Yoga after TKR
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Hi I am 9 weeks post op second tkr and was anxious to get back to some excercise regime after 5 years of cancer and treatment and 2 tkr the first being March 18 the second March 19. I had an opportunity to go to a yoga class but getting up and down on the floor was a problem and I used a chair for support. The poses on knees were far too painful. Some of the standing poses were achievable but I could only access 50% of the class. I think I was expecting too much of myself!
Do you think I should abandon this for a while and continue walking and resume swimming? I resumed swimming about 10 weeks post op last time?
0 likes, 2 replies
anil17706 jill32152
Posted
HI
Early days for you. i am almost 18 months in my partial knee replacement . I have got back to yoga and that is of great help. standing, lying down, rasing leg over kitchen table , use of simple stretch bands to build side muscles, simple yoga, swim, cycling . the leg is like a baby has to learn all these once again.
it will all turn out well but slowly have patience and do not take risks with the joint. good luck
CHICO_MARX jill32152
Posted
First, you are still waaaay too early in your recovery to be pushing the knee too much. This is a slow, gradual recovery that usually takes a full year. Time, work and patience are your tools.
Next, yoga will be limited in scope with the new knee because of the flexion required. +120 is the minimum for recovery; +140 starts athlete's range while +161 lets you sit on your heels. Unless you have one of those new super-flexion implants, IMHO, +161 to do full-on yoga is waaaay too far to push the knee. No one knows what the manufacturer's flexion limits apply to the regular devices. If you exercise a lot, mid-130's is definitely enough to live a normal life without pushing the device too far.
Again, extending the flexion beyond the limits of the device may reduce its lifespan from the expected 25 years. I would talk to your doc about the exact make and model you have installed to see if he can find out what its max flexion is. Do the research and get that number. There are some new, specialized knee implants that have better flexion than the older ones but long-term data on their use is not available. I would err on the side of caution but it's critical to know the max flexion of your device. Without definitive information, I'd keep it under 140. Just sayin'...
Kneeling will likely be a permanent, long-term problem. It's not the knee itself but the surrounding nerves. I'm 3+ years and other long-term TKR patients report the same thing. Tile, hardwood floors, cement, etc. are your worst enemies. You will need a 4" foam pad indoors and padded tactical knee pads outside...forever. All those nerves have been sliced and diced and will probably never fully regenerate...hence the nerve pain. If you do yoga, you will need a thicker pad under that knee. A standard yoga mat will not work in this case.