Having problems with my Foot on the same leg of the TKR
Posted , 7 users are following.
First I want to thank everyone that belongs to this forum for their help and sharing information that we can all benefit from in one way or another.
I have a question, I had my TKR 7-months ago. I go to the gym and exercise my knee at leadt 3 to 4 times a week. I have noticed that while using the bicycle my foot, especially the heel, moves while I am peddling. It seems and looks very unusual. It does not hurt, but it concerns me. Does anyone has had this problem? Is this the way that my foot will rotate on a bicycle after a TKR? I still have pain and stiffness on my knee. Any information that anyone can provide will be appreciated. Thank you very much. J21370
0 likes, 18 replies
Julia-NewKnee j21370
Posted
Hello! I'm trying to visualize what you mean. I'm 15 weeks out from my TKR. I started doing the recumbent bike at 7 weeks. I struggle to get going on the bike. My ankle does more of the work during the rotation around. PT made sure I kept my ankle pointed up as I make the rotation around to get the most bend, stretch out of knee. Keeping my hip down. Now many times my foot slides alot on the pedal. In Therapy the bikes I used no longer had foot straps. So my ankle, whole foot at times was all over the pedal. I have to go slow and steady at first. Make sure I hold the ankle foot up as I come around. I now own a recumbent bike at home which has the pedal straps. That helps so much!
If you are feeling the heel shift? Clunk? As you pedal, is this what you are worried about?? Or is it your foot is rocking on the pedal , moving forward from your heel??
1. Are you wearing a athletic shoe while you pedal?
Do be mindful of your technique has you rotate around. Not letting your leg , knee roll out ward as you pedal.
I had to get my chiropractor adjust my foot, ankle at one point. I had caused too much strain on the ankle when I started pedaling forward.
My response may not be what your looking for. But at my stage of healing, riding that bike is still hard.
P.S. ain't the stiffness, knee band feeling grand?! NOT...
Hope you find answers!! Good Healing still to come!
j21370 Julia-NewKnee
Posted
Thanks Julia for your response. My problem is very hard to explain. The bike does have straps. My problem in my right foot is that when I am peddling my heel moves back and forth. I try moving my foot forward but no matter how I position my foot on the peddle my heel moves up and down. Today, I asked a staffer at the gym and he tried to position my foot on the peddle but it was still doing it. Then he said to ask my doctor. My left foot doesn't do that - is only the foot where I had the TKR. I have no problem in peddling and my knee doesn't hurt, but it could become a problem later on with my heel. Thanks J21370
cheryl90571 j21370
Posted
Also I found that I was MUCH MORE sure-footed in bare feet!
jenny80029 cheryl90571
Posted
I like doing all the PT in bare feet room especially balancing..makes
A huge difference!😊
cheryl90571 jenny80029
Posted
Oh, GOOD!😄
Glad to hear that it has been helpful to you, too!
j21370 cheryl90571
Posted
cheryl90571 j21370
Posted
You CAN do your exercises AT HOME in your bare feet, then! I REALLY makes a difference!
j21370 cheryl90571
Posted
I am not at home. I am at my Mom's apartment in NY. I can't by a bike because the place is very small. My Mom is very ill and Even though I can physically do much, I make the health care decisions. Thanks, Cheryl.
chris00938 j21370
Posted
I'm using a recumbent after my TKR (10 weeks ago) and my foot is as it used to be before the op J. I wonder if it's because you're struggling with the bend or extension and if so, have you tried moving the seat if the bend is too much? When I started back on the recumbent I moved the seat back a couple of notches from where it had been before the op to give me the easiest bend, and gradually moved it forward after that. I DID notice that when I was pushing the bend exercises a few weeks ago (on the recliner) I'd drifted into rotating my ankle so the foot was on the outside edge - I was able to get a better bend like that, but within a couple of days read on this group that some people were having ankle problems and thought it wasn't wise to rotate it like that to push the bend more, so made sure I stopped doing it, but I wonder if you're automatically doing that to make the bend easier on the bike? Don't know - it's only a guess.
chris00938
Posted
Ah - just seen your later post J. I DO remember, when I first started the recumbent at 3 weeks post op, my heel moving a bit. I'd got the seat back so far that the foot didn't slide right through the strap as far as it normally went, so it was all a bit floppy. I don't know what bend you've got. At that stage I had 115, but as the bend improved and I moved the seat forward, the foot went into the strap much better and the problem stopped very quickly.
j21370 chris00938
Posted
Thanks Chris -- I just wrote you a long message and lost it. I will try moving the seat back a couple of notches. I have been riding the bicycle for about 6 months and I just noticed my heel last week. I heel also started to hurt at night, which raised a concern. I don't know what my bend is but if I were to guess is between 112 to 115. Back in December I have reached 120 then I flew to NY and I did not have PT for 5 days and my bend went back to 95. I returned to my doctor and had 2 more months of PT and my bend got to 110 -- that was the first week in March. After that I go to the gym every other day and exercise for an hour. I also have to have my left knee replaced, but I will not have it fone until my right one is in better shape. I had excruciating pain with my right one. I also have Firbromyalgia for the last 32 years. The surgeon says that my recuperation is taking longer because of the Fibromyalgia. I am still experiencing lots of pain. I have the Zimmer NextGen knee.
chris00938 j21370
Posted
I suspect J that the problem MIGHT be (but I might be totally wrong!) that because you can't get more bend, you're needing the seat so far out that the foot isn't going in to the strap enough, so IF that's the problem, moving the seat back might not help, but who knows. Give it a try and see. Also, can you tighten the foot strap? That might hold your foot better? I'm wondering, as well, if it's that you're walking differently and that's causing the heel problem. It might be worth asking a physio to look at your gait. I know a lot of people have had problems with hips etc. after the knee replacement because of walking differently. But I hope you can get it sorted. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about thirty years ago but I don't get flare ups very often and they only seem to last for a couple of days when I do - it's improved hugely over the years. I had my knee done on 1st March this year and am going for pre-op for the second knee today but I've been VERY lucky with mine and not had pain at all really. I'm hoping to find out what knee I've got and will have, today. We weren't told. I hope your pain improves - sorry to hear it's gone on this long!
j21370 chris00938
Posted
Thanks Chris - I will keep you posted. Lots of luck with your operation. You will be a new person after is all over. I am glad that you don't get much pain. Take care.
chris00938 j21370
Posted
j21370 chris00938
Posted
chris00938 j21370
Posted
I'm so pleased you've managed to adjust things so you can do the bike J! There is so much trial and error in all this - we are all just fumbling along really, figuring out what works best! I hope your heel recovers quickly now:-)))