TKR 6 months still stiff

[Jockette]

I’ve been told pains can come and go with no rhyme or reason, but every time one does I still always try to figure out what caused it!

 

[KarriB]

I had stiffness, especially after sitting for any length of time well into a year post op. A drive in the car was f Me until I had to get out and up.

 

[funkymuse]

Hey great questions. As everyone else says here... let your knees/pain be the guide. As far as biking, I just started trying EVERY day with the rocking. Probably only once a day but at least 5 minutes, maybe more. Once you make a revolution, it's so cool! You'll want to do it more but as usual beware and go slowly. I have recumbent at home and changed it up so that it would require minimum bend, at first and then kept changing it.

Thank you! I did do it twice yesterday and found myself in pain in the middle of the night.. so I guess I overdid... I get excited because those half turns actually make my knee feel good!

I did walk as much as possible, did heel slides whenever I was in a chair, did the standard extension exercise described on this site, and elevated and iced A LOT FOR AT LEAST 5- 6 WEEKS.

I walked alot today and I'm thinking I shouldn't do much more. I did the bike this morning and a few bends here and there and I feel that should be it. There's such a fine line to overdoing! Did you find that too much walking set you back at times?

I'm convinced it will all work out before the years end but some days, as you already know, the mind can make up many stories about how " it won't ever work out".

Oh yes this happens to me daily throughout the day! When I sit on the commode and my foot touches the ground I think.. 'wow.. I might be making ROM progress!' And then when it hangs and refuses to bend back further, I'm thinking oh gosh what happened?!

DO you know about tubigrip? I have aalso used that both doble thickness and single for several months. It does a GREAT job for me at reducing any stiff feelings. The Zensah sleeve is a little heartier and structured differently. the tubigrip is available at medical supply stores and the Zensah sleeve is from Amazon. Both have really made a difference for me.

If you don't mind me asking, how do you use each of these.. I mean do they both do the same thing? Which would you recommend overall? I'd love to just be able to slip something on instead of having to ace wrap at night before I get up to go to the restroom or walk the house.

Oh yes, it takes a while in recovery to be able to stand for long! You're very early in your recovery and doing fine. It's very difficult to keep the faith early on. I am unbelievably grateful to this group. It made a real difference to my recovery.

Thank you for the vote of confidence!!! I so appreciate and NEED it!

 

[kmak81230]

I still have stiffness, particularly after standing for a long time. I will be 7 months next week. It comes and goes but I can do many things and I am still working on strength and ROM so that probably contributes as well. Glad you are able to do so much!

 

[annieo]

@funkymuse The single layer of tubigrip is perfect for "slipping on. I just cut a piece that goes from mid thigh to mid calf. Slip it on-you're good to go. I carry it in my purse at all times!

The Zensah sleeve I use on long walks, for jazzercise and bad days! Less and less of that, thank goodness but still slower and more unpredictable than I ever imagined.

 

[annieo]

Hello all my knee friends! Today I extended my walking to 3 miles. At about 2.25 I began having some lowerback/hip pain. It slowed me down, I made it home alright and then got into the "elevation " postion for 30 minutes. Up and about now and feeling fine. I had no problems with knee just this back/hip thing. I'm thinking maybe it'a stamina/endurance thing and maybe I need to GRADUALLY increase my walks in smaller increments. Anyone else experience this? It def doesn't feel like athritis or anything like that. Very spread out ache.

On the positive side, I'm happily back at jazzercize twice a week, Tai Chi and since we live in a walkable neighborhood no longer have to say "no" to walking to the restaurants or grocery stores yay!

 

[KarriB]

I increased my walks very slowly and by time. Every week I added 5 minutes to my overall walk, setting my phone for 2.5 minutes more and heading home when the timer went off. It took a few months before my stamina built up, but now I walk 2-3 miles with no problem and don’t check the time at all.

 

[annieo]

I hope I'm posting in my own thread...its been awhile. I feel like I need some support. I am almost at 10 months, have very good flexion and extension, am able to walk over 3 miles in some tough terrain and to do jazzercise. (aerobic dance). I do still wear tubigrip for dance class and on long walks or "sore" days. Is there any problem with wearing tubigrip or a light sleeve? I read a posting once that expressed concern that one could get "dependent " on it?

I know everyone says it can take a year or more but I'm worried. My early recovery was so swift and good I don't understand why the stiffness and soreness won't go away/ My other replacement was "done" by 6 months!


From education on these pages, I guess there is still some inflammation internally that isn't visible. I have no swelling but only experience an ongoing stiffness and some "soreness" for lack of a better term. Not bad enough and not consistent enough for pain meds. I have tried elevating , ice and no activity for a week but it doesn't seem to make any difference. And the activity doesn't seem to make it worse.

Should I have concerns about infection? I have no appts/ scheduled with Doc. At 5 weeks I was doing so well I'm not even sure he said to come back at a year. I think I will so he can xray and eliminate problems with the device.

Is there someone out there who took over a year to stop being constantly aware of the knee due to stiffness and other odd sensations? Sometimes I feel something all the way up to my hip area..

I also have a chronic left lower back issue that was present before surgery. I think my whole left side is messed up.
Thanks

 

[Jockette]

Well I am just at the one year mark and my knee let’s me know it’s there every day!

am able to walk over 3 miles in some tough terrain and to do jazzercise. (aerobic dance).

We all recover at different rates and I would not be able to do any of that yet.

Are you sure that your knee is handling it as well as you think?

I have no swelling but only experience an ongoing stiffness and some "soreness" for lack of a better term.

This may be happening because of all you are doing.

I still have that same kind of stiffness without swelling (that I can see) that you describe.

Sometimes it takes more than a week for things to settle down after we’ve done more than the knee wants.

 

[KarriB]

It took me well over a year for stiffness, weird sensations or just knowing daily that I had a TKR in my leg. I wasn’t doing much else’s besides teaching every day and riding my bike. It could be the rough terrain putting some pressure on your knee. Have you considered walking but sticking to flat terrain? In the beginning of my walking I definitely felt my knee with hills or steep inclines and stayed away from those for a while, but now I can up and down with no issues.

 

[kneeper]

If the tubigrip makes it feel better, I don't see a problem. The only potential problem with that or a support sleeve is that it might lead you to overdo if it masks symptoms.

 

[SusieShoes]

I have tried elevating , ice and no activity for a week but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Are you still elevating, resting, and icing? I ask because if you did it for just the one week... that's not long enough to see results. A day or two of icing/elevating will work to settle down an aggravated knee if that knee has been consistently pain-free. Yours is continuing soreness, though. That suggests your knee needs more... more rest, more elevating, more icing. It may take a few weeks or maybe more to get it to settle down and for the inflammation to go away.

I'm approaching 11 months myself and while my knees are pain-free, the left one will get a little sore on occasion, usually if I've done too much. This long recovery plays out differently for each knee!

 

[ATHIKER]

Does the tubigrip help with the stiffness. I think I'm at that point where it feels like a clamp around the top of the knee

 

[Celle]

I'm inclined to agree with Jockette - you might be doing too much for your knee, resulting in the stiffness. Long walks, plus jazzercise, is quite a lot to ask of a knee that is still not completely healed.

Remember that it does take at lest a full year for all your internal tissues to heal completely.

I don't see any harm in using the tubigrip, as long as it doesn't encourage you to do too much. You'll stop using it when you feel you no longer need it.

 

[shelli22]

@Hopetohike I just finished reading your thread. I suggest you make an appointment with your surgeon. From what I can tell you haven’t returned to see him since early in your recovery.

I know when I originally had a PKR I did not know about the BoneSmart way and while I didn’t do physiotherapy I may as well have done. I very early on went to gym four days a week, had a personal trainer and did strength training with weights not realising I was setting myself up for chronic stiffness and swelling as I pushed too hard too soon with the exercise and didn’t give my knee enough time initially to recover. Since then I have had two revision TKRs on the same knee. With this last one I’m just doing ADLs and no formal exercise at all at the recommendation of my surgeon. It’s just a suggestion but it won’t hurt to check in with your OS to make sure all is ok.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[annieo]

@ATHIKER yes tubigrip helps immensely. I sometimes use a"Zensah compression sleeve" I got from Amazon. I like it cause it's very lightweight.

@shelli22 First, thanks for sharing...Why did you need a revision? I didn't really overdo it At all for at least 4 months . I hear ya'll about rough terrain. I will stick to level surfaces now that I'm home from vacation.

Now and then it feels just like my 2 year old knee. Guess I'll lay off for several weeks and ice and elevate and see if that changes anything.

 

[annieo]

Oh, I forgot. What are the signs of infection?

 

[Celle]

Increased heat, pain, redness and swelling. Possibly some discharge from the wound. Plus an elevated temperature and feeling unwell.

 

[annieo]

Thanks. Except stiffness may qualify as pain. Gonna lay low, have doc xray and see.

 

[annieo]

Meant to say, I have none of those except stiffness..... If that qualifies as pain