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Barbara

Posted , 11 users are following.

Winston7
Winston7

I'm 8weeks post op, walking, driving good... Struggling with stairs leg not strong enough yet.. I'm a bike rider.. But since my op I can not take pedals all the way around cause it hurts like hell.. I can stand up & peddle about 8times but that's it.. Still on strong pain killers.. All I want to do is ride my bike, as I'm so missing it putting Wright on cause I'm not riding I was doin 20 miles before my op struggled on hills cause of my knee thought I'd be tons better by now.. But I'm not.. I need advice what I can do to peddle my bike.. Please can any one give me some advice.. Am I ever going to ride.. Knee goes stiff as well

0 likes, 19 replies

19 Replies

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  • dawn220
    dawn220 Winston7

    Posted

    Hello, Winston7

    You are only 8 weeks after major surgery! ! Give your body some Rest and have Patience. Keep up with exercises--- marching in place, squatts, forward knee bends while sitting in chair, and the stretching exercises. 1 or 2 sets of 10. THis Recovery Takes TIME...believe me. Your WILL be able to ride your bike again in TIME....

    Had my tkr done the end of November and still working on bending better...

  • Snoozy69
    Snoozy69 Winston7

    Posted

    Hi I feel your pain I was a keen cyclist before the op I'm now 5 months post TKR and I still can't ride my bike properly outside without a lot of pain inside the knee, I'm sure it will improve overtime. Have you got a turbo trainer that you can put your bike on inside the house? I've got my racer on one but I have to lift the seat quite high but for some reason I can pedal that round ok. 

    Last week I managed a 10 minute ride outside on my hybrid, the pain was still there but not as bad. When I got home I just iced and elevated my knee. 

    Keep doing your heel slides I put a scarf around the bottom of my foot and cross in front of my shin and really pull on it getting my heel nearer my butt.

    ive also found that your bend might not be so good if the muscles are tight around the knee. Epsom salt baths help relax the muscles, try massaging the muscles too.

    unfortunately if you want to ride your bike you are going to have to push through the pain, and ice and elevate afterwards. It will improve over time x

  • laurel65763
    laurel65763 Winston7

    Posted

    8 weeks is very early, your knee needs time to heal. Ice helps to keep swelling down but before exercising heat will help muscles be more flexible. Leg warmers in between icing helps me a great deal. My second knee replacement will be in august. I a man much more prepared now after the first one last May. Best wishes for continued healing.
  • jenny80029
    jenny80029 Winston7

    Posted

    Have you got a static exercise bike?

    I found bit easier to sit on a chair opposite it, facing it and pedal that way initially. Was a good start.

    Are you doing heel slides, etc and are you in UK?

    Your physio may have some ideas too.

    It is very early days. Don't panic...

    Good wishes for your healing

    • Winston7
      Winston7 jenny80029

      Posted

      Hi Jenny yes I'm in the UK..

      Thankyou for your comments & every one else as well.. I'm due back in in work on the 28 th march I've would have been of work 12 weeks then, hope to God I'm OK for work as I work in A & E, & it's very busy I'm a nursing Assistant..

      I've had my seat higher but I'm only small 4"11, so I've had to lower my spin bike seat back down same hight as my hybrid bike I'm really struggling with my bend Omg never in a million years did I think it would be this hard to ride my bike swear to god this is really hard. Having problems sleeping at night need a pillow under my knee.. So wish I'd never got it done now it's not getting any easier at all.. They never actually tell you how hard it is after your knee replacement or pain full you are & there is not much help you have your op, they send you home..&you get physio once a week that's not enough help I feel...

      So from what people are saying on here it's going to take my ages to get back on my hybrid bike to ride I'm gutted as I'm not riding my bike now I'm putting weight back on which I'm not happy about..

      So there is not a thing I can do to get a good bend.. Gutted so disappointed 😯??

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 Winston7

      Posted

      I also work for the NHS in critical care  but I had 5 months off before I went back to work, no way was I ready after 12 weeks plus it would have been just before Christmas 😜 Might as well make the best out of a bad thing😂. I'm currently still on a phased return which is working really well but I still can't cycle in to work. I think what is stopping my flexion is my muscles so I've booked in for a Thai deep muscle massage tomorrow, can't say I'm looking forward to it because I know it's going to be sore but if it helps it will be worth it. I'll let you know the outcome because it may be the answer x

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 Winston7

      Posted

      It will come....mine improved a lot at 12 weeks and more....so much going on in there. You need to move your mind and adjust your expectations...this is a long haul, but hold back on making judgements about it as that is for later when you start to reap the rewards. Patience. Not easy, but be patient and kind to yourself also, good wishes for your healing!
  • Pibpaula
    Pibpaula Winston7

    Posted

    Try putting the saddle up a bit?  It helped me when I first got back on at around 4 months. 8 weeks is too early! Take it steady and do your Physio. You will ride again. I’m nearly 6 months now and managed 30 miles the other day. But then I paid the price for a few days after with extra tightness etc. You have to take it slow! But you will get there. Good luck 
  • lyn32416
    lyn32416 Winston7

    Posted

    Try reverse pedals. Then be patient. Took me 4 months to return to riding. You're recovering from brutal surgery. Stop eating so much and think healthy. You need to be in control so try small reverse pedalling rides, frequently. You'll do better if you understand you may be looking at at least a year until you're back to previous fitness. xx

  • lyn32416
    lyn32416 Winston7

    Posted

    Forgot to say I started with pedalling in a hydro warm pool. Pool walking is the ants pants for me. xx
  • Tammyshernia
    Tammyshernia Winston7

    Posted

    My husband is going on to his 5 th wk tomorrow I have never seen anyone work so hard the therapist had him go backwards at first then was able to go the other way I’m have tnr in may he is goin up and down stairs driving going to the store walking the dog he is only 155 lbs soaking wet I hope I can do as good....the therapist said he would only be able to go backwards but after 2 days was going all the way around 

     

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX Winston7

    Posted

    This will help with the stairs...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/mastering-post-tkr-stairs-552728

    Just know that stairs (defined as "alternating legs up and down without holding on to anything") are only possible after you have rebuilt all the strength in your atrophied quads, gutes and core.  First comes ROM, then the strength work...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527

    ...then the stairs as you do the rebuild.  Gotta get strong again.

    Biking is GREAT for ROM, especially the leg extension to zero degrees.  You need to add the strength work, as I mentioned above, for the full rebuild of quads, glutes and core.

  • carol94892
    carol94892 Winston7

    Posted

    Hi!  I was in your shoes 2 years ago.  I was into about week 3 of my recovery and could not peddle the stationary bike in therapy as it hurt way too much.  They recommended that I try peddling backwards and surprisingly I could do that. Once I did that a session or two I was able to peddle forward.  I love bike riding too and was so afraid I wouldn’t be able to ride again.
  • carol94892
    carol94892 Winston7

    Posted

    Hi!  I was in your shoes 2 years ago.  I was into about week 3 of my recovery and could not peddle the stationary bike in therapy as it hurt way too much.  They recommended that I try peddling backwards and surprisingly I could do that. Once I did that a session or two I was able to peddle forward.  I love bike riding too and was so afraid I wouldn’t be able to ride again.
    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 carol94892

      Posted

      Just out of interest how long was it before you could ride a bike outside properly? I'm 5 months and I managed 10 minutes but it was painful and I had to ice and elevate afterwards 😢

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Snoozy69

      Posted

      Carol...you need apply THE RULE: If the knee has pain or swells because of how far you pushed it that or the previous day, you did too much.  Ice, elevate, back off and resume gradually.  This applies to EVERY activity we do during recovery.  Why would you expect that you could handle 10 minutes when the knee might only be able to withstand three?  Improvements are made slowly and gradually...not on our own, imaginary timelines.
    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Chico I think your reply was aimed at me not Carol 😂 I'm going to blame my physio for making me cycle outside. He told me to really push for range of movement and ice and elevate afterwards. The first revolution was painful right inside the knee breaking up scar tissue, it became easier the more I did even to the point where I could lower the seat a bit more. I stayed close to home but did a circuit which took me 10 minutes. It's going to a long time before I can cycle miles or in the USA Km 😃

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Snoozy69

      Posted

      This takes a while.  During 10 weeks of PT, I was on the bike to start every session.  First hurdle was pedaling backwards.  The second was raising the seat a bit every time to get the leg extension.  Third was endurance without pain or swelling.  Remember...as you build tour quads, glutes and core back with the other exercising program, the cycling gets easier.  You may want to consider distance as your progress marker and not time.  Just a thought...
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