@lindy1 Welcome to BoneSmart! Which knee did you have replaced? I'll put the information in your signature for you.
I’m worried I won’t reach 120 ROM by 6 weeks if I don’t do enough on the pedals though.
There is no timeline for reaching ROM. Please don't dwell on any "targets". Everyone is different. ROM will come with time.
The last 2 days I have done 10 minutes on the pedals and have been in terrible pain for a few hours afterwards.
At only days out of major surgery your knee is telling you that peddling is too much. Are you icing and elevating? Gentle stretches, ice and elevation are all that is really needed at this point. Plenty of time to strengthen after that knee is healed.
I'll leave you our recovery guidelines:
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
We are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for YOU.“ Your doctor(s), physiotherapist(s) and BoneSmart are here to help. But you have the final decision as to what approach you use.
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:
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
5. Here is a very general week-by-week guide.
Activity progression for TKRs
6.
Access these pages on the website
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.