TKR TS’s lopsided recovery'

Talking about horror stories! After coming out of my immobilizer after my first kneecap removal, I went for my 6 week checkup. My OS pushed on my knee and I actually passed out in the exam room. That is the last time I have allowed anyone to push on my leg!
 
Well. 6wk mark and all in all I think I am on the up side finally. Had a fairly good weekend and was able to take some steps using my cane a bit more confidently. The hip pain is happening less as well so i am able to move about better that way as well.
I have a bit of uncomfortable areas around the knee cap and outer side of my knee but that seems to be more first thing or thru the night.
Sleep is still sporadic. I get 2-3 hrs at a time and get about 6 hrs total but I’m not wiped all day.

Thursday is my checkup with the surgeon and really hoping he will sit and answer a few questions.
Thanks again to all for the answers when I thought I was going thru such “one off” things!!
 
:loveshwr: Huge milestone day today! I woke up after 4 hrs of sleep sore, swollen knee, crabby ....and decided that was enough.
Today was going to be my turning point - I went down and got the mail in our lobby myself, made my bed, did the dishes, straightened the apartment, worked on some client photos and then cooked a simple dinner for my hubby. And I used either 1 crutch or my cane for all of it! :yes!:

It wasn’t pretty - it wasn’t perfect gait - it sure wasn’t fast but I did it!
Am I feeling it now? Oh ya. My knee is telling me off every second and my hip is sobbing and poking me but I can get it under control with ice and elevating but I had to prove to myself I could do it.
I know there will be setbacks but in my head I know I can get this back again on those slides.
Anyone else have recent greatness??
 
Sometimes setbacks are worth the proof that we can do the things we want to do. Just don't have too many of those setbacks! Improvement is in your future!
 
Just had my 6wk checkup with my OS and that was .... a waste.
Normally he is very supportive and friendly but wow was he having a bad day today. Snippy with everyone.
When he came in I was sitting on the table with my legs hanging over and about 75 flex. He stopped and said “that’s it huh? 6 wks?” I was crushed. Told him I vary around 65-85 depending on ... and he cut me off. He asked if I can flatten it straight and I told him varied but to about 3 degrees extension most days and that today was bad due to swelling (VERY visible) and stiffness. He told me it was an excuse. Told him the days after pt are rough and that I was walking now with one crutch and much more active. He told me I had to go back in 6 weeks again and better have some improvement. :unsure::bawl:
I told him about my hip while he was writing and he actually brushed me off and said “tell your pt about it” shook hands and left.

Wth? I’ve had him for 3 other surgeries over 4 yrs and he’s never done that.
I’m disappointed and now doubting if I’ve done enough or is the lack of progress my fault? :gaah:
 
These surgeons have no idea how their comments hurt us and cause doubts. I felt the same way with my surgeon. :blackcloud:

I have since learned we will recover on our knee’s time table, not anyone else’s.

To be very honest, if I have to do this again, all I really need the surgeon for is to install my new implants. Bonesmart can take it from there. I do not need the stress and discouragement I got from my checkups next time around.

You’re doing great, try to dismiss his words. :console2:
 
Wow I am sorry that your surgeon responded like that. At the very least he was inconsiderate. You have enough stress without him adding to it. Please do not question your effort. I am sure that you are doing all that you are capable of to assist in your recovery. Personally I would call the office and voice my concerns around the way he treated you. Continue to listen to your knee and do what it allows to move forward on your journey.
 
I wonder if they sometimes look at us and see a knee sitting on the table. A knee with a head and arms and little feet. Like Mr or Mrs Potato Head. Mr or Mrs Knee Head.
"Jump up and show me your ROM Mrs Potato Knee Head"

I'm so sorry he made you feel like that. I was sad after reading your post. There is a chart that someone made and it tracked their ROM over a year's time. No pt. He\she got good ROM but it took time.
@Jockette can you access that chart?

Good luck with the rest of your recovery! You'll get there.
 
I’m disappointed and now doubting if I’ve done enough or is the lack of progress my fault?
I'm sorry your surgeon was so cranky today. Please try not to worry about it.

No it's not your fault that your ROM didn't meet with his approval, or that it isn't any greater yet.
I'm sure it will improve, as your knee continues to heal and the swelling goes down.

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

Whatever you do, don't go rushing into doing more exercises, in the hope that they will increase your ROM.
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.
Knee recovery - Lose the Work Ethic!!
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
 
@Celle @beachy @Larryhg3 ❤️ To each of you for throwing me those lifelines. I know it takes time. Just from the moment I woke up in recovery every single nurse, doctor and pt has shoved the “scar tissue v Rom urgency” down my throat. Until 3 wks ago I was doing 5 diff rom exercises 5x a day for a total of 3.5 hrs. I recently stopped the home exercises and just started using my leg more and thought it’s my fault there’s no big gains. With weight bearing now and walking more my knee is def more swollen and hot and tight. I’ve even gone from 1/2 a Percocet every 8-10 hours to every 4-6hrs and an occasional full one. I have pt tomorrow and she’s been positive on my progress so will be interested to see her take on his view
 
It's not your fault that your ROM hasn't increased as fast as your surgeon wants.
All those stories about scar tissue and the need to work hard to keep it at bay are total myths. I don't know where they started, but I sure wish they'd go away, because they're the cause of so much heartache.

I think that perhaps you initially worked too hard at the exercises - not your fault, as you were just doing what you were told - and doing that irritated you soft tissues, that were just trying to heal. You did the right thing in cutting back the exercises.

I'm fortunate, because my surgeon doesn't believe the myth about "scar tissue". He doesn't allow any PT at all for the first month after a knee replacement. He says your knee needs that time, to start on its journey of healing. For that month, we rest, ice and elevate our leg, and walk around the house.
After that month, we just go to PT once every 2 weeks, where we are shown a few new exercises to do at home.
His patients all do well and achieve good ROM, as I did, and he hasn't had to do a manipulation to help with ROM for the past 4 years. I think that speaks for itself.
 
Here are a couple of examples from members whose initial ROM was slow to develop, but who eventually achieved a good result:

First, from Campervan. As you can see, her flexion continued to improve for a long time. Look at her Rom at 6 years!
"I had a slow recovery. Here's my flex measurements at various points:
92 - 8 weeks post op
105 - 10 weeks
107 - 5 months
110 - 6 months
112 - 7 months
116 - 9 months
119 - 11 months
118 - 1 yr
120 - 1yr 2 months
125 - 1 yr 8 months
128 – 6 years "

And now, from bertschb:
I'm 12 months out from my surgery and have some advice based on my experience:
1- Stop going to PT (all it will do is make your knee swell and reduce ROM)
2- Don't worry about your ROM
3- Be patient - VERY patient!!!

Here is my ROM history (more or less):
1 month - 60 degrees
2 months - 80 degrees
3 months - 85 degrees
4 months - 90 degrees
5 months - 90 degrees
6 months - 110 degrees
7 months - 120 degrees
8 months - 125 degrees
9 months - 130 degrees
10 months - 135 degrees
11 months - 140 degrees
12 months - 140 degrees

I spent waaaaay too much time worrying about ROM. I thought I'd be riding my bike a couple months after surgery but it took SIX months! Looking back on my surgery, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my time with PT and I wouldn't have worried about ROM.
 
Hello @traceys, just want to add my thoughts to your recovery. This knee recovery is 50% mental. We are human and want and need encouragement and inspiration to keep going. After all, what else can we do but keep going. The last thing we need is to have others throw up walls and unreasonable expectations that will knock us down. Keep doing what you are doing. It sounds like you have a great relationship with your PT and an understanding of what you want and need and what is not acceptable. If you continue to progress, I would think about not returning to your OS? You do not need his snarly attitude. I am 4 weeks post op and over the moon that I was measured at 76 yesterday!! Mine is a revision and never believed I would walk normally again. So I celebrate every number that I reach and every simple milestone I achieve. Like, last night I did not wake up to take my 2:00am medicine. Time to consider dropping that dose? We shall see if it happens again tonight. The point being, it was something that happened that is new and will be celebrated. Hang in there, you are doing all of the right things. This is a year-long process so we are only getting started!!
 
@traceys OMG! I’m reading you’re thread and disgusted how your doctor treated you. This is so hard on us and definitely don’t need a medical professional making it worse! I’ve had to do all my post op stuff by myself, as I some how slipped through the cracks. I had to call my doc and see if I had any follow up appointments after surgery, they got me in right away because he should have seen me a few weeks after my last visit, I had to ask for more pain meds, I had to set up my PT. I was supposed to have a nerve conduction study but have heard nothing...again!

And I fully believe we get PTSD after this procedure. My second week I spent in bed alternating between crying and misery, without sleep for weeks. Plus the foot problem then the hip pain. The gabapentin seems to have helped this week, it didn’t weeks ago when I tried it the first time. My doctor would not write a prescription for insomnia, told me to see my PCP for that! And I’m like...I’m not sleeping because of complications of knee replacement from what YOU did! This whole process has been frustrating and draining. My son just said to me yesterday that “I’m milking it” my hip was horrible yesterday. I really wanted to punch him.

I hope you’re doing better today I think you and I had our surgery a day apart. I’m looking forward to the day that this is just a distant memory!
 
@Desertgal thank you for understanding that. Last night I got mad and when I get mad I get very determined. I don’t like to be held back or be afraid of things. This is now MY recovery and no one else’s. My knee. My life. My way.

@flsungirl thankyou. Yes we are going along the same road and timeframe which is nice. I know it’s not a race or comparison but always nice to have a “knee twin”! I have known my surgeon for years and this was def out of character. And I will be calling him out on it next I see him!

So as I mentioned I got mad yesterday and decided I’m going to show him and everyone else. I told my pt that we could get a bit more aggressive on the therapy within my boundaries still and I wanted new challenging exercises to do as the others were too easy now. Today I did 12 4” step ups. 10 wall squats down about 6” and upped my weights. Coming home I sat in the front seat of our truck first time since surgery. Then it dawned on me. I haven’t taken a pain pill for 26 hrs!!!!
With everything yesterday and other appts I had and it was our 20th wedding anniversary so we went out for dinner... I fell into bed and fast asleep and slept 7 hrs. I simply forgot to take one until right before my pt today. :yes!:

To anyone reading this who is just a new TKR - it DOES get better. To all the experienced posters sharing their successes thankyou for helping me believe. :flwrysmile:
 
@traceys - Please make sure you don't overdo teh exercises. Did you read my previous post to you, the one that said this?
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.

You cannot make your knee bend faster by doing more exercises.
 
I know but the exercises I had were ones from immediately after my surgery. I grew up competing in elite sports and know well what overdoing is. When I stopped competing at 22 I stopped overdoing exercises. This body is tooooo old to be stupid
 
OK. Just make sure you listen to your knee. If you find it's getting more painful or swollen (which will impede ROM) then cut back the exercises and increase the amount of time you spend resting, icing and elevating.
 

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