TKR 12 weeks post op TKR

[Jah66]

Hello all. I'm still in a great deal of pain almost 12 weeks post op. My entire leg aches all day, some relief w advil/Tylenol. I'm barely doing any PT, have been babying the knee which decreased the pain which is good. However pain at rest / night is incredible. I don't sleep well. Narcotics make me nauseous and frankly don't even work that well at minimum dose, which is all I can tolerate.
My ortho PA did some blood work - for which I don't have results yet. I'm so discouraged and frustrated with all this pain! The joint is strong, no problem weight bearing at all. ROM is still only about 95-100.
Does anyone else have experience with pain 3 months post op? It's hip to ankle, varying intensity and centers of pain.
I go back to work next Monday. Thankfully it's a desk job.
Thank you!!

 

[Celle]

I think your pain will decrease gradually.. You set up an annoyed and inflamed knee by allowing aggressive PT early in recovery and you're still suffering the effects of that. It has slowed down your recovery somewhat, but you still have plenty of time because complete recovery takes a full year.

Once you go back to work, stop all PT. Going to work will put extra strain on your knee, even if you have a desk job.
Don't forget to get up and take a little walk every hour or so, or else your knee will get very stiff.

When you get home from work, just have a quick meal and than spend the rest of the evening resting, while icing and elevating your leg.

 

[Celle]

Hello again, @Jah66
You'll notice that I have merged your two threads together as it's best if members in recovery only have one thread.
This is because:

• That way, you have all your information in one place. This makes it easier for others to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you start new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

Please keep all your questions and updates on this thread. We won't miss your new question as, between us, the staff read all new posts each day.
If you need an urgent response to a question, tag a member of staff.
Tagging other members and answering tags

If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts?

A helpful hint - Many members have found it useful to bookmark their thread so they don't lose it.

Best wishes,
Celle

 

[Jah66]

thank you Caryl. My apologies for not following same thread. Newbie at these forums for sure. = )

My ortho PA seemed to think pain this far out was unusual. I reminded her I have chronic Lyme so i'm not sure if that plays a role or not in my healing/recovery.

The lack of sleep is so disrupting as I'm usually a 7-8 hours/nite person in order to function well during the day.

Another ? i have : with the new knee - does it throw off my gait (or correct it from being thrown off) to the point of ankle bone pain, foot pain and back pain? I can tell these pains are bone/arthritis and very different from the muscular/nerve pain that keeps me awake all nite. I've had to wear an ankle brace on the TKR knee often. It seems that the rest of my bones are unhappy with the new gait -- however 'corrected' it now is! Will the body adjust to new gait and learn a new 'alignment'? I feel OLD!!

 

[Abbylayla]

Had RTKR August 5th. Extension was always good, Flex fluctuated but was never below 80 or so. Went to PT as instructed, chose to go twice/week rather than 3 times. I had a very good therapist but I did not feel PT was really doing me a great deal of good & sometimes it would even set me back a number of days.
After 1 month I quit. For me that was the best decision. Flex continued to improve without any specific exercise. I did & continue to ice/elevate every time I can.
Flex goes to about 120 with little if any effort. Sometimes when I move to put my legs under me its so natural I forget I even had a replacement. I can get my knee past 120 with some discomfort but I expect that will subside as well.
PT is good for some but not for all. Personally I'm happy with my decision to quit. I have had good results without it.

 

[kneeper]

I don't know about your chronic Lyme disease but certainly your body could be adjusting to gait change. You could be having referred pain that is hard to pin down.

 

[Peaches0000]

Sleep is so important, It effects healing properly, mental moods,etc. I had to ask my Family Dr for a prescription for Ambien at 3 months Post op. It was just the thing I needed and I quit them easily after a few months. I wasn’t taking any narcotics by the time I got them or I would have been afraid to mix them. I am sorry you are having so much pain. The ortho Drs. Do not prepare people enough for what you really have to go through. So, I honestly thought something was seriously wrong with me until I found this Bonesmart site. It truly has been a lifesaver!

 

[Jah66]

Thank you for sharing your experience with sleep issues. I am going back to work tomorrow, so I will be stopping sleep aids during work nites. I take herbal aids only so far. May I ask if your pain was worse at nite? I am now starting to have pain with walking again, which I thought was done.
I have a telehealth appt this Wednesday to go over bloodwork ordered due to pain.
I am so frustrated, esp with pain at night. As you said, sleep is so important for healing. Is your pain now gone? How long did it take to ease up at night?