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TKR 6 months still stiff

thanks so much for finding and connecting me to my previous thread from 2015!
I'm at 3 1/2 weeks and doing well. I can easily walk without assistance.
Been trying to see if stiffness is from overdoing it and I can't seem to correlate so I'm just doing all my exercises in spite of it. Even if I take a day off the stiffness is there most of the time. Every now and then I get up and wow.....almost feels normal with very LITTLE stiffness. I guess this is the 1 step forward 2 steps back time.

I do remember last time that I was getting really " sick of" the stiffness or concrete leg hanging on.

I'm not going to PT so don't know my ROM but can do complete turns on my recumbent stationary bike. I can tell my extension almost flat so not worried.

Yesterday I walked .6 miles and want to increase a little every other day.
Me thinks I have a case of impatience so posting here brings me back to reality.
How are you @dmetz ? I think our ops were the same day?
 
Getting a revolution on your bike at 3 1/2 weeks is amazing! Having stiffness is completely normal. You still have swelling, but inside and out. It time, ice, elevation and easy movements that will bring that swelling down. Enjoy those revolutions!
 
Mornin....I'm 2 days shy of 4 weeks since my LTKR and doing well, I think! My instructions on discharge were to begin PT 7 days later with a therapist of my choice. For my RTKR , I was very disappointed after trying 2 different places. Most of the exercises were those that are available on my handouts or any good book/internet site. Of course they were always interested in measure
ments. I probably went to a total of 6 and then quit. I was hoping to go this time to someone recommended by a local choreographer who is 75 and has 2 knees and 2 hips replaced but he is on vacation. I may try to get an appt and do a consult wondering what he has to offer other than standard protocol.My knee just a few months shy of almost 2 years is fantastic.

Question...those of you who do home PT, what do you do? I have no swelling and am on 4000 tylenol per day every 6 hours. Plenty of stiffness still. I have been sort of randomly doing throne slides, chair slides, straight leg lifts, short arc quad lifts, heel lifts and also walking everyday and recumbent bike.

I would like to make a schedule instead of random.
In general for ongoing health(for instance at the gym) I would always do exercises every other day, at the most. I've seen lots of reports here that people are doing exercises every day , multiple times. Is this the way to go for the TKR recovery? I have plenty of time to do that but I'm a little confused.

By the way, I don't see any correlation between doing a lot or doing a little in my knee the next day. No added pain or swelling when I "go for it" one day.
Thanks

Any ideas?e
 
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.
 
Hopetohike,
Sounds like you are doing very well at 4 weeks. The challenge of recovery is every knee is different, you cannot compare yourself to others who may be doing less or more. You need to find what works for you and your knee.

Hopetohike said:
Plenty of stiffness still.
Click to expand...
Stiffness is a form of pain and needs to be Elevated, Iced, and Medicated as prescribed.

Here are some suggested exercises, Exercises - for gentle strengthening .
 
Honestly, you do not need to adhere to a home exercise schedule. Simply incorporate some bending and straightening into your daily activities. Additionally, after my RTKR, I practiced tightening my snoozy quad, pedaled my spin bike a bit, and stepped up and down a sturdy step aerobics step since my house is flat. I used my walker at the step for safety. I did not hire home PT and only completed a few sessions of gentle outpatient PT starting 6 weeks out. After that I gradually returned to my normal (improved, two good knees!) life. I had a wonderful recovery.
 
I did no PT at all after my last TKR and only went to 2 or 3 sessions with the one before that.
My surgeon doesn't allow any formal PT for the first month after a knee replacement and after that month, only one session every 2 weeks. We do a few exercises at home and let ordinary daily living activities be our exercise. All his patients do well.

Both my knees are strong and reliable. They straighten fully and bend to somewhere between 125 and 130 degrees.
 
I have home PT though I really don't need it. I look forward to just having another person to talk to during the day! They come twice a week and I don't do much more than you've been doing.
 
Hi hopetohike! I'm doing well! This right knee seems to be a little more temperamental than the left was. I'm experiencing the stiffness too at times. But all in all very happy with it. I'm thinking this will be my last week of PT. My ROM is almost where my left is. Which is 135. Extension 0. I limped for a long time before my replacement so I think I'm breaking the habit. Because if I really focus on my walking I don't limp at all. Sleeping gets better all the time. I've been driving since week 3. I'm a happy camper! I'm glad you are doing well. Here's hoping our stiffness vanishes in the next couple of weeks.
 
Life is probably your best PT at this time. Remember increased stiffness is your knee complaining. I really didn't do any exercising PT with my replacements and have had amazing results. Read a few recovery threads and you'll see the difference between those who pushed and those who exercised patience. Good luck with the remainder of your recovery. Your going to love two happy knees!
 
Thanks so much for all the replies. Just the encouragement I needed, Yesterday was 4 1/2 weeks and I did a 1.2 walk. My knee had felt not good the day before but yesterday it felt so good I thought i would give it a spin. I had previousy done .6mile. So far this morning, no complaints.

I am going to a PT consult on Monday morning who was referred to me by a 75 yr. old choreographer friend with 2 replaced knees and 2 replaced hips. YIKES! Well see.
First I'll give my spiel about "don't touch my knee without permission and secondly...no measurements, and will see if he wants to still work with me :)
I have a leg discrepancy and have been wearing a lift on the replaced side for several years so I would appreciate some gait analysis more than anything. If all he has to offer are the standard exercises after a TKR exercises, dont need 'em.
Wow dmetz....135! I'm impressed. I can go round on the bike and eyeballing I wold say maybe 120 so I'm not worried. I got all my records from my last TKR and my comments to the PT were almost completely in line with my experience this time. So I guess my knees are twins!

Also, wanted to add, My RTKR suddenly jumped at least 5 degrees at about 1 yr, 2 months so I can vouch for ongoing and late flexion advances.
I do remember the stiffness lasting quite awhile so just have to live with it. Good patience training!
Have a lovely day...my sons birthday today so were going out .
 
I am in need of some pep talking this afternoon. I'm on a beach trip celebrating 7 weeks and was feeling really good this Am after breakfast. Walked about 1.5 miles with my sleeve on.
Now I am having pain. Guess I joined the overdo club!

What I don't understand is I think my pain is worse this week than weeks before. At week 4 I felt like I was really progressing. Now it Feels like going backwards!

Have others experienced this? Dont remember having this with my other knee :(
 
You're on holiday and, whether you're aware of it or not, you're probably doing more. You feel as if you don't want to miss out on anything.
However, walking 1.5 miles was probably too much. Your knee is telling you so. Walking on the beach is hard on a new knee, too.

Try to schedule rest time in with your other activities.
 
I bet you're not sleeping well either. That will increase your pain, too. Just plan in lots of rest times and you should improve.
 
I agree with Celle. That's a long walk for a new knee. Add to that the stress walking in sand does to the knee and you've asked a new knee to do quite a lot. I'm very careful at the beach as that's where my right knee decided it was DONE. Just last week I was at the shore and tried to keep my sand walking to a minimum for my poor left knee.
 
I think these backwards days are quite normal. We feel good, we do a little more, we suffer a bit for it, repeat . . . it's important to remember that this recovery is not exactly linear. And as Celle said walking in sand is much harder than on hard surfaces - if you did any that may be the culprit. Hopefully you will recover quickly.
 
Hi All...I continue to be amazed at this community and so grateful!:loveshwr:

Night before last I actually had a pretty good night, meaning I only woke up 3 times and didn't reach for ice sleeve. So yesterday I decided to try less tylenol during the day... just 2 at 10 AM and 2 at 10 PM. I usually take 1000 every 6 hours during the day up until about 9 PM and then if I wake up with any pain wrap the ice cuff around for awhile. I did try the saran wrap trick. No luck. Been taking tylenol since day 5 since the narcotics made me so sick.:eeeuw:

So...last night was bad. Awake much of the night with tossing and turning and the pain was a whole leg ache. I don't think I overdid yesterday but it's hard to tell. After my morning recumbent bike and a walk I always ice and do so off and on during the day when I'm having a lie down. I have no obvious swelling ever but it feels good and I know there is still inflammation internally.

My question is should I go back to my 4 times a day tylenol , ice at night regime which was working pretty well?......maybe use less tylenol during day and try some tramadol at night...? Seems like this is going backwards but I keep remembering the chart!

My GP was freaking out yesterday about tylenol and is testing my liver levels. I gave her a scientific paper outlining the reasons for backing off to 3000 per day recommendations and how 4000 was perfectly safe. I have to admit I enjoy sharing scientific papers with doctors!

Oh, and thanks @kmak81230 for the reminder that I can do upper body work. Forgot about that!
Cheer...we're having 100 degree weather here so I better get moving if I want to go outside.:chinstroke:
 
It's perfectly fine for your doc to do blood work just to be safe, but you need decent pain control at this stage in your recovery. I took tylenol at least 3 times a day for months after my tkrs (never over 4,000 mg). I think your instinct to keep taking tylenol 3-4 times a day (up to 4,000 mg) for a while yet and ice is a good one.
 
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