TKR 11 weeks little progress

[sistersinhim]

I have had 11 knee surgeries. I have never had formal PT and I'm doing just fine. After my first lateral release, I went to pt while I was still in the hospital on the 1st day after my surgery. The therapist pushed and moved my knee herself. This caused bleeding inside my knee which had to be drained off. This was extremely painful. This was in the mid 80s and since then I have not gone to pt. Just daily living rehabs your knees. I never hurt myself, but do stretches, heel slides and ride my recumbent bike now. The first month I did nothing but take care of myself and my 11 cats and ankle pumps. So, daily living is rehabbing my knee. I am in no way a couch potato, but I do a lot of resting, elevating, and icing. Whenever I'm in my recliner I'm icing. Please listen to this other posts. They know what they are talking about. And so do I! Rest and do nothing for at least the next month. What can you lose? You're getting nowhere now doing what you're doing!

 

[LoveGiants]

Coach, I'm so sorry you're having a difficult recovery. You've been given excellent advice. If it helps, my OS doesn't believe that PT is necessary for TKR recovery. His instructions were to elevate and ice until the swelling goes down enough to achieve 90° and to stretch (passive extension and heel slides).

I hope you get some rest and feel better.

 

[newlybionic]

Hi coach. I just wanted to let you know about my recovery. I'm a former athlete. I even continued playing college basketball with a fractured femur. I tried rehabbing after a TKR two extremely different ways. The first time I did every exercise I was given. If they said do it twice I did it four. I was determined that I could get my knee back in shape but pushing through pain. My PT and OS were both telling me that's what I had to do. What I got from that was extreme pain. Poor range of motion. And then I started to feel depressed because I thought I was a failure. Instead of getting better I got worse.

The second time I had found this forum. It seemed very counterintuitive to me that the best way to rehab my knee from a TKR is to NOT exercise. I don't mean just sitting around doing nothing but just walking where and when I need to. I spent a lot of my early days with my knee elevated and with ice on it except to use the bathroom or to grab something to drink. I still ice whenever my knee swells and some days over night. I also took my pain meds for as long as I HAD pain. Eventually I missed some doses because I slept through them.

I would strongly suggest that you give this a try. You have nothing to lose. You are not doing well with what you're doing currently. I'm sure if you do give it a week or two you will start to see some improvement . I hope you feel better soon.

 

[uva55]

I really think you should consider the Bonesmart approach, what you have been doing until now is obviously not working and you are hurting your knee. I can't even imagine placing 20lb weights on my poor knee.

Wishing you the best in your recovery!!!

 

[Nammy925]

Coachtab,
My heart goes out to you! It is so difficult to decide what's best for oneself, whose instructions to follow, when you are this miserable!
Your title leads me to believe you are an athletic person used to getting results with exercise. This would be true if you were working with a healthy knee. Of course, now you are having trouble (mentally and physically) coming to terms with your lack of improvement.
But therein lies the problem! Your poor knee has been through the wringer: 8 surgeries, a TKR AND a manipulation...and it is still not getting a break with all the training you are making it go through!!
Like you, I had a difficult time believing resting and icing would do my knee any good. I found this site about 7 weeks into my first TKR. I religiously was doing every exercise more than the recommended times a day, but I was miserable! It hurt to straighten my leg, couldn't bend it when walking, and it felt like I was lugging a piece of concrete around my knee. Mind you, my PT was gentle with me and always advised not to do something if it hurt! But I just felt that if a little helped, then more was better! I felt terribly guilty the first few times I "cheated" and didn't do anything but rest, elevate, ice, and SLEEP! Yes I couldn't sleep at night either, but if I could sleep during the day, I did it!!...yes I felt like a lazy slob for doing that in the middle of the day, but I had to knowing what my night would be like!
I can not tell you how helpful the advice on here has been!!
I didn't see anywhere in your thread where you mention pain meds! Are you still taking them? Please tell me you are! That was another horrible mistake I made he first time! I was so anxious about becoming addicted that I would take less than necessary if I even felt a bit better, only to feel terrible when the pain was so bad that I would "give in" and take the appropriate dose!! Ironically I was making myself so crazy over pain meds that they added one more for anxiety!!! This time I have the timer on my phone set as a reminder to take those meds. It had made all the difference in the world for my mental and physical state!!
I'm a teacher, so I know the pressure to return to work is there. I can't go back to work till November per doctor's orders. The nature of our jobs (the walking, standing on our feet so long) dictates this. As a coach you will also have to walk on that uneven ground out in the field, so I would think that you will need to be in good shape to return to that job. As for all those people who believe you should have made more progress...well they are not in your shoes, so they really don't understand or know. Everyone is different and if you let it, it will be one more thing to drive you crazy. At present there's another teacher who went back to teach three weeks after knee surgery (don't think it was a TKR), but with crutches. She's been doing this for the last three years! Ha! How effective, safe, or sane can that be!?! I've been there, done that after 2 meniscus repair surgeries. What did that gain me? Unrelenting pain, more surgeries, and misery for several years after. All because I went back too early! l finally I decided enough was enough and had TKR in both knees 4 months apart. I also promised myself, as guilty as I feel, that I would NOT go back to work until I felt well enough to do so!!
I'm totally new to this site, but please give the advice on here a chance! It sounds crazy and counterproductive, but believe me it works. I'm on my fourth week post TKR surgery for my left knee. I literally don't do anything but follow the Bonesmart mantra. I do go to outpatient PT mostly to break up the monotony of the days. Besides they don't push me beyond my limits and at present I'm only doing extension and flexion exercises, some gentle massaging of a tight calf and thigh. That's it. Yet my extension is a 0 and flexion at 105.
I promise, if you give it a chance. It will work. It might not be as quickly as you'd like, but really, what's your alternative at this point since what you have been doing is not working?!?
I hope to be reading your thread one day soon and hearing that you are doing better! We are all right there with ya!!?

11 July, 2016 LTKR
29 February, 2016 RTKR

 

[Pumpkin]

jmderras said "I did last time. Just trying to find a way to convince my OS, I do not like not following orders. I will, if necessary."
@jmdearras the post above may help you convince your OS you do not like following orders.