2 year anniversary of TKR

Posted by ellerbracke @ellerbracke, Sep 13, 2020

Today is the 2-year mark since my TKR. In general, I’m happy with the knee. Excellent flexion, works fine. Never any stiffness. However, many/most days a touch of awareness? mild discomfort? localized ouches?... not really pain, but never the same as the other knee, where I’m not even noticing that I have that joint. And of course, in my unfortunate, but not unheard of case, the clicking/crunching every time I bend my knee beyond 90 degrees. But overall, it beats the arthritis pain and the limitations because of that, which I had before the surgery. Would I do it again? Perhaps, but not until after exhausting other treatment options (PRP, stem cells) first.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Joint Replacements Support Group.

Good morning @ellerbracke, Happy Birthday to your "new" knee that pretty much does what you need it to do with a few memory issues. I remember the day I got up and walked into the bathroom to get a shower. It was the first day that I had no reminders and felt like it was my own knee. Halleluiah!

Like you, my other knee would have to have a much louder voice. I have a torn meniscus that has never bothered me until........... I turned it the wrong way in yoga class. My MFR therapist worked on it and even came to my house on Sunday for treatment. She saved the day and everything is back in order. I have just learned to be more gentle at 78. As long as I can get outside and walk a couple of miles every other day...I am fine.

Let me know if you come across some other protective options. And I will keep a lookout also.

May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

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Hello @ellerbracke
I would like to join @artscaping in wishing you a happy 2-year TKR replacement. You have adjusted to your new joint quite nicely. I'm sure this took a lot of work and determination on your part.

Is there anything that you can't do (but would like to) because of your TKR?

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Happy two year knee anniversary, @ellerbracke
I consider my knees to be pain-free but then I realize that although I don't really experience pain, I do have some discomfort after a lot of exercise. Yesterday I power-walked a little over 2 miles and I could feel it in my knees last night.

My knees don't click or crunch but my shoulders do in some exercises with weights, and they are my real shoulders! I hate that sound. I would definitely do it again but I would use the second doctor for the first TKR too. Stem cells can be great but they are costly and often don't work. There is no guarantee. I am not familiar with PRP.
JK

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@hopeful33250

Hello @ellerbracke
I would like to join @artscaping in wishing you a happy 2-year TKR replacement. You have adjusted to your new joint quite nicely. I'm sure this took a lot of work and determination on your part.

Is there anything that you can't do (but would like to) because of your TKR?

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@hopeful33250 : Teresa (and others, who responded) - of course there are things I can’t do, or not do as well, or don’t dare do, or was told not to do anymore. Mostly, like pretty much everyone knows, you can’t kneel to any useful level. (Yes, you can kneel, gently, with a pillow or padding underneath, but try this outdoors, on hard soil to pull weeds - no, ma’am.) Second, to this day, if I inadvertently forget, it hurts when I pull a tight pair of socks or jeans off my TKR leg. Always has, still does. The pulling seems to not do well with the joint. For yard work, my shovel-digging leg is now my left one. I can actually see my right calf - which is my predominate leg - getting or at least staying puny. No earthly reason....And, mostly, it is timidity. I still walk like gangbusters semi-level neighborhood roads, to the tune of 120+ steps/minute, roughly 16 minutes per mile, but once I get onto hiking trails, my knee is feeling fragile regarding unexpected terrain - which is a given, on a hiking trail. And I walk like a baby in wet/icy road conditions. So pretty much I accept the limitations, but don’t like them, but I’m resigned to the new. lesser knee prowess.

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