So at 6 weeks post op, my Range of Motion has decreased to 98 and 96 from 105. My left leg feels almost like a normal gait and the right is stiff, but I think it is improving.
The notes from PT say my progress is very slow and my prognosis is fair. That is discouraging.
There's really nothing wrong with having a flexion of 98 or 96 at 6 weeks post-op. Most surgeons don't expect even 90 degrees by 6 weeks, so you're a bit ahead of the game.
The problem isn't with your knees, but with an impatient PT and surgeon.
Your PT has no right to tell you that your progress is slow.
It's OK and, considering you had both knees done, I think you're doing very well.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Your body knows what it's doing and your knees are going to recover on their own schedule, not on some artificial one-size-fits-all schedule.
Don't be persuaded into working harder at exercises, in the hope that doing so will improve your ROM - it doesn't seem to work that way.
Knee recovery - Lose the Work Ethic!!
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
In any case, it's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee has the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start, but it's prevented from doing so by swelling and pain. As it heals and the swelling goes down, your ROM (both flexion and extension) will increase spontaneously, whether you do formal PT or just let your normal Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) be your exercise.
One other thing - although the advertising often says that recovery from a PKR is faster than recovery from a TKR, we've found that usually isn't so. Recovery seem to take just as long. That's been the experience of most people on BoneSmart who've had a PKR.
I walked through Home Depot and bought some shoes that I can slide on. I was exhausted when I got home and spent the rest of the day resting.
I think you probably over did it by doing that, although it's good that you rested well afterwards.
Check your level of activity with this article:
Activity progression for TKRs