Originally Posted by
NewMexicoGardne
Hello, am now 8-weeks post right TKR, it really was the right thing to do, no more pain with walking, in the morning, etc. I am 68-years old, female, and we were biking 50-100 miles a week and did PT exercises for 8-months prior to the surgery (because I was headstrong and didn't want to accept that I really needed surgery.) Today on the road bike I noticed that my pedal strokes were pushing my knee medially, it was not comfortable, a simple 12-mile ride. It is like my leg is not pushing straight down, I have to consciously try to move it a little laterally with each pedal. Any suggestions for this? I am still doing all my post-surgery exercises twice a day, the surgeons are amazed at my progress. Am I pushing it to get on the outside bike (should I just stick with stationary biking for now)? Should I just stick with it and keep trying to correct this while biking? Thanks for any help! My knee is straight with my upper leg, but my lower leg is curved a little bit.
I am not an orthopedic surgeon nor am I a physical therapist. I am just someone who had a TKR in December, 2017. I believe you're pushing way too hard. At just 8 weeks post-op your knee is probably still inflamed and warm to the touch (which means its healing) and your leg muscles, especially the small stabilizer muscles around the knee, are nowhere near as strong as they were before your surgery.
Slow down. Work on your PT exercises. Ride a stationary bike at the gym or at PT. Ice your knee several times a day (I iced my knee at least once a day for almost a year. I think it really helped). Enjoy a bike ride when you can, but stop pushing. You'll get there. It's just going to take time.
I hope this helps.
I also advise ditching the clips.
My $.02!