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Had TKR, making progess

Posted , 9 users are following.

jimmiego
jimmiego

Hi Everyone,

      Wow this is a great forum. I read it a little prior to my surgery. Thanks everyone for sharing your experience. I just had Total Knee Replacement 8 weeks ago. When they showed me the exercises they didnt stress enough to me that I really have to push hard against the pain to force my knee to bend. So, when I went in for my post op appt 4 weeks later I was disappointed to find out my knee was progressing. I was doing all the other 8 exercises. So my knee was at 50 degrees. Since then my knee now is up to 65 and I am working on it very firmly on a daily basis.

Can anyone help me with this question. There is a Charity cycle event in 9 weeks. If I can get my knee bent to 100 degrees or more in the next 4 weeks, is it reasonable for me to expect that I should be able to ride my bike in this cycle event. It is 100 kilometers. I really don't know how to rate my progress on my knee. Thank-you for your comments

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • irish_linda
    irish_linda jimmiego

    Posted

    woo that would be far too soon  park the bike (excuse the irish wit )5 kilometers would be a challenge  ,take it from someone who had bi lateral kee replacement  and i have had one that the bend was slow .concentrate on your own journey its one of the biggest journeys you will have ,with the help of god you will have plenty time to do many charity events .charity begins at home take care of your new knee
    • jimmiego
      jimmiego irish_linda

      Posted

      Thank-you Linda. When you put it that way, (5 kilometers would be a challenge) that certainly puts it into perspective.
  • martinarvelo
    martinarvelo jimmiego

    Posted

    Well, uness you are a relative of superman, I would say this is a very definite NO!  But if you prove me wrong, I shall be very glad for you.  I think you would be risking doing a lot of damage to muscles and nerves which will not be fully healed in so short a period of time.  Your bend is still not good for eight weeks,  and it isn't going to be easy to increase that to 100 in another four weeks . . I'm at 20 weeks now. . there is still pain and stiffness, and my bend is now about 115 in spite of a lot of pushing and pain.  At 6 weeks I was barely at 90 . . .those extra degrees are a devil to achieve!  

    Of course, it's up to you, but my advice would definitely be to forget such an ambitious goal, and work towards a slow but steady progress. . .

  • caroline46398
    caroline46398 jimmiego

    Posted

    That's a tough challenge I thought I was doing well to go round the block on a bike. Overuse could undo everything . It's weightless but so is swimming and would you swim that far? I doubt it. Leave it this time there will be other chances.
  • hazel14959
    hazel14959 jimmiego

    Posted

    No way, you could undo all the good you are doing.  Muscles and tendons need to be worked but not a 100k. bike ride.  On a motor cycle yes....

    I have been using an exercise bike for 3 x 8 mins a day ( building up to 10 mins for week 15)  from week 7 and I find that is enough for me at 12 weeks po.   granted I am 75 but I have cycled all my life, even done track and road races so I know not to overdo things.   One thing I blame having to have two TKRs wore my knees out!.  

  • pyesangel
    pyesangel jimmiego

    Posted

    Whoa there. One day at a time. TKR is no picnic. I'm 5 weeks out from TKR and think I'm doing good. I'm over 100 in bending my knee but think I should be doing better. My PT said I'm doing just fine but don't push it to where I feel 'real' pain. A little discomfort is good. I've been told by my PT and others that have had TKR, that it will take anywhere from 6 months to a year to get fully back to normal. Slow and steady is the only way to go. Unless you want more problems down the road. Hang in there as this too shall pass.

     

  • sandra82290
    sandra82290 jimmiego

    Posted

    Hi, I'm 12 weeks bilateral tkr, bend on both knees is 100% it's the straightening I'm having trouble with. 

    I really think that would be to far to ride, at the moment I do 10k a day on my exercise bike and have to ice and rest it afterwards, so I would seriously think hard about it and maybe get some medical advise, see what they say. Good luck with your recovery. Sandra x

  • jimmiego
    jimmiego

    Posted

    Thank-you everyone for your amazing input. I guess we all heal at different stages. Perhaps I'll have to be a little more patient in the expectations of my progress. From all of you there are some great distinctions which never occured to me.

    linda12593 - charity begins at home, take care of my knee

    martinarvelo- risk of damage to muscles and nerves. I really never considered that.    

     caroline46398- overuse could undo everything.

    hazel14959- muscles and nerves need to be worked on but not on a 100km ride

     pyesangel- I forgot TKR is not a picnic. Give it time 

     sandra82290 - absolutely correct. If I  had to ice after 10K imagine 100Km'

    So I will continue on. The message I am hearing is give it time. Thank-you again. I cannot tell you how important and valuable your comments are :-)           

               

  • Dotty_Lotty
    Dotty_Lotty jimmiego

    Posted

    I think you must be a bit bonkers !! I have had similar problems to you with my bend and I cannot imagine how you could acheive this.I do think pushing forward is a good thing but I think even better is pushing forward SLOWLY is even better, we all of us want to get back to normal but you have the rest of your life to do charity events, whilst I admire your altruistic spirit I think you need to take care of yourself first and formost, best wishes to you
  • jimmiego
    jimmiego

    Posted

    Just an update as I have been gone 7 months.

    Thank-you to everyone for all your input.

    So I really followed thru on my physio and my knee worked itself back into shape. My range of motion is 130. and I can do most anything. In the next 24 months I will get my left TKR.

    This I am certain was one of the most difficult and painful experiences I have ever had however am now glad it is done. For anyone new to this the one thing I would make certain of is to have your support system intact. I didnt realize how important this was until I came home from surgery. You basically are in a helpless and dependent state at first because of your ommobimity

  • jimmiego
    jimmiego

    Posted

    Immobility. It is important to remember that no matter how painful it feels and how hopeless it might seem at times that ""IT HAS TO GET TO GET BETTER THAN THIS"" Thats what I kept saying to myself everyday thru the whole process. And eventually it did. I just made myself go to physio everyday, no matter what and did exactly what my therapist instructed.

    I used oxycodone for 4 months on a daily basis. When my prescription came up for renewal I made a conscious decision that it would be best to start weaning myself off the oxy and begin using X tylenol. I gave myself 10 days and each day or 2nd day take a little less or just spread out the time intervals.

    In the first week of August I took my last 10M tab.

    I was quite proud of myself however had no idea my body had become addicted to this. No idea at all until about 48 hours later I started to experience total withdrawals. This was an experience all by itself. I did all the things necessary to nurse myself back to good health. It took about 3 weeks before I started feeling like myself again. In retrospect I think I should have been a little more intelligent about it. Perhaps talk to my Dr. before hand and get something to bridge the gap while my body was detoxing from this powerful powerful drug. It really was pure hell. I must say though it really was a relief by-passing all that pain by having the right medication.

    That's all. Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for all their support and comments.

    Very best,

    Jim

    p.s. I am 56 and now going to find my Princess

    and really start sharing my life with her.

    Wherever she may be.....

    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo jimmiego

      Posted

      I've only ever had oxycodone once, when I fractured my spine in colorado on holiday.  I've never been in a situation before where it still hurt like the devil, but I wandered around with a stupid grin on my face all the time!  Unfortuantely, they wont give you anything like that over here in Spain for a TKR, so there was not a lot of grinning to be seen for the first couple of months!  glad you are doing well . . I'm nearly a year post TKR, and like you can do almost everything.  Slight less bend . .about 125 . . but it's enough for me, and I had no physiotherapy after the first couple of weeks . . to expensive, or go to the local hospital and spend virtually all day every day there!  Hope your second TKR goes well.  so far I don't need another one, thank heavens!

       

    • irish_linda
      irish_linda jimmiego

      Posted

      well done so pleased for you .may it be a great 2016 for all of us !!!!!   I was the same as you weening myself off meds ive been on very strong meds for 3 yrs and coming off them has to be super slow like you i first tried to drop them quickly it was hell but once i took them again within an hour i felt fine .so then i knew i was hooked on them so i went off them very slowly im down from 200mg to 50mg  even when i came off 100mg to 50 mg i was so cramped up with pains in my tummy and feeling really sick  so coming down from 50mg im going to half them again to ease the symptoms so by the end of the week ill be off the lot at last . but im also glad i used them as i needed them its just that you have to be patient coming off them
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