Posted , 9 users are following.
Chico said,9 month after TKR is a turning point for most people, you start to feel better.
To get there he and others advised on the need for exercise, strength of mind and patience. ‘Be Zen’ l was told, ‘you will be better when you are better’.
I’m better. I can dance to the music again. My ever lasting thanks for your support.
My best wishes to all of you on your journey.
1 like, 14 replies
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CHICO_MARX jean04276
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WOOHOO!!! Here's a picture just for you...
jean04276 CHICO_MARX
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This forum shows how we achieve things together, never alone.
jenny80029 jean04276
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Great news! And improvement continues too!
Well done to you!
Keep dancing!
Unfortunately my hip stops me gyrating my hips much when I am grooving to the music I have discovered 😕, but my knee is far better than it has been for years.😃 I am 14 months post op!
MAT2018 jean04276
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nina14784 jean04276
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clare66224 jean04276
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deb06149 jean04276
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You were the first post I saw tonight and answered my question before I got it out. I'm 7 1/2 monthLTKR , and am still having night pain, and pain after going to the Y. Getting very tired of this. Patience has never been my middle name. Lol
CHICO_MARX deb06149
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Ah....... But a knee replacement will teach you patience. It is an inevitable consequence of the procedure. Deep breath...let it go. Be Zen: "The knee will be better when it's better." The reality is that you have no other choice. No one can force a knee to heal before it is able to. I'm a Sicilian from Brooklyn...the inventors of The New York Minute!!! You think it's easy to learn patience? Just let go of your resistance...it is futile (The Borg, Star Trek, TNG). Concentrate on what you can control...your mind set, your recovery activities, having fun.
deb06149 CHICO_MARX
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CHICO_MARX deb06149
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Yeah, it will feel like that for a while longer. By one year, all the major issues (bad pain, swelling, ROM, etc.) will most likely be gone. People refer to the uncomfortable sensation as: weight, tightness, band-like feeling, stiffness, etc. While some of that might linger (docs say 18 months), it's largely irrelevant. You don't think about it and forget you even have a new knee. Except...
- Gotta keep the knee active. Even years down the road, TKR veterans say that stiffness will set in if you don't exercise the knee. This is a lifelong recovery. You should already be past the muscle rebuild part of your recovery so your quads, glutes and core regain the strength to support the new knee. If you haven't done that, better late than never. Reduces the pressure on the knee so you can walk correctly, regain your balance and do stairs again like a normal person.
- You will probably feel an uncomfortable nerve sensation when you try to kneel on a hard surface (cement, wood floor, tile, etc.). Use a 3"-4" foam pad for indoor work...padded tactical knee pads for outside. This nerve "feeling" may take years to resolve or never completely go away. Small price to pay for a pain-free life.
In short, the knee has more healing to do. Time, work and patience. You'll get there.
deb06149 CHICO_MARX
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terri21401 jean04276
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I am 9 months post op and wish I could say the same thing about my recovery. I still can't walk right, still have a lot of pain, still tell when the weather is going to change, and now, for whatever reason, my leg feels like there is a band around my thigh, right above the knee, and is very heavy feeling. They want to replace my right knee now too, but I flat out refuse.
Even though my knee and now leg are giving me a world of pain and trouble, I won't give up my big passion. Riding horses.
My surgeon keeps saying I have tendonitis...I guess I developed that during the replacement, but life goes on. Even in hopes that one day, it will be better.
Dance for me too!
CHICO_MARX terri21401
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Tendonitis... Get some Voltaren Gel (RX in the US). GREAT topical anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. You can also try OTC BioFreeze, OTC Aspercream with 4% Lidocaine or OTC Lidocaine patches. The absolute best topical is "Lotion" but that's only available in certain states at certain dispensaries obtainable by certain people with a certain medical card. However, it is the #1 topical in the planet.
That "band-like" feeling, stiffness and more is totally normal and can last to 18 months...or even more if you don't keep the knee active. For your favorite activity, you need to rebuild all the strength in your atrophied quads, glutes, core, adductors and abductors. Gotta squeeze that horse with your thighs...for that you need strength...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527
The program will also help with the tightness and stiffness as you loosen up all those muscles and get them strong again. Once you're back to normal (12 months, give or take), you can contemplate #2. Gotta have a leg to stand on when #2 gives way. Then you can do it all over again. By the time you're done rehabbing #2, you will have a painless lifetime of horse riding ahead of you. This crap is just temporary. Your strong, healthy life is long term.
kelley94988 jean04276
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