Knee Surgery

As a disclaimer I have been nursing both knees for 48 years or so. Started with high school football in my freshman year and continued with running track a couple years latter. The doctor back then told me “With your knees bicycling is the best thing for them.”

Fast forward:
It appears that in October of 2017 I tore the medial meniscus in my left knee playing racketball. I laid off the racketball for about 5 weeks and again in December tore it again but this time not just a small tear, but I tore it into it two parts. At least that is when I think it became two parts. At my normal visit to my primary doc in Jan, I told him about the pain and he ran his hand up my knee while applying some pressure. When he hit the right spot I saw stars and about fell out of the chair. A few minutes latter no pain. During my preop visit to the Ortho I asked about what my primary doc had done and the Ortho said that he most likely pushed the meniscus back in place.

As a side note, riding the trike did not cause any pain when the meniscus was out of place, it was twisting knee as when making a quick turn while waking.

On Feb 28th I had arthroscopy surgery. As I was talking with my Dr. just minutes before surgery he informs me that he had looked at the MRI and not only did I have “the” tear that the radiologist reported, that I had multiple tears. Based on the photos my Dr. took during surgery and the drawing he made after surgery, he did not have much to work with.

After all the stories that friends and acquaintances told me as well as the info my Dr. gave me I was dreading having the surgery. I was expecting a lot of pain, swelling, weeks not days on crutches. But one week to the day I WALKED into the doctors office for the first follow up. By “walked” I mean without any aid or support and without a limp. At that visit:

• The stitches were remove resulting in bleeding for the first time since before I left the surgery center.
• I was told I had to wait to play racketball for at least another month, maybe longer. Have to see the Dr. again before playing.
• Was told that I did not qualify for physical therapy nor did I need it. I guess having full range of motion prevented that.
• I could START cycling as soon as I wanted to, but would have to take it slow at first. It was suggested that I do about 25% of what I normally do and work my way up over the next few weeks.

The problem here is 25% of what which normal, my:

• 11 mile loop?
• 25 mile loop?
• 12-17 mile ride to town and back?

Luckily I did not really have to decide since the weather here has not been good for riding, so I have been going to the fitness center here in town, the same place I finished off the knee, and have been riding the stationary recumbent bikes there. Okay it has only been two times (Thursday and Friday). Thursday it was very low resistance and slow pedaling (slow for me) and on Friday I added some resistance and some faster cadence.

If I had not been experiencing this myself I would not believe that 8 days post surgery I would be riding a bike.

Riding stationary bikes is boring.

Gary

 

Gary, disclaimer... I've been working in health car for 40 years. My advice is just take it easy and let your body tell you what it can and can't do. Make sure you don't mash on the bike and don't do high weight in the gym. High cadence is better and less weight puts less strain on the knee..

So now you basically have no meniscus left which is the padding between the bones. If you mash on the bike or do heavy weight training you will be grinding those bones in your knee together. Not Good!

Good luck.

 

Thanks Ward.

I more than understand what can good wrong with "mashing." I have been nursing these old knees for a long time and do what ever I can to avoid it. I think that somewhere there is another thread here where I talked about my changing my gearing (lowering) on the trike because of the hills we have in the area. Although I may not of said it at the time the knees were part of the equation for that change. It is so easy on the trike to "wedge" yourself between the seat back and the pedals and grind away to compensate for not being able to use your body weight like on a up-wrong bike.

As to cadence, I am not a person who pedals in the 90+ rpm all the time, but on the other hand I'm a long ways from the 60's or even slower that I see some people do.

As I understand it, Yes, and add in the 50+% loss of cartilage and the arthritic changes on the femur and I see a total knee in my future. When I first went to the Ortho this time (same Dr. that took care of my bike related torn quadriceps in 2011, same leg) I was expecting and prepared for a total knee. Luckily he was not one of the Docs. who thinks that anyone 60+ years needs a total just because of their age.

My body has been telling me for many years what it CAN'T do, and for the most part I listen to it. The first day at the gym I thought I would do 45 minutes of very easy (no resistance) very slow pedaling (mid 70's) so I could just flex the joint and stretch the muscles. At about 15 minutes into it I adjusted the time to 30 minutes, at 20 minutes I stopped. My body was telling me enough. It was not yelling yet. I was not having any pain, but because I had been basically static for the better part of 5 months I had lost a lot of my conditioning and was running out of gas. Although I'm not having any swelling post exercise I'm still icing the knee after any type of exercise, like riding the .

I know that only time and easy exercise is going to be the only thing that is going to get me back on the trike doing the miles I normally do.

Again thanks for the advice, encouragement and support.

Gary

 

Gary sounds like you are all over. Heal up quick!

 

FINALLY! a real ride. Just 11 miles, but it was OUTSIDE and my average was 10.4 which I feel is great considering it is the first real ride since before surgery.

I've been riding a recumbent stationary at the fitness center 3-5 days/week while increasing both time and resistance.

The weather here been

• rain
• cold
• windy
• snow

or any combination of the above.

It really felt good to have the cold air on my face.

No pain in the repaired knee.

Gary

Here is the profile of today's ride,

 

Congrats on the ride and the surgery!

 

Thanks.

I hope that the right knee goes as smoothly when it is done.

Gary

 

If you are using the same doctor, it probably will. My mom, is need of (2) knee replacements. Her joints are bone to bone and they just grind and pop every time she gets up on them moving around. She has degenerative joint disease etc. uses a wheel chair a lot of the time. She goes to the dr in the next week or so... so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she can get them done soon.

 

Yes, I'll be using the same doctor.

I wish your mother good luck.

I have a friend who could barely walk with his bad knee. He compensated for it so much that he almost wore out his hip. After the replacement, his leg is straight again and he is walking fairly normal again, even riding some again.

Gary

 

That's great Gary!

 

Thanks Ward.

Of course the weather changed and I have not been able to ride outside, it was snowing yesterday. The forecast looks good for this week so maybe....

Gary

 

Tomorrow I go back to the doctor (2 hours away, in a different time zone, one of the perks of living in the middle of no where ) for a 5 1/2 week follow up. I'm hoping that he will say that I can get back to playing racquetball soon. Yes that was what I was doing when I tore the meniscus or most likely finished the tear. I realize that it has only been 5 1/2 weeks, and before surgery he said that it maybe 8 weeks before racquetball. The possible 8 weeks was based on the "report" from the radiologist who read the MRI. Since he had to sew the two parts back together it might be longer, but I can hope.

I have been and will continue to follow his directions, I'm in no hurry to have a total knee. I was really surprised that I was told I could start biking again 1 week post surgery.

Other than the ache I now get in the repaired knee when there is a sudden drop of barometric pressure, the knee feels better than it has in 48± years.

While rereading my posts in this thread I realized that I did not mention that the doctor I go to, specializes in sports related orthopedic issues.

Gary

 

I sometimes recall the words of my surgeon prior to my first (right) knee replacement some 9-odd years ago ... "You should have no problems with it lasting ... these current versions are pretty much guaranteed for 10 years life span ... !" Somehow I feel he underestimated MY life span potential - lol !

... and then I had the left one replaced some 2 years later ... ?

On the bright side I still don't notice any visible, audible or sensory indications of wear and tear in either joint ... !

Fuzzy

PS: I got the same 10-year warranty with my pacemaker ... and then remember that both Dad and his sister lived till their early 100's ... going to be a tight squeeze at the finish !

 

My Doc said that this repair should postpone a total knee for 10 years. He knows some of the activities I do, but I don't think he realizes how much I do, specifically when it comes to bicycling. I have a feeling that he thinks I'm like most of his patients my age (65 right now) that a long ride is 5 or so miles. My shortest loop I have from the house is the 11 mile one I did the other day. So will it last 10 years, only time will tell.

No pacemaker yet and I don't see one in the near future.

Gary