Hi everyone! I’ve written other posts before about Walking as an exercise for recuperating from a total knee replacement. Walking surfaces matter after a tkr as much as the walking itself, also. Thank you to my curious reader Elaine for providing feedback about my forgetting to mention any soft sand insight. It is included now.
After 40 years of dealing with different types of walking surfaces and the effect on my Leg Length Discrepancy, I would like to share some insight that can help others gain a better understanding about this sometimes “simple” topic. It’s amazing what we take for granted until it is gone or nearly impossible to accomplish. This is especially true after a tkr. Here’s the scoop…
Asphalt. Asphalt offers the harshest surface as far as joint impact goes, I have found. Orthopaedic literature, fitness publications, and bone health news state the same. As softly as I try to walk, I still notice and feel the impact during my knee recuperation.
Gravel. Walking on gravel is no easy walk in the park, either. Gravel has a tendency to cause my ankles to sway sideways since it is so uneven. Even when wearing hiking boots, this can be discomforting. It’s especially discomforting due to my leg length discrepancy and need to wear a 1.75″ shoe lift.
Beach Sand. Two types:
Firmly packed. I found a perfect solution last weekend. While walking on the beach, I stayed on firmly-packed sand. No joint impact at all. It was a very comfortable and enjoyable walk.
Walking on packed sand allowed me to walk further and receive a nice workout. It was quite enjoyable. It was especially nice not to end my walk by having knee area pain. The only drawback was ending up with sand-coated boots. But, who’s complaining? Not me. I’ll take firmly-packed beach sand any day and twice on Sunday.
Soft sand. Quite the workout. I needed a nap afterwards, actually. Besides my ankle getting a workout due to my shoe lift, my overall tkr leg was very tired. I needed to take breaks. Depending on how long after my tkr, the pain and discomfort ranged from intense to moderate. Of course, the sooner I went walking after my initial tkr recuperation, the more intense the pain and discomfort.
Thought I’d share my total knee replacement insight in case anyone else is going through the same thing.
Do you find my tkr blog post about how walking surfaces matter after a tkr interesting? Kindly share…Thanks!
AUTHOR NOTE: Booktoots’ Healing helps total knee replacement patients find support throughout recuperation and beyond. Its mission is for patients to understand they are not alone in their ordeal with either a tkr or other health concerns.
This award-winning site is owned and operated by Marie Buckner, a published author, tkr blogger, and tkr patient who has been living with various health conditions for over 40+ years. She enjoys sharing her experiences to help others going through the same thing.
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