ALso take your physical therapy very seriously. I am recovering from a ski injury in which I tore my PCL. They apparently do not operate on it. The PT has been helping. I have been doing a fair amount of pulling free and back stroke, and now have begun some light kicking and a wierd flip turn...do not want to push off the wall too hard or jerk my knee. Your PT will have you doing stretches, weights, stationary bikes , etc. I was a *** stroker and flyer...now I am training backstroke ( I rarely entered that event), so I can start in the water! Hoping to compete in April.
Fortunately I also swim distance free.
Always use precaution. Definitely consult a doctor and build up. Being out of the water for any period of time can be difficult getting back in the rhythm. Even when taking a bath, stretch and reherse movements. Breaking a right ankle kept me out almost 2 months. Try pulling and then working in a little kick. Best of luck.
When you doctor says you can. Probably when the incision is dry, the stitches/staples have been removed, and the incision stays dry for a couple of days. This eliminates the risk of infection. (Per instructions that I received for a similar joint procedure).
This is actually the second knee replacement for me the first was April 2004. The second was Wednesday this week. The first one I took it easy on my therapy for the first few days starting with 3 of each exercise they suggested. But this time they told me that on the first day I had to do the three exercises every hour and do each movement 10x and had me walk with a walker in the hallway. Next day the pain and swelling was unbelievable. I told the therapist she must be nuts. I believe we have to do the therapy but there is no need to go to extremes. The worst part of the operation was that I was awake and could hear the saw, the hammering and the drill. They had a screen up but I could see the bone chips flying through the air. The first oprerarion was 6 weeks of therapy bicyle etc etc and I was walking quite well without canes or crutches after the six weeks. And very little pain. They put a pain buster in my knee and had an iceman to ice whenever I did my therapy. I am still getting over the pain but it was better today. Also when the therapist had me working the first day she knocked the drain out of my knee which ment the blood welled up in the leg and caused swelling she also knocked the painbuster out so no morphine. I was so disgusted I left the hospital and went home. I will look after my own therapy. I will be swimming as soon as the wound is dry and the staples removed. The therapist also told me I should go in the deep end of the pool and walk I told her no.
George- thanks for the vivid description- I haven't felt so nauseous reading a post on this forum since the pre-civility era.
I have no doubt that you'll be back kicking a** and taking numbers in short order.
In college I hurt my right knee "clift diving" off of the stripmind lakes in Victoria, IL. I used to get shots. One tiem a doctor took me off of the shots and said thatwhen I'm in my late 40s, I should have the knee replaced. I've had many surgeries on my gut that never made me afraid. Now though I'm terrified of having my knee replaced. Please put in an update about your situation & the pain & progress.
George. Being awake during a total knee is a lousy thing to do. I am a nurse anesthetist, and when ever I do a spinal, I almost always knock the patient out with a strong IV sedative. I know I wouldn't want to hear the saws and hammers on my bones.
And never trust a real estate tip from a surgeon.
Good luck with rehab.
Barry
The deck is the most dangerous place to navigate when you are unsure of your footing. I used to buy a new pair of runners that I only used at the pool. But have changed to beach shoes the type you use for walking into the water at the beach if it is stoney. Easy on easy off, made of rubber and they don't slip on the tile I bought them at the Dollar store.
Originally posted by Peter Cruise
George- thanks for the vivid description- I haven't felt so nauseous reading a post on this forum since the pre-civility era.
I have no doubt that you'll be back kicking a** and taking numbers in short order. Peter I only want to be sure that anyone going through a knee replacement does not just have a spinal, ask them to knock you out a little so you don't see anything or hear anything you don't want to know about. Although I heard about a good investment in a realestate developement the Doctor was going to buy into.
I completely tore 3 knee ligaments and had them repaired plus stitching back together some other soft tissue structures that were ripped off the knee in November 90 (age 34). It was not a knee replacement surgery but invasive and lots of work for the surgeon. Hopefully my experience will be useful info. I did rehab until May 91, 3x/week for about 3-4 hours each day. I waited until I was off crutches in January to get back in the pool (2 months) for easy swimming - I was more concerned about slipping and falling on the pool deck than hurting it swimming.
For the first year following surgery I wore a sports knee brace in the pool to prevent hyperextension and also to protect it from side:side motion since the surgery didn't totally stabilize the knee. I did one-legged turns/flip turns and dragged that leg while kicking the other until I could kick without pain. I had to wear a leg brace 24x7 except showering for about the first year after surgery. Yuck.
I had to have the ACL reconstructed in June 91 (arthroscopically assisted) after the direct repair failed. I put some skin sealant (Nu-Skin ?) over the incision/staples and started swimming immediately after getting out of the hospital. My orthopaedist would have thrown a fit and told me to find a new surgeon if he had found out. Joint infections are very serious business.
Pool decks are the biggest hazard I've run into. November 2005 (15 years after the original injury), my foot slipped while walking cautiously on deck, hyperextended the knee again, and even though I never fell down I had a partial PCL tear on my previously injured knee. That took about 6-8 weeks to (mostly) heal on its own.
Breaststroke - I had to pretty much give it up. The kick is painful and ineffective so all BR sets in practice are with fins and a dolphin kick with BR armpull. The only time I do BR kick is when I want to swim a IM in a meet.
Backstroke start - I end up doing a "track start" off the gutter, not off the blocks, since I have limited flexion on the one side.
In 1990 I was advised that in 10 years I would be looking at a knee replacement due to inevitable knee degenerative changes and pain. Let us all know how you do, and good luck with your recovery.
