1. < Joint Replacements

1 year anniversary of TKR

Posted by ellerbracke @ellerbracke, Sep 10, 2019

2 more days, and I’ll have had my artificial knee for one year. This milestone seems to be pretty much what it will be going forward, with possible minor improvements possible. Summary: full extension, great flexibility. No swelling. Some warmth on outside of knee, constantly. Works very well, except no kneeling on hard ground, preferably no kneeling, period. Constant cracking/crunching feeling of tendons behind the knee when bending under weight (as in walking, floor exercises involving bent knees). Painless, but irritating and uncomfortable. Some pain when bending knee/lower leg sideways-inwards while lifted, as is pulling off a shoe or sock while standing, balanced on the other leg. Unfortunately, still pretty frequent minor twinges, and foreign/artificial feeling, in spite of working fine That about average?

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glasgow46 | @glasgow46 | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @artscaping "Good evening @glasgow46, I was so surprised that it was exactly one year when I knew..." + (show)
@artscaping

Good evening @glasgow46, I was so surprised that it was exactly one year when I knew my TKR was a part of me. I didn't notice it at all when I got up on the morning of its anniversary. Yipee! Perhaps a slow measured recovery is better than a fast one.

Anyway, I can kneel long enough to do what I need to do and to play with my grandchildren. I also do 3 Yoga child's pose movements every morning. That keeps everything loose and rather comfortable.

The surgeon did a great job.....and the PT and myofascial release (MFR) therapists brought the knee along so that once again I have no pain. I had 3 great years and then was diagnosed with Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome. The fascial layers on top of my knee were no longer fluid...they were restricted and extremely painful. So now after some hard MFR work, I am fluid again and I aim to keep it that way.

What exercises do you do at the one year mark? How has your life changed because of the TKR. Is it easier to walk than to stand? May you be content and well. Chris

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Thanks for your positives. I do an hour walk, alternated with 40 min bike and 45 min pool exercises. Upper body weights also . I’m 73and appreciate the levels I can do with maybe some discomfort but no pain. Prior to surgery so had continuous pain, and ver slow mobility, always with cane. So appreciative of positive change since surgery. I will have second TKR in a year or so as other leg painful, I do squats, lunges etc as much as I operated knee allows also. Haven’t ever had physio involved, that wasn’t offered where I live so I’m happy with my progress so far. Yoga is my next goal.. Grandchildren are my best cheerleaders. Mya you walk a steady happy path

REPLY
Debbra Williams, Alumna Mentor | @debbraw | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @irol "I am just 6 months out from rtkr. I have had issues with that foot from..." + (show)
@irol

I am just 6 months out from rtkr. I have had issues with that foot from day one. Now the podiatrist and pt thonk it may be from pressurevon a nerve during surgery or durong initial recovery...I have severe pain when my knee is bent and turned in, as pulling iff a sock, etc. The pain shoots from sort of behind the knee to the foot. Is that what you described? The podiatrist gave me an orthodic lift inside my shoe to see if taking pressure off my arch area will alleviate pressure on the netvevand lessen symptoms. My arch is very flat on that foot. It will also keep my foot from turning in. I can not live wirh this because it is extremely painful to walk in tangled grass, for instance, if my foot gets any resistance from grass,etc.,.,and pulls in that direction. Any comments!

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@irol - Your right foot pain sounds awful. I've had two tkrs and I haven't had that kind of nerve pain with either one, so I can't share any direct experience but I can definitely commiserate with you on what you are going through with the recovery. I'm just wondering - have you talked to your orthopedic surgeon about the pain?

REPLY
1 reply
ellerbracke | @ellerbracke | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @artscaping "Good evening @glasgow46, I was so surprised that it was exactly one year when I knew..." + (show)
@artscaping

Good evening @glasgow46, I was so surprised that it was exactly one year when I knew my TKR was a part of me. I didn't notice it at all when I got up on the morning of its anniversary. Yipee! Perhaps a slow measured recovery is better than a fast one.

Anyway, I can kneel long enough to do what I need to do and to play with my grandchildren. I also do 3 Yoga child's pose movements every morning. That keeps everything loose and rather comfortable.

The surgeon did a great job.....and the PT and myofascial release (MFR) therapists brought the knee along so that once again I have no pain. I had 3 great years and then was diagnosed with Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome. The fascial layers on top of my knee were no longer fluid...they were restricted and extremely painful. So now after some hard MFR work, I am fluid again and I aim to keep it that way.

What exercises do you do at the one year mark? How has your life changed because of the TKR. Is it easier to walk than to stand? May you be content and well. Chris

Jump to this post

@artscaping: Chris - short question re. child’s pose. I try to do it mainly to release tension in my back in between doing planks. However, even with really great flexibility in my artificial knee I can’t get all the way down toward full knee bend as in butt touching heels, so the result is less than satisfying, since the pose is a little lopsided. But I’m sure even the abbreviated motion helps, just not for the back/spine so much. How do you execute it?
@contentandwell: JK - I did ask surgeon about kneeling before TKR, and he said “some people will use knee pads, or a little bench” when working in the garden or similar kneeling chores. I only heard the “SOME”, and assumed of course that I would be the not-some!

REPLY
3 replies
irol | @irol | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @debbraw "@irol - Your right foot pain sounds awful. I've had two tkrs and I haven't had..." + (show)
@debbraw

@irol - Your right foot pain sounds awful. I've had two tkrs and I haven't had that kind of nerve pain with either one, so I can't share any direct experience but I can definitely commiserate with you on what you are going through with the recovery. I'm just wondering - have you talked to your orthopedic surgeon about the pain?

Jump to this post

Of course the surgeon won't even let me describe the symptoms. I have tried twice to talk to him about it snd he cut me off and said that it has nothing to do with the surgery. Next week I sm meeting with his very knowledgable PA who may be easier to talk to.

REPLY
2 replies
babette | @babette | Sep 21, 2019

@irol You know, this whole surgeon-apathy thing is not OK. It's also not OK to withhold information pre-op about the variations in pain among different patients and kinds of complications. Now that I'm having a revision due to the screw ups of my first doc, I've made sure my current surgeon is responsive and will be post-op. Before I went to see him last week, I emailed a list of questions and he took all the time in the world to go over them with my husband and me. Included was a question about thorough follow up as frequently as needed to which he replied "of course!"

Now my husband is (as my grandfather used to say) "loaded for bear" re: suing the first surgeon. We'll see how that goes.

REPLY
1 reply
irol | @irol | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @glasgow46 "I was told that kneeling is not advised because of patella replacement. Am only a year..." + (show)
@glasgow46

I was told that kneeling is not advised because of patella replacement. Am only a year post op so haven’t been brave enough to attempt it.

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I was told I probably wouldn't want yo, or be able to, lneel, but at about 3 or 4 months I started kneeling on my bed, and then on thin mat to do cat poses. No ptoblem. When I have to kneel to reach something in the back of rhe car or something, Incan do it. My frustration is that back at 4 months Inwas still doing heel slides and pulling up with a strap three tines a day. Then at about 5 months I switched PT's and started heavy strengthening, doing, for instance, up to 45 pound squats. Now at 6 months, it is not comfortsble to kneel because my back is all tight and pulks from the knee. It feels like there is a tight rubber band running from my foot to knee to hip or lower back, and the rubber band is too short. Does anybody else have this problem?

REPLY
irol | @irol | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @babette "@irol You know, this whole surgeon-apathy thing is not OK. It's also not OK to withhold..." + (show)
@babette

@irol You know, this whole surgeon-apathy thing is not OK. It's also not OK to withhold information pre-op about the variations in pain among different patients and kinds of complications. Now that I'm having a revision due to the screw ups of my first doc, I've made sure my current surgeon is responsive and will be post-op. Before I went to see him last week, I emailed a list of questions and he took all the time in the world to go over them with my husband and me. Included was a question about thorough follow up as frequently as needed to which he replied "of course!"

Now my husband is (as my grandfather used to say) "loaded for bear" re: suing the first surgeon. We'll see how that goes.

Jump to this post

Wow, good for you! It is ridiculous that they talk about "success rate" with you prior to surgery, and that it is mostly on the patient to do the PT and all that, but nothing about possible complications from the surgery!

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @ellerbracke "@artscaping: Chris - short question re. child’s pose. I try to do it mainly to release..." + (show)
@ellerbracke

@artscaping: Chris - short question re. child’s pose. I try to do it mainly to release tension in my back in between doing planks. However, even with really great flexibility in my artificial knee I can’t get all the way down toward full knee bend as in butt touching heels, so the result is less than satisfying, since the pose is a little lopsided. But I’m sure even the abbreviated motion helps, just not for the back/spine so much. How do you execute it?
@contentandwell: JK - I did ask surgeon about kneeling before TKR, and he said “some people will use knee pads, or a little bench” when working in the garden or similar kneeling chores. I only heard the “SOME”, and assumed of course that I would be the not-some!

Jump to this post

@ellerbracke I can kneel for a very brief amount of time if I am on a solid surface. I tried kneeling on my bed once to reach something and with the surface not being firm I couldn’t balance!
I am glad I don’t need to kneel for anything in particular and do not kneel in church.
JK

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @irol "Of course the surgeon won't even let me describe the symptoms. I have tried twice to..." + (show)
@irol

Of course the surgeon won't even let me describe the symptoms. I have tried twice to talk to him about it snd he cut me off and said that it has nothing to do with the surgery. Next week I sm meeting with his very knowledgable PA who may be easier to talk to.

Jump to this post

@irol There should be a “not like” ability here rather than just like. It’s terrible that your surgeon is so unresponsive to your problems. I do not like that at all.
JK

REPLY
marlynn | @marlynn | Sep 21, 2019
In reply to @contentandwell "@ellerbracke Just reading through the posts - is anyone able to kneel even half comfortably after..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@ellerbracke Just reading through the posts - is anyone able to kneel even half comfortably after a TKR? If so I’ve never heard of it. That’s pretty much my only problem. I’m impressed that you plan to play tennis again! I would love to ski and did have that in the back of my mind but having discovered that I have osteoporosis I think I’ll skip it.
JK

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I can if I’m kneeling on something very soft. The difficult part is getting back up, if I don’t have something to hang onto.

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