Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
All of these are caused by doing too much exercising as typified by "the more I walk the more I hurt"1. My pain is typically a 6 but when I take pain meds regularly, it goes down to about a 4… when I walk, the pain goes back up to a 6.
2. The majority of my pain is behind my knee, hamstring, calf and ankle (where it is all very tight)
3. Occasionally, I have a very sharp stabbing pain along my incision. I imagine that may be scar tissue hitting the nerve. Luckily, it only lasts a split second to a few seconds but when I feel it, it is an 8.
4. I have pain on top of and the sides of my knee but it is very manageable around a 1
5. I have trouble walking, this is most frustrating. The more I walk the more I hurt.
6. I have the most pain in the afternoons/evenings
7. It is tight to the touch behind my knee
8. Pain to my outer knee (if you drew a line from the spot I have the most pain behind my knee to the front of the knee)
You never said how long you are icing for? For instance, you will accomplish little or nothing in 20 minutes. Ice and elevate for at least 40-60mins and more than 4 times a day when you can.I ice my knee daily, usually in the evenings after I get home from work
I suggest you do NO exercising on work days. Work alone is sufficient.At home/work (at least 3 times/day – more if I can especially when sitting at my desk)
Heel slides x10
Straight leg raises x10
Lunges (a few times per day)
I suggest you do it 0 times a week! None of these are helpful to you, especially not the leg press which was one I have heard many knee surgeons caution against, especially since you knee is uncemented.At the Gym twice/week
(I just started this and am trying to fit this into my regular schedule. My goal is to do this 4xweek):
Recumbent bike 15 minutes
Treadmill 15 minutes
Leg press machine (no weight or very little weight) – in the seated position I let the sled lower where my knees are bent and I hold that position for 10 seconds. I do this for about 10 minutes.
I sit on the row machine with my feet firm on the floor and roll so that my knees are bent and repeat several times.
None of these are exactly good for you either.PT (twice/week)
Stepping over cones
Balancing on a foam pad (alternating weight) and throw/catch a ball
Wall squats or squat while tossing a ball
Balancing on half ball
Recumbent bike/ Nu Step/ Treadmill / Total Gym squats (I alternate these each session sometimes doing 2 per session)
You're 16 weeks out which means you are still in recovery period. Your knee is not yet ready for boot camp! I'm only surprised you have so little pain!
You also don't need to be on hydrocodone at this stage. Much better if you started on a regimen of Tramadol 50mgs and Tylenol 1,000mg 4 times a day instead.
As regards your ROM, the reason you are having difficulties is because you are keeping all the muscles and ligaments in an inflamed and swollen state which blocks ROM very effectively. Perhaps you should read this to understand why Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?. There really is no great mystery to this ROM thing - beat up on your knee with all that exercising and your loose it. Rest it and treat it kindly with ice and pain meds and after a few weeks you will find the ROM beginning to emerge. It's all there, you see, just waiting for you to ease up so it can show itself. And guess what? when it does, the pain will dissipate too! You have my word on it.
I also have something you should read as a cautionary tale - a story of a man who was doing all the stuff you are doing and what happened to him. Let it be a warning to you. PT: the seriously grave consequences of doing too much of it