Re: My progress at 6 weeks TKR

January 29, 2011

I just went to see the PA at my surgeon's office for my almost 6 week check-up.

BTW, Dr. Coon is almost 5 hours from my home, so the visits are challenging. My

partner and I soaked at a hotsprings the day before the visit. While we were

there, I had to walk on the dirt and rock paths more than I have walked since my

surgery.

The next day when I saw the PA at the Coon Joint Replacement Institute, my bend

was 100 degrees. (I have only gotten to 95 degrees since then at the PT's

office)She gave me an appointment for February 21st and increased my PT visits

to 3/week. If my knee hasn't progressed enough by then, they will put me under

(or spinal block again) and " crunch " my knee. I am concerned about this because

I wake up every morning with my quadriceps and my IT band rock hard. It feels

like, although I might have developed some scar tissue in my knee, that most of

the trouble is in my muscles. I have applied heat to my muscles, soaked a lot,

and had massages, but the muscles remain rock hard. The surgery was supposed to

be quad-sparing, but it feels like my leg is not working as an integrated unit.

I met some people at the surgeon's office who were worse off than me. The PT

said that lots of people don't walk enough when they have their TKR in the

winter and that they have to " Crunch " more people. I was never told how much

walking to do. I still feel like I should have been better educated before the

surgery. D

> I wrote earlier about my knee not progressing in flexion enough. I am only at

about 90 degrees at this point and that is with tremendous effort. My PT pushed

it to 95, but that wasn't real because it tightens right up. >

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