Yeah, bone on bone everywhere. He just shook his head about a partial and said it wouldn't be worth the effort. I'm 46 and when he and I first met a year ago he said he wouldn't recommend a knee replacement but now he said I have no choice. He changed his mind when he got in there and saw the damage.

I feel you on the physical conditioning. I just looked at my 12 month trend line in Withings (connected scale) and it is ugly. I'm up 15lbs since this started and I'm only 5'2" so that has a big impact on how all my clothes fit. I can't find anything that I can do to get into shape because even the flexion from kicking while swimming makes my knee hurt. I haven't been in the pool since surgery so I'm hoping it won't be so bad. My PF came about because I was leaning on my left foot to take the weight off my painful right knee. Its been really tough emotionally since being an athlete was a big part of my identity. I still struggle with that.

I hope you find some relief. Keep me up to date on your progress.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I'm SUPER stoopits. What do dis means?

Note: I am no medical professional (electrician, actually)...

My girlfriend, however, is the head of CT at a local hospital here in NH. About a year and a half ago, they started doing a procedure for the local ortho surgeons that they colloquially call, "Knee In A Box." Essentially, they CT your problem knee, then - using the scan and 3-D modeling/CAD - additively manufacture the entire knee joint, plus all of the associated tools and instruments that may be needed during the surgery. (I don't know what those consist of; see "electrician"...) It all comes in one nice, neat package, thus the "Knee In A Box." This allows for a fully unique and customized replacement knee, doing away with most of the problems from "off the shelf" replacements; ie, different length legs after, fitment problems, etc.

From what I have been told, these are showing vastly superior results post-op than previous replacements, up to and including running once again. Again, that's probably about 6th hand information at this point, but it is what I was told. If nothing else, if a knee replacement is in your future, I would check them out.

Here is the company's website: http://www.conformis.com/...onformis&vt-mt=b

Hope everything turns out for the better.
- Jeff

OMG....The Muppets! Rolf made me think of this guy.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Thank you! My surgeon has used those actually and I was going to ask about when once we get closer. That looks so cool. I have crummy insurance so I'm sure they would have a problem with it but it doesn't hurt to ask.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I getting this done in the Fall! My Dr says he wants to use Conformis for me because of my age. I'm going to get the CT in a couple weeks and schedule the surgery for probably October.

I'm pretty excited he decided to go this route.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Awesome! I'm still hearing nothing but good things from those that know (ie, my girlfriend...) about these. Glad you have a plan now, at least!

As you get closer and get you CT and what-not, if you have any questions, I'll be glad to pass them along to my girl - she's kinda knowledgeable... Here's to a new knee!!

- Jeff

HiJust did a search for "running after articular knee pain" & this thread came up.
How is your knee now?
12 months ago I had surgery on my knee, I had 2 holes in my articular cartilage, How it happened, who knows? However I blame it on a fall I had a couple of months prior to surgery, my knees have always been fine. I have been running for about 15 years and also doing triathlon for about the same.
My surgeon used stem cells to grow back cartilage. He told me it would be a long recovery and I have followed his advice by the book. I have not run since the surgery but do plan to at least try soon I have been swimming & biking and my biking is getting back ok. At first I kept things flat but am now not too worried about the hills etc
I do hope to be able to run & get back to triathlon, I have zero pain now & I hope the knee can sustain the running.

Anyone any experience of this & running after such surgery?

Hello all -

I thought it would be fun to pop back in and give an update. On Nov 11th I had my total knee replacement. I couldn't have the custom because my knee is too small for the machinery to make. WTF is the point in having a custom knee company if you can't actually do odd sizes? Off the shelf for me worked fine.

I spent 2 nights in the hospital which was pretty nice actually. I was connected to a drain in my leg though so I had to take a bucket of drainage with me whenever I got up which was pleasant. IV in the other arm. Squeezing things attached to both lower legs so I was really trapped in bed. The NA got tired of having to help me get up to pee but with 4 things attached I couldn't get out of bed on my own. Plus they were putting fluids in me all the time. Food was surprisingly good and the volunteer lady gave me lip balm, lotion and a nail file. That made me oddly happy by the end of the second day.

Went home on 11/13 as planned. My mom flew out to stay with me for the first couple days which really saved me. It would have been possible to do on my own but I caught a cold and that really pushed me over the edge of misery.

Before surgery a medical device company came and dropped of a CPM machine and what I call my beer cooler. I was told to use the CPM machine for 6 hours a day in 2 hour blocks, do PT exercises 3x/day and the beer cooler 20 min on/off. I had alarms for the CPM machine, the meds scheduled and a reminder to do sitting PT exercises hourly: Butt squeezes, ankle flexes, quad squeezes, and bending my knee. So for the first 3 weeks that's all I did. Rehab. And it sucked. I finally called the device guy and said to come get that stupid CPM machine a few days early. I'd done the math and I'd spent over 110 hours strapped into that thing. He was shocked. He said most people only do 2 or 3 hours a day so patients are told 6, assuming a 50% compliance. Whelp, that's what happens when you give me a training plan!

I had hospital provided in-home PT 2x/week for the first 3 weeks. They were very nice but mostly it was a check-in, not a full session.

13 days post surgery I got the staples out. They had put this giant bandaid type thing over the incision after surgery so I hadn't seen it. Wow. That's pretty ugly! They closed it back up with steri-strips that fell away as the incision healed. I still have one little spot that is scabbed and not quite sealed up. Not bleeding but not quite closed, right on my knee that gets the most flexion. Apparently that isn't unusual.

Recovery is going well. I stayed on Oxycodone for 2.5 weeks then tapered off. My range of motion is up to 109* and the pain is controlled through Tylenol as needed.

I just started back with my regular in-office PT last week. She found the CPM machine compliance hilarious. She knows I'll do what's on the plan so no need to inflate the numbers.

My scar is impressive and will fade over time.

I've mostly been having an hard time with being housebound. After the cold I had the first week home I caught a stomach bug last week. The surgery really messes with the immune system so even though I'd only gone out a couple times I managed to get sick. Ugh. It's weird being so fragile. All of my muscles have atrophied from sitting on the couch for a month. It seems as soon as I get energy I get sick or I overdo it. My mind is ready but my body isn't.

My Dr refuses to say yes to running again so I'm focusing on hiking for now. I've gotten heavily involved in an animal rescue group which will literally rescue domestic animals in emergency and disaster. Usually this is a dog stuck on a trail somewhere after an injury. We also raise downed horses, set up emergency shelters during fire evacuations, and other random stuff. I've had to man the base station and comms which isn't fun so I'm hoping to be able to hike in starting this summer.

I've included pics because without them, it didn't happen.

Ask any questions your want :-)

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

How is your knee pain compared post op to pre op?

My knees hurt all day every day, and one is quite bad despite 2 scopes and HTO and TTO.

Another of my tri friends had her knee done and it is so much better. She keeps encouraging me to get mine done. My neurologist today told me to stop contact sports due to multiple concussions. I'll have to stop playing soccer which is one reason knee replacement has been on the back burner.

I've met another triathlete who had hers done and it hurts all the time and she is one of the unlucky few results aren't good.

Hope things continue to go well. I was told after my HTO and TTO that knee replacement is easier to recover from. I had that machine as well. I don't remember how many hours I used but not 110.

109 degrees of flexion is fantastic this soon after your surgery! I'm encouraged to read about your recovery. The story I've gotten from folks who have had knees replaced is that they just cannot bend their knees anywhere near fully -- ever. When do they want you to start walking for exercise?

I'm only 31 days post-op so its too soon to give a final result but so far I'm feeling really positive about the outcome. I'm still in mild pain and have muscle soreness but it isn't the same pain as pre-surgery.

I didn't want to keep waiting because it wasn't getting any better. I had lost all of my fitness and didn't see any change of things getting better so I decided to go for it. So far I think it was the right decision.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Yeah, I've been super focused on my ROM because I know it is critical to keep it moving or the scar tissue will build quickly.

No assigned walking yet. I'm on the recumbent bike for 10 minutes (I always go an extra minute or two) daily plus my standard PT exercises.

My walking gate is close to normal at this point. I just move slower than most people because I'm really focused on walking correctly. :-) My leg gets tired quickly so I have a cane with me when I go out. The muscle atrophy is shocking.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Jen .... I'll likely be getting this done in my future too. What has your Dr said about cycling in the future? Are there any limitations at all or do as you please? I'm surprised youre not allowed to weight bear by the 30 day mark. Can you tell us more about what type of knee it is? Thanks and good luck!

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Swim - ( x ) All good ( ) In the shop
Bike - ( x ) All good ( ) In the shop
Run - ( ) All good ( x ) In the shop

Wow - sweet scar! :) Glad to hear that recovery is going well and that running may once again be in your future.

Not to derail your thread, but can you share the name of the animal rescue organization that you're working with?

I'm weight bearing, I've been on my feet since the day of surgery. I used a walker for stability and now a cane for when I'm tired. I have a lot of stamina to rebuild so walking a lot gets hard and standing for more than a few minutes sucks. The muscle atrophy is astonishing.

Not sure about cycling, I haven't asked because I'm not excited to get on a bike. I got really burnt out years ago from training and haven't been on one in years. My last triathlon was in 2008, I switched to running only after that then my knee crapped out in Dec.

Running is a no-no and basically high impact, however that's defined. Walking and hiking are fine. That's what I plan to do. I live in a very walkable area with nice urban trails so I can easily walk 30 miles on trail through town. There are some nice stair climbs would should be fine too. I also live in an area with a big open water swim culture so I will have to de-sensitize to lakes again to get swimming.

The knee is a DePuy Rotating Platform. It's made of cobalt chrome.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

The organization is small and very local so I'll hold off on giving a specific name but here is a list of response teams by state if its something you sound interested in:

http://sartusa.org/sart-state-links/

I went through a lot of training:

1. Four online FEMA courses, two of which I'd already done through CERT training.
2. Eight hour in person fundamentals training which covered basic emergency response, biohazards, legal issues, etc.
3. Eight hour animal handling which was fun because I had to harness a llama and try to get goats what to do. Neither were very cooperative.
4. Overview of technical rescue which covered supporting the people who did the climbing and had to be harnessed to go down cliffs :-)
5. Criminal background check.
6. Updated CPR/First Aid

On my own I got my HAM radio license which allows me to provide a higher level of comms support since I'm not sure how physical I can get with rescues. I also use it for the local disaster response support network. Thankfully it hasn't been used much for anything other than drills.

I'm really hopeful this replacement will allow me to hike up the trails to provide more technical rescue support such as carrying equipment and helping with getting the dog (typically) back down the trail. I'm not interested in going over cliffs at this point :-)

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Awesome - thanks very much, and good on you for doing it! Side note: 'harnessing a llama' sounds like a life skill I never knew I was missing...

My wife is a forensic anthropologist, and earlier in her career she did some disaster response work as a contractor (9/11, New Orleans after Katrina, etc.). We also have a Belgian Malinois that we did some search & rescue training with when she was younger. This kind of deal sounds like it could be right up our alley.

The atrophy will reverse itself surprisingly quickly. I was on crutches for 8 weeks after my last knee surgery and not cleared to do any walking for exercise for three months. By the six month mark, it was hard to tell which leg had been operated on and which hadn't, just by looking at my quads. (The knee scar was a dead giveaway, but the quads weren't majorly different). Sounds like you're doing great! Please keep posting updates from time to time; there are several of us on here who will be going in for similar surgery at some point. Hopefully not for awhile, but undoubtedly at some point.

Not true. 15 months post-TKR I have 130 degrees and am doing squats. What limits me on squats is actually ankle inflexibility.

Also - started ice skating lessons in the late summer and having a blast doing that. The surgeon OK'ed that but said no way on running or hockey. Yes on cycling. He wasn't as keen on bike racing but I told him I was more concerned about a collarbone or head injury and he agreed and said go for it.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I know a mt. biking gal who has had both done. She's going in for surgery #3 on one knee since it failed. The other knee has been perfect.

Interesting that different surgeons use different hardware and procedures. My surgeon did none of what Jen's did.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I strongly encourage you to look into it. Since I haven't been able to be physically active I've gotten heavily involved with volunteering with several groups. This one is really special.

Several members deploy with ASPCA then they do big rescues, such as the one where to recently took 150+ dogs from a fighting ring. They set up emergency temporary shelters and provide care for the animals.

There are a lot of great opportunities to be involved with SAR, either through tracking with your dog, animal rescue or people rescue. There is even a 4x4 SAR group that if I had a Jeep I'd be all over :-)

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I just had my 6 week post-surgery check-in with my Dr. I'm up to 130* which he's very happy with.

There was a guy in an exam room next to mine that had a replacement the same day. I mentioned being competitive and asked if I am further along. He laughed and said yes so Yay!

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Keep going it gets better. My riding is about the same now as before my replacement in Sep. Endurance is good but still not a lot of power. I pretty much have no limitations except pain, (deep squats).