TKR 6 weeks post op and counting

[SusieShoes]

That’s good to hear about the numbness. The swelling and joint stiffness will respond to your plan to go easy today. I remember a particularly bad PT session when I did something ill-advised (standing on one leg on a foam pad for “balance”... if anyone suggests this one to you, say NO very loudly) and my knees both swelled up to the point I could barely walk, the pain was so bad. I rested them, elevated and iced, for two days to get them to settle down to where they’d been before. And that was all I did, too, other than walk to the bathroom.

So take the slow lane. Baby your knee. Lots of ice, elevating and TLC for you!

 

[sistersinhim]

Fantastic that the numbness is gone! The stiffness is in response to your over activity! You are doing the right thing by taking a couple of days off. Your knee will thank you and then you will thank your knee!

 

[Kyoung]

Learning the hard way I guess.

 

[Nlh61]

Started driving Sunday and it’s great to be able to get up and go somewhere. I’ve gone to pt, the mall and grocery shopping. No pain, no cane or walker, no meds. Just a bit stiff. Pt is working great. Went to a movie, lunch and walked a mall Saturday and I was definitely tired but I realized moving is good for me. I stopped all pain meds two weeks after surgery. Just wish I could bend farther. I’m at 100 ROM and my knee can go flat on a table.

 

[Celle]

Just wish I could bend farther. I’m at 100 ROM and my knee can go flat on a table.

Give it time! It's only a month since you had major surgery and complete recovery takes a full year. ROM can continue to improve for at least a year. There's no need to rush, no deadline you have to meet.

Most surgeons only expect 90 degrees by 6 weeks and you've already passed that.

 

[Kyoung]

Nlh6 Sounds like your making fabulous progress , congratulations, I’m sure Celle’s right and the range of motion will come naturally in time.
It’s great to be able to get out, though have to say 4 weeks post op today, I still find even short trips or tasks get me out of breath and tired. I had a busy active life presurgery but I feel so unfit now.
I have not got any PT to go to just home excercise which I do moderately, mainly I try to walk. Down to one crutch most of the time but I’m sure that will go when I gain more confidence walking on my new knee, perhaps they should come with training wheels lol.

 

[Jockette]

I love the training wheels idea!

 

[SusieShoes]

@Kyoung, you are doing great! Keep in mind that you’re not feeling tired and out of breath because you’re unfit. You are in the clutches of a huge energy drain because your body has suffered major damage and is working full-bore, hard as it can, to fix you. You want all your energy going to that task.

You’ll come out on the other side of the energy drain with more energy again. It only takes a little longer to build up your stamina again (start slow and work up to longer outings). For now, though, surrender to your body’s demands. It gets its way anyhow.

 

[Kyoung]

SusieShoes I know it all makes sense it’s just so hard to visualise having the energy to return to what was an extremely demanding and stressful job, in a few weeks time. I am as you say listening to my body, allowing it to heal and set the pace, Iv learned my lesson re overdoing it, the knee let’s you know.
Thanks again for support and encouragement

 

[Kyoung]

So good to be getting out again and getting some normality back. Down to one crutch outside and no crutches inside

 

[Celle]

Good progress and lovely photos!

 

[SusieShoes]

Oh, look at you out walking... and in such beautiful surroundings! Your spirit must soar every time you take a walk!

 

[Kyoung]

Celle & SusieShoes
Very pleased to be walking at all, and Scotland is lovely, on those rare occasions that it stops raining.
Expecting snow shortly, which is pretty to look at but not that thrilled about prospect of trying to walk on it...

 

[sistersinhim]

Beautiful! You are doing so well!

 

[Kyoung]

Finding that my knee is getting more and more difficult to get straight.
It’s been years since I could straighten my leg, due to problems with my knee.
I was wondering how the history of the knee impacts on the progress towards getting the knee flat. Does my leg need to heal or is it more about re learning new movements.
How do you teach yourself new movements ,I have been trying to keep my leg straight on a table I even tried to put a weight on the leg but it felt very uncomfortable, almost like it was pulling and stretching at the sides of my knee causing discomfort.

 

[Kyoung]

Can my title page be changed to “6 weeks post op and counting”
Please....

 

[SusieShoes]

Getting that knee nice and straight again will take time. It’s a matter of stretching the big, thick tendons at the back of the knee, commonly called the hamstrings. I remember doing a dissection of them in anatomy class and they are thick and tough.

Does the history of the knee impact progress in extension? You bet. I can use my own two knees as an example. They were operated on the same day. Before surgery I did those exercises where you press the back of the knee down on the floor (table, bed). My right knee could do it; my left knee, however, which was my worst knee and could not bend enough to go up a stair, could not do that exercise. It hurt terribly to even try. The knee would not go flat, and because it could not go flat, my left hamstrings had shortened. After surgery, my right knee very quickly, within a week or two, was at 0 extension. Good knee! But my left... it didn’t like going flat anymore than it had before surgery... because my hamstrings needed to stretch back to a length that would let my knee do that.

Anyway, long story short, I didn’t worry about it and set about just doing some knee presses on my ottoman when I thought of it. And I walked a lot. Lots of walking. My OS said walking would get my extension back, and so did all the folks here at Bonesmart, so I decided to trust nature. And sure enough, at around five months my left knee’s extension was back to normal, at least 0. It came back on its own just like everyone said it would.

But it came back five months later than my right leg, which never got shortened hammies due to its different history.

It’s best not to put weight on the knee while doing hamstring stretches. Just not necessary, and you risk straining the hamstring (muscle or tendon), which would be unfortunate. TKR is painful enough without having to deal with something like that at the same time.

 

[bottomshollow]

as you requested, @Kyoung.

 

[tiaint]

Hello,
I may be in a similar place to you - my afternoon session
I had a PCL reconstruction 15 years ago but was always lax & 10 degrees off straight.
I had RTKR 4 November and have been struggling to straighten my leg and find it all extremely painful.
I would advise against pressing outside - it hurts me a lot after even on Oxycodone,I won’t be doing that again.
I’ve spent literally this whole afternoon in bed (after an AM nap) gently working on using my quad muscles to press my leg down flat on the mattress and my fingers now meet resistance when I slide my hand under.
Used Voltarol gel front and back, does seem to have helped the tight pain back and front
Walking up and down stairs much better
I was told by PT that the lack of extension is because I sleep & sit with pillows. I’ve tried to not do this but I cannot tolerate the pain yet, feel guilty and worried hence this afternoon session.

 

[SusieShoes]

@tiaint, your PT is mistaken. Your “not yet 0 extension” (I refuse to call it a lack) is because your tendon isn’t fully stretched to the needed length yet. You’re clearly getting there, though, if you’re meeting resistance when sliding your hand under. So keep doing what you’re doing. Gentle quad presses, some nice walks, and just doing your daily activities will get you that extension. And while on your way to 0 extension you can sleep and sit with pillows.

Nurses and PT told me, too, that I had to sleep and sit with my legs completely straight or I would “never” get straight legs or 0 extension. I used pillows and bent my knees for comfort anyway. Perfectly straight knees were painful at first! As long as you follow the guidelines for correctly using pillows, wedges, or other methods of supporting the knee, it’s perfectly safe —and more comfortable!— to have a bend in the knee(s).