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TKR 2active getting her life back!

Thanks so much! I am going to be as lazy as I can be until it heals. I hit a milestone today!! I lifted my leg without help late this afternoon. I was shocked because just yesterday, I couldn't!!! Straight up in the air... Mind you, I did grunt a little on the way up, and blew out some bubbles on the way down, but I did it! My knee is on ice and elevated most of the day, so hopefully the incision will heal quickly and I can begin some light exercises again. Thanks so much for your help!:) I think I should be in good shape by the time our two grandbabies arrive in August and September.:) At least that's my goal....
 
You will be the spunky fast Grandma by then!!!!
 
Yippee! Success on the leg lifting!
 
Yes! It did.... I actually said out loud to myself." I did it"! lol... It surprised me:) Then today, my husband walked in from work and saw how I was sitting upright in my chair with both feet on the floor, and said that my ROM looked like it was around 80! I was way off with measuring my ROM. I argued with him, but then looked at some images of the ranges online, and he was right.:) I don't know what I was thinking... I feel a lot happier knowing that I'm not as far behind as I thought I was. My incision openings are closing quickly, and already scabbing over.:) I will continue to ice and elevate and work painlessly on my ROM.
 
Thanks!!! I'm reading threads, and I'm feeling inspired. I'm so glad I found Bone Smart, as it has really helped me through this journey.
 
Today is exactly 4 weeks since by LTKR. My 4 week post op appointment with my OS is in two days and I'm worried that he will be concerned about my ROM. It's at 90 right now, but I have a feeling he is going to be disappointed. I'm doing all I can to improve my range, however, it's going slower than I expected. My knee is so tight and swollen still, so it won't bend as far as I want it to of course. I just don't want my OS to blame it on me stopping PT. I can do the same thing that PT does on my own, and I have been. Can you all please give me your thoughts on this?
 
If he's concerned about ROM of 90 at 4 weeks I don't think you should worry yourself. Four weeks is still early and many TKRs see improvement in swelling going into month 2 just because time has helped the soft tissue recover. My OS never measured or asked what my number was. He asked what I was able to do and how I felt.
 
Thanks! I might be overthinking it, but I can't help worrying since they wanted me to be at 90 before I even left the hospital. I definitely need full range of motion back in my knee eventually because my husband and I are divers, and we have many more countries to visit, and I love to swim. In the back of my mind, I have this fear that I will never have total range again, and I know that sounds paranoid, but it's how I feel right now. Maybe my OS will be okay with it, and give me reassurance that my ROM will definitely come around. I have read all the ROM conversations on this forum, and it does make me feel better, but I still worry. Hopefully my visit this Thursday will ease my mind.
 
I am one day before you and my ROM is 95. At 4 weeks, some people have more and some less ROM. At this point in my recovery, it is hard sometimes, but I am happy when everyday I make progress, not just physically, but mentally. I just realize that how in the heck are we supposed to have better ROM if there is swelling? I feel that when the swelling gets better so will the ROM. We need to hang in there!!!
 
Please don't worry about your ROM yet. You are at 90 at less than a month after surgery. My surgeon doesn't expect 90 until about 6 weeks, so you would be ahead of the game in his eyes.

For what it's worth, expecting 90 degrees before you come out of hospital is impossibly optimistic. My knee only bent to about 5 degrees at that stage and my ROM is over 125 now.

Do you have a PT who keeps measuring your ROM and has set targets? That never helps, becasue it just gets you worried.

For what it's worth, your ROM (both flexion and extension) can continue to improve for a year, or even longer, after a knee replacement. There is no need to rush, no deadline by which you need to achieve a certain ROM or all is lost. Your knee won't set at what it is now. It will continue to improve, as long as you don't upset it by over-exercising.
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Don't get trapped into thinking that you will achieve more ROM by doing more exercising. It doesn't work like that.
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM, it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
[URL='https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/bonesmart-philosophy-for-post-op-therapy.37103/']BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy[/URL]

I've had both knees replaced. I did a minimum of PT on one and none at all on the other. Both knees are strong and reliable. They straighten fully and both bend to over 125 degrees.

I travel from New Zealand to England and back again every year. I don't need any ehlp and don't use any walking aids. I can swim well and still love to go snorkeling.

Where you are now is not where you will end up. You are very early in this year-long recovery.
Your knee is still a work in progress.
 
Thank you so much! I just need to relax and let it happen I guess. I'm so anxious to get back to my job and my life.... I just wish someone could tell me without any doubt what so ever, that I WILL get my ROM back, and that I have nothing at all to worry about. Time will tell me that I guess. I will just do what I have to do, and follow the BS Mantra like I have been. I don't have a PT. I stopped going after the first week when I decided to follow this forums advise.
 
Had my 4 week post op appointment today with my OS and it went way better than I expected. My ROM was actually 105 when I was there! I didn't think I was that far yet, but he surprised me with that measurement. I don't go to PT, so I was trying my best to measure myself, but I was off a bit.:) He was very pleased with my progress, and said I could start taking Motrin for the swelling which will hopefully help me get some more ROM. I've been driving for two weeks since I stopped taking narcotic meds shortly after surgery, due to how it made me feel. I got by on Tylenol, ice and elevation. My head is clear, I feel GREAT, and my knee is being nice to me, causing no pain at all. Just tight and still a bit swollen, which I understand gets better with time. I got a picture of my robot knee, so I stopped by my preschool on the way home to show the kiddos. They said, " Oh, it's pretty". lol My OS said that everything looks great, my scar has healed very well. Thank God for internal stitches and glue! I do my own PT 2 or 3 times each day, while I ice and elevate in between. I get up a lot and walk around the house, so it doesn't get too stiff. My OS said he is totally fine with me doing PT on my own since I'm very independent and self motivated. All in all a great day.:) I'm very happy I had this surgery, because I'm already pain free, and before surgery, I was a miserable mess!
 
You are doing fantastic for only 1 month post op! I've been stuck at about 90 degrees ROM for 2.5 months. But, I can walk super fast with no pain. I'm so glad to hear your head is clear and you have no pain. Doing your own PT at home along with lots of ice and elevation is great! You're doing everything right! Good job! Now you just need to be patient for the rest of your ROM to return. Until then, enjoy you new knee!
 
Thanks! Sounds like you're doing well too! I can't wait to throw this cane over the hill and into the creek! Then maybe I can walk fast and keep up with my preschoolers.:) I feel so happy today... Girls day out this Saturday with my daughters! 50 Shades Darker and lunch! The theatre we are going to has reclining seats! Perfect for me.:) I won't over do it though. I have already learned my lesson there. I will continue to be nice to my new knee, so it will in return be nice to me.:) I'm so happy to be on the other side getting me life back. NO PAIN!!! YAY!!
 
Take your cane with you to the movie theater. It will help to protect your knee from anyone going past your seat.
 
Love seeing these upbeat postings, it is exciting when we finally begin to feel normal again and resume our normal life styles.
 
And you were worried! Happy to hear of your progress! At lunch try to prop your leg up on an extra chair or on the booth beside you. If you can do that along with the theater seats the only time the knee will be down is in the car and walking.
 
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