The Bionic Knee Club

[KBC]

I know there are many people who have bionic knees here, and have just learned this week that I have a seat reserved in the same club!

Being that I am a nice patient English/Canadian, it does not seem at all strange to me that I have to wait, like 8 months, to get my new knee…could of got it done quicker if I had chosen another surgeon, but as a wise man told me many years ago, when in a strange town never go to a take away without a line up! This guy is good, and I would rather have good than quick.

I guess the upside is that it will probably be scheduled for July time, which I will have to refuse, as we are going back to the UK in August for my sons wedding…so they will reschedule for September, which I will refuse, because we are still in show season, so then hopefully I will get an October date, just after Provincial Finals…

The downside…well I have to cope with the pain and lack of mobility until then…

Another upside, plenty of time to work on getting as fit as possible, and trying (again) to lost some weight to help the recovery process.

So any tips about survival, lasting to the OP, pre OP preparation…

Any and all hints and tips and support for those with bionic knees and those joining the club.

[academicequestrian]

Hey! As a kid I got part of my knee actually removed, and had to wait almost 18 months for that surgery as teens/kids can only have teen/kid-specialist surgeons! I didn’t ride pre-surgery, but here are my tips for post-op riding.

RUB A535- NOT HEATING VERSION! Apply it before and after you ride (as long as no allergy/reactions with meds). It is a topical nerve block and helps like no other. Myoflex is a close 2nd - its and anti-inflammatory. No other topicals come close to these two. Use them all the time right after surgery after your wound heals!

I rode only in tall boots while healing for about 2 years post-op (my LCL was completely torn and had to have extra support on outside of knee as my muscles took over for it + healing from removal of outer meniscus). I found that having this sturdy-er support for the whole lower leg, as opposed to just paddock boots, really helped. You have to get them fit properly, as you don’t want the upper part pressing too hard on your knee when it may swell (= ouch!).

Under my breeches, I always wore one of those soft knee braces (no hard parts to rub against saddle - learned that the hard way with blisters) and LOTS of KT tape to stabilize knee and ankle. I found my ankle needed extra support for a while as it adjusted to a weaker knee. Now 5 years post-op I just tape it sometimes when it’s sore, but my muscles have adjusted. I also rode periodically with no stirrups (on a very safe horse) to give my knee and ankle relief. Sometimes in lessons, just with no stirrup on the sore side!

I’m sure you’ll have physio to recoup (yay Canadian insurance/health care!) THIS HELPS SO MUCH! Make sure to ask for specific strengthening, and also lengthening exercises. My inner and outer quads would knot pre-surgery and post because they tried to over-compensate for the weak knee, and physio helped so much with pain management.

Pre-op: get those resistance bands and specifically look up leg strengthening exercises. I also worked a lot on the bike and elliptical (non-jarring = less damage and pain for joints) but no riding as if I fell I could have REALLY messed it up more. I run now that its fully healed for strength/cardio.

Welcome to the sore knee club! I get bionic injections periodically as I have no cartilage in the outer knee

[KBC]

One of the benefits of a long wait is you have time to work on fitness…though I only had one session with the last Physio I was sent to first words out of his mouth “You don’t need me you need a surgeon” Then he was saying that I every time I did something and it hurt I was causing more damage…

Now I am going to do my research, and get better advice…

[academicequestrian]

Honestly, get a new physio who wants to help you. They can do so much for athetes waiting or healing from surgery, and basically mine has said that physio should be patient-led/focused on what the patient wants, moreso than in almost every other medical profession. If you are located in an urban area there should be many to choose from!

Good luck

[KBC]

@academicequestrian

. If you are located in an urban area there should be many to choose from!

Good luck

:lol::lol: Nope, live in the arse end of beyond, access to anything is a trek…have to see what I can find.

[KBC]

Question: Those who have had knee replacements, how long after would you have felt up to a 5 hour flight, then 7 hour flight, months ‘vacation’ family wedding being held at old castle, with stairs, not built when ease of access was thought of?

[jeano]

Three or four months. i took a vacation that involved no plane travel, not many stairs, but plenty of walking and standing 2 months after a partial knee and it was rough sledding at times. Mind you, I could ride a horse 4 weeks after surgery, but youll have discomfort/ pain with swelling for 12 weeks at least, especially if you overdo. Your default position for a lot of the hours of the day will be leg elevated with an ice pack for quite a while. Long plane ride with limited or no options for elevating will be no fun.

Having said all that, you’ll be a happy camper very early on when you realize the knee is STABLE (Hallelujah

[MtnDrmz]

If you do make it to the trip, I suggest compression leggings for the flight!

[KBC]

Oh jeez, went to my first “welcome to your new knee” training session…

Got measured for my walker, and give paper work to submit for a parking permit…scary session in a way, I have to decide between general anesthetic or a spinal block…unless there is a medical reason for them to suggest one or the other…Both have risks, the spinal kind of makes sense, but have had so many back issues I’m worried to go for it…

So the process trundles on I ‘met’ my new knee, seems he is a boy, just trying to get a name for him…Ken Knee, To Knee…

In other news, my ‘good’ knee is getting pissed of with being the main worker, so decided to complain…had x-rays, and they look pretty good to me, my bet, another tear…we will see//

[Kyrabee]

I had a spinal for my total hip. I liked it. Easier to wake up afterwards. Plus, at the time, I had a sore tailbone and the spinal must have allowed for some “reset” of the nerves. The tailbone (later diagnosed with a spur on it) felt pretty darn good for about 10 days.

I think the literature shows that recovery is faster with the spinal block. YMMV

Susan

[RMJacobs]

@KBC, how about Win Knee for a name for your new body part? Covers all sorts of meanings, right?

Rebecca

[McGurk]

The last knee I had twilight anesthesia and a local nerve block. They bought a fancy machine into pre-op to target the nerve precisely. That was amazing in terms of no drug hangover, reduced pain and getting me up and moving quickly (Afternoon of the surgery; and went home the next day.) It also has a little bit of a trailing effect which really helped starting the PT.

First knee, about 8 years ago, I had an epidural and when I woke up in the recovery room, nothing below the point of the block hurt. Also amazing. So I vote for the block.

I would say that the wedding trip sounds like a bad idea until you’re at least 8 - 10 weeks post op. It’s the flight that would bother me more than anything. The other thing that sounds problematic about the trip is the inability to stop and take a break when things are too much.

In re: riding. For both I was back on the horse in 4 weeks. But I started out riding the hangover horse, not the big, big moving horse. And I started out doing short walk/trot hacks and built up from there. And the horses are right outside my front door - I don’t have to drive to them, someone else got them up for me the first couple of times.

So I think a more realistic timeline is start back riding at 6 weeks post op and gradually build your fitness back up.

[KBC]

The count down begins…well I hope, I have two more shows this season, both Championship shows, and my knee is complaining big time…told my coach that we are doing this, even if someone has to lift me down after the last test on the last day. Poor Fergie has been taken off pasture, and is in a pen for the next month, so I don’t have to walk half a mile to go find her. On the upside, in October she will be kicked out for a while to rest.

Husband is making plans for next year, thinking I wont be showing…my aim and purpose, prove him wrong…

[KBC]

I have a date, 10th October is when I join the club, that is R day for me…

I have a question, do I shave legs before surgery? I have no objection to hairy legs, but I’m sure I have read something about not shaving?

[Kyrabee]

They don’t want any nicks or cuts…so I would say no. All my instructions have said at least not to shave the surgical area which would be at least your affected leg. You should get instruction at your pre-op visit.

Susan

[McGurk]

That will be covered in your pre-op instructions. They do not want any breaks in the skin because of risk of infection. I vaguely remember being told to stop shaving 3 days prior? There’s also a packet they send home with wipes for you to use the night before and the morning of.

[KBC]

The count down continues, and Friday is my last show of the year…have not been able to do much practice, have had to cut some rides short, just hurt to much…and had a complete shock when trying to to leg yields last week, to the right great, to the left, just continued straight down the center line…got it fixed last night…have to take that weaker leg right back to give a clear aid…otherwise it does not compute.

Living life balancing taking pills so I don’t hurt, but also trying NOT to take them…

I was so not ready in November last year, when he said it needed replacing
I was so not ready in April when they called me for May

I am SO READY now…

[KBC]

My new knee is 10 days old! And so far we are not the best of friends…I know we will be in the future, just not quite yet.

Big question at the moment, I seem to toe out, which is a pain, hoping that when the muscles get strong again that I will be straight, I never thought to ask if I would be straight! If I had of thought I would of asked him to err on the side of toe in!

[jnel]

I’m so glad you are doing well! I was happy to see your update as a new knee is in my future.

[McGurk]

KBC, That is something that will change as you progress in PT. You’re not really toeing out, per se, but one of the ligaments that helps control that was probably cut during the surgery. I was alarmed that when I laid in bed after surgery, the surgery leg sort of lolled to the outside. Is that what you’re experiencing? If so, no worries - PT and getting stronger will fix it.