Dog Training / Therapy Dog Handler

On May 11, 2022 I had a full knee replacement, here are some of the highlights and takeaways.

A little background: In 1977 I was in a car crash that broke my right femur (which caused my leg to be shorter) and I had an open (compound) fractured tibia. I spent 119 days in the hospital. Approx. 50 days in Skeletal traction and 50 in a body cast. In 1980 I had a cyst and cartilage from my right knee.

Back to the present, the more I was on my feet the more the knee hurt. Years ago I had my knee checked and I was told I was too young to have it replaced and we tried less invasive procedures like Synvisc injections. So I made the decision to have my knee replaced. I know a few people who had it done and it was always a happen ending.

In preparation, I never looked too much into the actual procedure and I did NOT spend much time online trying to filter through all the stories and opinions. I still have not looked online much…

What I expected was to be off my feet and stuck at home for weeks after the operation. I figured that would give me the opportunity to get caught up on web/seo work sitting at my desk.

What I didn’t know was that my knee would not bend easily after the operation and in fact trying to bend it was very uncomfortable. The other detail I never considered was the pain meds would make me drowsy. So I was stuck. I couldn’t sit at my desk to work because it was too uncomfortable. If I took the meds I could sit longer at my desk but I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything worth doing. Having a sensitive knee that hurts to bend also affects trying to sit and the dinner table, car seat or on the toilet.

Getting dressed, putting on shoes and socks, all very uncomfortable.

I was sent home from the surgery center with a large leg brace. The post op directions said to sleep with it which made sleeping nearly impossible.

The home Physical Therapist (PT) started the second or third day home… He also didn’t understand the reason for the brace and why I was supposed to wear it to sleep. He also gave me the impression that I should have been able to bend my knee more than I could after the surgery. So I had PT at home a few times a week for a week or so. He taught me to walk and do steps and get in and out of the car with the walker. He has me do exercises (bending the knee primarily) and gave me daily exercises to do including walking every 30 minutes. Keep in mind most of this was painful, especially trying to bend the knee which I thought wasn’t doing as well as expected.

I had a week off between home PT and outpatient PT. Since my wife and I had the impression from the home PT person that my range of motion wasn’t were it should be, she and I regularly worked on bending my knee. I also continued to work on the exercises he had instructed me to do.

My outpatient PT experience is great. The guys are great and I focus mostly on building the muscles around my knee. There has been very little trying to bend my knee to increase range of motion….

I am not sure of the cause but I am depressed and lack motivation. It could be the operation itself, my not being out as much as I used to be, the meds and pain or missing end of year school events but I am not comfortable. I’ve spoke to people who think it is all the factors combined which makes sense to me. It does make me have more compassion for those who had to work from home and didn’t leave the house much during the Covid lockdowns…..

Sunday June 12, 2022: Four weeks after the surgery. My first official day out. I went to Church at Calvary Chapel Parkland. Sitting the entire time wasn’t too bad. I had some room to move around. After church we walked (I had my cane) to Pasquale’s Pizza Co ordered two pieces to go. Later that day I had a friend drive me and Coco to the 25 annual First There, First Care Preliminary Competition at the Coral Springs Fire Academy. This was my first outing with Coco since the surgery. It was a little uncomfortable but I managed to spend most of the time inside and sitting while the contestants interacted with Coco.

Sunday June 19, 2022: No cane except for long walks. Less pain and discomfort in all I do. First time being able to pedal a complete rotation on the stationary bike (there was a little cheating). Driving myself around. I started sleeping with no muscle relaxers but it wasn’t good sleep.

Weds June 22, 2022: My last day of Physical Therapy, not because I reached some sort of milestone, but because my insurance company only pays for 30 visits in one years time. See, I plan on having my shoulder also worked on this year (so it will be under the same deductible) and I have to save some PT visits for the shoulder…

Fri July 1, 2022: I’m getting back into Therapy Dog activities and going to the Gym. The worst part is a SHARP PAIN UNDER MY KNEE CAP. I’m also uncomfortable getting up after sitting for a while. The knee is both stiff and the sharp pain under my kneecap happens when I try to straighten my leg.

Weds July 15, 2022: This week I started doing the STAIRMASTER and Stationary bike at the Gym and more Therapy Dog activities. The sharp pain under my kneecap seems to be much less now after two days on the Stairmaster and Stationary bike. The knee is still stiff if I sit for long and get up but it does seem like it is getting better.

Tues July 26, 2022: It has been just over 2 months and I am doing about 40 minutes on the stair stepper machine. There is no pain. The sharp pain under my knee is about gone. I have about 92 degrees range of motion. It is still stiff and feels funny if I sit for a while and when I get up. Yesterday I was standing walking for a while and it was all sore… but no worse than it was pre-op. The right side of my knee is still a little num. The entire knee is still warm. It is about as swollen as it was pre-op. I keep reading improvements over pre-op can take 6-12 months so I feel very good about how it is all going.

Mon Aug 1, 2022: Doctor checkup (2.5 months, about 12 weeks). The sharp pain under my kneecap is all gone. I can do seated leg extensions or anything that tightens the quads and it doesn’t hurt like it used to. I can stand on one leg. I can do a slight squat on one leg and more with both. The only issue is the crunching and clicking is getting worse. Dr. Gupta said that will go away once the quad is tighter and I should ignore it. My range of motion is about 95deg I think. All together I think things are going very well.

Mon Sept 12, 2022: My wife Melodie and I went on a Cruise and I only used the stairs. We both did the gym on the ship also. The last cruise I went on in April I couldn’t use the stairs, it just hurt too much. Now I am back to using the stairs 100% of the time. I also walked off and on the ship in addition to walking around the tourist area of Gran Turks and Carnival’s private Island, Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.

Mon Nov 28, 2022: I was at Physical Therapy for my Shoulder, I had Rotator Cuff Surgery Oct 11, 2022. I asked my PT (the same who worked on my knee) to measure the Range of Motion ROM for my knee and he did. He measured it at 124 degrees. The knee still gets stiff and a little uncomfortable after being on my feet for hours but it doesn’t hurt like pre-surgery.