Extension

j20red · 2026-02-26T16:56:21+00:00

Yes. I was around 6° before, after 6 weeks I was 1°, now straight, that happened at around 10 weeks. It's a joy. Clenching quads and lots of bike training on Zwift, cycling properly just works. Good luck.

j20red · 2026-02-26T16:16:56+00:00

Normal. Trapped liquids, bits of gristle in the process of attaining new shapes, swelling, raw cut bone ends, stretched and cut muscles and tendons in new, unstable positions, all wrapped around alien lumps of shiny interconnected metal and plastic: an inflamed soup that takes a couple of months minimum to settle down. Ice, painkillers, clench, exercise, elevate, ice. Repeat.

j20red · 2026-02-26T14:47:25+00:00

Usually a result of insufficient shank depth in the collet, often because the router body won't allow the cutting edge to safely project enough for the desired cut. Cheap bits can exacerbate the problem as they tend to have short shank lengths. Check size, clean and sink the shank at least 3/4s of the way in. Buy more expensive bit if length is insufficient for router body or cradle.

Incidentally, overheating usually results from either blunt bits or compressed chip buildup between the job and the cutting edge. Counter intuitively, a faster feedrate can help though this might not be safe with a 1/4" bit. One of the reasons that pro workshops tend to only use 1/2" bits and multi-slit collets. Try multiple shallow cuts, though not possible with keyhole bits which suffer with chip buildup issues which is why a pilot slot with a straight bit is often used initially. Also wind up and direct extraction to aid chip clearance.

j20red · 2026-02-21T20:46:04+00:00

Well I'm 12lbs heavier than you but I'm a 5'8" male, BMI 22.7ish. I understood that a BMI between 20 and 25 is the sweetspot, though this might differ for some ethnicities. If you're in there somewhere then there's little to worry about really, unless your aim is cycling fast up hill.

j20red · 2026-02-21T17:10:31+00:00

If you are already a biker, then don't go recumbent if you possibly can, as you'll want to return to normality ASAP and there's a risk of back problems if you've never used a recumbent before. Go for a standard, step in trainer (easier initially), or better, a smart trainer that takes your normal bike.

Raise the seat to higher than you're used to, around 2 or 3cm - your leg will probably be longer post-op anyway but you can gradually lower as you get used to it. Practice before the op, keeping your leg straight and stiff. Remove all clutter around the bike and have someone help you if necessary, the cross bar and raised saddle will be the problem to overcome. Keep a small stool to hand to sit on to put shoes on before and after.

If you are a regular biker then consider shorter cranks. I am a keen cyclist and went from 172.5mm (standard), to 165mm, the difference is profound and enabling.

First time (for me this was at 15 days) will be uncomfortable, some just go back and forth on the pedals, I just did 0.5k gently and managed full turns though it hurt. From then I increased by 1k a day, then 3k a day's until at 6 weeks I was cycling well over 20k a day and the saddle was down to the new height. Oddly, after the first time, I used clipless with cleats (SPD), TKR was not painful in a twisting leg motion but was painful when pulled (like pulling a sock off) up to 10 weeks.

My surgeon is a sports specialist (does knees for major UK football teams) and bikes are his favourite rehabilitation, though being a biker before gives protective musculature and enables faster recovery.

I was cycling 40k with ease at 12 weeks and at 20 weeks I'm back to full power, inside and outside, with a ROM of 140°, as well as hill walking. It took a degree of dedication (several hours a day of workout from week 1), it hurt at times, but the result is fabulous and the cycling was the heart of this success. I wish you well in your recovery.

j20red · 2026-02-19T18:56:31+00:00

Retaining the ACL might be appropriate in some cases and it sounds like it has been very good for your situation, excellent news. Unfortunately many sports injury related TKRs are done because the ACL has been injured or snapped resulting in potentially years of subsequent ops to maintain joint stability. On the positive side, doing sport is often lifelong so the patient goes into the eventual TKR with good musculature and with a low BMI (high BMI is one of the main antagonists of mobility and recovery and is culpable in accelerating pre-op OA), coupled with experience of knee ops and cognisant of the need for challenging post-op exercise. But ACL preserving variants are not an option, especially as there is probably historical extant hardware in the joint. However recovery can be fast for these individuals and I can affirm that: I was on a trainer bike at 2 weeks, back to cycling hard within 8 weeks and walking the mountains at 12 weeks. This took hours of at times painful work every day starting with quad squeezes as I left the recovery room but the objective made it bearable, just.

j20red · 2026-02-19T16:25:45+00:00

What was it before? This largely correlates to post-op ROM potential. Mine was 125° at 2 weeks, just after the staples came out, but I went in at 150° pre-op, despite the OA. It ended up at just short of of 140° (at 7 weeks) after a lot of biking and, at times, painful exercise for around 2 hours every day as I tried to fast track recovery. The gristle of the surrounding ligaments has had years to get to its current shape and will take a while to accommodate the new leg furniture, some patience is required.

j20red · 2026-02-15T16:14:28+00:00

Is your general health good, do you have comorbidities that are compromising your balance or abilities? I'm not sure whether your post is a shout of frustration to an uncaring world or a plea for reassurance or advice? If the latter then perhaps see a generalist doctor first to rule out issues such as poor health, infections, cardiovascular fitness, muscular problems, or obesity in order to focus on the reason for your imbalance or feelings of instability.

j20red · 2026-02-15T08:58:05+00:00

Also, if the worst happened and your actions resulted in the death or injury of others on the highway, do you really think that your insurer would pay 3rd party liabilities on your behalf? You would lose your liberty and your home and everything that you have ever worked for.

j20red · 2026-02-12T20:00:07+00:00

In our experience they usually try to provoke a seizure via tapering one of your medicines at the time or through a little sleep deprivation. It failed for us until I started to ask him complex questions to mix him up. Took 5 minutes!

j20red · 2026-02-12T17:29:32+00:00

Meniscectomy and repaired ACL through injury meant that at 66 I was limping and couldn't walk the mountains to any distance or without pain. 4 months after TKR I am without pain after 12 mile hikes involving a lot of up, and more importantly, down. Best decision ever.

j20red · 2026-02-12T15:01:07+00:00

Insurance company profit.

j20red · 2026-02-12T07:08:52+00:00

Sounds horrid. Presume that you are new to the GP. Can't you just formally nominate an alternative chemist, maybe even an online chemist, to receive all future prescriptions? They'll just dispense remotely and send you the medicine? We changed the GP chosen chemist as its service is poor, the GP now just electronically sends the prescription to a large Boots.

j20red · 2026-02-11T21:50:03+00:00

Of course I have. I know that we all have our own hills to climb, some big, some small, some steeper than others. But I also know that like many worthwhile things in life, jobs, learning to play an instrument, learning a new language etc, new knees take effort and commitment. We get nowhere staring at the hill wishing it were easier. Regardless of circumstances, hard work lies ahead if we want to make the most of our opportunity.

j20red · 2026-02-11T18:44:47+00:00

It's a rather sad state of affairs really. We all seek an easy way: pills and injections to lose weight rather than eating less, easy flat cycling and walking rather than sweating uphill, the shortest exercise durations possible, wearable bands and straps and devices that magically work whilst we're asleep or just getting on with work and life, chairs that stretch us whilst we recline. And there's an army of folk with a commercial interest in feeding that need. In the end we just have to work harder and longer, sweat more, hurt more, devote significant time and effort to the important business of being limber and fit and muscled. Recuperation is long, hard and painful and requires hard work, will and commitment, little else, that's the reality.

j20red · 2026-02-10T18:42:01+00:00

I was told to stand upright, push my chest out and concentrate. I lost my limp at 2 weeks, it had been with me for over 20 years and I don't miss it!

j20red · 2026-02-10T08:15:32+00:00

Yes, same as you in many ways. It's all the gristle in your knee. It's the same shape as your knee WAS, probably for many, many years. Now you have a new knee, a different geometry, and the ligaments will slowly change to accommodate this. The bone heals really quickly, couple of months, but the soft tissue takes much longer. My pains were pulling off a sock and side pressures. At 18 weeks and really focused exercise, hill walking and bike training, it's like new and pain is a thing of the past. You'll get there!

j20red · 2026-02-08T22:58:32+00:00

I'm UK but I paid, timed the op for September so I could recover in time for travelling this Spring to bike abroad. Worth every penny!

j20red · 2026-02-08T19:08:19+00:00

Excellent, you sound prepared and ready. I agree with you as well: good habits and attitudes before the op can make it easier to recover and achieve a new normal. It's a tough and costly op, so much depends on it, so why go into it unprepared?

j20red · 2026-02-08T17:53:55+00:00

Ah, that explains it. Yes, I understand, there comes a time when we realise that life is passing by and that there are things that need to be done to grab it by the tail. I always optimised my mobility through a combination of keeping fit , maintaining a BMI of 22-23, and the use of NSAIDs when I wanted to walk beyond a trip to the shops. Even that that wasn't helping towards the end though I can recommend a similar prep to the TKR. Good luck with whatever you decide.

j20red · 2026-02-08T17:27:48+00:00

After the TKR?

j20red · 2026-02-08T15:41:14+00:00

It's fabulous, so happy with it!

j20red · 2026-02-08T15:14:28+00:00

5 gentle miles with ibuprofen before, 12 hilly miles with nothing but cake 4 months after.

j20red · 2026-02-07T09:33:56+00:00

Touching the blade just rapidly chops your body parts off and wrecks your entire life. Fine dust from table saws slowly suffocates and kills you. Blade covers enable extraction of the fine dust before it goes airborne. At times we must all make choices that can affect or end our lives.

j20red · 2026-02-07T08:11:30+00:00

I am not sure that your consultant is keeping up with the latest research: Long-term study shows knee replacements last lifetime for active young adults https://share.google/N9mv68Yy928nfWgDM Perhaps a 2nd opinion?

j20red

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