TKR 4 Month Post Op Pain Knee Normal?

[pjmelomo]

I had TKR on my left knee 4 months ago. Generally everything is well, I can walk with no issues and no pain. I still however have pretty significant pain in the front of my knee when walking up an down stairs and signifigant pain behind by knee after sitting for an extended period, which unfortualtley I have to do for work. Is still within the normal paremeters of pain? Can anyone recommend stretching exercises, etc that might help?

Thanks and any support would be appreciated

 

[Zanza]

I'm closing in on six months and I still have pain on the stairs. I have found stretching to help. A big one that I do is to lay on my side and pull up my foot as far as I can to stretch the quad muscle. I do that on both sides. The operative knee doesn't bend as much as the "good" knee but I can feel the stretch and that's what counts. I also practice on a step stool taking a couple of steps up and down as slow as I can. I did have a lot of pain behind the knee when sitting but that seems to have resolved. One of the administrators will be by with lots more information. Good luck!

 

[Jockette]

Hi and Welcome!
Please tell us your surgery date and we’ll make a signature for you.

All you describe is very normal for 4 months, and will probably continue to some extent for a while yet. This recovery does take about a year, and sometimes more, so you still have a lot of healing to do.

While some gentle stretching can be helpful, many aspects of this recovery just take time.

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary

2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

​

If you want to use something to help heal the incision, ​

BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

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a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

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4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

​

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity Progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

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Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.