2 weeks post op TKR of right knee

[NJLOU]

hi all !!!! im a newbie please be gentle lol!!!!. im two weeks out surgery was on jan 26th in Pa. surgery took a little over two hours surgeon said knee was really bad . i was walking around with the help of my walker that same night . I was doing PT the next afternoon . my discharge was thursday afternoon on 29th .my PT was done at home by a visiting therapist she is wonderful . before discharge from the hospital my rom was 75. today I actually hit 90 this morning i am very excited but still concerned . i do my excercising religiously ice and elevatation as well . but i do have my moments of stiffness especialy after i walk . when i had my staples removed on tuesday my doctor said xrays looked great but he mentioned possible manipulation cause i was very tight my PT did come over for our regular session that afternoon about an hourd before my dr's visit and my rom was an 80. should i be concerned now that i am at a rom of 90 at two weeks post op about the manipulation i wanna do it on my own rather than go under again . any advice and words of wisdom are greatly appreciated . i wanna thank you all in advance and God Bless !!!!!!

NJLOU

 

[JudyS]

NLOU

Welcome. I am a hippy, but do want to welcome you to the best site. I'm sure kneesals will be posting soon.
I do know 2 weeks is way way early in recovery and your range sounds awesome at this point.

Judy

 

[Weezy]

Hey NLOU--I had my RTKR on the 29th, just a couple days after you!

I'm sure there are others here who know more about "shoulds" when it comes to ROM, but just two weeks out seems to be a bit early to be worrying, especially since you're in the 80-90 range. My PT doesn't stress over ROM the first couple weeks, as long as I'm making some progress and keep it moving--he spends more time telling me to relax and let things heal (I'm a wee bit impatient).

It takes a LONG LONG LONG time to heal from this, and that's something I think we all struggle with...I know I do. This is my second knee, and I'm finding the "be patient" part of it very frustrating and just as difficult this time as it was the first time around.

Read around some of the other threads and jump into the conversations...I don't think I'm the only one to say that this forum and the folks here keep (and kept) me sane during my first and now second recoveries. There is more understanding and information available from the great folks here than anywhere else. Sometimes it just helps to talk to other people who REALLY understand what you're going through!

Weezy

 

[execk2]

Welcome to the madness.....patience. Sounds like it's going quite well. I'm 14 weeks, patience I keep telling myself.

 

[rungout]

I am 6 days out. I had a really bad night last night after extra effort during at home PT. My ROM has been really good even in hospital and every PT and nurse say I am doing really well but I feel i hit a slump last night. I am not a weak person but I feel very weak now. I took pain meds, to the max last nite. Is this normal to have a bad day 5 to 6 days out? How do I know if my PT isn't pushing too hard? How hot should my knee be/not be? I know a certain amount of heat and inflammation has a healing effect but how much is too much? And though I have no history of heart problems, I feel like my heart is really being taxed. Well since its Sat no PT til Mon. I will do my own but I will be more conservative. I appreciate any one's advice.

 

[Weezy]

I am 6 days out. I had a really bad night last night after extra effort during at home PT. ... Is this normal to have a bad day 5 to 6 days out? How do I know if my PT isn't pushing too hard? How hot should my knee be/not be? I know a certain amount of heat and inflammation has a healing effect but how much is too much? And though I have no history of heart problems, I feel like my heart is really being taxed. Well since its Sat no PT til Mon. I will do my own but I will be more conservative. I appreciate any one's advice.

I don't know how to tell if your PT is pushing you too hard...could you call your doc's office on Monday and talk to someone there? or see your doc?

Regarding the bad night: yes, its normal! And its a dance to learn how hard to push and when to be patient and back off a bit. Six days out seems a bit early to be worrying too much about pushing "hard", especially if you had some extreme pain afterwards. I think pain is usually a good guide--some pain tells us we're working; too much pain tells us we've overdone it.

Weezy

 

[jacques1]

NJLOU
My OS was not concrened about my ROM for the first 2 weeks. In fact, I was at 90 and he didn 't want me pushing beyond that because of the staples. I am 5 weeks now and the people on this forum have been so helpful with their stories and advice. I wouldn't worry right now either. I also get stiff and tight as the day goes on.
My leg is still a little warm at times. Hope I helped a littlre
Deb

 

[Josephine]

To both of you I want to echo what others have said and ask you to be patient and be brave. You're both far two early to be worrying about what you should and shouldn't be doing. This time is to just take things as they come and let your wounds heal. Once you've had your stitches/staples removed, then you can pitch into the PT with a vengence.

hi all !!!! im a newbie please be gentle lol!!!!. im two weeks out surgery was on jan 26th in Pa. surgery took a little over two hours surgeon said knee was really bad . i was walking around with the help of my walker that same night . I was doing PT the next afternoon . my discharge was thursday afternoon on 29th .my PT was done at home by a visiting therapist she is wonderful . before discharge from the hospital my rom was 75. today I actually hit 90 this morning i am very excited but still concerned . i do my excercising religiously ice and elevatation as well . but i do have my moments of stiffness especialy after i walk . when i had my staples removed on tuesday my doctor said xrays looked great but he mentioned possible manipulation cause i was very tight my PT did come over for our regular session that afternoon about an hourd before my dr's visit and my rom was an 80. should i be concerned now that i am at a rom of 90 at two weeks post op about the manipulation i wanna do it on my own rather than go under again . any advice and words of wisdom are greatly appreciated . i wanna thank you all in advance and God Bless !!!!!!

NJLOU

Friend, you're doing well. Be proud of yourself! The surgeon was probably just thinking aloud. I've seen people with stiff/swollen legs that can hardly flex them at all and weeks and months down the line, all was well. If he does decide an MUA is necessary, well just accept that it's for the best. Why struggled when you can make up ground with a quick gas and tweak?!! Don't see it as a failure on your part, just a how things have gone.

I am 6 days out. I had a really bad night last night after extra effort during at home PT. My ROM has been really good even in hospital and every PT and nurse say I am doing really well but I feel i hit a slump last night. I am not a weak person but I feel very weak now. I took pain meds, to the max last nite. Is this normal to have a bad day 5 to 6 days out? How do I know if my PT isn't pushing too hard? How hot should my knee be/not be? I know a certain amount of heat and inflammation has a healing effect but how much is too much? And though I have no history of heart problems, I feel like my heart is really being taxed. Well since its Sat no PT til Mon. I will do my own but I will be more conservative. I appreciate any one's advice.

And I say much the same to you, rungout. It's normal to feel like this anything up to 5/6 weeks out! Just go with the flow and when you have 'days off' have days off to recuperate! You'll be able to get stuck in later when you're more recovered from the major assault you just suffered!

 

[NJLOU]

thank you all for all the words of encouragment and advice . i went to the mall today if felt great i walked as much as i could then my daughters got the wheelchair from customer service for me . it was good to get out then afterwards i did go for a haircut sat on that chair no problem until i went to get up a little stiff but managed .


thanks again!!!!!!
njlou

 

[aussie]

Hi NJLOU,

Sounds like you are doing really well. Good news.

Hi also Rungout,

Yep those days can sprout up anywhere along the way, so just know they are part of recovery, I had probably my worst day of the lot on my 5 week anniversary, but the next day all was good again. It's a long slow process so be kind to yourself.

My knee still has a bit of heat in it and I'm 12 weeks post op. You get used to the heat level and it lessens over time.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Chris