Total Knee Replacement, Anyone?

Random thought that might help someone.

I’ve been using my road bike (Tarmac) on a trainer for pedal stroke stretching. It occurred to me that it has a steeper seat tube angle and I should swap out to my MTB with a slacker seat tube. Hoping it would make the last part of my pedal stroke easy to get over the top. I tried that for a day and struggled to make the same progress. I initially chalked it up to a bad day.

This morning I was back on the MTB with about the same movement and it occurs to me that the MTB cranks are 175 and the road cranks are 172.5. I swapped back to the road bike for a test and immediately made complete pedal strokes (1st time). I was stoked…

Summary: I believe that even within that short period of time, the MTB stretched the knee to what I needed as I had been so close the days prior on the road bike.

Or…just a coincidence…either way, I’m happy this morning.


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Way to go, Iowa!

The bike is the ticket. I knocked out 45 min @131W today. Only stopped out of fear of overdoing it. I think now that you are riding, you'll be on target in no time.

If I only have time for a short workout, I’ll do 30 min. on my rollers. I call it lubing my knee. It definitely has advanced my progress the most for my hip. Followed by skinning uphill.

9 days ago my post says 6° and 100°. Today was 4° and 112-114° (depending on method of measurement). Reasonable progress.

Cycling has gotten better and, I think, gets me the most bang for the time. 50-60rpm for 10min is a hell of a lot of reps. Hamstring is still holding me up, but I'm comfortable with the plan to continue ahead with the small improvements. Manual manipulation can wait a few more weeks.

Biggest change for me is the muscle soreness as I work on getting back in shape. They have me lifting light weights and even those will kick my ass the next day.

Dry needling photo to test the forum. 2nd session didn't get the same dramatic improvements as #1, but was still worth it. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4b76fd0804.jpg

Nice progression! With the forum exploderizing I wasn’t sure if we’d get any updates. Countdown is on for me, had pre-op intake on Friday and going back on May fifth for an Iovera injection.


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Way to go, Iowa. Keep charging forward! I pop in here once and I while... when things work... to see if there are any updates.

Getting close, Ticketchecker. Please let us know how it goes.

This coming Wednesday will be 6 weeks for me. I go back to see my doc, but I think all is good and hope he gives me the thumbs up.

Been working my butt off in PT. Up to an hour on the bike @ 172W. Definitely have more in the tank, but do not want to overdo it. Flexion is 0 and... 130! Still sore as heck every night, and the past week, as a result of all the work I am doing, not getting much sleep. But it is feeling good. Starting to plan my summer hiking and next season's skiing.

Great update IH, I’ve been staring down these R[emoji637][emoji637][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]]’s that Marshal sent me.

Talking with the Doc about cementless vs cemented install. Anyone have experience with cementless?


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Great update IH, I’ve been staring down these R Dimes that Marshal sent me.

Talking with the Doc about cementless vs cemented install. Anyone have experience with cementless?


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Mine is cementless.
Mako Robotic Stryker Triathlon Total Knee. Plus patella.

Not sure if it’s the heat but I’m in Florida and it’s the least swollen it’s been in five months this week.


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It's D day, see youz on the other side

Good luck to you Checker.

I started hitting the gym and weights near the first of May and kept it consistent. That definitely improved my overall function. Pedaling is no longer a knee sore point (scar tissue pain?). The knee is still tight in the muscles, but no real pain. We did a Yosemite trip last week in which I walked 3.5, 3.5, then 6 miles in San Francisco. Still weak in the muscles and it kicks my ass, but again, no real pain. Yesterday was my first real MTB ride. 8 miles and 1400ft of climbing. Cramping in the calf by the end…

Last PT was 2° and 116°, so still slowly improving. I’m now at 12 weeks and see the doc today. Overall, I think the biggest change is me understanding that the recovery is a long process and I’ll be lucky to be back to normal by ski season. Mentally, I’m in a better place with the acceptance of the process and that has likely helped overall.


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Good luck you guys.
I’m hoping to get one more ski season outa my left/bad knee.

Get some, ticketchecker! Looking forward to the after-report.

Yesterday was 10 weeks for me. Thrilled thus far.

Home, Doc said my knee was way worse than the X-ray showed. Makes me feel better about doing it for sure. Let the initial suckitude begin


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You got this, man. Hoping to make some turns with ya next season!

ticketchecker... First week will suck for sure. But just know there is light at the end of the tunnel. For me the aha! moment came on Day 8. Hoping you find it even sooner!

Day three

Slept four to five hours both nights, appetite has been pretty good, took a dump today, PT came to the house this morning and measured zero - ninety two. Pain reaper showed up last night but is leaving me alone this morning, probably still hiding behind the block a bit.

Doc ended up cementing due to structural sitch when he got in there. Swelling increased quite a bit since day one, he says that’s to be expected based on how fucked it was.

Onward


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Structural what?

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Old hardware circa nineteen eighty nine that was in the way whose removal created voids which prevented a solid surface for press fit. I prefer threaded BB’s anyway so I guess that’s what I’m rolling with.

Edit: Apparently the emoji bullshit persists in the iOS app


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Not exactly the right forum but thought Id ask here. It looks like flatlandingsaregoodfortheknees may have found out that flat landings are not, indeed, good for the knees. Literally. Inital diagnosis is an ACL tear. Sucks. Whos the best ACL ski doc in SLC?

3 week anniversary today, slow and steady seems to be the name of my game. Walking with a cane if I leave the house or at home if I'm real sore from doing a PT routine, which is pretty much all of them. ROM 0 - 105 but I can only get to the 105 after a less than enjoyable wall slide session, just started those yesterday so hopefully it'll stick soon. My PT wants to get me to 110 and on the stationary bike asap. So do I.

This stretch of recovery feels like I'm in the doldrums on an old sailboat, just waiting for a breeze to fill the sails a bit so I can start making some real headway towards somewhere better or at least different. No more oxys for almost a week now, sleep continues to be a game of get it when I can, some of my afternoon naps I awake from and don't know if it's morning or nighttime.

My GF is a rock star caregiver keeping me fed and my appetite has been normal since day 2, the dog is convinced I suck and have retired from walking him.

onward ho

Coming up on 6 months for me. Around the 2 or 3 month mark something happened in my hamstring. It felt like a strain or tear, but would come and go and felt like movement would lessen the pain. It was like a searing pain or electric pulse to the hammy. It was frustrating as I felt like working it helped, yet time off is the normal protocol to heal. This went on until early August (3 months? ). Google finally told me of a rare instance in which the Sciatic nerve can be impinged in the hamstring area and give the sensations that I had been feeling. YouTube helped me find "Sciatic flossing" exercises. I could tell the difference after day 1 and it never came back after day 3. I guess whatever works!

I'd say that I'm at 90% movement. Still a little weak, but lifting more consistently now. Riding bike is completely pain free and overall the knee doesn't have any pain. I'd like more flexibility and am doing kneeling stretches to get that better.

I hope that others are doing well in their recovery.

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That’s awesome it worked but it sounds like you didn’t ask your doctor about it which seems non optimal lol

Talked to the PT every visit, 2 weeks apart at that point. I'll chalk it up to a somewhat new PT. Even after I found the solution, she was in disbelief (but happy for a solution). Most Sciatic nerve problems manifest in the lower back. Agree that it was a suboptimal experience.

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Glad it worked out.

On a side note, I wonder what the percentage of TKR recipients had previously had ACL repairs done