TKR 5 1/2 months after LTKR

[dlssimon]

New to this forum. Seems informative... I had TKR 10 weeks ago, PT going well, flexion is at 125. My question is Should my incision still feel like it's going to bust wide open even though surgeon says it's completely healed?

 

[Celle]

Hello @dlssimon - and

Please will you tell us the full date of your knee replacement and which knee it is, so we can make a signature for you? Knowing the exact date will help us to advise you appropriately in the future.
Thank you.

Your recovery seems to be going well, but your knee isn't completely healed yet. Complete recovery from a knee replacement takes a full year, even though things look healed on the surface.

Since your range of Motion (ROM) is already good, I think you should probably ease off the PT a bit. Your knee feeling as if it's going to burst open may be an indication that you are trying to bend it too far and at this (still early) stage of recovery.

 

[dlssimon]

My TKR was 6/12/20 on my left knee. Thank you!

 

[Celle]

Here are our recovery guidelines, with lots of helpful and informative information"

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. Try to follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[Celle]

Thank you for your surgery date. It's in your signature now and I have added your name to the June Sunbeams surgery list thread.

 

[leejaa]

Sounds like you are getting quite a bit of swelling if your knee feels like it wants to burst open. Your knee is trying to tell you it is not as happy as you are at this stage of recovery. Ease up on activities and PT. Icing and elevation will help with the swelling. Sometimes it gets very exciting to be feeling better and able to do things again so we tend to overdo. Ration your activities and intersperse with the icing and elevation. Have a good day and a peaceful evening.

 

[dlssimon]

Thanks for well needed advice. Yes I have been overdoing things and my PT girl is pushing me pretty hard. My flexion is 125 but only when she pushes my leg with everything I have in me.

 

[Celle]

Thanks for well needed advice. Yes I have been overdoing things and my PT girl is pushing me pretty hard. My flexion is 125 but only when she pushes my leg with everything I have in me.

Please don't let her push your leg or give you over-zealous exercises.

In spite of what you've probably been told, there's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

All that aggressive PT is counter-productive, because it irritates your knee, keeping it inflamed and swollen. That prevents it from healing and prolongs pain.

 

[dlssimon]

Nice to know! I think I'm going to take a break from Outpatient PT and see how I do on my own. I've been faithfully doing all the exercises they've given me twice a day everyday!! Thank-you!!

 

[leejaa]

Great plan. Also ease off on the exercises and add more elevation and icing. Your activities of daily living is quite a lot of exercise for your new knee. I hope you and your knee feel better soon with some TLC.

 

[kneeper]

If you're at 125 you're doing great. More bend should come naturally as you heal and use your leg in daily activities that require bending over the next weeks and months.

 

[dlssimon]

I was told to massage my incision to help avoid scar tissue. So I've been doing that twice a day. Yesterday as I was massaging I felt a pop, is that normal? Also, been noticing a click in my new knee when walking, will that go away? It's irritating but not painful. I have my 3 month follow up in 2 weeks, hoping to get some answers then too!

 

[SpaceGirl]

Hello! I too was told to do that and I did when I remembered lol I am terrible about that but mine has been pretty good, pt massages it nearly every time I am there ( I am currently 10 weeks post op) and uses a dolphin stim machine to help with the scar tissue. I don't know about the pop, so def ask when you go back in. My right knee I did notice the clicky sound, but I don't think it was really loud to other people, almost like I could just feel/hear it in my head lol the left knee so far hasn't been too noisy yet lol. The right one now I don't notice it, it's almost 3 years old, so I am guessing for me it did, or I just have tuned it out.

 

[Pumpkin]

@dissimon
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Pumpkin]

Yesterday as I was massaging I felt a pop, is that normal?

You probably popped a stitch, unless it is painful, it is normal.
There is no need to massage your incision, your body is perfectly capable of healing your wounds. If it makes you feel better it is OK.

Also, been noticing a click in my new knee when walking, will that go away? It's irritating but not painful.

Clicking is normal after TKR, it will decrease as you heal and your muscles around your knee become stronger.
Clicking/clunking knee joint after surgery

 

[pipn]

@dlssimon,
I'll be getting my left knee done in a couple of weeks and if the pt tells me to massage my scar at some point, I'll do it. When I had surgery to repair 3 full thickness tears in my shoulder and upper arm tendons, the pt massaged the scar and had me do it when at home. She explained that scar tissue forms as we heal and to keep it from becoming too stiff or too thick and lumpy it helps to break it up a bit with massage. It made me nervous to do it at first but I do believe it helped the appearance and the feel of my scar over time. I took it easy until I was very sure I wasn't going to rip anything open, but gradually did it more aggressively. Good luck!

 

[Celle]

She explained that scar tissue forms as we heal and to keep it from becoming too stiff or too thick and lumpy it helps to break it up a bit with massage.

I'm sorry, but that massaging is completely unnecessary. You need to form scar tissue, so that your wound heals. If you leave the scar alone to heal naturally, without interference, all those hard knots, lumps, and bumps will even out as time passes.

 

[bs27]

I was told to massage my incision to help avoid scar tissue. So I've been doing that twice a day. Yesterday as I was massaging I felt a pop, is that normal? Also, been noticing a click in my new knee when walking, will that go away? It's irritating but not painful. I have my 3 month follow up in 2 weeks, hoping to get some answers then too!

I was also told to massage the bumps along the incision - not immediately but several weeks after the sutures had dissolved and the incision had healed. The therapist said it would feel like popping bubble wrap and it did, though the first time I felt it was creepy .... but after each pop, the bump would flatten out. Though just a few areas didn't pop, no bumps remain now and the scar looks very good - our surgeries were on the same date. Congratulations on the flexion - you are way ahead of me on that one! Haven't experienced any clicking.

 

[sistersinhim]

I didn't do any of that massaging and my bumps laid right down.

 

[Muldoh]

My scar is also bumpy and raised, and my surgery was about 2 weeks after yours. And I was such a slow healer, with the final scab coming off at about eight weeks postop. Because of that I’m a little worried about massaging since I’m not sure the inside is as well healed as the outside. And I also have quite a bit of clunking/clicking with this new knee. So I’m guessing this is all part of the healing process...ugh!