TKR 37 years old TKR 7 weeks today

[Kavan]

I'm 37 as well and I had a BTKR on May 28th. I had severe arthritis for about 15 years so my activity level was well below your pre-surgery levels. And your ROM is a bit above mine.

I do not believe younger patients are in a worse position in this surgery, I do believe however that surgeons do an absolutely crappy job explaining the recovery process and seem to believe younger patients will recover much faster.

As to rehab my outpatient was 3x a week for the first two weeks then 2x a week. Are you wearing any type of compression stockings that helps me with the swelling. I'd also suggest talking to your PT about the swelling and see if he/she has any suggestions. I know for me the last week or so I've noticed a huge upswing in my walking and stamina. Hopefully you will see the same very soon.

 

[maryo52]

Life at my house during recovery was trying. I recall at one month, being at a christmas family gathering, and getting mad at my husband when his niece's boyfriend stepped over my propped up swollen leg. My husband telling me I should be doing more exercise wise. I spent most of my days for three months parked on the couch. I saw no progress over the course of days and only slight progress over weeks. Try to remind yourself this is temporary.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

In week three, I am at 0 degrees and 85 degrees - which to me is not a speedy recovery

Three weeks is nothing in this thing, sorry to say. But it also means it's far, far too early to worry. Just keep following the mantra.

I agree that I'm trying to speed things up

Unfortunately, you can't. If you do too much you're likely to slow things down -- rather like picking at a scab won't help a cut to heal .

...My husband telling me I should be doing more exercise wise

Is this man a qualified doctor or physiotherapist? If not, tell him to go away. You may have leeway in how you express this.

 

[juniper]

"It's hard to hear from the PT (and I certainly don't think she is doing this intentionally) that the 70 year old patient she just had before me is already at 125 degrees and walking without a cane. . . . man, that kills my spirit! I feel like I must be doing something wrong and then get all worried again about getting a decent range back. Seems like Zumbagirl feels similarly."

I had this same kind of response. Everyone knew someone who had healed more quickly than I had. Your knee has its own timetable and it is very likely not in sync with yours. I went back to work too soon. I thought it was at 6 weeks, but it was five weeks part time, and then six weeks from 8 until 2 every day. I'm embarrassed that I was so stupid, so I changed the facts.

I am now working with an amazing PT and finally healing from tendonitis that all along I thought was my knee not healing because I went back to work too soon or I wasn't icing enough or doing the PT correctly. I needed help and I quit my primary doc and found another so I could go to the PT who had been recommended by friends who are also PTs but live in Mass. The hassle was worth it. I am walking better, feeling less pain, hopeful that I will keep getting stronger and more pain free. It's been a year and a half for me. I just worked through the pain and was pretty miserable a lot of the time.

You are great and simply need to learn patience. The more you listen to your knee and ice, elevate, rest and gently exercise it...the happier you will be in the long run.

 

[Cripwil]

Week 9 - 114 and 2 still painful in afternoons along with swelling.

 

[juniper]

And 114 is fine. You are doing so well...though the pain stinks...are you still icing and elevating? I know nine weeks seems like a long time, but your knee seems to be saying, I need more rest. How are your spirits?

At a year and a half, I was 115. Now I'm 125. And I did too much standing today and now it hurts, but it is so much better. I am going to go to the surgeon in early Sept. Maybe there are adhesions that can be dealt with, maybe not.

 

[referee54]

Week 9 - 114 and 2 still painful in afternoons along with swelling.

I made a mistake and went back to teaching at week eight! By 11:30 Am,my knee was stiff and sore---even though I iced and elevated during my planning and lunch periods.

Trust me on this---you are doing fine---but you really, really need to be patient. You cannot rush this---your knee is in charge and will recover on its own schedule---that is a lesson that I had to learn.

 

[referee54]

I do not believe younger patients are in a worse position in this surgery,

One thing that I have heard from several OS's is that the younger you are, the more pain you are in, as your pain receptors work better than a more elderly patient.

I do believe that we think that we are younger and are more likely to "breeze through things" Then we find out reality...

 

[Josephine]

Not elevating but on bad days but once

You must elevate more - lots and lots!

Pt I've got a list a mile long....I do what I can on that too..sit to stand, kick outs, heel toe slides, walking, calf stretch, hamstring stretch, bend for flexion, bicycle. I can give you more details on these if you want. I do outpatient three times a week and the rest at home on my own.

Do less - LOTS less. This is not boot camp, it's recovery which means you need to let your knee heal. That takes rest and elevation and icing! Remember those articles? Put that information to use!

I do take one aleve per day over the counter ones.

Why only one? and is that a 200mg tablet? That's half and probably quarter of an effective dose. Are you sensitive to that as well?

I agree that I'm trying to speed things up but that is lack of patience on my part. I was so worried about manipulation I've been trying to do more and more....I just want the swelling to end

Well you can't speed it up but you can easily slow it down. Too much activity, too much exercising, too much of anything is counter-productive to your goal of getting better. Less is more, all the time!

Too much also makes your muscles hot and hot muscles are much more likely to develop adhesions!

Too much also makes your leg swell more - remember the article about the swollen stiff knee? Go back and read it again - no never mind - here it is Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?. This is your golden rule. You want to swelling to end? Stop doing so much! Rest, ice and elevate more!

 

[Deedles8]

DHenry I needed to read your thread! I'm 42 - three weeks post op and stuck at 85!!! I thought being younger and in better shape it'd be easier and BOY AM I WRONG! My extension is 0 but I can't seem to get It to bend!

Cripwil it will get better....I'm not giving up hope!!!

 

[referee54]

All the post make me feel better about my progress, I was so worried about manipulation I've been trying to do more and more....

I agree that I'm trying to speed things up but that is lack of patience on my part.

You have fallen into the vicious circle---the trap that you have fallen into is that you are in a hurry and want to speed things up, so you work harder and harder----and, when you do not get the results that you want, you work even harder. What you are doing in an attemt to speed things up is actually slowing you down,

"Less is more." The irony of the situation is that if you want to take care of your knee, you have to force yourself to be patient and slow things down. You admit that you need patience---and that is the key; the less you do, the less swelling you will have.

You have to understand that there is absolutely nothing you can do to speed things up; your knee will recover on its own terms and in its own time. While you cannot speed things up, what you are doing is certainly slowing things down.

 

[Cripwil]

Disappointed today I can only get knee to 95 without assistance from pt

 

[referee54]

Disappointed today I can only get knee to 95 without assistance from pt

Let the PT's obsees with the Numbers---they are the quantitative folk, anyway.

Remember, recovery is not unlike a roller coaster ride---you will have some good days, some very good days, and some real boogers, too. You have to ride the ride and accept the highs and the lows. Knees will have some great days in recovery, and, without any reasons, give you fits, too. Patience is something that is a "must"---do not worry about the numbers---just keep on keepin' on.

Eventually, though, you will arrive at the end of the ride and be fully recovered.

 

[juniper]

I'm so glad you found this site when you did. I remember having difficulty getting on in the first month or two. By then, I was in the middle of pretty intense physical therapy and also back at work. Learning balance and patience was so hard for me. I am still paying for some of those mistakes, thinking that it was my own wimpiness that was holding back my recovery. Listen. Read and reread the articles that have been suggested, and if your knee hurts, ice and elevate. Make this your mantra when you deal with aggressive docs or therapists: I will NOT be bullied into bullying my knee. Good luck. Have you iced and elevated today?

 

[DHenry]

Deedles8 and Cripwil- Hang in there!!

Deedles - you said
"DHenry I needed to read your thread! I'm 42 - three weeks post op and stuck at 85!!! I thought being younger and in better shape it'd be easier and BOY AM I WRONG! My extension is 0 but I can't seem to get It to bend! "

I think maybe people that work with our knees may need to look at how long the knees have had issues - for a chronological "knee age" rather than focusing our straight-up chronological age. Does that make sense? Yes, I am only 46, but my knee was trashed at 18 (ACL, PCL, MCL) and then there were subsequent issues.

I go in tomorrow morning for a PT session, then x-rays, and the 5 week visit with my surgeon. At my last PT session on Wednesday I maintained my 95 degree flexion and then, with some work, we eked out a few more degrees to 97. This seems like slow progress 5 weeks in, but I am happy that I am not losing flexion and am accepting that my recovery is just going a little slowly. I AM concerned about my extension - I was able to keep 0 degrees for a couple of weeks and now I have backslid to 8 degrees. It seems my knee wants to go back to its old familiar/comfortable bent state. Man!

I am preparing myself to hear tomorrow that I may need an MUA. Not really excited about that, but I know my kneecap has been really stubborn and stuck and my PT has really been doing lots of massage to loosen everything up in there so I can get some kneecap glide. Waiting to see what tomorrow brings. . .