TKR 2 weeks post. Can't raise leg

But, realistically, who post op can manage to reduce their pain meds after 2 weeks??
Very, very few. I wish all those that restrict pain meds would have to go through a knee replacement. Maybe then the prescribed pain meds would be available as long as the patient needed them.
 
Very, very few. I wish all those that restrict pain meds would have to go through a knee replacement.
Exactly!
My theory is that a lot of the onus is put on the patient to speak up, advocate for themselves and work to get those meds rather than the provider writing out large scripts to everyone.
I highly doubt anyone realistically expects a patient going through The Most Painful Surgery There Is with minimal pain medication. But the providers are more protected if they start out giving us less and we have to really show that we need more.
Just a theory.
 
Here in the UK our system is somewhat insane..

I fortunately had my operation in a private hospital but they sent me home with meds for 1 week.
I then had to try to speak to my NHS doctor for a repeat prescription...
Given the covid 19 issues my doctors surgery isn't making appointments...
So, I have to fill in an online form.. 20 mins to complete ... to get a gp to phone me...
1 day later I get a phone call from a nurse asking what I needed even though she had a list of the meds prescribed by the hospital in front of her....
It appears that her job is so give the very minimum meds...
So, I finish up with 1 week of dihydrocodeine and no oral morphine......

1 week later, I'm going through the same process again.....

This time I will stand my ground an ask to speak to a doctor....
 
This time I will stand my ground an ask to speak to a doctor
Yes. Get past the gatekeepers. That's exactly their job.
Once I was finally able to get a doctor on the line, I had a prescription.
So frustrating, isn't it? Like you don't have enough going on as it is already. But don't worry, soon you'll annoy the nurses enough and they'll pass you forward. Pain is a bigger motivator than a crabby nurse. Good luck!
 
Ok.... update.... and questions.

4 1/2 weeks post now.
Had issues with quads for 3 1/2 weeks ( just wouldn't work)
So quads now working, a little...

I can walk 400m with sticks...

But, knee still has really tight bands from the outside to above the knee..
And now clicks or clunks almost every step.... not noise just the way it feels....

Still can't do straight leg lifts properly.... can lift (painfully) but leg just not straight.....

Question..... does this all sound familiar?......

If you experienced any of these things.... how did you get on?
What helped?

(Covid) Hospital only doing 'zoom' video physio sessions.... so, although at least talking to the physio ... no real hands on help.....
 
What you are feeling sounds totally normal for 4.5 weeks out. Don't try and force any exercise. When your body is ready it will allow more mobility.

What helps is icing and elevating. Ice for 45-60 minutes several times per day. Once you get that swelling down your mobility will naturally increase.
 
Thanks for the reply Jaycey...

The thing that is really bothering me at the moment is the 'clunking'...
And, the problems trying to do straight leg lifts.... just having real problems trying to get the knee locked and straight...probably at 25 degrees at the moment....
 
Here's an article from our Library that might give you more information on a noisy knee: Clicking/clunking knee joint after surgery

The leg raises will come. Your knee is still recovering from the trauma of surgery. What seems impossible one day will be easy another day. Don't force it and please don't worry. All this is very temporary.
 
Thanks again Jaycee....

I know my recovery has been delayed by 3 weeks due to the quads refusing to work.... but, having now experienced this.. how the heck does anyone manage to get back to work after 6 weeks? Lol
 
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I know every recovery is different but I could not do a straight leg lift preop if there was a gun to my head. My quad is so wasted and inactivated after years of inactivity. Post op, I saw my surgeon and he is so scary that when he asked me to scoot to the end of the chair, straighten my leg and lift it, I was actually able to. Even an inch is something! From there, with the coaching of my support person, I was able to start leg raises. I really think that the connection between your brain and that muscle has been lost and needs reconnecting. I had to sit in my chair, scoot right to the edge, straighten my leg as much as I could, close my eyes and THINK. I had to think about that muscle, contract it and then it would raise. Initially just an inch or so but anything is good. I had to have my support person there to encourage me and do my counting. From there I finally feel my quad response coming back and two weeks later I can do my leg raises without thinking or having someone else encourage me. Just my experience but there is hope!
 
Thanks Newkneenewme

Lol .... scary surgeon...roflol..
Good info re exercises ....

It is a very wierd experience ... being able to lift the other leg with no problems... but not even being able to lift the operated leg 1"...

It has come back to some extent... I can lift the leg but its bent at about 25 degrees.... and very painful to try lifting when locked straight....

Will definitely have a go at the exercises..
 
Thanks Newkneenewme

Lol .... scary surgeon...roflol..
Good info re exercises ....

It is a very wierd experience ... being able to lift the other leg with no problems... but not even being able to lift the operated leg 1"...

It has come back to some extent... I can lift the leg but its bent at about 25 degrees.... and very painful to try lifting when locked straight....

Will definitely have a go at the exercises..
You are so right, it really is an incredible thing not the be able to lift your leg. Unless you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to understand. I was also bent at about 20 degrees when I started. So my leg raises weren’t exactly “straight leg raises” lol. But over time I’m straightening out. Do what you can and keep making that brain-quad connection, for me I think that was the key.
 
After a few weeks I do find myself asking....
Does physio actually have any real effect or is it just psychological.... giving you something to do so that you stop worrying and feel as if you can make a difference?
Will doing 10 sets of leg lifts 3 times a day really make a difference?
Surely the single best exercise is doing what your legs are meant to do naturally...walking....
A 10 min walk probably involves 500 steps.... so how can 10 leg lifts realistically make any noticeable difference?

Don't get me wrong....I am going to do everything the physio tells me to do...but,...
 
I fully believe:

Regaining our ROM, strength, and recovery in general, is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.

This is what @TortiTabby experienced. (Just so you know, ADL means Activities of Daily Living, which means just go about the normal things you do in the course of your day, and not doing a “list of exercises.”)
Just an update for those who are apprehensive about gaining ROM:
It has now been 26 weeks and all I do is ADL and this is what my ROM has done:
3.5 wks: 75
6 wks: 85
7 wks: 90
10.5 wks: 95
14 wks: 100
17 wks: 105
20 weeks: 110
26 weeks (where I am today): 120!!!
I did it! My goal of 120! No "pushing through pain", no PT after the first 3 visits, and most importantly to me: No MUA! My surgeon who said I would never get beyond 85 ROM without pushing through pain was wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm excited to see if it gets even better. :happydance:
 
Thanks again for the reply Jockette...

I have now bought a pedal exerciser and am doing 5 mins several times a day..
Knee is over 100 degrees but tightens up with walking.....
Straight leg is still an issue... often takes me a min to start walking after standing up, as my leg just doesn't lock or feel stable.

Quads have started working although extremely painful doing straight leg lifts.... but, probably only to be expected as I have been limping since the original accident 5 YEARS AGO..... I am now starting to realise the quad strength is going to take a long time to recover...

Knee 'knocking' as I walk doesn't seem to be getting any better, if anything it's worse. On a 300M walk it knocks every 4th or 5th step on the way out... but knocks every step of the way back....

Thank God for this forum..... I would have been really paranoid by now..

Answer to all problems seem to be stop worrying and just do what you can....
 
Answer to all problems seems to be stop worrying and just do what you can....
Yes, I think this is the best way to recover. I had already had a kneecap removal on this knee in '93 and knew the best way to recover from an invasive knee surgery. Though not nearly as involved as a TKR, it was painful. It hurt to even move my toes. I learned to listen to my knee and to do what I could do without pain then or later, and then just forgot about it.

In 2016 came my TKR. I recovered from this the same way. I did no formal PT, letting my daily activities be my exercise. The knee ruled my day and night for the first couple of months, then I tried to just forget about it. As long as I didn't do something stupid, my knee was pretty much OK. I increased my daily activities as much as my knee allowed without causing extra pain and swelling.

My extension was much slower coming back. The way I helped that along was to walk with longer strides, concentrating on the heel to toe stride. It didn't happen overnight, but my extension did get back to normal.
 
I had a nice long answer that I lost ;) but bottom line is what you're going through is totally normal. It will get better, just not all at once. :)
 
Quads have started working although extremely painful doing straight leg lifts.
Don’t try so hard to do these, since it's so painful. Try one again in a week or so and see how it goes. I couldn’t lift my leg myself, either, for a while. I didn’t “work on it.” The only thing I did was eventually start to get my leg up on my foam wedge myself, which was only when I wanted to lay down to sleep. I never tried to do X amount of leg lifts. Eventually I realized I was getting my leg on the wedge so one time I pushed it aside and tried a specific leg left, and my leg went up high! All without painful working on it. It happened as I healed.
 
Ant69 , You are actually quite normal with your recovery, my knee sounds like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz lately when I walk, I am so sick of this whole recovery that i have quit worrying about my stupid knees. I have accepted that this will go on for a long time , with various unpleasant side effects from getting sawed, hammered & stapled and then cut off 5 mg of Oxy at 2 weeks and forced to go back to work full time at 6 weeks. I know that I am just a little ray of sunshine today, but I honestly am still glad that I have had both knees done this year. it can only get better for all of us. Hang in there.Anyone have an oil can that I can borrow???
 

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