9 months

According to the large handout my doctor gave me when I began my knee replacement journey, at 9 months I should be 90% healed.  Based on my experience lately, I would say that is close to right.  It's hard to believe that it will take another 3 months to finish that last 10% of healing.  I have had a setback though which I hope is minor, but it is too early to know.  Last week I went to see my physical therapist for a "tune up" and stretching.  My left knee has 6 degrees less flexion than my right knee, and I don't know how much less extension, but to me it is noticeable.  I have made several visits since I graduated from PT just to get my muscles stretched.  This last time I was really impressed by how flat I could get my left leg when I straightened it out, and more importantly, the next morning after sleeping, it was still that way.  When I did my usual extension exercises, I was so wowed at how straight and pain free my efforts were.  THEN, slowly over 7 days, the bottom of my left foot hurt when I stood for long.  Then the backs of my calf hurt.  Then the back of my knee.  Somehow I'm thinking we must have stretched a nerve too much, and it is not happy. The past 3 days I have not been very happy either.  I did my water aerobics one day last week even though I really did not feel like it, and it turns out that that was the only time that day I did not hurt.  For the past 4 days, I decided to forego all exercise in the hope that some rest will help my nerve to settle down.  That, of course, really concerns me.  I don't want all my hard work to go by the wayside.  I know from experience that your muscles can go to pot in 2 weeks. Yesterday I went to see a doctor just to make sure that I was not dealing with a clot.  He thought it was a muscle strain.  I don't think he was listening.  This does not hurt like a muscle.  Even so, I am taking a muscle relaxant at night and rubbing very expensive NSAID gel on my muscles.  Quite frankly, I'm bummed because I've got a feeling that this is going to be a TIME issue, and my gut says it's going to be a long time.  As far as activity, my doctor said I could do whatever I felt like doing.  Well, that's nothing! (Did I mention that I am back on my cane?  This thing really hurts!)


I came away from PT with 2 new exercises, one for helping with stairs, and one for really stretching those knees.  I guess it's possible that the new stretching exercise could be the culprit.  I complained to my therapist that stairs were still a problem, and she was not concerned.  Said that just takes a long time.  To which I replied that if she was not concerned, then I wouldn't be either.  It's so hard to be patient with oneself.

When did this happen?

Lately I have become aware of how normal I am becoming.  I'm doing lateral movements without thinking, pivoting movements, and stepping backwards automatically.  It makes me so happy to think that I no longer move with Tim Conway old man movements! In conjunction with this progress report, I am re-posting a previous post with some updates.

Things I Ponder--Part II


I'm always wondering if it's normal to not be able to do something or to feel something, so I will jot down some of these in case there is someone else wondering the same things.


1.  I wonder if my knees should still be this stiff?  It's a different kind of stiffness than I had before surgery, but I sure would like to come out of this with none. (I am doing some serious flexion and extension stretching exercises.  I have to do them every day, but I tend to have tight muscles anyway, so time will tell if I will just end up with my normal muscle tone that's a bit tight . I have minimal complaints about my right knee, but the left one still requires a good deal of work.)





2.  I wonder if there will always be some movements that will cause me pain.  There are times when I move around in bed that I am very aware of my knees. ( These painful movements are fewer and certainly less noticeable than the first time I asked this.  I have noticed that I no longer require a pillow between my knees to cushion those sore knees.  All in all, things are looking up!)


3.  Will I be able to kneel?  Will I be able to squat?  Am I expecting too much? (I am amazed at the progress I have made with my yoga routine as far as getting on my hands and knees.  When I first started, I had to put pillows under my knees and it was very uncomfortable.  Now, I only use the yoga mat on the hard floor.  I can't say that it is total comfort, but it is certainly manageable. Kneeling and squatting will come much later, if at all.)


4.  When will I be able to descend stairs without pain?  Going up isn't always a lot of fun, but going down is definitely not without pain in one knee. (Definite progress in this area, but I am still mindful of steps, and the left knee still hurts some.  Probably cannot do steps without a rail to hold.)


5.  When will I be able to walk without listing to one side?  I really want to have a normal kind of walk. (7 1/2 months, but I'm thinking much of that was due to the problem I was having with my feet.)


6.  My left knee does not extend as well.  Will this always be the case or can I expect both knees to be more similar? (8 months--I notice that when standing this is much less noticeable to me.)


7.  Are most of my knee problems going to resolve with increased strength? ( This seems implausible, but before getting the injection in my foot, I wondered about why I bothered to get new knees if walking first thing in the morning was still really difficult.  Once my feet were not hurting, I could really feel the benefits of having knee replacements.)


8.  When will I have more stamina and be able to walk more than 6 laps on the track without paying for it later? (7 1/2 months--again the problem was more related to my feet)


9.  When will I be able to get up out of a chair and immediately start walking without having to wait for my joints to lubricate first? (8 months--the feet had much to do with this)


As you can see, my impatience is rearing its ugly head again. Afterall, it has only been 4 1/2 months since my surgery.  I plan to answer each question when I have an answer and repost this if and when I have the answers.