Riding after a Knee Replacement
#76
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Leg press was fun after the TKR. Something I looked forward to at the gym. I had every intention of maxing out that machine, and was close ready to add the last plate, when I broke my back...
#77
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My therapist was saying today that I'm just about ready to be cut loose. I have two more visits this year this year with a follow up with the Surgeon on the 22nd so I'll see what he has to say. She feels that I have full functionality and I can continue to strengthen it at home. I have bands, ankle weights and a stability ball at home and can continue to do the exercises on my own. The only thing I don't have is a leg press machine which I also looked forward to. UP to 125 lbs on the damaged side today.
MY major goal was too get back on the bike and considering I rode over 10 hours last week I think I have cleared that hurdle. Time so start transitioning from riding to training and see how far I can come back. No getting around the fact that I'm still a creaky old guy but I leave all that behind when I'm on the bike.
MY major goal was too get back on the bike and considering I rode over 10 hours last week I think I have cleared that hurdle. Time so start transitioning from riding to training and see how far I can come back. No getting around the fact that I'm still a creaky old guy but I leave all that behind when I'm on the bike.
#78
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Awesome news!!! I cleared 200 pounds on the leg press just my left leg, and was on the way to 600 total which is that machine's top. Just days before my crash... But, I am a big guy, and always pushed heavy weight with my legs and pushed big gears in my past... Hate spinning. Forced myself into 165mm cranks lately..
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The emphasis on physical therapy after TKR is interesting. My experience with bilateral knee replacement, twice, was very little emphasis on PT. Stationary bike and some stretching exercises and that was about all I did. After the first bilateral UKR, I saw a physical therapist once, at my own initiation. He just measured my extension and said "looks good, keep doing whatever you're doing". After my second bilateral TKR, I saw PT twice (they came to my home) and they just gave me some exercises. In both instances everything healed up well....good flexion and extension.
#80
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The emphasis on physical therapy after TKR is interesting. My experience with bilateral knee replacement, twice, was very little emphasis on PT. Stationary bike and some stretching exercises and that was about all I did. After the first bilateral UKR, I saw a physical therapist once, at my own initiation. He just measured my extension and said "looks good, keep doing whatever you're doing". After my second bilateral TKR, I saw PT twice (they came to my home) and they just gave me some exercises. In both instances everything healed up well....good flexion and extension.
Like I always say everyone's recovery is different. I happen to be of the opinion that after the surgeon does his or her work it's up to the patient to do whatever they can to maximize the chances for a full recovery. But that's just me.
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Great to hear everything healed well TWICE. Just curious if everything was such a resounding success why did the first ones fail?
Like I always say everyone's recovery is different. I happen to be of the opinion that after the surgeon does his or her work it's up to the patient to do whatever they can to maximize the chances for a full recovery. But that's just me.
Like I always say everyone's recovery is different. I happen to be of the opinion that after the surgeon does his or her work it's up to the patient to do whatever they can to maximize the chances for a full recovery. But that's just me.
#82
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Oh yea now I remember you telling us that. That's a real tough turn of events. I truly wish you well and a successful outcome.
#84
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I just wanted to put a bow on this thread. I just got back from a 15 week follow up on my TKR and all is well, better than that actually. Finished PT earlier in the week and have very good flexion (129 deg) and just about full extension. Therapist says the replaced knee has as much functionality as the good one. I'm still working on strengthening the quad and a bit of tightness in the hamstring tendon behind the knee but in reality the knee feels better than it has in years.
So far my cycling has been on the trainer but now it's more a matter of winter weather than physical limitations. I've been riding on Zwift and am up to 180+ miles a week. Started doing intervals and out of saddle work again. Power numbers still have way to go but at this point I'm grateful to be riding pain free. I'm trying to get my mind right for a post surgery FTP test but to be honest I'm not anxious to find out just how piddily my FTP is. I never really had a wattage bazooka but now.....
In any event I'm totally happy with the result. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all.
So far my cycling has been on the trainer but now it's more a matter of winter weather than physical limitations. I've been riding on Zwift and am up to 180+ miles a week. Started doing intervals and out of saddle work again. Power numbers still have way to go but at this point I'm grateful to be riding pain free. I'm trying to get my mind right for a post surgery FTP test but to be honest I'm not anxious to find out just how piddily my FTP is. I never really had a wattage bazooka but now.....
In any event I'm totally happy with the result. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all.
#86
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Soon enough my friend, soon enough.
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Coon join institute
St Helena, ca
Dr Dianna
Unless I develop a problem, I'm done...now I'm going through therapy on that side for an Achilles tendon lengthening that needed to be done but couldn't until the knee was fixed.
sorry for the late reply...
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both Achilles are done, knee is done, therapy is done...
All my Backpacking/ cycle-touring gear is gathered and other than a personal first aid kit and a backpackers bear-can for food i'm all set to go.
I may know I don't have enough vacation time on the books to take off and I have NO desire to become one of the multitude-millions cramming a holiday week-end so I may just have to figure out if I can afford a leave of absence without pay...maybe I can as a 'mental health' need?
Solo or with someone I will go...
wait, what? when did I become a "senior member"? GeeBus i''m not that old...
All my Backpacking/ cycle-touring gear is gathered and other than a personal first aid kit and a backpackers bear-can for food i'm all set to go.
I may know I don't have enough vacation time on the books to take off and I have NO desire to become one of the multitude-millions cramming a holiday week-end so I may just have to figure out if I can afford a leave of absence without pay...maybe I can as a 'mental health' need?
Solo or with someone I will go...
wait, what? when did I become a "senior member"? GeeBus i''m not that old...
#92
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Stumbled on this thread today and I just wanted to say thank you to all that participated. I'm 43 years old and scheduled for TKR on December 5th. My cycling has been cut from 200 miles a week to about 40 a week. Those 40 are very painful, so its time for the surgery. There are so many opinions on PT, some say no pain no gain, other say PT shouldn't be painful. Not sure what to think, the more I read the more confused I seem to be. My current flexion is 90-95 and I've been riding shortened cranks 155mm for years. I'm hopeful and it's my goal to be able to ride "standard" cranks post surgery.
The success stories in this thread helped my frame of mind today. Much appreciated.
The success stories in this thread helped my frame of mind today. Much appreciated.
#93
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Stumbled on this thread today and I just wanted to say thank you to all that participated. I'm 43 years old and scheduled for TKR on December 5th. My cycling has been cut from 200 miles a week to about 40 a week. Those 40 are very painful, so its time for the surgery. There are so many opinions on PT, some say no pain no gain, other say PT shouldn't be painful. Not sure what to think, the more I read the more confused I seem to be. My current flexion is 90-95 and I've been riding shortened cranks 155mm for years. I'm hopeful and it's my goal to be able to ride "standard" cranks post surgery.
The success stories in this thread helped my frame of mind today. Much appreciated.
The success stories in this thread helped my frame of mind today. Much appreciated.
#94
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My Marine PT instruction used to holler "Pain is beautiful, bud!" As a Vietnam vet and survivor of an ambush that wiped out his squad, he knew pain. But in terms of whipping us into physical shape, he was only referring to the normal muscle and respiratory pain that heals as we get stronger. After awhile we're stronger, faster, and it doesn't hurt doing the same activities with the same exertion.
High intensity interval training is a good example of good pain, done properly and in the absence of medical complications. It pushes me past plateaus in conditioning and doesn't need to be done often to maintain a relatively good level of conditioning.
I was an amateur boxer and am very familiar with the pain from soft tissue damage that heals with little or no permanent damage. I have a small scar under one eye from being elbowed, and a moderately deviated septum from an uppercut during one particular sparring session. The many other aches, pains, bruises, etc., passed and are barely memorable.
But getting hit by cars twice in the past 20 years caused permanent injuries and pain that is totally unlike transient muscle and respiratory pain from intense physical activity. After awhile you can tell the difference between pain in muscles and connective tissues, and pain due to damaged joints, pinched nerves, etc.
It helps to find a doctor and physical therapist who listen and can give us reasonably objective feedback. After having been hit by a car in May, breaking and dislocating my shoulder and re-injuring an old neck injury from years ago, I've seen dozens of doctors, nurses, PTs, etc., and there's little or no continuity among them. So I look for the medical professionals who listen to me but are also well informed and honest enough to tell me when I can push a little harder without making the injury worse.
At age 60 I had to reconcile myself to a slower healing process. At times over the past several months I've had to take an entire week off from using the indoor training bike, or doing any upper body PT other than some very moderate range of motion and stretching. That usually resulted from pushing too hard, too often, the mindset from my long-gone 20something year old self who was too impatient to let the body heal.
What helped was reading and viewing articles and videos from experienced professional athletes, trainers and medical professionals who emphasized a message I'd never heard when I was younger: The body doesn't get stronger from physical activity. It gets stronger from the rest that follows physical activity. Without adequate rest and nutrition, hard physical activity only breaks us down. With adequate rest and nutrition, we can train less often, for shorter duration, and benefit more than if we mindlessly stay active without regard to healing.
Often the best medical professionals for patients who are physical active are those who are also physically active and over age 40. They've been around long enough to personal experience injuries and setbacks. I'm more likely to listen to a doctor's advice on physical therapy if she's 40 or older and is a runner, cyclist or regular participant in some sport. I'm less likely to take too seriously advice from a young buff intern who's under 30 and hasn't experienced any significant physical setbacks.
#95
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In PT, it is OK to become uncomofrtable, but true pain should be avoided. TKR is a big tough pain. I had mine at 47, I'm 55 now and looking towars my other knee sooner than I like. I sought the best PT in my community, and asked him 2 things, or for 2 protections. Do not hurt me. To which he laughed, but my meaning was, do not put me back in the hospital.. The second thing I asked was, Do not let me HURT MYSELF... I pushed every limit. And he stopped me a number of times before I did hurt myself. I went back to him when I broke my back and had it fused (after a bicycle crash...). With the same questions in place. To which, he answered that I am that rare NUT that needs to be told what NOT to do as I could break a rod, snap a screw... Seek your therapist before having TKR, and good luck!!!