like it used to be. I am 68 years old and I wondered if somehow it was age and the TKR converging to cause me difficulty. I'm fine on solid level pavement, but don't make me go on cobblestone or uneven pavers! Also, if I sit for too long, I am very stiff on getting up to a standing position and then my gait reflects the stiffness. It's just an awkward walking pace until I limber up. Interestingly, the stiffness seems worse on my knee that was replaced in 2017. That's about all I have. But tell me this, what is it that you want to do that you can't do now?

Jump to this post


Replies to "@ellerbracke - Congrats on your anniversary! I'm not quite there yet. My 2nd one was 1/29/19...."

@debbraw : Mostly stuff associated with the kneeling issue. As I mentioned, gardening - like pulling weeds (yuck), carefully planting seeds in a furrow, cutting 100’s of plants back to the ground in the fall, those things are much more strenuous doing bent over now. I can’t really play on the floor with my youngest grandson anymore, not the way he wants to build a fort with pillows and crawl in. I can’t do many yoga positions anymore, especially child’s pose which I used to do to relax my back between plank exercises. I still can’t (don’t dare?) get out of the drivers seat of the car the way I used to - out with left leg, twist right (TKR) leg sideways and slide out. Now I swivel in the seat and put both feet on the ground and stand up. This is no biggie, but it’s a daily reminder I’m not fond of. I feel unsteady or timid climbing ladders, so I’m putting off some chores. Also, I’m trying to find a new way to semi-annually clean my blinds. Used to take them down, put an old towel in the bathtub to avoid scratches, soak them, then - on my knees, of course - wipe down each and every slat individually. No fun!
As far as fun goes, it remains to be seen if I will be ok playing tennis. That would really be disappointing if it turns out to be too difficult or stressful for the knee.
Like you, I walk 5 to 6 mornings a week, but I’m lucky that (age 70) I’m ok with uneven ground. But of course I have one original knee left, which probably helps.