First test after knee replacement

[JohnO]

My right knee was replaced on February 21st and I hope to shoot in a XTC match on Sunday, April 11th. First though, I have to test the sitting position at the local range on Friday to see if I can do it. I already put on the jacket, sling and the rifle in the living room, but obviously, no bullets. I have shot off the bench and in prone with a sling but that doesn't count. I have two very accurate 6 RAT space guns and I am aching to shoot again.

 

[Heavies]

Hope everything goes well. Just becareful on that knee! Wouldn't want you to have to go through any more.
Good luck!

 

[HillbillySniper]

Hope your able to shoot! I couldn't deal with not being able to shoot id go nuts!! Good luck


Hillbilly

 

[JohnO]

Today I did a test with rapid fire cross legged sitting and after getting a zero (100 yard reduced target), I shot a 99 - 4X. I suffered no pain or ill effects. I shot the 6mm RAT from John Holliger. I felt pretty good about that result. I hadn't shot since January.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Sounds like you have healed well. Best of luck to you John!

Mike

 

[habu]

YOUR ONE LUCKY DUDE! - to have NO pain after only 7/8 weeks of rehab.

was your replacement a total or partical.????

i've had 4 total replacements and after 8 week they still hurt! yes i could prone shoot, but getting up or down is still painful

best be VERY CAREFUL JUMPING AROUND - YOU CAN STRAIN YOUR ADL, PULL HAMSTRING LIG. ETC. then you'll really hurt, not for weeks but months/years.

HABU

 

[nfhjr62]

After having BOTH Knee's replaced first right( knee just went from Arthritis) then several years later the left knee wore out (Arthritis) still have pain and getting less and less as time goes on.
Not having pain is very good BUT be careful and keep exercising those knee's and maybe get your self a pair of knee pads (Duluth Trading has some good ones) in case you have to kneel at any time or if you shoot any small bore, SO GOOD LUCK with your HP Shooting

 

[JohnO]

My replacement was a full one and I could bend it back 122 degrees rather quickly.
I am indeed careful because I don't want to crack the plastic cap on top. Getting up from sitting is a new art form for me and I have to use a different approach. I do more physical therapy next week and I plan to return to the gym next week after a 4 month absence due to my creaky knees.

I usually have to take a pain pill in the early evening and I need to find something other than Oxycodon. Tylenol does little unless I take a lot of it. I told the surgeon before he did the surgery that if I could not shoot sitting anymore there was no deal. It's only 60 seconds for the string so I have time to rest. He said the pain is likely to be around for 8 to 9 months to some degree. I'll be 66 in June and I have a lot of shooting left to do. I have a new 6mm BR Palma taper barrel due next week.

I hope to shoot at Paul Bunyan in Washington May 1st.

 

[JohnO]

I'm still at it, shooting sitting. I can do it pretty well, but I don't push it passed two strings. No real pain but I can feel a bit of stretching the muscles.

 

[HillbillySniper]

That's good better than not being able to shoot at all! I'm sure you keep practicing its condition your knee and stretch it back out to normal! Good luck to you



Hillbilly

 

[Rustystud]

I am 10 1/2 weeks post shoulder surgery and i am still quite sore. My range of motion is 95%. The doc say 8-9 months before I go pain free.
Nat

 

[JohnO]

I had left shoulder reconstruction in 2007 and I was in physical therapy 2 1/2 years later before I found someone who actually helped me.

 

[JohnO]

I shot my first high power match since the surgery and my rapid sitting was a nifty 199-7X, with no pain. I was quite happy.

 

[Heavies]

Awesome shootin!
Glad it is going well!

 

[habu]

johno,

have to say your pushing the enevlope - only taking one pill in the morn? do you know what your taking? - oxycodon - percoset. probably 4mg.

it's only used for SEVERE PAIN your not susposed to drive, much less shot while taking it!

you say that tylenol doesn't work unless you take lots of it - man , and you say your not in pain?

i doubt what your saying is true. if you weren't in pain, than why are your taking some of the heavyist pain killers around.

be very careful or your going to undo what the doc did!

habu

 

[JohnO]

For the record Mr. Herms, the doctor who performed the surgery as well as the physical therapist told me I would not be "undoing what was done" and that I wasn't going to break anything by target shooting. If I hurt bad enough so that I could not shoot, I would stop. I know people who have had this surgery and could never bend their knee more than 90 degrees and I could bend it 122 degrees before I started post op therapy. Tylenol has never done that much for me regarding pain unless I took a lot of it and that was only at night.

If you are saying that I am not telling truth, there's not more I can tell you.

 

[habu]

please john, what i'm trying to say is BE CAREFUL.

12 yrs ago i had both knees replaced [at the same time] and i thought i was tough and could continue on as before. well i strained seveal ligamants/tendions in the right knee and because of that it caused the 'joint' to WEAR unevenally and 3 yrs later i had to have the 'nylon' pad in the joint replaced.

also, if 'you have to take percset, your fooling your self that there's no pain. try tylenol #3 [perscription] it will help.

best of luck and theropy - you should strive for 130-135 deg. at a min. to walk up and down stairs with some ease

ron

 

[JohnO]

For the record, the pain is not the titanium joint - it's in the areas that absorbed the "shock treatment" during and after the surgery. My doctor is a specialist and knees are all he does and I fully and truthfully explained and demonstrated what I'd be doing regarding the sitting position. He did not see any reason this could not be done as long as I did not over do it. I was allowed a pillow to cushion the knee when I shot for 60 seconds and I did alright. I am not allowed by the doctor to kneel directly on the cap - that makes sense. I am not overweight which is a problem for many with transplants. I worked in corrections before I retired and I am well aware of what drugs can do to one's body and I have no intention of joining the inamtes.

 

[pcrowe]

Mr. JohnO
Reading your story is inspiring. I admire your drive. Reminded me of something.

My first time at Camp Perry was in 2005. I saw something I havn't forgotten. An older gentleman (I was 39 at the time) who obviously had Parkinson's or some other problem was in a wheelchair and was pushed to the line by a younger helper. His hands shook pretty badly, but when he was slung up with the rifle while sitting in his wheelchair, he was pretty steady. I don't remember whether it was offhand or sitting rapid, but he shot the match with the rest of us. Don't know how he did, but that's not the point. He was a few firing points down from me and was shooting while I was scoring, so I was able to witness his shooting.

If competitive rifle shooting is in your blood, it sounds like it's in yours-definitely is in mine, we are going to keep shooting until it's physically impossible.

Good luck and good shooting.


Phillip

 

[Viperdoc]

I am fairly inexperienced as a shooter, although have built several AR's and do a lot of reloading. Anyway, I also am an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement at a major university hospital.

In my opinion, there is no reason why you cannot do position shooting. Sure, getting up and down with the gear and coat might be a challenge, but it is for a lot of people without knee replacements.

The only potential difficulty might be if you did sitting with your operative knee very bent and underneath your weight, which might stress the lateral ligaments.

There are some knee designs that allow more than 120 degrees, but in general most people do not get beyond this. Sometimes, a very big range of motion can be associated with loose ligaments. This can be seen with aching, soreness, swelling, or a feeling of instability going up and down stairs.

If someone with a joint replacement is still experiencing pain at ten weeks, it warrants another visit, since the most concerning issue would be a low grade infection. Some blood work, imaging studies, and perhaps taking fluid out of the knee would then be in order. without this evaluation, you cannot rule out an infection.

Persistent pain after knee replacement almost always has a cause,
some of which can be serious, like infection. Do not accept any other explanation without as a minimum the blood work and a close evaluation for infection or instability.

Finally, most academic surgeons now allow patients to kneel on their knee. If you it in a chair and bend your knee to around 100 degrees, feel the area on your lower leg that would contact the ground and you will see that your patella does not actually end up under your weight. It might me ore kneeling on your incision, but there is no data showing that kneeling on your operated leg risks injuring the patella.

Just my opinions as an academic orthopaedic surgeon. I was not going to post, but in the few years of shooting, there have been many great people who have helped me long the way, and decided to share my perpectives. Good luck.