Re: TKR needs advice

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/7/2009 10:16:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

susiedu@... writes:

cant. I dont know what to expect and I am getting very depressed. I still

have staples in, they come out on the 10th. Can anyone that has been

through this before give me some advice on what I should be able to do right

now.

I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by the trauma of the surgery

so I am dealing with that too.

I think some depression post op is pretty much the norm no matter what you

have done or how your recovery is progressing.

[Guest guest]

I think you're doing fine right now. Gee whiz, it's only been 11 days since

surgery. It might be easier when your staples are out. I hope you're planning

on outside PT 3 days a week. Those therapists really know what you need & have

all the equipment so you'll make faster progress. Best wishes, Susie

>

> I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine

with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will ever

be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to the

house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was able

to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to expect

and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out on the

10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on what I

should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by

the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

>

[Guest guest]

I am now 30 days post TKR and I can't bend 90 degree angle all the time and

sometimes I am stiff. But my dr and PT said I am doing great, I can walk without

a cane or walker and am driving short trips. Not taking much in pain killers. I

do not have the pain I had before, I could not bend more than 30 degrees before

the surgery. My cousin's hubby is a Ortho surgeon and he said I am going awsome.

I need the other knee done. When I went to the drs on Mon he said my knee was a

5 amd alot worse than what they knew. He was suprised that I lasted so long as I

did from last sept till July. MY quality of life was in the tank before the TKR>

But now I am going to move forward and no one or nothing is going to stop me. I

will just keep work on the PT and move forward. DO NOT GIVE UP OR GIVE IN

From: susiedu <susiedu@...>

Subject: Re: TKR needs advice

Joint Replacement

Date: Friday, August 7, 2009, 10:15 PM

 

I think you're doing fine right now. Gee whiz, it's only been 11 days since

surgery. It might be easier when your staples are out. I hope you're planning on

outside PT 3 days a week. Those therapists really know what you need & have all

the equipment so you'll make faster progress. Best wishes, Susie

>

> I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine

with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will ever

be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to the

house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was able

to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to expect

and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out on the

10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on what I

should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by

the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi There!

Your surgery was not even 2 weeks ago. It is brand new. Your body is still

dealing with the trauma of the surgery. So it¹s not surprising you are

experiencing some difficulties.

I don¹t know what level of flexion is ³normal² at this point but I would

follow the lead of the PT, continue the exercises, and give myself a break!

There is really no guidebook for what we should be able to do at any given

time. We go into the surgery with different levels of fitness and general

health and different degrees of knee degeneration. It would be great if our

docs would give us some individual guidelines. You could ask for that when

you go to get the staples removed. Meanwhile, perhaps the PT can give you

some idea. But IMO the main thing is whether you are seeing change. I

think that progress is more important than achieving a particular number.

And I say this as someone who is competitive and likes those numerical

goals. But my experience is that every day is different. Healing is not

linear. We get better; oooops! We¹re worse. OH, YEAH! Better again.

Etc. Last week I was in New York visiting my son and had this experience.

I was taking long walks for the first time; my gait was good; I was moving

fast. Then the next day I was hobbling along. Then..... Well, you get the

idea.

It¹s good that you are seeing your doc. S/he can give you a reality check

on your progress. If there is something wrong you¹ll find out and be able

to address it. Be sure to write down your questions and requests. If not,

you will have more peace of mind.

It may be that your knee has a lot of swelling/inflammation. That would

make it harder to bend the knee and also make it hurt more. Icing and

elevation are really important in these first weeks (and ongoing). So if

you feel you are not where you want to be in this early stage, you might

increase the frequency of icing and elevation. And perhaps do it on a

schedule just as with the pain meds, so that you ice and elevate before

swelling gets worse. The elevation is most effective when the leg is

elevated so that it is above your heart. Besides helping with flexion, the

icing and elevation reduce pain levels. For me, putting my feet up has

always felt good. Now I put them way up and add an ice pack.

I second what Jeff said about depression. It is a normal part of healing

from surgery. The surgery brings a lot of changes in our day to day (and

moment to moment) life. Those of us who are very independent (some may say

Œstubborn¹ about me) find it difficult to be less able than we are used to

and to have to rely on others or to do things less quickly and less well

than we normally would. Our sleep may be disturbed. Our bowels may have

forgotten how to do their job. We are in pain. The pain medication may

affect our mood or thought processes. What¹s not to be depressed about

(other than knowing that at the end of this we will have a strong working

leg and can say farewell to years of arthritic pain!!!!) I got depressed

about 10 days after surgery. And I just cried. Not for any reason I could

name. I just had huge crying jags. Others have said they experienced this

as well. The crying actually felt good afterwards and I slept better.

Someone on this list talked about meditating as a help to relieving the

stress that comes with this surgery and contributes to our pain. There are

some good CDs if you don¹t have a mediation that you normally do. That¹s

something else you can try if you haven¹t.

The fact that you have fibromyalgia being triggered is another huge thing to

deal with. Have you talked to the doc who works with you around that about

what you are experiencing? Maybe s/he could make some suggestions about how

to deal with that in this situation.

It sounds like you are working hard. Keep that up! Give yourself some

props for all you¹ve done, and be good to yourself. And let us know how you

are doing.

Sending you lots of good wishes for all you need for continued healing.

Peace,

Jackie

On 8/7/09 3:04 PM, " lbsmith83 " <lbsmith83@...> wrote:

>

>

>

>

> I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine

> with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will

> ever be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming

> to the house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I

> was able to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what

> to expect and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come

> out on the 10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some

> advice on what I should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has

> been triggered by the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

>

>

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you're doing fine. Recovery is a process and it doen't really

start to improve greatly until the staples are out. Then gradually you'll have

more bend, and when you start outpatient pt you'll improve even more. The fact

that you're walking fine without a walker is terrific. Possibly you set the bar

too high and are not living up to your expectations but if you read through this

list and look at others who have been through this surgery you'll find you're

probably ahead of the curve. I know in my own case I couldn't walk at all

without a walker until after I had the staples out, then went to a cane. My

surgery was 5/22 and I'm just now feeling fine. I did have 2 setbacks but the

point is it takes time for everyone, and everyone's progress is different. Hang

in there and keep working.

Also as others have said, depression is quite normal after major surgery and

having fms just complicates that.

Jeff

________________________________

From: lbsmith83 <lbsmith83@...>

Joint Replacement

Sent: Friday, August 7, 2009 6:04:32 PM

Subject: TKR needs advice

I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine with

and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will ever be

able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to the

house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was able

to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to expect

and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out on the

10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on what I

should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by

the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I want to thank all of you who have written about your post-op experiences and

how you have coped with everything. I'm a bit edgy and nervous, but I feel much

more ready for my surgery (next month) and know I'll have the tools - and help

from this great group - to get through it. I'm so thankful that I found you!

[Guest guest]

Hi LB,

Don't feel discouraged. We all went through that. You're only a couple of

weeks post-op, give it time. I'm 2.75 years post op and it all gets far, far

better. I even played some volleyball this year on vacation. Don't give into

defeatism, just hang tough and push as hard as PT tell you to. Hurt now will

add up to mobility later.

Good Luck,

Alan B.

>

> I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine

with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will ever

be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to the

house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was able

to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to expect

and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out on the

10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on what I

should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by

the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

>

[Guest guest]

In response to this question, Jackie wrote:

>

> Hi There!

>

> Your surgery was not even 2 weeks ago. It is brand new. Your body is still

dealing with the trauma of the surgery. So it¹s not surprising you are

experiencing some difficulties. . .

Jackie, yhou are a wise woman. Everything you said can be taken to heart. Each

one of us (and probably if we were not " competitive " in some manner we wouldn't

have opted for this tough surgery & recovery path) progresses at a different

rate, including the inevitable plateaus and setbacks. So while our stories are

useful information, any direct comparisons are not always helpful. As you said,

we need to listen to our therapists, let them help us move gently forward to the

next level, and put our faith in the fact that this *is* a positive trajectory,

even though it may be a long one. That's the key difference from our pre-TKR

trajectories, which were going completely the other direction.

I can flex, but my extension, like many others here, has not recovered for the

four years of compensating for a bum knee. But am " hanging " off the bed every

day and doing those quad sets and it truly is, minute degree by minute degree,

getting better.

Good luck and a salute to us all for going down this road!

Sue

BiTKR 7.10.09

[Guest guest]

H all!

I am the group moderator and a PT in the hospital. Make sure you are taking

your pain medication regularly, not just right before PT. These first months

are crucial to regaining motion. If you wean yourself off pain meds too soon,

you will not tolerate the therapy. Next, use the knee as normally as possible -

bend it when you sit and use it to help you stand. If you straighten the knee

out when you sit, the muscles do tighten up and you lose ROM. You have to

regain as much motion early as possible and using the knee normally will help

that. Work on anything to regain flexibility and avoid exercises to make the

muscles stronger right now (ie, the first month after surgery). If you start

doing strengthening too soon, it can make it harder to regain your bending. I

treat over 400 TKR patients per year in the hospital post op and these are the

most important pieces of advice I give them.

Good luck and keep listening to the encouraging words of the group!

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

> >

> > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine

with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will ever

be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to the

house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was able

to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to expect

and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out on the

10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on what I

should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by

the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sue,

Nice post.I am going into 10 weeks post op and also walked a long time on a bone

on bone knee.I do the hanging of the bed 3 times each day.I do leg lifts for

quads and squats.At PT he puts weight on my leg for the leg lifts and some days

he uses the rubber band. Like you I still don't have a straight leg but getting

better one day at a time.I am also taking the pain pills now every day.

Dot

A curve that can set a lot of things straight is a smile. " ~~ Anonymous

[Guest guest]

This is helpful information. My right knee replacement was on 6/30/09 and

I seem to have a pretty good bend now. However, I cannot straighten the

leg. At almost 6 weeks out, should I be concerned?

Sally

[Guest guest]

Alisa

 

Have you had any experience with patient who could not tolerate asa,n'saids or

tylenol for pain control?I have a severe drug allergy to theses meds.Many Doc's

have not had the experience of a patient who is so allergic.

 What is average period of time TKR patient will need to take meds for pain?My

threshold for pain is not the best,however,my motivation to regain full use is

strong.

 

Thank you

 

Jerry H

From: Bodyphysics <bodyphysics@...>

Subject: Re: TKR needs advice

Joint Replacement

Date: Sunday, August 9, 2009, 10:48 AM

 

H all!

I am the group moderator and a PT in the hospital. Make sure you are taking your

pain medication regularly, not just right before PT. These first months are

crucial to regaining motion. If you wean yourself off pain meds too soon, you

will not tolerate the therapy. Next, use the knee as normally as possible - bend

it when you sit and use it to help you stand. If you straighten the knee out

when you sit, the muscles do tighten up and you lose ROM. You have to regain as

much motion early as possible and using the knee normally will help that. Work

on anything to regain flexibility and avoid exercises to make the muscles

stronger right now (ie, the first month after surgery). If you start doing

strengthening too soon, it can make it harder to regain your bending. I treat

over 400 TKR patients per year in the hospital post op and these are the most

important pieces of advice I give them.

Good luck and keep listening to the encouraging words of the group!

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

> >

> > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking fine

with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will ever

be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to the

house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was able

to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to expect

and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out on the

10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on what I

should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been triggered by

the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, y'all, Some of you have heard from me off-list but to the rest, I am the

" lurking " PT on the list who has had two knee replacements and two shoulder

replacements.

Right on, Alisa! I couldn't agree with your advice more, especially about not

starting the strengthening part too soon, your knees need time to heal, first

the soft tissue and incision, then the muscles, and then the bone itself. This

takes time and too much stress slows things down. At the same time it is

important to get the flexibility as early as possible and steady, hard work do

the trick.

The only thing I would add to Alisa's advice is: ice and elevate, ice and

elevate, ice and elevate! And make sure you elevate your leg above your heart

at least once during the day. It works better that way.

Some of you have trouble with getting your knee straight, some with the bending,

but as long as you are making progress, try not to compare your knee with the

next person's. There are so many factors that affect the speed at which motion

is restored, factors you don't see on the lists, fibromyalgia, motion and joint

damage before the surgery, healing time, metabolism, ageto give a few examples.

Trust your PT and communicate with him or her in detail as to how you expect to

be doing and whether you are pushing too hard, or not enough.

I have been treating TKR's since they started doing them in the 70's, seen all

the changes, and experienced the surgery twice. Patience, and perseverance,

people, those are the key words!

Good luck and I enjoy hearing from several of you as to your progress and

worries.

Ann C. Pal, BSPT

South Carolina

> > >

> > > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking

fine with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will

ever be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to

the house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was

able to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to

expect and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out

on the 10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on

what I should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been

triggered by the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ann,

I do my exercises 3 time a day.I do the elevated leg lift with a heating pad on

my knee and a 5 lb bag of rice. This is what my PT does but he uses a weight and

stim ,said the rice works well. Then I do 3 series of pushing the knee down to

the count of 5 , 20 times.Also do that with surgery leg elevated. Then I do

surgery leg pulls using a sheet to help pull the leg up and do a 5 count.I lay

on my stomach with legs hanging off the bed for 10 min with bag of rice on my

ankle.After that I do the up on toes and heels for 20 count.then surgery leg

bend for count of 20.Then stand on surgery leg alone for 5 count 20 times.Do

squats 20 of them and sitting on bed do quad bend for 20 count.Is this about

right? I go to PT three time a week and he has me use machines a lot.I always

end up with ice packs.I do 3 short walks every day.I am going into 10 weeks post

op.

Dot

A curve that can set a lot of things straight is a smile. " ~~ Anonymous

[Guest guest]

Try not to expect too much from yourself too soon. And, don't feel bad if you

aren't progressing as fast as you think you should. Others have said it here

that everyone is an individual case, and everyone heals at different rates. I

had bilateral TKR shortly before you...7/16 (left) and 7/20 (right). I also

have a lot of stiffness and swelling. I had a snafu with my out-patient PT

getting set up, so I've had one session. (I spent time at in-patient rehab but

went from 8/1-8/6 without PT.) I am still walking with a walker most of the

time. My case has been compounded by lymphadema, as a result of my history of

cellulitis in my left leg. I When I start feeling like I am as far along as I

should be, I try to put it into the perspective of " what can I do now, that I

couldn't do a week ago? "

[Guest guest]

When patients cannot tolerate meds, you have to rely on things like moist heat

to the quad, massage and static stretching. The recovery is longer but you

really need to make yourself use the leg. Lie on your back on your bed or

couch, put your straight leg up on the wall and then let your leg slide down the

wall. When you get to your max point, massage that thigh! Do this for about 10

minutes at a time and then sit up and bend your knee and use the ROM that you

get.

Patients are often worried about taking too many meds and becoming addicted. I

will tell you that taking meds of some type for 1-5 months after surgery is

common but people are able to taper down the strength and frequence over this

time. Start by taking what you tolerate regularly and as you progress with your

physical recovery, you can begin to taper.

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

> > >

> > > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking

fine with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I will

ever be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is coming to

the house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the hospital I was

able to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I dont know what to

expect and I am getting very depressed. I still have staples in, they come out

on the 10th. Can anyone that has been through this before give me some advice on

what I should be able to do right now. I have fibromyalgia that has been

triggered by the trauma of the surgery so I am dealing with that too.

> > >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Both bending and straightening are equally important. If the leg doesn't go

straight, you walk hunched forward and it causes or increases low back pain.

It's a challenging exercise but you need it- sit in a low chair and put your

heel out on a higher chair or table without support. Watch TV, read or sing but

you have to stretch! Don't put anything under your knee joint alone for support

especially when you sleep. Always push for as much bending and extension as

possible!

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

>

> This is helpful information. My right knee replacement was on 6/30/09 and

> I seem to have a pretty good bend now. However, I cannot straighten the

> leg. At almost 6 weeks out, should I be concerned?

> Sally

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm trying to picture this and I can't. Could you please explain it in more

detail. Especially about the leg sliding down.

I like the sound of the one where you use a short chair and a higher one. I

am keeping all these exercises so I will be ready to use them after my tkr

on the 22nd of September.

Thanks for all the good ideas.

Sheila

Re: TKR needs advice

When patients cannot tolerate meds, you have to rely on things like moist

heat to the quad, massage and static stretching. The recovery is longer but

you really need to make yourself use the leg. Lie on your back on your bed

or couch, put your straight leg up on the wall and then let your leg slide

down the wall. When you get to your max point, massage that thigh! Do this

for about 10 minutes at a time and then sit up and bend your knee and use

the ROM that you get.

Patients are often worried about taking too many meds and becoming addicted.

I will tell you that taking meds of some type for 1-5 months after surgery

is common but people are able to taper down the strength and frequence over

this time. Start by taking what you tolerate regularly and as you progress

with your physical recovery, you can begin to taper.

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

> > >

> > > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking

fine with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I

will ever be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is

coming to the house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the

hospital I was able to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I

dont know what to expect and I am getting very depressed. I still have

staples in, they come out on the 10th. Can anyone that has been through this

before give me some advice on what I should be able to do right now. I have

fibromyalgia that has been triggered by the trauma of the surgery so I am

dealing with that too.

> > >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Look at this picture (copy and paste in your address line):

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.exrx.net/StretchImages/Soleus/\

Step.jpg & imgrefurl=http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/Soleus/Step.html & usg=__g1SYj8nL\

PH7w-DeqKrL92N_k2-c= & h=240 & w=320 & sz=18 & hl=en & start=36 & um=1 & tbnid=7D7UeAolWbFq0M:\

& tbnh=89 & tbnw=118 & prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwall%2Bknee%2Bstretch%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den\

%26rlz%3D1T4GGLJ_enUS323%26sa%3DN%26start%3D21%26um%3D1

Start with your surgery leg up on the wall and then bend it, sliding your foot

down the wall supported. Even though this is a buttock stretch, it will help

you bend your knee.

Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do after your

surgery!

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

> > > >

> > > > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am walking

> fine with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like I

> will ever be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT is

> coming to the house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the

> hospital I was able to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I

> dont know what to expect and I am getting very depressed. I still have

> staples in, they come out on the 10th. Can anyone that has been through this

> before give me some advice on what I should be able to do right now. I have

> fibromyalgia that has been triggered by the trauma of the surgery so I am

> dealing with that too.

> > > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Got any good, quick suggestions for pre- hip operation exercises? I've

got some time to kill till hurricane season is over, but would to be in teh

best shape possible for the surgery and have the time and energy and

inclination...so, any suggested exercises are appreciated.

In a message dated 8/12/2009 10:35:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

slynnet@... writes:

Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do after your

surgery!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the advice, I'll start doing it.

Re: TKR needs advice

Look at this picture (copy and paste in your address line):

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.exrx.net/StretchImages/Sol

eus/Step.jpg & imgrefurl=http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/Soleus/Step.html & usg=__

g1SYj8nLPH7w-DeqKrL92N_k2-c= & h=240 & w=320 & sz=18 & hl=en & start=36 & um=1 & tbnid=7D7

UeAolWbFq0M: & tbnh=89 & tbnw=118 & prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwall%2Bknee%2Bstretch%26nds

p%3D21%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLJ_enUS323%26sa%3DN%26start%3D21%26um%3D1

Start with your surgery leg up on the wall and then bend it, sliding your

foot down the wall supported. Even though this is a buttock stretch, it

will help you bend your knee.

Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do after your

surgery!

Alisa Curry PT DPT

Site Moderator

> > > >

> > > > I had a TKR on July 27th. I am so upset with my progress. I am

walking

> fine with and without a walker. My problem is that I just don't feel like

I

> will ever be able to bend my knee again. I am doing my excercises and PT

is

> coming to the house. I am having trouble with stiffness in my knee. In the

> hospital I was able to get my knee to a 90 degree angle but now I cant. I

> dont know what to expect and I am getting very depressed. I still have

> staples in, they come out on the 10th. Can anyone that has been through

this

> before give me some advice on what I should be able to do right now. I

have

> fibromyalgia that has been triggered by the trauma of the surgery so I am

> dealing with that too.

> > > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

I did a lot of yoga...anything that did not really hurt.

A year after my THR I can walk beautifully. I'm so happy I had it done. I waited

an awfully long time because I am not in favor of surgery if at all possible.

Now I'm considering knee replacement on the same side. Who'd of thought it!

Anyone who had both hip and knee replacement, can you compare for me please?

Lynn

>

> Got any good, quick suggestions for pre- hip operation exercises? I've

> got some time to kill till hurricane season is over, but would to be in teh

> best shape possible for the surgery and have the time and energy and

> inclination...so, any suggested exercises are appreciated.

>

>

> In a message dated 8/12/2009 10:35:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> slynnet@... writes:

>

> Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do after your

> surgery!

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I had my left hip replaced first Sept. '07 the relief was immediate,  after the

inconvienences of post op, which were minor compared to the pain,  I worked out

in the pool,  then started a walking program could do 4 miles a day easily then

the knees started to hurt again,  got a shot of Cortizone and every thing was

fine for 3 months,  the cotizone wore off, knees hurt, next shot didn't do a

thing,  xrays showed at that point what little cartlidge I had left was gone, 

back to the pool.  Had both knees done March 5th '08,  I'm 62 BTW , and after I

was released by the Physical Therapist, I went to a Physical Trainer who does a

lot of rehab, building up the muscles that atrophied over the 7 years of my

decline with arthritis.  I was expecting a lot of pain with this because my Dr.

told me it was more painful than the hip and I thought about it last week and I

really didn't have any real pain at all, even with the phyiscal Therapy in the

knee

bending , but then again pain is relative and when I compare it to the pain

from the arthritic joints it's mild discomfort not the burning coals I used to

feel at my knee joints.

 I feel great , the fatigue from handing the constant pain of arthritis is gone,

don't need naps anymore,  the range of motion is pretty well back, I can bicycle

now which requires both knees bending well, my stregnth is coming back, my

balance is coming back, it's slow but the direction is all positive.

the only regret I have, that I didn't do this sooner.

In reading a lot of these posts I see there were a lot of problems I never

thought of before I had the surgery, kind of glad I only found this AFTER I had

mine, I feel great, had no problems.  My surgeon was Ivan Tomek at Dartmouth ,

he did my hip and one of my knees, the other was done at the same time by Dr.

Lynch that's how they do bilateral  there.  scars are different size but the end

results were the same.

Sometimes I suspect the people with the good news have moved on and don't write

in to this group which would explain the higher level of problems encountered,

only a theory on my part though.

Good luck with your surgery.

Carol

________________________________

From: Lynn Badler <coalvilleut@...>

Joint Replacement

Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:20:07 AM

Subject: Re: TKR needs advice

 

I did a lot of yoga...anything that did not really hurt.

A year after my THR I can walk beautifully. I'm so happy I had it done. I waited

an awfully long time because I am not in favor of surgery if at all possible.

Now I'm considering knee replacement on the same side. Who'd of thought it!

Anyone who had both hip and knee replacement, can you compare for me please?

Lynn

>

> Got any good, quick suggestions for pre- hip operation exercises? I've

> got some time to kill till hurricane season is over, but would to be in teh

> best shape possible for the surgery and have the time and energy and

> inclination. ..so, any suggested exercises are appreciated.

>

>

> In a message dated 8/12/2009 10:35:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> slynnet@... writes:

>

> Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do after your

> surgery!

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think your analysis is correct as people generally find these kinds

of forums prior to surgery and then move on after recovery because

they no longer have to think about painful knees and hips. Therefore

there is an over-representation of people with post surgical problems

which don't represent their real percentage. I do want to stress that

I am not hinting that people with problems should NOT post -- only

that people should realize that it is not the norm.

On Aug 13, 2009, at 9:30 AM, Carol wrote:

> I had my left hip replaced first Sept. '07 the relief was

> immediate, after the inconvienences of post op, which were minor

> compared to the pain, I worked out in the pool, then started a

> walking program could do 4 miles a day easily then the knees started

> to hurt again, got a shot of Cortizone and every thing was fine for

> 3 months, the cotizone wore off, knees hurt, next shot didn't do a

> thing, xrays showed at that point what little cartlidge I had left

> was gone, back to the pool. Had both knees done March 5th '08,

> I'm 62 BTW , and after I was released by the Physical Therapist, I

> went to a Physical Trainer who does a lot of rehab, building up the

> muscles that atrophied over the 7 years of my decline with

> arthritis. I was expecting a lot of pain with this because my Dr.

> told me it was more painful than the hip and I thought about it last

> week and I really didn't have any real pain at all, even with the

> phyiscal Therapy in the knee

> bending , but then again pain is relative and when I compare it to

> the pain from the arthritic joints it's mild discomfort not the

> burning coals I used to feel at my knee joints.

>

> I feel great , the fatigue from handing the constant pain of

> arthritis is gone, don't need naps anymore, the range of motion is

> pretty well back, I can bicycle now which requires both knees

> bending well, my stregnth is coming back, my balance is coming back,

> it's slow but the direction is all positive.

>

> the only regret I have, that I didn't do this sooner.

>

> In reading a lot of these posts I see there were a lot of problems I

> never thought of before I had the surgery, kind of glad I only found

> this AFTER I had mine, I feel great, had no problems. My surgeon

> was Ivan Tomek at Dartmouth , he did my hip and one of my knees, the

> other was done at the same time by Dr. Lynch that's how they do

> bilateral there. scars are different size but the end results were

> the same.

> Sometimes I suspect the people with the good news have moved on and

> don't write in to this group which would explain the higher level of

> problems encountered, only a theory on my part though.

>

> Good luck with your surgery.

> Carol

>

> ________________________________

> From: Lynn Badler <coalvilleut@...>

> Joint Replacement

> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:20:07 AM

> Subject: Re: TKR needs advice

>

>

> I did a lot of yoga...anything that did not really hurt.

> A year after my THR I can walk beautifully. I'm so happy I had it

> done. I waited an awfully long time because I am not in favor of

> surgery if at all possible.

> Now I'm considering knee replacement on the same side. Who'd of

> thought it!

> Anyone who had both hip and knee replacement, can you compare for me

> please?

> Lynn

>

> >

> > Got any good, quick suggestions for pre- hip operation exercises?

> I've

> > got some time to kill till hurricane season is over, but would to

> be in teh

> > best shape possible for the surgery and have the time and energy and

> > inclination. ..so, any suggested exercises are appreciated.

> >

> >

> > In a message dated 8/12/2009 10:35:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> > slynnet@... writes:

> >

> > Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do

> after your

> > surgery!

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

THank you thank you thank you. My same dr who did my hip will do my knee: I was

going to travel to Ca to Dr Coon but Dr ni has been so great, I trust he

can do my knee fine. My other one will have to be some time I think although he

said once one is done, the other may feel a lot better. Both are pretty well

bone on bone though, but the right is actually eating away the bone. I was

thinking of trying those injections of synoviate instead but what's the use, if

I'm going to live to be 90 or 100 (I'm 63) I need my knees strong and able to

walk and do all the " stuff " one must do to stay fit.

Lynn

Your post gave me hope and courage.

> >

> > Got any good, quick suggestions for pre- hip operation exercises? I've

> > got some time to kill till hurricane season is over, but would to be in teh

> > best shape possible for the surgery and have the time and energy and

> > inclination. ..so, any suggested exercises are appreciated.

> >

> >

> > In a message dated 8/12/2009 10:35:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> > slynnet@ writes:

> >

> > Try exercises now and start practicing. Makes it easier to do after your

> > surgery!

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >