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Interesting discussion with new knee doctor yesterday!
I have had problems with my first knee replacement (right knee) which was done two and a half years ago. I will say it is finally feeling better.
New knee doctor gave me some help with answers to my many questions without my asking them. He did new X-rays on both knees as the left is bone on bone. He told me that part of my long surgery was the fact that more bone was removed due to osteoporosis and more metal used on both top and bottom of knee replacement. E watched me walk and feels that my gait is not just my bad knee but something more going on. It may be just my peripheral neuropathy but feels there might have been a minor stroke because being hospitalized for three day after surgery is not normal. He is sending me to a neurologist to have some things checked out before we continue talks about additional surgery. In the meantime, we will continue with gel injections and I will get my first next week after insurance is cleared. I probably should share this in the peripheral neuropathy group as well. Although the trip is an hour each way and it was rush hour coming back, my new doctor is definitely worth the trip.
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No it was not done robotically or at Mayo Clinic.
It was done be a well known knee/hip surgeon Dr. G M who has office in several towns in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area. He was supposed to be the best around. Now I need to find someone who can fix the mess I have. I know the nerves can not be fixed but the plastic spacer is to small and my knee gives out on me and I have a fractured kneecap and a bump on my kneecap that no ones seems to know what it is. My first TKR went so well in 2012 and I was up and going to Flea Markets in 2 weeks. (different surgeon) this knee 2019, as been a royal pain. but as Matthys put it... "You could have lost your leg" which I didn't because of my primary dr.
Lori
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1 ReactionLori I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. I did have both knees replaced this year by a highly-skilled Dr. using the Mako robotic assistant. I recovered quickly and was very serious about rehab exercises.
It sounds like your knee can be fixed with a revision. So some suggestions - 1) find a surgeon who does revisions. It is a specialized type of surgery versus a "normal" TKR. 2) research the Mako robotic assistant. I had great results. If you like that, find a revision surgeon who also is well versed with Mako. Look for a surgeon in his or her late 30s, early 40s as they're current on the latest techniques/technology and they probably have 10 years plus of real surgical experience.
Keep us posted and all the best.
Joe
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5 ReactionsThanks Joe! I will look into it. I've been thinking about Mayo for awhile now, but need to hold off as my husband has been struggling with a anterior herniated L5 Disc and has appt. at Mayo in Rochester, MN in Nov. Just thinking maybe I should get a knee appt. at the same time.
Thanks for all you info. Much appreciated.
Lori
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1 ReactionI just had THR and what's bothering me a lot is my knee. It has been said that I need a knee replacement but I got the hip replacement first. The knee swelling after the hip replacement is painful and prohibits me from bending the knee much, more than a few inches and that with intense pain. I'm not sure how fast the recovery should go, and I am seeing the surgeon in a week or two (not sure of date), and wonder now is this a good time to ask for a CT scan? I told him I was having problems with my knee when he examined me, he encouraged me to have the hip replacement, but didn't offer a CT scan. Only a regular x-ray which I had, of course. I wonder just how good that is. He has a very good reputation on healthgrades, and the hospital he works out of, always got the best reviews from personnel, but--I wonder if I should have had a CT scan, and why the knee is so swollen after the hip surgery, yes, it was giving me trouble before the hip surgery but still -- I hope the swelling will go down, like I said it's been a little over a week from the hip replacement.
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2 Reactions@heyjoe415 Hi! When you say you were serious about your exercise regime, can you describe that? I'm recovering from hip surgery and am considering knee replacement later on if I get better from the hip surgery, but wonder what you did for your post-op exercises, not necessarily asking what exercises you did, but how long did you exercise each day and how long did it take you to recover? Also, how long did the pain last?
Oh no! Sorry about your husband. I completely blew the disc out at my L5/S1 vertebra. The surgeon did a laminotomy (in 2012) and removed the disc fragments and shaved down arthritis spurs with no fusion. My back has been fine. I hope it's just a bulging disc with your husband that can be treated with cortisone and eventually shrink.
And good luck to you. Please let us know. All the best, Joe
Hi Cindi,
I worked out ahead of surgery for about 9 months, but even three months would be fine. I did step ups, sometimes with weights in hand, squats against a wall with a huge ball on my back, I also did work with exercise bands - tied off on a post and looped around my calf and then I bent and straightened the leg to work the quads.
Post-op the most important exercises the first four weeks are for range of motion (ROM). Sit against a wall with your leg extended and put a towel or yoga band around the ball of your foot and pull your knee toward you, as far as the stretch/pain will allow. Wear socks to ease the slide. Sit on a chair, also wearing socks, and pull your surgical knee towards the chair with your good leg as a lever. Again, go until there is resistance, Each day will get better,
As far as recovery, I used a walker week 1, a cane week 2, and unassisted around 2 or 3 weeks. Gotta keep doing the exercises though. After four weeks I added strength exercises like the ones above for my quads. Swelling was almost gone at 8 weeks.
Now these were almost perfect recoveries, given the good shape I was in. Don't get discouraged if your times are longer. It can take 6 months to a year. Just be diligent and work with a trainer pre-op and a good PT immediately post-op. Oh, and I'm 67 y/o.
All the best,
Joe
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1 ReactionJoe,
I wish my doctor had advised me to strengthen my leg muscles before surgery. Instead, in preparation for surgery, I was given a "Joint Academy" booklet that included some very basic exercises to do--the same exercises used by At-Home PT (the first three weeks after surgery). Before TKR surgery, I did those basic exercises and walked 20 minutes a day. But after reading your post, I'm thinking it would have helped speed my recovery if my legs had been stronger before the operation. I guess the challenge with exercising prior to surgery is any pain you may be experiencing with the bad knee. Regardless, I'm 11 weeks out from TKR and my progress is slow but sure. I'm off pain meds and in outpatient therapy, ROM is good and I'm focusing on quads, hoping to master stairs soon. However, if I need TKR on my other knee, I will remember your advice. Thanks!
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3 ReactionsHi Cindi,
Well I'm glad you found the information useful. I actually hired a very good trainer with a degree in kinesiology, told him exactly what I needed, and he showed me the right exercises - and not just for my legs. We worked on core and upper body as well.
He was aware of the condition of my knees. so to your point, he'd always ask if I could tolerate a certain exercise without a lot of pain. That's why good trainers are so valuable. They know different exercises that accomplish the same thing.
That said, by the time I had my second TKR I walked with a noticeable limp. My knee was bone-on-bone. Still, I had exercised enough to help with the recovery.
And keep in mind that surgeons need to make a slight cut in the quad muscle to release the patella. That hurts a little after surgery if you push on it slightly but it makes the muscle weaker. Just something to keep in mind. That cut has to heal too. It won't interfere with the post-op exercises though.
One other thing done during a TKR is the application of a tourniquet on the thigh. Makes sense to slow blood flow to the knee, but no one told me. Three days after surgery my inner thigh turned a very dark red/black. It was a bruise from the tourniquet but scared the hell out of me!
Good luck to you Cindi and stay strong!
Joe
No. It was not done robotically. And not done at the Mayo Clinic. I believe my case was not the usual. None of it was explained to me after the surgery.