1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Knee Problems

Knee replacement and Polio

Posted , 6 users are following.

pru57396
pru57396

i am 2 1/2 weeks post op and found getting back on my feet again very difficult at first because my un-operated leg couldn't support me due to me having polio as a child. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm now onto 2 crutches. 

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • hazel14959
    hazel14959 pru57396

    Posted

    Pru you might need the support of your crutches for a while.  2 1/2 weeks is very early to manage without them.  I have a friend who is still on crutches at 10 weeks.
    • pru57396
      pru57396 hazel14959

      Posted

      I suppose so. I really will have to be patient, won't I and not rush these things. 
    • kathryn42410
      kathryn42410 pru57396

      Posted

      Pru I'm still on two crutches at 14 weeks. I am waiting for further surgery but was told it's better to use both to help walk better. I don't need them round the house now but I did at 2 weeks. They force me to stand straighter even though I don't need to put all my weight through them. I actually tripped the other day and would've fallen had it not been for the crutches (I am so clumsy). We are all different. Don't worry, you'll know when you can manage without them x
  • martinarvelo
    martinarvelo pru57396

    Posted

    You do have a difficult fight with your 'good' leg not supporting you!  Take it slowly . .it's not a race . . .a lot of the exercises don't need you to be standing anyway.  At 2 1/2 weeks everything is still so sore and you need lots of rest to let your body heal.  Hope you soon begin to feel safer and more able to move around, but don't rush things!

     

    • pru57396
      pru57396 martinarvelo

      Posted

      Thanks Martin and Kathryn, I suppose I expected too much of myself. It is still early days in what I now know will be a long road to full recovery. It's good to hear about other people's experiences and realise I'm not on my own. 
  • Camper
    Camper pru57396

    Posted

    Hello Pru your post struck a big chord with me as I am a 71 year old lady with MS who had a right leg TKR four months ago.  I am not wheelchair bound fortunately but as the operated leg was always the "strong" one the pressure has been on to get the exercises working well and for the new knee to work well etc which it does and my quads are developed and looking good and in the last week I have noticed myself using just one stick indoors instead of both crutches BUT when I feel tired I quickly pick up my crutches otherwise I tend to walk lopsided which you probably find happens to you.  I still use crutches for my daily outside longer walk but am hopeful it will not be too long before I can manage with my hiking poles again which I prefer because they make me walk upright rather than sort of sink down onto the crutches. I am driving again and completely pain free which is just wonderful.  You are the first person I have spoken to Pru 
  • Camper
    Camper pru57396

    Posted

    Sorry Pru I pressed the button before I had quite finished!  I was saying you are the first person I have come across that understands about a pre existing condition causing "stronger" v "weaker " leg problems and all the problems that entails when it comes to rehab.  Good luck.

     

    • pru57396
      pru57396 Camper

      Posted

      Hello Camper. Thank you for replying, at last someone who knows what it's like to "not have a good leg to stand on!!!" I'm now using 2 crutches and managing quite well with them although I am still not walking much outside. I have my first physio group session today and I must admit to being a bit nervous. Not sure what will be expected of me. Did you find post op that it was difficult to stay in any one position for very long? If I'm sitting with or without my feet up, I have to get up and move around every few minutes. When I wake up (from the little sleep I can get) I cannot get comfortable again and end up getting up. Constantly being tired is not a good thing. On the positive side, I am already in much less pain than I was and know it will improve further. I can't wait to be able to drive again but as I drive an automatic, using only my left(Knee replaced),  leg I'm  not sure how long it will take until I can get behind the wheel again. How long were you before you could drive? 
    • Camper
      Camper pru57396

      Posted

      Hello again Pru on this beautiful sunny morning.  Hope your group physio session went well for you.  You ask whether I can sit still - NO NEVER!  My MS causes spasms and a sensation I refer to as "electric shocks" so I get up and walk around frequently.  Most irritating and nothing to do with my TKR .  Because I have bladder and bowel problems (the MS + colon cancer) I have had interrupted sleep for 18 years but getting up every 2 hours is a good thing Pru as I rarely stiffen up.  There is usually a positive side to most things if you look hard enough I guess!!!!!  I did not drive for 9 weeks Pru and started with small local journeys accompanied by a family member until I felt my right knee was 100% reliable in any emergency situation and then graduated to motorway journeys.  I have always felt that people have a tendency to forget the impact a general anaesthetic has on the brain.  Regardless of age it slows down ones reaction times for a while.  Rehab is always going to be a more difficult process Pru when other major pre existing medical conditions have to be considered too but however torturous the exercises they are "do-able" and 100% worthwhile.  Patience is definitely the name of the game Pru so onwards and upwards and please don't hesitate to ask more questions as they occur to you.  Sincere good luck.
    • pru57396
      pru57396 Camper

      Posted

      Yes it is a beautiful day today. I managed to get outside into the garden this morning and spent a little time doing so tidying up jobs, dead heading and fastening up my clematis. My poor husband has enough to do without that but he cut the grass too so it looks really nice now for us to have an hour or so sitting admiring it!!! 

      I have irritable leg syndrome so find it difficult to sit still for long anyway but you seem to have more problems than most. But as you say, it's good to look on the bright side. Lots of people died of polio or are severely disabled. I got off lightly and was left with just a wasted right leg below the knee. As I say, there are always people worse off than ourselves. 

      Physio started off well. The were 6 of us altogether. Me and a man on wk 1. One lady on week 2 and three ladies on their 3rd and last week. I had met the man last week at our introduction secession. He'd had his op the day before me but didn't seem to be getting on as well as me. Anyway it was in a gym and we were doing a circuit when the man started to feel ill. He ended up having to have oxygen and a doctor being called for him.our session was therefore cut short but never the less it totally shattered me and I was very stiff this morning. But again, it's made me realise that we all progress at different speeds and I'm so thankful to be where I am now. We'll wait and see what next week holds!!!

      The garden is calling me along with a cold drink so I'll say bye for now. x

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.