Total Knee Replacement and Hyaluronic Acid Shot experiences?

[onehandbh]

But yesterday, we went to a site where the elevator was broken and we had to climb 300 stair steps. It is never bad going up but coming down the first few minutes hurt. Then it gradually got better so that by the time we fully got down, the knee felt great. But the long ride back on a crowded trolley made it hurt again.

Let me share with you a secret way of reducing the stress on your knees when going down steps and sharp declines.

Go down sideways. It might be slightly slowly, but usually not, unless you are trying to go fast down steps. By going down sideways, it is easier to avoid bad angle/shear forces on your knee where the force is going in the direction parallel with your upper leg. For steps you can go right leg down first and then left leg to the same step. Do this a while and then spin 180 degrees and then do left leg down first.

For slopes with steep declines that don't have steps, I can step down with my right foot and do a cross over step with my left foot past the right so I can go faster. I sometimes go on hikes with sections with steep declines, and although I don't have knee problems, I do this to preserve my knees for other things like tennis. Give this a try. If my explanation is not clear, I'll try to make a short video.

If it is really steep, similar to rock climbing, I go down backwards and or at an angle to make it easier to see where I am going.

 

[mctennis]

Hello from Lisbon. It’s our last day here. We get a rental car tomorrow and drive up north to Porto and then for a few days in their one National Park, Peneda-Geres.

We’ve been on the road for almost three weeks and my knee is deteriorating. The lack of consistent stretching and weight lifting is one big part of it. The other part is that my knee just does not like standing. For instance, today we started by standing in a line for an hour, then shuffling slowly through a cathedral for another hour. Afterwards, my knee was very stiff and it was painful to go down stairs or bend it much past about 110 degrees. It aches when sitting with the knee bent like when riding a bus or trolley.

But yesterday, we went to a site where the elevator was broken and we had to climb 300 stair steps. It is never bad going up but coming down the first few minutes hurt. Then it gradually got better so that by the time we fully got down, the knee felt great. But the long ride back on a crowded trolley made it hurt again.

We’re one week from returning home. I guess four weeks away was pretty ambitious since I’m still pretty early in the recovery process, and at a time when I should be exercising and rehabbing it correctly daily. Besides the lack of fitness facilities, it’s just hard to maintain a good workout regimen when we’re doing 20,000 slow steps each day. I just want to get back to our place and veg!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

Just a quick question. How long has it been since you had your TKR done?

 

[Injured Again]

@djNEiGht I hope everything progresses smoothly for you. Just a reminder again that it was over four months from my committing to my surgery, to my surgery date. There just seems to be an epidemic of joint replacements.

Good luck with the tennis elbow too!

 

[Injured Again]

Let me share with you a secret way of reducing the stress on your knees when going down steps and sharp declines.

Go down sideways. It might be slightly slowly, but usually not, unless you are trying to go fast down steps. By going down sideways, it is easier to avoid bad angle/shear forces on your knee where the force is going in the direction parallel with your upper leg. For steps you can go right leg down first and then left leg to the same step. Do this a while and then spin 180 degrees and then do left leg down first.

For slopes with steep declines that don't have steps, I can step down with my right foot and do a cross over step with my left foot past the right so I can go faster. I sometimes go on hikes with sections with steep declines, and although I don't have knee problems, I do this to preserve my knees for other things like tennis. Give this a try. If my explanation is not clear, I'll try to make a short video.

If it is really steep, similar to rock climbing, I go down backwards and or at an angle to make it easier to see where I am going.

This was part of the progression of being able to go down stairs, and I used this method around week 3 or 4 after my knee replacement. But since that time, I’ve been going down normally. It’s just a bit frustrating to feel like I’m going backwards.

I do resort to that if my knees are really stiff but I’s rather walk down normally even if it hurts, because I know it helps loosen it up eventually.

 

[Injured Again]

Just a quick question. How long has it been since you had your TKR done?

Surgery was 12-27-2023 so I’m nearing 4 1/2 months. Seems like an eternity ago!

 

[djNEiGht]

@djNEiGht I hope everything progresses smoothly for you. Just a reminder again that it was over four months from my committing to my surgery, to my surgery date. There just seems to be an epidemic of joint replacements.

Good luck with the tennis elbow too!

i'm already having a challenging morning (as is life). the walk from the train station to the office (1/2 mile) was fine though. And a couple minutes ago got an email from my Surgery Plus rep that the Dr's office is not going to be able to move forward with doing the surgery. so needless to say...i'm devastated.

last night worked one on one with an adult beginner. she has good footwork from playing soccer/football as a kid and takes well to instructions. it was a nice change of pace from working group kids classes. Then the last 30 minutes got to jump on the 3.5 liveball court and ran/hobbled around and my emotions were high. TE wasn't bothering me. I had some good rallies and even hit a couple winners and some nice volleys & drops

at home...found one of the trout I had caught cooked and enjoyed it very much.

now back to this morning...my emotions are really heavy

Thank you for your well wishes.

 

[SteveI]

good morning

met with the new ortho. he usually does his surgeries at either Cedars or St Johns Santa Monica. He prefers SM and says he uses the robot there. He likes the added guidance but says he is also very comfortable not using it. He has his patients stay the night.

now the other part which seems like a delay is more insurance or surgery plus network concerns. i'm deflated. just want to feel better instead of hurting all the time. I hope things get sorted so I can get scheduled already


yesterday did fairly well but aggravated my tennis elbow....get this...NOT PLAYING TENNIS! The local lake was restocked w Lassen trout and my cousin an avid angler took me. I know how but I don't know how...so it was nice having a seasoned fisher there. My knees felt okay but I'd sit at the edge of the water from time to time. But mostly was wading in about 2' of water. There was a nice spot where I would stand on top of a drainage pipe and cast into a cover...but not being sure footed started to pain me more. So yeah...my casting sucks and i got 3 bites....but took home 8 ahahahaha. i lost a new nice heavy lure on the first cast. Was previously using bobbers and jigs/power bait. Didn't pay attention as to how much further I could cast this and hit the other side of the cove on a tree about 15' above the water line. SMH. The TE could have also been from the fish cleaning I did later that night.

take care everyone!

I got tennis elbow from yard work... using a chain saw for many more hours than I should have. Think about the motion of using a chain saw.. Duh...LOL

 

[djNEiGht]

I got tennis elbow from yard work... using a chain saw for many more hours than I should have. Think about the motion of using a chain saw.. Duh...LOL

ahahah...yup. using tools

 

[Injured Again]

@djNEiGht - so sorry to hear that. What’s the reason they aren’t able to proceed with surgery?

 

[djNEiGht]

@djNEiGht - so sorry to hear that. What’s the reason they aren’t able to proceed with surgery?

during the office visit, they said that the "surgery plus" network barely covers the cost. So it's a money thing IMO. But this office is in the "surgery plus" network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! awaiting for an official call as they said they were having their weekly office meeting in regards to this program as well as other insurances which my primary is a part of. My surgery plus rep told me to pick another dr but I'm asking for an updated/current list so I don't run into the same thing. This dr was the closest to me and the next one is approx 35 miles further.

 

[Injured Again]

during the office visit, they said that the "surgery plus" network barely covers the cost. So it's a money thing IMO. But this office is in the "surgery plus" network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! awaiting for an official call as they said they were having their weekly office meeting in regards to this program as well as other insurances which my primary is a part of. My surgery plus rep told me to pick another dr but I'm asking for an updated/current list so I don't run into the same thing. This dr was the closest to me and the next one is approx 35 miles further.

It’s definitely an expensive surgery. I reviewed all the EOBs and it totaled somewhere around $50k for my three hours in the surgical center. And that doesn’t count all of the pre- and post- surgical visits you’ll need.

My ortho didn’t get wealthy from the operation. I know many doctors and they all say he probably makes only around $2k for the surgery. I had two anesthesiologists, each getting a cut, as did the rest of the surgical team. The biggest bill was from the surgical center itself - somewhere around $20k if I remember correctly.

I really hope it gets resolved for you and that you can get the surgery done. If you need to see an ortho further away, it’s not that much of a hassle. I only physically interacted with the ortho four times after deciding to proceed. One was to consult and schedule the surgery, the next time was the surgery itself, and I had a two week (remove dressings) and seven week follow-up. My next appointment will be a one year follow-up.

I’ll be hoping the insurance situation clears up and you can proceed if that’s what you still want to do. Hang in there!

 

[Injured Again]

Last night, I hit the gym for the first time in a month. We were traveling in Europe, but both my wife and I got pretty sick the last few days before coming home. We tested and it wasn’t Covid. We had very sore throats and congestion that resulted in a lot of coughing. So we masked up for the two seven hour flights with a four hour layover in between, drugged up, and somehow survived the flight home while only getting slightly worse from the 20 hour travel day.

Whe we first travelled there, I was 16 1/2 weeks out from my TKA and the flight was tough. We used points from our credit card to buy tickets and after a series of flight changes and flight consolidations by the airlines, we ended up in basic economy seats getting there. My knee just did not like the flight and it was cranky both flights. I had to get up and walk around hourly to relieve the aching.

After getting there, I then found out that my knee didn’t like standing in place, or just walking slowly as we toured places. It would get stiff and ache, and it started to hurt going down stairs. We had some private tours where we were in the back seat of a car while our driver took us around and those were killers. I had to extend my leg across my wife’s lap to relieve the pretty intense discomfort of being in the back seat of a typical European compact size vehicle. But we were on our feet so many hours each day that I just ran out of will power and motivation to find a gym to work out, after our eight hour days of 20+k steps.

At some point, I just decided to not think about my any more and to just suck it up. I had just rebuilt some of the muscle mass I lost from the surgery and I could feel myself getting weaker and could see muscle mass loss again, which was pretty depressing. So just not thinking about it was the best option.

Then as I was thinking we were almost done and I was planning my return to working out and playing tennis, we got sick and both of us basically stayed in bed all day for much of that last week.

We had comfort plus seating on the way home, which was way roomier, and I didn’t feel my knee at all. I then realized that during the latter half of our trip but when we were still not sick and going around, that I didn’t remember any knee discomfort at all.

We got home late Wednesday night and Thursday started antibiotics. I felt good enough to go to the gym Friday night right before closing, when I knew no one would be there. Amazingly, I had lost no strength in my left leg, and it was actually as strong or stronger than when I was furiously working out before the trip. All of my muscles were incapable of doing my normal weights and reps but I did several sets of every exercise at 75% and never even felt a twinge out of the knee. I emailed my PT and he said it was just a sign that my healing is continuing, but also a sign of how well (and lucky) I was able to work my knee as hard as I did when I was still early in my recovery.

I’m up and around this morning and I can honestly say these are the first days that there is no sign I have a new knee. It just works pain free and twinge free, and I can bend it almost full range of motion immediately after waking up without having to slowly work up to that.

Back on the court for the first time in a month this afternoon. My son and I won the lottery so we are hiking Half Dome in Yosemite in seven weeks and one day, and the Washington State open tournament is a couple of weeks beyond that. Time to hit the gym and workouts hard, harder than before our trip because I need the aerobic and strength conditioning for the nearly 17 mile hike while carrying a 40+ pound backpack. Before the trip, I was wondering if this year wasn’t too soon to try this but I’m now really looking forward to testing out my new knee that now feels just like it has always been a part of me.

I am hoping these posts help those who will be getting a joint replacement in the future. If I had known earlier what I know now, there would have been so much less mental anguish over “are things all right?”and “is this how it’s supposed to go?”

Everyone take care and be well.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Last night, I hit the gym for the first time in a month. We were traveling in Europe, but both my wife and I got pretty sick the last few days before coming home. We tested and it wasn’t Covid. We had very sore throats and congestion that resulted in a lot of coughing. So we masked up for the two seven hour flights with a four hour layover in between, drugged up, and somehow survived the flight home while only getting slightly worse from the 20 hour travel day.

Whe we first travelled there, I was 16 1/2 weeks out from my TKA and the flight was tough. We used points from our credit card to buy tickets and after a series of flight changes and flight consolidations by the airlines, we ended up in basic economy seats getting there. My knee just did not like the flight and it was cranky both flights. I had to get up and walk around hourly to relieve the aching.

After getting there, I then found out that my knee didn’t like standing in place, or just walking slowly as we toured places. It would get stiff and ache, and it started to hurt going down stairs. We had some private tours where we were in the back seat of a car while our driver took us around and those were killers. I had to extend my leg across my wife’s lap to relieve the pretty intense discomfort of being in the back seat of a typical European compact size vehicle. But we were on our feet so many hours each day that I just ran out of will power and motivation to find a gym to work out, after our eight hour days of 20+k steps.

At some point, I just decided to not think about my any more and to just suck it up. I had just rebuilt some of the muscle mass I lost from the surgery and I could feel myself getting weaker and could see muscle mass loss again, which was pretty depressing. So just not thinking about it was the best option.

Then as I was thinking we were almost done and I was planning my return to working out and playing tennis, we got sick and both of us basically stayed in bed all day for much of that last week.

We had comfort plus seating on the way home, which was way roomier, and I didn’t feel my knee at all. I then realized that during the latter half of our trip but when we were still not sick and going around, that I didn’t remember any knee discomfort at all.

We got home late Wednesday night and Thursday started antibiotics. I felt good enough to go to the gym Friday night right before closing, when I knew no one would be there. Amazingly, I had lost no strength in my left leg, and it was actually as strong or stronger than when I was furiously working out before the trip. All of my muscles were incapable of doing my normal weights and reps but I did several sets of every exercise at 75% and never even felt a twinge out of the knee. I emailed my PT and he said it was just a sign that my healing is continuing, but also a sign of how well (and lucky) I was able to work my knee as hard as I did when I was still early in my recovery.

I’m up and around this morning and I can honestly say these are the first days that there is no sign I have a new knee. It just works pain free and twinge free, and I can bend it almost full range of motion immediately after waking up without having to slowly work up to that.

Back on the court for the first time in a month this afternoon. My son and I won the lottery so we are hiking Half Dome in Yosemite in seven weeks and one day, and the Washington State open tournament is a couple of weeks beyond that. Time to hit the gym and workouts hard, harder than before our trip because I need the aerobic and strength conditioning for the nearly 17 mile hike while carrying a 40+ pound backpack. Before the trip, I was wondering if this year wasn’t too soon to try this but I’m now really looking forward to testing out my new knee that now feels just like it has always been a part of me.

I am hoping these posts help those who will be getting a joint replacement in the future. If I had known earlier what I know now, there would have been so much less mental anguish over “are things all right?”and “is this how it’s supposed to go?”

Everyone take care and be well.

Bad luck getting sick on trip … but with knee WINNING!!!

You should have a youtube channel … this would be the theme:

 

[mctennis]

Last night, I hit the gym for the first time in a month. We were traveling in Europe, but both my wife and I got pretty sick the last few days before coming home. We tested and it wasn’t Covid. We had very sore throats and congestion that resulted in a lot of coughing. So we masked up for the two seven hour flights with a four hour layover in between, drugged up, and somehow survived the flight home while only getting slightly worse from the 20 hour travel day.

Whe we first travelled there, I was 16 1/2 weeks out from my TKA and the flight was tough. We used points from our credit card to buy tickets and after a series of flight changes and flight consolidations by the airlines, we ended up in basic economy seats getting there. My knee just did not like the flight and it was cranky both flights. I had to get up and walk around hourly to relieve the aching.

After getting there, I then found out that my knee didn’t like standing in place, or just walking slowly as we toured places. It would get stiff and ache, and it started to hurt going down stairs. We had some private tours where we were in the back seat of a car while our driver took us around and those were killers. I had to extend my leg across my wife’s lap to relieve the pretty intense discomfort of being in the back seat of a typical European compact size vehicle. But we were on our feet so many hours each day that I just ran out of will power and motivation to find a gym to work out, after our eight hour days of 20+k steps.

At some point, I just decided to not think about my any more and to just suck it up. I had just rebuilt some of the muscle mass I lost from the surgery and I could feel myself getting weaker and could see muscle mass loss again, which was pretty depressing. So just not thinking about it was the best option.

Then as I was thinking we were almost done and I was planning my return to working out and playing tennis, we got sick and both of us basically stayed in bed all day for much of that last week.

We had comfort plus seating on the way home, which was way roomier, and I didn’t feel my knee at all. I then realized that during the latter half of our trip but when we were still not sick and going around, that I didn’t remember any knee discomfort at all.

We got home late Wednesday night and Thursday started antibiotics. I felt good enough to go to the gym Friday night right before closing, when I knew no one would be there. Amazingly, I had lost no strength in my left leg, and it was actually as strong or stronger than when I was furiously working out before the trip. All of my muscles were incapable of doing my normal weights and reps but I did several sets of every exercise at 75% and never even felt a twinge out of the knee. I emailed my PT and he said it was just a sign that my healing is continuing, but also a sign of how well (and lucky) I was able to work my knee as hard as I did when I was still early in my recovery.

I’m up and around this morning and I can honestly say these are the first days that there is no sign I have a new knee. It just works pain free and twinge free, and I can bend it almost full range of motion immediately after waking up without having to slowly work up to that.

Back on the court for the first time in a month this afternoon. My son and I won the lottery so we are hiking Half Dome in Yosemite in seven weeks and one day, and the Washington State open tournament is a couple of weeks beyond that. Time to hit the gym and workouts hard, harder than before our trip because I need the aerobic and strength conditioning for the nearly 17 mile hike while carrying a 40+ pound backpack. Before the trip, I was wondering if this year wasn’t too soon to try this but I’m now really looking forward to testing out my new knee that now feels just like it has always been a part of me.

I am hoping these posts help those who will be getting a joint replacement in the future. If I had known earlier what I know now, there would have been so much less mental anguish over “are things all right?”and “is this how it’s supposed to go?”

Everyone take care and be well.

Glad you got back safely. Hopefully the knee will calm down some with less walking and moving.
I appreciate all the great info about your TKR journey. I am needing a TKR this fall, so all this info has been very helpful.

 

[Injured Again]

First hit today after a full month of not touching a racquet. Wasn’t sure how it was going to go with me still trying to get over this crud and being on antibiotics. I also made the mistake of taking a Sudafed just before heading out to hit. Without it, the post nasal drip makes me cough like I’m trying to hack up both lungs. But the Sudafed dries up my mouth as well so it felt like I was trying to play with a mouth full of peanut butter.

The first 30 minutes were terrible. I could not hit two balls in a row into the court. It felt like my feet were rooted to the ground and I just didn’t seem to know how to move them.

Then after a couple of minute sit down where I contemplated taking up competitive knitting instead of tennis, it got better. By the end of the 90 minutes, I could get my feet into position and actually make contact with good timing. Had multiple 10+ stroke rallies with good pace to finish it up. Best of all, I volleyed fantastically, almost in-form timing and placement.

I didn’t run hard but did move all around the court. I was sore from the weight lifting yesterday and didn’t want to drive myself so hard that I got sick again. I don’t remember noticing my knee once the entire time. No pain and no funny feelings - it really is just a part of me now.

Weights tomorrow plus a two hour hike, then resuming high level hitting with my usual partners starting Monday. It’s good to be home and back into the routine.

 

[Injured Again]

Glad you got back safely. Hopefully the knee will calm down some with less walking and moving.
I appreciate all the great info about your TKR journey. I am needing a TKR this fall, so all this info has been very helpful.

Best of luck with your knee journey. Put in the work beforehand so it will pay off afterwards, and remember that ice cream always helps!

 

[mctennis]

Best of luck with your knee journey. Put in the work beforehand so it will pay off afterwards, and remember that ice cream always helps!

Thank you for the well wishes and the great suggestion of ice cream. I will get a RX from the doctor for that. It will be required not just my wish or suggestion for my family to do for me. I'll just say " Doctor's orders".

 

[Injured Again]

Thank you for the well wishes and the great suggestion of ice cream. I will get a RX from the doctor for that. It will be required not just my wish or suggestion for my family to do for me. I'll just say " Doctor's orders".

I said that only half-jokingly. I found that for my mental health, having a treat was important to help get me through those early few weeks when it really hurt to push through the exercises and stretching. I had my surgery just after Christmas and still had my wife buy several containers of ice cream. I'd have just a small scoop after each rehab session. And I did about 10-12 rehab sessions a day. Just find something as a treat - it will make a ton of difference because you will be rehabbing so much, and it will hurt a lot each time.

And make sure you get an handicap parking permit authorization from your surgeon. I got a three month one, and my goal was to make someone ask me if I were really needing that permit. I think I first got asked around week five or six, and that made my day! I got lots of very friendly ribbing from my friends at the tennis club for rolling up, parking in a handicap space, and then heading out to play singles.

Little games that result in little victories helped me keep my sanity!

 

[mctennis]

I said that only half-jokingly.

Yes, I knew what you meant but I will still ask the physician for the ice cream RX. Good suggestion for the handicap parking permit. Get it right before the week of surgery.

 

[aussie]

Hey @Injured Again, thanks for the very informative read. Your in-depth research, reporting and updating regarding your knee replacement has almost reached the level of a page turner! Most riveting.

To you, and all the other posters on here who have undergone or about to undergo knee replacement surgery, was radio frequency ablation every offered to you as a means to minimise the pain from your knee thereby delaying the need for the replacement?

The procedure "burns" the three main genicular nerves which transmit the pain signals from the knee. If successful it is capable of significantly reducing the level of pain from the knee for periods ranging from six months to two years. The nerves do regenerate but the procedure can be repeated as often as required.

My left knee after two full reconstructions plus five other arthroscopic surgeries starting in 1984 is now finally starting to give me noticeable OA pain. Not enough to keep me awake at night (yet) but significant enough to use substantial amounts of anti inflammatory and analgesic meds, plus liniments and a heavy duty knee brace to play tennis.

I'll be visiting a highly regarded ortho surgeon some time in the future and rather than go the TKR route at this time, and if he's agreeable, I'll opt for the radio frequency ablation.

Love to hear your (and anyone else too) well thought opinion on this. Aussie

 

[Injured Again]

Hey @Injured Again, thanks for the very informative read. Your in-depth research, reporting and updating regarding your knee replacement has almost reached the level of a page turner! Most riveting.

To you, and all the other posters on here who have undergone or about to undergo knee replacement surgery, was radio frequency ablation every offered to you as a means to minimise the pain from your knee thereby delaying the need for the replacement?

The procedure "burns" the three main genicular nerves which transmit the pain signals from the knee. If successful it is capable of significantly reducing the level of pain from the knee for periods ranging from six months to two years. The nerves do regenerate but the procedure can be repeated as often as required.

My left knee after two full reconstructions plus five other arthroscopic surgeries starting in 1984 is now finally starting to give me noticeable OA pain. Not enough to keep me awake at night (yet) but significant enough to use substantial amounts of anti inflammatory and analgesic meds, plus liniments and a heavy duty knee brace to play tennis.

I'll be visiting a highly regarded ortho surgeon some time in the future and rather than go the TKR route at this time, and if he's agreeable, I'll opt for the radio frequency ablation.

Love to hear your (and anyone else too) well thought opinion on this. Aussie

I do know a couple of tennis players who had ablation but these were both lower back issues where there was no visible structural issue on X-ray or MRI to indicate why the person was having pain, yet the pain level was significant to the point of being very limiting in just the activities of daily life. One had to have multiple procedures but as far as I know, it was successful as I see them playing tennis today without obvious compensation for back pain.

Ablation to blunt my knee pain was never discussed with me, and I didn’t know to ask if it was even a possibility. My MRI showed several spots where there was no gap and presumably bone on bone, with visible changes to the bone structure underneath those spots. It would swell up if I really used it hard and ablation wouldn’t help that so I guess that may be why it was not offered to me.

It sounds like you need the anti-inflammatories to prevent swelling in your knee when you use it hard. I’d be curious to know if your orthopedist thinks an ablation can also reduce inflammation to the point where you can live with it if it doesn’t hurt.

Good luck!

 

[aussie]

Thanks for your reply @Injured Again.

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) has been an option for back pain for some time. I had a discectomy for a bulging disc at L3-L4 some three years ago and when I was left with some residual pain I was offered the opportunity to have RFA to dull the pain. I passed at the time and have learnt to accept the pain level which is more of a discomfort than severe pain. Exercises, paracetamol (acetaminophen) etc help me cope.

The orthopaedic surgeon I would consult with here in Australia is very highly regarded and has performed quite a few TKR's on a number of competitive tennis players. Many have returned to tennis with better movement than prior to their surgery which is most encouraging.

I would try anything to avoid a TKR as my left knee has undergone two full constructions using differing methods which has left the joint with a collection of screws and staples. I cannot have MRI's done on the knee because of the amount of metal in the joint.

Because of this, a TKR on the knee would not be straight forward and may not be as successful as a TKR on a knee which has not been operated on previously.

Most certainly I would investigate having a RFA on the knee if at all possible and would be happy to relay any info, good, bad or indifferent to this board.

 

[Injured Again]

Thanks for your reply @Injured Again.

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) has been an option for back pain for some time. I had a discectomy for a bulging disc at L3-L4 some three years ago and when I was left with some residual pain I was offered the opportunity to have RFA to dull the pain. I passed at the time and have learnt to accept the pain level which is more of a discomfort than severe pain. Exercises, paracetamol (acetaminophen) etc help me cope.

The orthopaedic surgeon I would consult with here in Australia is very highly regarded and has performed quite a few TKR's on a number of competitive tennis players. Many have returned to tennis with better movement than prior to their surgery which is most encouraging.

I would try anything to avoid a TKR as my left knee has undergone two full constructions using differing methods which has left the joint with a collection of screws and staples. I cannot have MRI's done on the knee because of the amount of metal in the joint.

Because of this, a TKR on the knee would not be straight forward and may not be as successful as a TKR on a knee which has not been operated on previously.

Most certainly I would investigate having a RFA on the knee if at all possible and would be happy to relay any info, good, bad or indifferent to this board.

Totally get that. One of my friends had an ACL repair a couple of decades ago and just had a knee replacement on that side. The ACL repair created a weak spot in the bone and the insert actually managed to chip off a portion of the bone where it was weakened by that previous repair. It took several extra weeks to let enough bone growth happen to let him resume harder rehab but I don't believe he thinks it will ever be strong enough to really torque on it. The ACL repair, I think, took drilling a hole sideways through the bone to reattach the ligament, and that is where the weakness is.

I asked a retired cardiologist friend, who also had a knee replacement by the same orthopedist I used, and he said that this therapy generally isn't used because it's seen as a stopgap and doesn't solve the underlying problem if there has been degeneration of the knee surfaces. He also said that a knee replacement operation involves enough nerve damage that typically they want the nerves to be more or less intact when they do the replacement. I wonder though if this is something common in the US and not elsewhere. When I was in Europe, I was briefly talking to someone who also had a knee operation and the process surrounding the procedure is much different than here in the US.

I do agree about the nerve damage though. My major struggle has been regaining quadricep strength afterwards - a result of the quadriceps tendon having to be cut and the patella freed up so it can be flipped over to gain access to cut the knee out and put in the implants. I struggled for about the first three months with activating the muscles from the nerve trauma, and it's only been in the last couple of weeks that I fully straighten my leg using my quadriceps.

Would be very interested to hear what your orthopedists say. I think sometimes the US suffers from being over-regulated and so our medical procedures lag behind, but then also we are such a litigious society that probably what is done is what guarantees the best chance of recovery.

 

[Injured Again]

How is everyone doing?

I'm at 5 1/2 months, and since returning from our trip I've been working hard on equalizing strength in both legs. It's getting pretty close and I've noticed that this last little bit of strength difference makes a lot of difference in my ability to generate high forces like lunging and stopping. I'm almost not compensating with my right leg when doing squats, and my one legged squats are within 10% of each other.

I do notice more knee soreness, particularly under the kneecap, after a heavy lifting session. I think that's because I'm getting pretty high up there in force because of the amount of weight I'm lifting. What I find helps is to do the movements slowly, especially leg extensions. A lot of exercise specialists say that leg extensions should be avoided even without knee problems, because the motion generates a lot of kneecap pressure into the joint. But I've also found that leg extensions, by far, help rebuild that strength in the last 10 degrees of motion before full straightening.

In three weeks, my son and I leave for Yosemite where we won the lottery to hike Half Dome on July 7th. So far, I've done a bunch of 10 mile hikes and zero pain. Modern medicine is amazing. I've also done two hour bike rides, also with zero pain, and I find those are helpful for rebuilding leg strength if I do intervals climbing hills in large gears at low cadence.

The best to everyone.

 

[atatu]

I'd like to know how people select a surgeon for TKR. The orthopedic surgeon who did my meniscus surgery has kind of disappeared so I decided to go to a new guy, based on a co-workers recommendation. He told me to quit playing tennis and was basically discouraging me from having a knee replacement, emphasizing that my movement would not be as good (compared to what ?) post surgery. Since that time I have started to do some research. Apparently there is guy in Chicago named Richard Berger who has pioneered a minimally invasive technique for knee replacement. Flying to Chicago for surgery is not an option for me however. I'm wondering why more surgeons don't use this technique and if more will start using it in the future.
Thanks.

 

[LuckyR]

I'd like to know how people select a surgeon for TKR. The orthopedic surgeon who did my meniscus surgery has kind of disappeared so I decided to go to a new guy, based on a co-workers recommendation. He told me to quit playing tennis and was basically discouraging me from having a knee replacement, emphasizing that my movement would not be as good (compared to what ?) post surgery. Since that time I have started to do some research. Apparently there is guy in Chicago named Richard Berger who has pioneered a minimally invasive technique for knee replacement. Flying to Chicago for surgery is not an option for me however. I'm wondering why more surgeons don't use this technique and if more will start using it in the future.
Thanks.

I wouldn't choose a scope guy for a total joint. At this point, joint and surgery type (minor/scope vs major/replacement) is a thing. In other words, you want someone who does mostly (or only) knee replacements.

 

[Injured Again]

I'd like to know how people select a surgeon for TKR. The orthopedic surgeon who did my meniscus surgery has kind of disappeared so I decided to go to a new guy, based on a co-workers recommendation. He told me to quit playing tennis and was basically discouraging me from having a knee replacement, emphasizing that my movement would not be as good (compared to what ?) post surgery. Since that time I have started to do some research. Apparently there is guy in Chicago named Richard Berger who has pioneered a minimally invasive technique for knee replacement. Flying to Chicago for surgery is not an option for me however. I'm wondering why more surgeons don't use this technique and if more will start using it in the future.
Thanks.

It was very easy for me. I hit somewhat regularly with a retired cardiologist in his 70's who is a good mover on the court for his age. He had a knee replacement a few years back and highly recommended his doctor. I then found out that this ortho did several guys at our club, all with excellent results. I checked out his reviews, all excellent, and scheduled an initial meeting with him which was also excellent. He answered every question, never rushed me, and remembered all of the guys at our club that he had operated on. Most importantly, he was on the same page as me in terms of my post-replacement goals. While he tempered what he thought would be possible afterwards, he never discouraged me from trying to safely return to tennis and all the other activities I wanted to do. I found a physical therapist prior to my surgery who was also willing to work with me on a full return to my activities. Having a team like that is really critical.

If I didn't have my cardiologist friend's recommendation, I would ask to speak to some former patients to get their feedback, and go to several different orthos to see who is on the same page as me as far as return to activities. I had an earlier post about "things I didn't know". There are some questions that you may want to ask of your orthos. For instance, my ortho prefers not to use robotically assisted techniques. He feels he is experienced enough that he can do as well without that. So if you want a robotically assisted replacement, that would help guide your choice of an ortho.

As far as the minimally invasive surgery, this was one of those things I didn't know to ask before I had my replacement. In my case, I was not a candidate anyway. Gory explanation coming!

In a traditional knee replacement operation, they make a long, straight incision down the front of your knee. After they open you up, they cut the attachment to your patella/kneecap so they can flip it off to the side and upside down. They may also need to cut other portions of your quadriceps tendon to get room to access the knee. This is incredibly traumatic, and the cutting of the tendon is what is mostly responsible for the high degree of muscle atrophy and weakness after surgery, not to mention the pain and swelling.

Minimally invasive knee replacements are possible for those who are smaller in bone structure, are not too muscular, and don't have any significant abnormalities that also need to be corrected during the replacement surgery. The incision is shorter in length, and is usually a "C" shape that goes around the side of the kneecap. There is only minimal cutting of the quadriceps tendon and I'm not sure if the kneecap is every fully cut loose like in a traditional surgery. Some of that may depend on how damaged the interior surface of the kneecap is. Mines was pretty degraded and they needed to access the bottom of the kneecap to resurface it and to place a "button" on there that glides on the replacement knee. I'm not sure if that is possible with a minimally invasive surgery. For me, I'm both large in bone structure, pretty muscular, and had to have my bowl-leggedness corrected so I was never a candidate. Afterwards, I found out that a minimally invasive (also known as a quad sparing) operation results in two to four week faster achievements of milestones. So it's not a ton, but apparently a few months out there is still a difference in strength, in addition to the easier post-surgery recovery those first few weeks.

I saw this video prior to my surgery - just some older lady who had a knee replacement and had what I thought was an amazing recovery doing a lot of what I wanted to return to. She was my hero and my goal was to do what she did.

There's a shot of her knee at around the one month mark where you can clearly see her "C" shaped incision - she had the minimally invasive replacement which was why she was ahead of my recovery for that first month or so. But I will say that as much as I thought achieving her rate of recovery would be nearly impossible, I ended up being quite a bit ahead of her, due primarily to my physical therapist who was willing to work with me, within the ortho's guidelines, but to push my recovery as hard as I and my body could tolerate.

Best of luck and I hope you find an ortho who is on the same page as you. Feeling like you are working in line with the limits set by your ortho is so much better than feeling like you're sneaking around behind his back doing what you shouldn't.

 

[atatu]

I wouldn't choose a scope guy for a total joint. At this point, joint and surgery type (minor/scope vs major/replacement) is a thing. In other words, you want someone who does mostly (or only) knee replacements.

Sorry, can you explain this to me please. What do you mean by a "scope guy." Are you referring to arthroscopic surgery ?

 

[BlueB]

Somehow, whenever I see the title of this thread, I read: " hallucinogenic acid".

 

[LuckyR]

Sorry, can you explain this to me please. What do you mean by a "scope guy." Are you referring to arthroscopic surgery ?

Yes. In large metropolitan areas with large specialty practices, some specialize in arthroscopy and others in total joints. In fact, most total joint guys only do one or two joints (only knees, only hips, only shoulders). If some guy does arthroscopy and total knees and hips and shoulders, he's not as good at what you need than a guy who only does total knees.

 

[Injured Again]

My experience is similar to @LuckyR - my ortho was more than busy enough with just knees and hips so that is pretty much all he does.

And you do want to find someone local to a home you own. You are going to be hurting for at least the first two weeks, and flying is probably totally out of the question for the first month or more. Even with the success I had in my rehab, flying was uncomfortable at the two month mark as sitting for long periods with the knee bent was painful, and that was in a premium economy seat with extra legroom.

There’s also a lot of accommodation you need for those first couple of weeks that would be difficult away from home you own.

On the other hand, if things go smoothly, you won’t have a lot of interaction with your ortho’s team. I had a two week follow-up to remove the bandages with my ortho’s assistant, and met with my ortho at the seven week mark. I won’t see him again until the one year mark. Most of my interactions with him were prIor to surgery so having your ortho 30-60 minutes away is doable.

I started PT on day 5 and had two visits a week for six weeks. My recommendation is to prioritize convenience for your PT over the ortho.

 

[LuckyR]

Yes, good PT is as important as good surgery. You need both for an optimal outcome.

 

[andfor]

Been a little while since I've posted. Seeing some good updates and progress from our friends here. Also good contributions on alternative procedures, minimally invasive TKR's and more. BTW, I have had a couple of friends get the surgery from Berger in Chicago, they have the resources, etc.

My progress remains steady and very positive from my bilateral TKR last August. My back pain has all but subsided, movement improved and so has my tennis game. Post surgery pain is 95% gone. Work in the gym improving strength with more weight training than I used to do pre-TKR has been the biggest help to my recovery. I'd say my tennis game is about 80% and I see a path to 100% or so by August.

Keep working out and rehabbing. Be healthy!

 

[mctennis]

Been a little while since I've posted. Seeing some good updates and progress from our friends here. Also good contributions on alternative procedures, minimally invasive TKR's and more. BTW, I have had a couple of friends get the surgery from Berger in Chicago, they have the resources, etc.

My progress remains steady and very positive from my bilateral TKR last August. My back pain has all but subsided, movement improved and so has my tennis game. Post surgery pain is 95% gone. Work in the gym improving strength with more weight training than I used to do pre-TKR has been the biggest help to my recovery. I'd say my tennis game is about 80% and I see a path to 100% or so by August.

Keep working out and rehabbing. Be healthy!

Were you doing pre- surgery leg workouts prior your bilateral TKR? I though you mentioned you wanted to have some leg strength prior to surgery. Were you doing light weights or heavier weights? I am not sure I can do leg extensions and the such before my TKR. I would hate to be on more pain for months prior to my TKR surgery.
Thank you for your input.

 

[Injured Again]

My new knee is six months old today!

It continues to improve. I‘ve done a number of 10+ mile hikes with 3000+ feet of elevation gain and zero knee pain. I can hike downhill much faster than before. On the tennis front, I still occasionally move funny to the ball when I’m off balance and just automatically go into knee protection mode, but rarely if ever running forward for a drop shot. I’m able to pretty much run down all but the best droppers and still be able to stop and recover to cover the net.

The zingers and itching have totally stopped. The skin is still numb but feeling is slowly returning, and the knee feels warm, but it just feels like my own knee now. There are very few times that I even notice it isn’t my natural knee.

After my Half Dome hike with my son next week, I’ll be hustling to get ready for our level 2 Washington State tournament. I’m hoping to make a good run (pun intended) this year but I’ve played relatively little tennis this last couple of weeks and probably won’t touch a racquet until mid-July. My real goal will be in two years when I’m the baby of the 65’s. If I don’t have much physical decline, I honestly don’t see many more athletically capable tennis players at that age than I am now.

Hope everyone is doing well. There are a couple of you close to a knee replacement so I hope the progression to that point is smooth.

 

[atatu]

My new knee is six months old today!

It continues to improve. I‘ve done a number of 10+ mile hikes with 3000+ feet of elevation gain and zero knee pain. I can hike downhill much faster than before. On the tennis front, I still occasionally move funny to the ball when I’m off balance and just automatically go into knee protection mode, but rarely if ever running forward for a drop shot. I’m able to pretty much run down all but the best droppers and still be able to stop and recover to cover the net.

The zingers and itching have totally stopped. The skin is still numb but feeling is slowly returning, and the knee feels warm, but it just feels like my own knee now. There are very few times that I even notice it isn’t my natural knee.

After my Half Dome hike with my son next week, I’ll be hustling to get ready for our level 2 Washington State tournament. I’m hoping to make a good run (pun intended) this year but I’ve played relatively little tennis this last couple of weeks and probably won’t touch a racquet until mid-July. My real goal will be in two years when I’m the baby of the 65’s. If I don’t have much physical decline, I honestly don’t see many more athletically capable tennis players at that age than I am now.

Hope everyone is doing well. There are a couple of you close to a knee replacement so I hope the progression to that point is smooth.

Congrats ! By the way you should play the 60's clay courts in New Orleans, it's easy on the knees...

 

[andfor]

Congrats ! By the way you should play the 60's clay courts in New Orleans, it's easy on the knees...

Hmmm, might target that one for next year! Moving to the Charlotte area next month, I think Ashville has a couple vet nationals to look into as well.

@Injured Again great work!

 

[Injured Again]

Congrats ! By the way you should play the 60's clay courts in New Orleans, it's easy on the knees...

I’ve only ever played on clay twice in my life. Once on HarTru in Central Park in 2015 and two years ago in Rome on red clay. The 2015 hit was on a whim and I didn’t have tennis shoes, and the red clay experience was after I had torn the meniscus in my left knee. But both times, it felt very sketchy to move hard on a slippery surface, and especially on red clay it felt like I could collapse my knee if I did something wrong. Also being 200 pounds, I feel like I’m spinning my wheels to get all my weight moving and especially changing direction.

How long is the learning process to feel comfortable on clay? I feel like I could be pretty disruptive with my shots on clay, but I’d be giving up more by not understanding how to move.

Maria Sharapova said it perfectly for me. I feel like a cow on ice when I‘m on a clay court!

 

[djNEiGht]

thanks for the good/happy news @Injured Again

 

[mctennis]

My new knee is six months old today!

It continues to improve. I‘ve done a number of 10+ mile hikes with 3000+ feet of elevation gain and zero knee pain. I can hike downhill much faster than before. On the tennis front, I still occasionally move funny to the ball when I’m off balance and just automatically go into knee protection mode, but rarely if ever running forward for a drop shot. I’m able to pretty much run down all but the best droppers and still be able to stop and recover to cover the net.

The zingers and itching have totally stopped. The skin is still numb but feeling is slowly returning, and the knee feels warm, but it just feels like my own knee now. There are very few times that I even notice it isn’t my natural knee.

After my Half Dome hike with my son next week, I’ll be hustling to get ready for our level 2 Washington State tournament. I’m hoping to make a good run (pun intended) this year but I’ve played relatively little tennis this last couple of weeks and probably won’t touch a racquet until mid-July. My real goal will be in two years when I’m the baby of the 65’s. If I don’t have much physical decline, I honestly don’t see many more athletically capable tennis players at that age than I am now.

Hope everyone is doing well. There are a couple of you close to a knee replacement so I hope the progression to that point is smooth.

Great news about your knee. I ( as well as others I am sure) appreciate the info and updates as you progressed along. it gives me some reference as to what to sort of expect along the way when I have my knee(s) done. I realize each person and situation is different but at least we know we are not alone in the journey to having it dome and the recovery period. Of course mileage may vary.

 

[Injured Again]

Well, today was supposed to be the day I did the Half Dome hike with my son, but instead we played tennis. The weather was apparently 106 F today and over 100 F all week in the Yosemite Valley and not wanting to die, we decided to cancel our trip.

We’ll try to get a lottery spot again next year. For now, it’s time to train for a tournament coming up in three weeks.

 

[andfor]

Well, today was supposed to be the day I did the Half Dome hike with my son, but instead we played tennis. The weather was apparently 106 F today and over 100 F all week in the Yosemite Valley and not wanting to die, we decided to cancel our trip.

We’ll try to get a lottery spot again next year. For now, it’s time to train for a tournament coming up in three weeks.

Hate to hear you missed your hike, but the good news is it wasn't due to your knee! Good luck with your tournament prep.

Not sure about you at this point, but my knees and recovery journey are almost complete. My progress for me is so positive it's almost mundane at this time!.

I'd estimate I'm about 80-85% recovered since last August's surgery. No pain in the TKR's and back pain is all but gone. The next item for me to improve is my sprinting and overall agility. It's greatly improved but I have a little hitch in my step when trying to accelerate to top speed, I think I can work that out. I can now play with confidence and moderate success against my old 4.5 group. Progress is far enough along I'm confident I can start with some entry level movement drills and progress to more advanced ones over the next couple months. Pool running has been helpful, I just need to take it to a cushioned surface or athletic field on the grass. I'm now guessing I can get to 90 - 95% movement recovery by late August or September, it could push in to October. There's light at the end of the tunnel for total recovery!

 

[Injured Again]

@andfor So great to hear about your recovery! I pretty much feel the same - my knee is a non-issue for tennis, and I’m actually playing at a higher level than any time in the past 3-4 years, mostly because my movement and stability are better. I think what has also helped is that I’ve become used to working out like I did when I was younger so I’m stronger and more flexible.

I’ve been doing sprint training on an artificial soccer field, wearing highly cushioned trail running shoes. They’re heavier so it mimics my tennis shoes better, and the cushioning on top of the artificial turf protects all of my joints. I do 10x100 yards, running the first 50 then sprinting the second 50. I still have some problems translating this speed to on court movement all of the time. If I start out a bit off balance, I still mentally revert to a knee protection kind of stunted gait, just from habit of the last two years. But if I’m in balance, I can go full speed and can run down most drop shots and lobs. Backpedaling is an area where I still struggle on court, even though I can do it fine in training. I know this is something I will overcome in time.

I also no longer rely on Advil before playing. I used to always pop a couple for my knees but now I can do without it.

 

[Injured Again]

Well, I am pretty bummed. I have been training hard for the Washington State tournament. I was going to enter tonight, about a week before the entry deadline, only to find out entries are ALREADY closed because the tournament reached 700 players and they can‘t accommodate any more.

I’m really down in the dumps about this. I’ve been playing as well as any time in the past three years and though I had a chance to win a couple of rounds. Oh well - I’ll have to drown my sorrows with ice cream.

 

[andfor]

Well, I am pretty bummed. I have been training hard for the Washington State tournament. I was going to enter tonight, about a week before the entry deadline, only to find out entries are ALREADY closed because the tournament reached 700 players and they can‘t accommodate any more.

I’m really down in the dumps about this. I’ve been playing as well as any time in the past three years and though I had a chance to win a couple of rounds. Oh well - I’ll have to drown my sorrows with ice cream.

Hate to hear that. Sounds like that's a fun tournament for you. Any chance they can put you on an alternate list if someone pulls out. Withdrawals happen every large tournament.

 

[atatu]

Well, I am pretty bummed. I have been training hard for the Washington State tournament. I was going to enter tonight, about a week before the entry deadline, only to find out entries are ALREADY closed because the tournament reached 700 players and they can‘t accommodate any more.

I’m really down in the dumps about this. I’ve been playing as well as any time in the past three years and though I had a chance to win a couple of rounds. Oh well - I’ll have to drown my sorrows with ice cream.

That sucks ! Sorry to hear this. Looks like there's a nice tournament in Yakima over Labor day that has a 60's draw.

 

[Injured Again]

That sucks ! Sorry to hear this. Looks like there's a nice tournament in Yakima over Labor day that has a 60's draw.

As luck would have it, that is the same weekend my wife’s sister is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and if I go to play that tournament, I‘m sure I will have multiple racquets inserted handle first into my bodily orifices……

 

[Injured Again]

Hate to hear that. Sounds like that's a fun tournament for you. Any chance they can put you on an alternate list if someone pulls out. Withdrawals happen every large tournament.

I’ve asked as I know a few people involved with the tournament and have been told strictly “no”.

I signed up early for a couple of tournaments in my earlier 50’s where I then got hurt in the training and couldn’t play. Ever since, I’ve tried to sign up last minute to give me the best chance of actually being able to play.

I guess now playing the 60’s, and in a couple of years playing the 65’s, most players are retired and can travel. Tennis among my demographic seems to be more popular based on other tournaments, and especially Oregon State which had their largest player field in a long time, if ever.

 

[Injured Again]

Time to revive this thread. I'm now just past eight months and consider my recovery "complete", though I'm still experiencing a few issues that hopefully will go away with time.

I'm still at 140 degrees bending, though it takes a few stretches to get me there. But once I am there, I can bend that much without any pain. Since my knee has a limit of 145 degrees bending, I'm not going to push any further. I can do pretty much anything I want except deeply squat and my right knee doesn't like that so it's never something I do.

I've spent the last couple of months trying to fully rebuild the strength in my left leg. I'm at over 90% strength compared to my right leg, but all of this gym work has increased my force generating capability in my right leg well beyond what it was before I had my knee replacement. So even though my left leg is stronger than my right leg was last year, it's still weaker than my right leg now. I still have a leg size discrepancy of about a half inch in circumference. No lie - it has been extremely hard work to build muscle at age 62. Here's how things look today.

I may be reaching the point where any further strength gains are going to put my knee in danger. I'm not sure how much force it can withstand but I can squat a 225 pound barbell to 90 degree bending. Any more strength won't help me move faster or jump higher since I'm limited by muscle contraction velocity. And I'm getting hints that the knee thinks it is enough. I get a little bit of soreness under the kneecap after a heavy lifting session, and a little bit of soreness on the sides of the knee doing hamstring curls.

On the court, I'm still working to overcome some knee protection habits I developed over the two years before my knee replacement. The main problem I have now is that when I take off in a sprint, if my right leg is the first pushoff leg, I can run at full speed. If my first pushoff step is with my left knee, I tend to shuffle run. I can first step pushoff and sprint in training but can't on court. It's perplexing why this is happening, so I'm going to schedule a couple of sessions with my physical therapist to see if there's some biomechanical reason why my brain won't leg me do things properly. I can run 100 meters in 15 seconds so Usain bolt is only 50% faster than me now!

I've also lost the ability to backpedal freely. Again, it's something I can do in training but put a racquet in my had and a lob over my head and it's compromised. Overall, no complaints though. With a more stable base, I'm hitting the ball harder and more consistently, and have court coverage mostly like I did five years ago.

So, what still is the biggest problem is that I can't sit with my knee bent for extended periods of time. Sitting in a movie theater or an airplane seat, and sometimes even when driving for more than 30 minutes and my knee aches to the point where I have to stand up and walk around for 10-15 seconds to make it go away. Sometimes it will then go away and I can sit with the knee bent for hours more without discomfort. Other times, the aching returns after just a few minutes. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.

The skin sensation is returning, and so has the itching. This varies from day to day, with some days being pretty unbearable and other days with no itching at all. The left knee still feels warm all the time. I'm told these symptoms usually disappear by the one year mark.

I've pretty much stopped taking Advil. I used to pop two or three before each tennis session to keep the knee painfree after playing, and now I will only take one Advil if the knee is a bit stiff after a heavy lifting day or if I've played tennis more than a couple of days in a row. I'm hiking double digit miles and riding my bike at high intensity with zero pain.

Overall, 99% good and 1% bad! I hope the rest of my metal knee brothers are doing well, and those of you who may be looking at knee replacement get some confidence that a full and complete recovery is possible. Not just from my story but from the others who have posted here. My best to all of you.

 

[mctennis]

Time to revive this thread. I'm now just past eight months and consider my recovery "complete", though I'm still experiencing a few issues that hopefully will go away with time.

I'm still at 140 degrees bending, though it takes a few stretches to get me there. But once I am there, I can bend that much without any pain. Since my knee has a limit of 145 degrees bending, I'm not going to push any further. I can do pretty much anything I want except deeply squat and my right knee doesn't like that so it's never something I do.

I've spent the last couple of months trying to fully rebuild the strength in my left leg. I'm at over 90% strength compared to my right leg, but all of this gym work has increased my force generating capability in my right leg well beyond what it was before I had my knee replacement. So even though my left leg is stronger than my right leg was last year, it's still weaker than my right leg now. I still have a leg size discrepancy of about a half inch in circumference. No lie - it has been extremely hard work to build muscle at age 62. Here's how things look today.

I may be reaching the point where any further strength gains are going to put my knee in danger. I'm not sure how much force it can withstand but I can squat a 225 pound barbell to 90 degree bending. Any more strength won't help me move faster or jump higher since I'm limited by muscle contraction velocity. And I'm getting hints that the knee thinks it is enough. I get a little bit of soreness under the kneecap after a heavy lifting session, and a little bit of soreness on the sides of the knee doing hamstring curls.

On the court, I'm still working to overcome some knee protection habits I developed over the two years before my knee replacement. The main problem I have now is that when I take off in a sprint, if my right leg is the first pushoff leg, I can run at full speed. If my first pushoff step is with my left knee, I tend to shuffle run. I can first step pushoff and sprint in training but can't on court. It's perplexing why this is happening, so I'm going to schedule a couple of sessions with my physical therapist to see if there's some biomechanical reason why my brain won't leg me do things properly. I can run 100 meters in 15 seconds so Usain bolt is only 50% faster than me now!

I've also lost the ability to backpedal freely. Again, it's something I can do in training but put a racquet in my had and a lob over my head and it's compromised. Overall, no complaints though. With a more stable base, I'm hitting the ball harder and more consistently, and have court coverage mostly like I did five years ago.

So, what still is the biggest problem is that I can't sit with my knee bent for extended periods of time. Sitting in a movie theater or an airplane seat, and sometimes even when driving for more than 30 minutes and my knee aches to the point where I have to stand up and walk around for 10-15 seconds to make it go away. Sometimes it will then go away and I can sit with the knee bent for hours more without discomfort. Other times, the aching returns after just a few minutes. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.

The skin sensation is returning, and so has the itching. This varies from day to day, with some days being pretty unbearable and other days with no itching at all. The left knee still feels warm all the time. I'm told these symptoms usually disappear by the one year mark.

I've pretty much stopped taking Advil. I used to pop two or three before each tennis session to keep the knee painfree after playing, and now I will only take one Advil if the knee is a bit stiff after a heavy lifting day or if I've played tennis more than a couple of days in a row. I'm hiking double digit miles and riding my bike at high intensity with zero pain.

Overall, 99% good and 1% bad! I hope the rest of my metal knee brothers are doing well, and those of you who may be looking at knee replacement get some confidence that a full and complete recovery is possible. Not just from my story but from the others who have posted here. My best to all of you.

Glad you are doing so well after you having a TKR. It gives me and others as well sort of a roadmap as to what to expect. I appreciate your updates going along the way. I am scheduled to have a TKR here in a few weeks. So I at least know sort of what to expect going by your journey. Good luck and best wishes to you.