Hello all. I have been meaning to sit down and blog an update but the days are full and the energy is low.
My Right Knee
I had a surgical procedure of my right knee meniscus on February 20. The procedure went very well. I was able to walk on it right away - of course, they use nerve blocks to mask the pain and the blocks last anywhere from 10-18 hours or so. But even once it wore off, I thought there was a big improvement. It wasn’t 100% perfect but the improvement in the knee was evident.
But what was really unbelievable was the impact on the rest of my body.
Although the surgery was on the right knee, my left knee was also having problems and on some days it was as bad as the right knee. After the surgery - no pain in my left knee. And as of today - two weeks post surgery - my left knee is still symptom free!
And then there is my lower back. I have significant arthritis in my lower back - enough that I have received 2 treatments of steroid injections to relieve the pain. Remember, I have low kidney function due to a kidney surgery in 2023 - and I can’t take most pain relief drugs because of that. So steroid injections are my go-to. After this surgery - no more back pain!
So what accounts for the improvements in the non-surgical areas! Well I have been limping for at least a year and using a cane for the last 8-10 months. Apparently my alignment was so out of wack that I was causing myself more problems.
Bottom line: I should have done this sooner.
All of that is the good news.
The bad news is that I will need a knee replacement at some point in the future in that right knee. I guess the damage that he cleaned out was considerable - and that cushioning between the bones is much reduced increasing my risks for knee replacement. I really didn’t want to hear that.
But for now I am off my cane. I am walking like a normal person. I am back to doing my leg exercises and will return to the gym on Friday. Walks for exercise right now are tough. It does aggravate the right knee some and I am loath to push my luck (it has only been 2 weeks!).
I have two goals right now.
- Right now I am taking very short walks. I have no energy - so improving my stamina is #1.
- Number #2 - improve my balance. Apparently if you walk on “three legs” (a cane and 2 legs) long enough, your balance degrades. If I can’t make improvements on my own, I’ll go back into PT.
9 comments:
Ah yes, the compensating our bodies must do for damaged, hurting parts! That is one reason I want to get my knees replaced earlier rather than later – I KNOW my gait has altered dramatically as my knees have gotten worse.I'm so happy that you've experienced so much relief from your surgery!!!
That's great news. And an amazing surprise about the disappearance of pain in other parts. I think more things about us are connected than we tend to realize.
Good plan to focus on the here and now. It must be such a relief with the other knee and back pain free and not be limping!
Good to hear it went well and that you are feeling so much better.
As Michelle said, I also know my gait was altered the minute I tore the second knee . . . I chose not to have mine cleaned out because they've told me that I definitely am going to need new knees down the line, too. I just didn't want to have to rehab both of them twice. I'm glad it's made such a great improvement for you, not only in your walking, but also in your pain levels in other parts of your body. Yay!!! :-) :-)
Yes - any amount of relief allows me time to gain back the stamina I lost as well as correct balance issues.
Well some of the pain in my back has returned. Not sure why it went away. But X-rays show arthritis and that isn’t due to a gait issues. I have a long history of back pain.
Yes, no limping. For now, anyway.
There has been no rehab for my right knee. I had been doing my exercises previously, so the legs are good - nothing really to recover from in this procedure - except for balance which is quickly adjusting. I am hoping to avoid knee replacement in the future. That surgery does require months and months of rehab and recovery still takes a year - the surgical techniques keep improving but there are no short cuts to healing and recovering adequate range of motion and strength. I also think that each individuals case is different. I could not continue without some surgical intervention. I, too, had heard of many who were advised against the surgical fix. My knee, however, was swollen, became very sore after being on it for 30 minutes or more, meds were impacting it less and less, and it kept me more chair bound than I thought was healthy for me at 77. I had to do something - and even the doc said I was not a candidate for replacement now. This surgical fix was the right step for me now.
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