Posted , 10 users are following.
5 months since t k r , Still got some swelling round knee, more so round left side of knee, also left side of knee is quite void of feelng very, very numb, Every time you ask consultants, doctors about it all you ever get is (oh) that is normal ,you never seem 2 get a straight answer from them.Still get pain in middle of knee , dose any one out their get the same feeling ,
0 likes, 14 replies
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clive45466 ian37450
Posted
Good healing
Laura3333 ian37450
Posted
Yes they cut through a lot of nerves, that causes the numb feeling, after four years with my first knee I still have the numbness but it doesn't bother me.
it can take a year plus to get the full benefit, at five months it's still got a way to go.
jan01779 ian37450
Posted
Hi Ian,
I am.only 7 weeks post tka but I have been told it can swell for 12 months and feel hot. I guess the numbness is nerve damage which is unavoidable but these usually come back in time.
If you can stomach it watch the video's if tkr on u tube it's a major op.
All the best
Jam
CHICO_MARX jan01779
Posted
Noooooooooo!!!!!!! Don't watch the videos!!!!!!!! Ugh.... I'd rather not know. After my hip replacement, my doctor cousin told me how they did it and I was appalled. Thank God I didn't know beforehand!!!
Re: the thread topic... The nerves will come back or they won't...crapshoot. You just cannot predict it. Swelling is normal for quite some time but it usually indicates that you pushed the knee too far that day. I recommend a FitBit or other such device to count your steps. When your knee swells, note the step count. Back off and increase gradually. The pedometer gives YOU control of the situation...no guesswork, no surprises.
At 2 months, I took a walk with my daughter through a mall...for hours. That night the knee was a balloon. Looked at my FitBit...8,200+ steps!!! Idiot... Never made that mistake again. At 11 months now and have never had another swelling incident...even at 11,000+ steps. Gradual improvement...in control...
jan01779 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thanks for that I found watching the video informative but I am medical 😊but not Orthopaedic! . I would not have watched it before hand though.!!!
The surgeon shold have explained really nerve damage at consent but was tolld in the main recover but guess that .
Impressed with the fit bit idea.Everyone is different and recovery is individual but for sure ts hard work having a tkr but already at 7 week's
judy17487 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Chico,
4 mos. TKR, PT 3 times a week. At first I was thrilled that I'd get my knee at 0 in no time. Two months since I started, I feel like it's not working. Pain, and swelling after walking or sitting too long. Discouraged enough to consult chiropractor next week to see if any damage has been done to my spine. I had laminectomy with bone graft 2 yrs ago. I'm at wit's end. TNX
CHICO_MARX judy17487
Posted
Miriam Webster:
"Plateau: a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress."
These are the WORST!!! I got stuck at -4 for weeks before I broke through to -1 and then 0. At four months, you're still in the middle of it...no surprise.
This is NOT a chiropractic issue...unless you're having sciatica or back pain. It's the PT who will get you to zero...no one else.
Swelling ALWAYS indicates that you overworked the knee that day. Get a FitBit or other pedometer. Track your steps. If you're getting swelling, note the steps and back off. Did 8,200+ at 5 weeks...did not make that mistake again. At 9 months, I was doing 11,000+ (5 miles) with no issues. It just takes time.
Sit too long? Yes, the first few steps are an adventure. Lots of stiffness. Normal.
I was fused L3 - S1 a year before the knee. Sciatica at 5 months fixed by chiro (locked SI joints). At 8 months, they discovered stenosis...operation next month. You just have to redouble your efforts and never give up. It will get better...just takes time...
martinarvelo ian37450
Posted
Two years after TKR . .still numb on outside of knee, and also partly numb (or at least, a different sort of feeling) in the thigh. I imagine it will be permanent really, and it's better than pain, that's for sure!
Loyll ian37450
Posted
Flozo ian37450
Posted
Hi ian,,Im seven months total left knee..I still get swelling on knee - not alot but if im wearing yoga pants - people can tell..The numbness around the knee is normal and feels really strange - I massage vit e onto my knee each morning - im getting use to the numbness..I hear the same thing "Its normal" im sick of that response..I suspect the feeling will never be the same..Have you had any problems with stiffness..I problem is crazy..I can biked 10-15 miles no problem..i can squat -(have not been able to do that since i was 14yrs old)..bench press 10-15lbs with the new knee..but if i stand in one place for no more than 5 minutes or walk - it gets stiff...i than need to strecth to get short term relief...i also have problems going down stairs..Doctors keep telling me "your still healing" it will get better...It does not make any sense..sometimes i get an ache in the knee but mainly dealing with stiffness
CHICO_MARX Flozo
Posted
I really hate saying this...but it's normal. Was the same for me at your stage. I'm 11 months and it's better now than it was at 7...just gotta do the work. The stiffness might last 12 months...maybe longer. Sitting for a while could result in stiffness when you get up...takes a few steps to get going. Same with the standing in one place. Stairs will become less challenging as you rebuild strength in your leg.
I know you're tired of hearing the same message...but it's the truth...and it does get better. Gotta give it the full year.
Flozo CHICO_MARX
Posted
CHICO_MARX Flozo
Posted
GREAT GOAL!!! Mine was to get back on skates for an easy glide by January...not to be. HUGE pain down both legs last October...could barely stand up when it started. Worked the whole holiday season on my feet at Best Buy for extra cash. Got up to 11,000+ steps (5 miles) a day regardless of the pain. Diagnosed as spinal stenosis...surgery coming up on March 24th. Now my goal is to get on those skates by July 1st.
Sometimes we put things in our own heads that have no basis in reality. It's good to have goals...but it's good to be flexible, especially when recovering from a TKR. It's a truly humbling experience. This will be my 28th operation in the last 17 years. Yes, almost all were minor (trigger fingers, knee and shoulder scopes, carpal tunnel)...others a lot heavier (hip replacement, back fusion, stomach and gallbladder). Oh...and four kidney stones. ALWAYS kicked rehab's a$$...hip took only six weeks.
This is a whole different ball game. No one knows that up front and we're blindsided by the insane pain and rehab work, plus the year-long recovery. I'm at 11 months and still not done. Won't be until after the spine surgery so I can finish the strength training. For me, it will take almost 18 months to fully recover. So I take it a day at a time and stay strong in heart and mind.
It's not easy, but what other choice is there? Become crippled and wait around to die? Not a chance. At almost 69, I still work full time, part time at Best Buy, and play blues bass on weekends when I can. The music is a very healing thing for me...started on drums in 1959 when I was 11. I will either die in my wife's arms or on stage singing the blues. There's more to life than the freaking knee. It's not the center of my life...don't make it yours.
audreys130 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Hey Chico. I too am a bass player - classical for me. After getting my knees done in August I had to take a break from playing - a bass is not easy to drag around with two healing knees. It was the longest break I have had from the Symphony since I joined in 1979. I am happy to report that I am back at it as of a couple of weeks ago when we had 2 concerts and we have another one this Friday. I was concerned that I would never get my stamina back but it is coming along.
Also - like Flozo - I still get swelling and especially if I have to stand in one place (even something as simple as preparing a meal) but I am good with walking. Just the other day I managed to walk the dog - something I haven't been able to do in quite a while.
I often think of something you told me just weeks after my surgery "this will take as long as it takes". I keep reminding myself of this as I don't think I (or many other people who get TKRs) realize how big a surgery this is or how long the recovery will take. I just know that I am feeling better than I did before the surgery and that is a good thing.
I had my 6 month check-up with my ortho surgeon today and all is well. No need to see him for a year unless I need to (knock on wood that all goes well).
Just want everyone to know that it does get better - I went through pretty much hell but I am coming out the other side Phew!