Bad Knees

[Bird]

I'm now into my second week of outpatient therapy, and they tell me I'm dong well, although not beind a very patient fellow, it's not improving as fast as I'd like. Each time at the therapist's, I start with 10 minutes of a recumbent bike just to loosen up the knees a bit. But I've gotten to like that thing, and decided I wanted one. Of course, I certainly wasn't going for any $2,000 machine like the therapist has, but I went shopping at Walmart, Sears, Academy Sports, Sports Authority, and Second Hand Sports before buying the ProForm XP 400R at Sears.

Some of you may remember when I started a thread called Treadmills a couple of years ago. Some recommended the recumbent bike instead of the treadmill and now I'm convinced.:laughing:

 

[WVBill]

Hi Bird -
I'm joining this thread late - glad to see you're doing well. :thumbsup:

I went through exactly the same thing three and four years ago (yes, had my right knee replaced and then the left one done a year later.)

Just so you have something to look forward to... here's what your knee will look like in 4 years

 

[Bird]

Bill, I don't care what it looks like; all I'm interested in is what it feels like. And I'm hoping I won't need to have the left one replaced.

 

[WVBill]

:laughing:
It FEELS fine most of the time. They occasionally "ache" a bit after a day on my feet (sightseeing or working outside in the yard) but I can live with that. I figure, at 63 my joints would ache whether they're titanium or natural.
At least I don't get those occasional shooting pains that made me crumble to the ground any more.

The other effect was a slight numbness in the small toe of my right foot for a year or two after the operation. Doctor says that's from the stress put on the nerve running past the knee while they pushed and shoved things around in there during the operation.

Did you ever see a video of a total knee replacement? Glad I didn't until AFTER my operations! :shocked:

 

[Bird]

Bill, I watched just part of a video of a knee replacement; looked pretty bad. Of course, I'm a few years older than you (70) and the x-ray I saw of my left knee looked OK, so I'm hoping. The only numbness I have is an area a little bigger than a silver dollar just to the right of the incision. The therapist thinks that numbness will go away. And of course, the therapists keeps trying to get me to keep the right foot pointed straight ahead, and I've done my best to comply, but that just ain't gonna happen. Ideally, I reckon the doctor would have aligned it about 5 to 10 degrees more to port, but having my right foot aimed about that much to starboard is not something I'd consider a problem. In fact, without ever having any surgery, both my dad's feet pointed outward a bit more than that all his life.

 

[milkman]

Sounds like you're coming along, the people I know that have had knee replacement are virtually pain free and glad they had it done. Did your knee create any problem with your hip, the reason I ask is because my right knee that had a meniscus repair is still giving me fits. I guess the surgery worked, I have just twisted that knee three different time and am looking at another scope. I'm having problems with my right hip now and don't know if one is the cause of the other or I'm just falling apart. I got an injection in my hip a week ago, but not much help. The Dr did say that where my knee is hurt, is a precursor to a knee replacement, hated to hear that. I just wonder if the knee is causing the hip problem or the other way around. Kind of a chicken or egg thing.

 

[Bird]

I just wonder if the knee is causing the hip problem or the other way around.

Good question, and of course, one which I'm sure not qualified to answer. I do know that favoring one leg can sure cause the other leg and hip to get very tired, but that's not the same as being injured.

My problems, at this point, are (1) trying to force the knee straight can be quite painful, (2) trying to bend it too far can also be quite painful, and (3) just a dull ache, not very painful, but just enough ache to make it hard to sleep at night. But overall, I reckon I'm doing pretty well.

 

[hawkeye08]

My dad had a knee replaced almost a year ago. All went fine, he gets around well, no limp, he went camping quite a bit this summer in the mountains, lots of hiking and walking and riding atv. No problems, of course he is pretty young, turns 80 in Nov this year.

 

[Bird]

My dad had a knee replaced almost a year ago. All went fine, he gets around well, no limp, he went camping quite a bit this summer in the mountains, lots of hiking and walking and riding atv. No problems, of course he is pretty young, turns 80 in Nov this year.

I hope I do as well. You know no man on either side of my family has lived past 80, so I'm hoping to set a new record.:laughing:

 

[heehaw]

the surgeon released my wife yesterday: she has made exceptional progress in the last week or so: but like you, has the achin that causes her not to sleep to well: still not 100% glad she did it, but that will come shortly..
heehaw

 

[WVBill]

Your Physical "Terrorist" is your friend. Really!
I hated doing all those exercises - and probably would have not done them if it hadn't been for my PT - she was great. I had an in-home PT twice a week for two weeks after the surgery until I could drive then I went to another PT for six weeks. Her office was next door to a Golds Gym so we used their equipment. Worked out well.

It takes a while for the ache to go away, but when you think about what the Surgeon did inside that 8" scar it's not surprising.

 

[Bird]

still not 100% glad she did it

I can understand that.:laughing:

I had an in-home PT twice a week for two weeks after the surgery until I could drive then I went to another PT for six weeks. Her office was next door to a Golds Gym so we used their equipment. Worked out well.

I came home on a Thursday, had an in home PT that Friday and Saturday, then Monday through Friday the next 2 weeks; 12 sessions in all. Now the out-patient PT is a group practice; one young man and 3 young ladies, plus a receptionist and they have just about all that gym equipment right there in their office. So I just finished the second week (3 times a week) with them. Of course, I'm scheduled for Monday-Wednesday-Friday next week. The following Tuesday (Oct. 12) will be my first follow-up with the doctor, so we'll see what happens then. Each session with the PTs is an hour and a half to an hour and three-quarters. On the days I don't go to them, I have 8 exercises to do at home, in addition to the recumbent bike I just bought.

 

[texbaylea]

I can relate to "Pain & Tourture". During my in-patient therapy following my hip surgery I had 3 sessions a day. 2 were straight physical therapy and 1 was occupational therapy where they taught me the safe and easy way to do things.

I had a young student therapist, working under supervision, who was close to being certified. She was good. I used to tease her calling her "Cruella"

Vernon

 

[Bird]

My knee replacement was 6 weeks ago yesterday, and this morning was my first follow-up visit to the doctor. They made 3 or 4 x-rays, then the doctor came in with them on his laptop computer to show me. He says I'm 70-80% curned, will be 90% in another 6 weeks (when I go see him again), and 100% in a year. I'll continue the physical therapy 3 days a week for another 2 or 3 weeks, then decide with the therapist whether to continue after that, but less frequently.

The flexibility is pretty good, and I can walk OK, but can't bend that knee as far as I should be able to in another 6 weeks. There's still some swelling and inflammation; need to use an ice pack more often. And the darn thing just aches quite a bit at times.

So being an impatient kind of fellow, it's not going as fast as I'd like, but they still tell me I'm doing great.

 

[jinman]

Bird, glad to hear the good news. Things never go as fast as we want except for getting older. Dr. Jim prescribes eatin' more pickled okra, or fried, or gumbo. . . .

 

[milkman]

I've been through the injection route, and no improvement, so Thurs. the 14th, I'm having a scope done again. The last two visits to the Dr., he mentioned that this is a precursor to knee replacement, didn't want to hear that. Glad you're coming along and therapy is the key to getting back to where you want to be. Keep us updated on your progress, I'm sure there are others here in the same shape we're in, GETTING OLD.

 

[Bird]

Bird, glad to hear the good news. Things never go as fast as we want except for getting older. Dr. Jim prescribes eatin' more pickled okra, or fried, or gumbo. . . .

And I'm following that prescription. I still haven't finished that jar of okra, but it sure is good. We went for the opening day of the new Sam's Club in Denton, even knowing there'd be a terrible crowd, so I didn't spend a lot of time hunting, but I didn't see any pickled okra where I saw the other pickles.

 

[jinman]

Bird, I just ran the shredder over my okra patch. It was still making over 5 lb a week, but our freezers are full. I've recently been battering the whole pod and frying that in Drakes batter from Ron and Betty Hall. We like it much more because we get more okra taste with a lot less batter. That way has become our favorite way of having okra. We'll be frying a lot over the winter.:licking:

 

[WVBill]

Congratulations, Bird - sounds like you're doing well.
The pain will get less and less as you progress.

Oh, one thing. If you're like me, it will be a LONG time before you can kneel down. That scar still feels like I'm trying to kneel on a big ole' zipper ! Ouch!

 

[Bird]

This morning was my 12 week checkup after the knee replacement surgery. Of course they made a few x-rays, just as they did 6 weeks ago. And the doctor showed me the x-rays on this laptop computer. (At least he said they were x-rays of my knee). Everything lined up perfectly.

I told him:
(1) I still can't bend it as far as I expected to be able to,
(2) hurts a bit with every step, but not bad enough for pain medicine, when I walk,
(3) sometimes get little transient, passing pains even when I'm just sitting, and
(4) I couldn't decide whether it was better to do the physical therapy exercises, or whether to just let it rest.

He told me:
(1) you can bend it farther without pain than most folks and from my standpoint, you're in great shape, (wonder if he tells everyone the same thing, but of course the physical therapist told me the same thing the last time I saw him on Oct. 22),
(2) quite normal for 6 months to a year,
(3) that's to be expected and will gradually get better, and
(4) no need to do any special exercises anymore; just normal activities and walking.

So the next time he wants to see me is one year after the surgery; i.e., end of August next year.

So I reckon I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. And I appreciate all the well wishing from my friends at TBN.