OT: Post knee replacement questions where please?

Hi All,

The missus has had her new knee for 6 weeks on Thursday and she is 'concerned' how fast it is (or isn't) resolving.

Anyone know a good place to ask for thoughts / opinions / feedback on questions like:

'Should I be able to straighten it fully yet'?

'Should it bend more than 90 deg yet ... and if not what can I do if anything to improve it over and above the (very) regular exercises and weekly physio at the hospital (and what actually stops it bending past

90 deg in the first place)'?

Her hospital physio hasn't suggested anything is wrong (other her patella being stuck to a muscle) but the missus feels she hasn't seen any real improvement to movement since straight after the op?

Moreover she is getting ever frustrated that anything she does (re exercise) simply doesn't improve anything and simply hurts? There doesn't seem to be anyone to ask at the hosp and she won't be seeing the consultant again till the middle of August, all time wasted if there is actually something 'wrong' and something could be done about it?

All the best .. and sorry for the OT post.

T i m

p.s. She's a tough old thing (well not old for a knee at 57) but I've never seen her cry so much in frustration / depression over our 17 years as I have in the last 6 weeks and that's even living with me!

Reply to
T i m
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Private physio in between the hospital visits? When I had a back injury, in the early stages afterwards, frequency of visits (2-3 times a week) made a lot of difference and were tailed off after a few

Do you have medical insurance?

Policies often cover a certain number of physio visits - I have 10 per annum allowed on mine.

Otherwise, it's not the most expensive form of medical treatment.

Reply to
Andy Hall

Not in the same class at all, but I had keyhole surgery on my knee in my late 50s and was told it would be back to normal in 4-6 weeks, whereas it was still very painful after 4 months but then it improved rapidly. Been fine ever since (10+ years).

Reply to
Bob Martin

Hi Andy and I've suggested that (desperate to try to offer *something* that may help) and actually phoned a local place I found on the net. They were going to phone me back and haven't so far (and that was last Thursday). Her sister (an SRN) suggested a third party may not want to treat her if she was still under the hospital.

That was my thought Andy .. keep things moving in between etc. She's always happy after her 30 min hospital 'workout' (I can hear her laughing because it tiggles then crying because it hurts).

Fraid not (now).

Yes, I had similar when I had summat up with my back .. seemed to go after a couple of sessions though.

Indeed, and I suggested it wouldn't be expensive and if it 'helped' would be very worth it. I might try somewhere else and see what they say.

The bottom line though is *we* would like to understand what is going on in there so that I can (hopefully) console her that it will 'get better' given time. You know something is wrong when she says things like 'I wish I hadn't had it done' .. and I know how much pain she was in pre op! ;-(

All the best and thanks Andy ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

================================== I can't help with the question of articulation but I would suggest that an longish but gentle walk is the best solution even if it is painful. The exercises and physiotherapy are very specific but really quite time limited, whereas a half mile walk is closer to nature's way. This helped me a great deal after my hip replacement. I was cycling at six weeks and felt that I could have done so sooner but stayed with the surgeon's guidelines.

Cic.

Reply to
Cicero

Well I think that's good news Bob... ;-)

She was told 6-12 weeks (to be driving etc) and to be fair it's only just 6 now. Maybe it's just this really is a 'big thing' compared with all the other things she's been through (tennis elbow(s), carpel tunnel(s), spine op, emergency C-section, cartilage (both knees)) and was back online in record times.

Glad yours was Aok in the end Bob.

All the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

Yes, the hospital physio suggested similar but at the moment about 50 yards is about all she can manage. Part of that is down to the numbness in the foot on that leg and part down to the fact she can't lock the new knee so isn't able to walk 'properly. This puts more strain on her other knee and her back, neither are 'brilliant' either.

Understood ..

I 'think' that although a hip sounds more intrusive than a knee I think I heard knees, wrists, elbows and ankles are currently the most impacting. Her sister recently had a new hip and was up and about pretty quickly by comparison.

Wow. And that's something she is keeping in mind (not trying to do too much too soon). However she's not used any sticks for a week, hasn't really taken any painkillers for four days (so things must be improving somewhere) and all the bruising and most of the swelling has gone. She says the scar feels 'tight' when she bends her knee and the physio tells her her muscles are all very tight all around her knee, thigh, calf etc and can give her some respite with massage but it's quite short lived.

She has managed to get back on her exercise bike and does 50 turns a few times a day (no load) along with all the other things she is supposed to do.

All the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

I think that it can be agreed. A couple of physio places that I have been to didn't need referral from GP but did want them to be informed after a first visit.

I would give a local place a call, explain the situation and see what they say. They may want to talk to the physio at the hospital before agreeing to treatments.

IIRC, the last time I went and paid myself it was about £40 for an hour's treatment.

Reply to
Andy Hall

Is she doing too much? She should def quite a list of questions and make an appointment to see somone who knows their knees.

Reply to
Mogga

If it is a total knee replacement, anything up to three months is a normal recovery period.

Which suggests that the consultant does not expect there to be enough evidence to judge progress by before that.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

Ok thanks.

Ok ..

Yeah, I saw something similar (£23 / half hour) ..

All the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

Well it's possible of course but I think it's difficult to hurt

*yourself* and she's sticking to the regime suggested by the hospital. The new knee was 'cemented' so (apparently) is ready to rock once that has set. The rest of the time is taken up while stuff settles into place.

Yeah and I think I need to be the one they explain it to, being the mechanical one of us. ;-)

As I mentioned, the person she probably really needs to talk to us the consultant who did the op in the first place and I think she will be seeing him mid August. What she's concerned about is things happening (like loosing movement) in the meant time and them being irreversible?

All the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

Don't want to be the bearer of bad tidings and this is purely a personal observation but the recovery period is longer than they say, I had my knee replaced 18 months ago when I was 58 and I'm just reaching the stage where I am starting to think about trying to do things again.

The pain can take well over a year to go away, this is not just me but a couple of others I know that have had the op as well.

Getting beyond 90 is difficult and I'm not much past it now.

All you can do is keep going with the exercises accept that it is going to hurt and work on the theory that it will get better eventually - it's what I did, the wife put up with a lot during this time as I could be a right Grumpy Old Man, I think she would put it a bit stronger.

All I can say is that it does get better but it can be a slow and frustrating process, the golf has gone to pot and the waistline has expanded.

Hope this helps.

Chris

Reply to
chris

Perhaps swimming might be a better exercise, less jarring and more supportive for the weaker bits. Exercising against a viscous resistance is meant to be better than against a sprung or gravity assisted one. The water can also be quite soothing if it is still a bit swollen.

That is also probably a good exercise, since it is gentle on the ligaments etc.

Reply to
John Rumm

Sorry to back up Chris's reply but having had 3 cartilage keyhole operations and found each time that it took 6 months to get back to full strength and usage, I can well understand 18 months for a full knee recovery.

Interestingly 3 years ago the cartilage (something-or-other miniscus) started giving serious pain again and it took so long to get through the system that it started to ease off of it's own accord. Further reading and medical discussion showed that with age and bandy knees, the cartilage in question is seen as being like old rubber and flaking apart - hence the pain and now full recovery as the body has re- absorbed the flake. One US medical website I stumbled upon insisted that some huge percentage of cartilage keyhole operations were totally unnecessary as the body could resolve the matter on its own.

Rob

Reply to
robgraham

Agreed. She was 'warned off' breast stroke though (for 18 months plus) as the knee action wasn't good for the knee. Unfortunately that *is* her stroke .. (you know the type, 60 lengths straight off and her hair stays dry ..) ;-)

Well it's the top of the stroke where her knee is tending towards 90 deg where it 'hurts'. It seems that the exercises she have been given include 'testing' that 90 deg threshold. She was hoping for some increased deflection .. still *just* 90 deg in 6 weeks ...?

All the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

Hi Chris, thanks for the feedback and we are happy for any real world feedback, 'bad tidings' or otherwise! ;-)

Ok .. well it's those sorts of snippets of information that can actually help quite a lot. Like, if she 'knows' what sorta *realistic* time scales we are looking at she might not be so depressed re her progress.

So, do you understand that that's about it Chris, any more flex being just wishful thinking? What about how straight you can get. Can you lock yer leg straight if you wanted to stand on it etc? I think she has to stand on the 'old / = bad' knee so that means she can't stand for long at all.

Tell me about it .. highs and lows every 20 mins, on top of going through the 'change' ... I've spent quite a bit of time in the workshop of late ... (it's safer).

Very much Chris, thanks.

If you didn't mind, could we contact you off list for further chat please? I think it might be good for her to talk to someone who's is of a similar age and has been there and got the T shirt. A question she asked as I read out your reply earlier was 'does he regret having it done and if no, at what point did that happen ..' (please) ?

All the best ... and thanks again ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

Thanks for that Rob. She has had similar when she was quite young but maybe time has made her forget how long it took to recover at that time. She's also had the joint 'washed out' and injected with all sorts of stuff before it got to the replacement stage.

Not good the time delays.

Crikey!

Medical progress I guess (and we understand similar re her knees).

I found a complete video of a full knee replacement op on YouTube. At first she couldn't watch it but then couldn't resist ... (she generally likes watching all that sort of stuff). In between all the 'oh my gawd's' and 'no wonder I was so bruised comments (I was in the other room) I think she actually found it 'interesting' . ;-(

Assuming you like such things, have an hour spare and / or haven't just eaten .... (seriously)

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the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

Could you raise the saddle a bit? Might make it easier going, then slowly drop it over time as the knee loosens up.

Reply to
John Rumm

I like yer thinking John and that's exactly what we've done.

The issue is her Tunturi E430 exercise bike has 170mm cranks and they are a bit long for her [1] ... soo, with the saddle high enough to be able to accommodate 90 deg at the top of the stroke she can't (easily) reach the pedal at the bottom of the stroke.

Well to be more accurate she 'couldn't' at first bit is doing so now (after a couple of days) and has even lowered the saddle a few notches allowing a more comfortable action and testing the max bend at the top of the stroke.

I guess the bottom like for her atm is she get's up, it's all stiff, she exercises (bike, towel under leg pulled up behind her, forward thrusts with new knee in front etc) and can get to 90 with some measure of pain. An our later she feels like she has to start all over again ..?

All the best ..

T i m

[1] I enquired about some shorter cranks .. Tunturi don't do any but put me onto a firm who do. £180 a pair! I'm getting a 150mm cheapo crankset from my bike shop (fiver) and am going to grind off the surplus chain wheel etc .. ;-)

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Reply to
T i m

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