TKR 4 months since TKR

Lcmack

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My tkr surgery was May 26, so I am just at 4 months. I have good bend and my extension is -9 which is not quite straight. Still have quite a bit of stiffness and if I sit for a long time I have a hard time walking when I first get up. My quad muscle is still weak, and I am still pushing myself up from a chair with my arms. Steps are still hard, esp going down. I have been trying to extend my walking time—I have done 2 miles but find the stiffness increases the longer the distance. Riding my bike is great—best exercise ever! Also doing some knee-free yoga, and finding it helpful. Just disappointed most in my extension. I want my leg straighter!!!
 
:welome:to BoneSmart @Lcmack! You sound like you are doing well and recovering at a normal rate. Extension is always the slowest to achieve, in my case I was still 4 degrees from straight at a year, but my extension continued to improve during the second year to just beyond straight. This really is a 12-18 month recovery, but living an active pain free life again makes it well worth while. Even though you are 4 months in I'll leave you our recovery guidelines below.
 
As you begin healing, please keep in mind that each recovery is unique. While the BoneSmart philosophy successfully works for many, there will be exceptions. Between the recommendations found here, your surgeon's recovery protocol and any physical therapy you may engage in, the key is to find what works best for you.

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. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKR's
6. Access 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 a 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 history before providing advice.
 
Thank you for your encouaging answer! I am so glad to hear that extension can improve as we go on. I had my first tkr done on my left knee 6 years ago and I am very pleased with it, so I’ve been here before but couldn’t really remember how slow a recovery it is! So I will be more patient now!
 
I don’t remember postiing back then. I know I read everything I could find because it was such a hard recovery; I had a lot more pain that time, and I really had no idea what to expect. When I found Bonesmart, it really helped me accept where I was.
 
When I first found Bonesmart I read for months before I actually joined!

Please tell us the date of the first knee and we’ll make a signature for you. :flwrysmile:
 
First (left) knee was done in September of 2016. I am very happy with the results from this surgery. I am hoping my right knee is eventually as good as my left knee! I am still having trouble with stairs, both up and down. And getting up from the couch is still hard. My quad muscle is still very weak even though I do the exercises with a 2# weight now trying to build strength.
 
I am still having trouble with stairs, both up and down
I struggled with stairs for a long time. I think it was around six months post-op before I was finally able to go up and down without hanging on for dear life. You will get there.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome and for all the positive replies to my posts. I seem to be experiencing a new phenomenom—my knee creaks and crackles when I bend it, especially if I have been sitting in the same position with my knee bent for awhile. I hope this is temporary, it just started a couple days ago and it doesn’t happen all the time, but it certainly is disconcerting! My old arthritic knee creaked, and now my new one does!!! Anyone else have this problem?
 
@Lcmack

I‘ve moved your post above out of the Monthly team thread as we reserve that thread for surgery date information, and so members can see who else has surgery the same month. We prefer all other comments and discussion to take place in a pre op or recovery thread, such as this one. Enjoy interacting with others who are on the same journey, here in this thread. :flwrysmile:
I seem to be experiencing a new phenomenom—my knee creaks and crackles when I bend it, especially if I have been sitting in the same position with my knee bent for awhile.
These sounds are very common:
Clicking/Clunking after TKR
 
Those sounds should disappear with some time or at least become less noticeable to you. It's usually a factor of your soft tissues rubbing over the hard metal of the implant. As long as there is no pain associated with the sounds, it's not anything to worry about.
 

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