TKR Acceptance and Understanding<

[Mutti3]

Let you tears go, good for the soul! Range of motion is great. Yup, let exercise paper pile up!

 

[SusieShoes]

Let the tears flow. If you can't be emotional when you've just had your knee cut out and replaced... just let it out. Your flexion is fine for your early stage of recovery. Really. It's good!

I just found my exercise papers yesterday when clearing away stuff in my bedroom. I showed them to Mr. Shoes. "Look, here are all those exercises I never did!" Because I never did ANY of them. I hope they get recycled into something more useful.

 

[Needhope]

Behind my left knee it’s super swollen. I also don’t remember having this much instability as right leg. This entire knee replacement feels different than my other. I let go of my walker for just 1 second and my left leg didn’t hold up too well. I almost fell. I don’t recall my right leg feeling this weak and painful. Surgeon says he was able to leave the screw in from my past TTT, there was enough room for the implant. It’s 5 days out from surgery, this is gonna be a long recovery I think. Still waiting for the ok for pain prescription. Please let it happen

 

[Celle]

Behind my left knee it’s super swollen.

Are you icing the back of your knee? That will help.

This entire knee replacement feels different than my other. I let go of my walker for just 1 second and my left leg didn’t hold up too well. I almost fell.

Do try not to compare your knees. This knee is a whole different story. It probably needed more work done on it in theatre. Keep using the walker and give your knee the time it needs, to recover at its own pace.

It's going to be a long recovery anyway, because complete recovery takes a full year, so there's no need to rush.

 

[Mutti3]

Safety is upmost important, use the walker at all time for ambulation,keeping your self steady. A fall can happen in split second, please do be careful.

 

[Josephine]

I’m trying to maintain my composure but it’s getting harder not to let a few tears fly.

Then you are waaay past your tolerance point. Put a stop to it NOW and completely!

3x daily - do once a day and none at all at the weekend!
ankle pumps repeat 10x hold 1sec - as I said before, these are only required while you are not mobile. Since you are now mobile, these are unnecessary
quad set with towel under heel repeat 10x hold 5sec - also unnecessary
while lying on back squeeze buttocks hold and repeat 10x hold 3sec - and these
short arc quad repeat 10x hold 3 sec - and these
straight leg raise repeat 10x hold 3 sec - a tip, once you can do SLRs you don't need to do them anymore!
elastic band supine hip abduction while lying on back repeat10x hold 1 sec - these are hip exercises not knee! And never, ever use bands or weights. Very bad!
heel slides 10x hold 3 sec - this is a very easy exercise to do badly and this is badly! I suggest you read this (which was in your list of recovery reading, I might add!) Heel slides and how to do them properly

So what I am suggesting is that these exercises are really not doing you any good. At best they are making pain and swelling worse and therefore hampering your ROM improvement. The best thing you can do is to quit them all, completely! Pay more attention to the RICE philosophy.

I'll also repeat this though I know I said it before and Celle has also told you. If you are concerned about refusing to do therapy, you need to read this Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?

 

[sistersinhim]

This new knee had to carry the load while your old knee was healing. Because of this, it probably received much more damage that your surgeon had to repair. No two knees are ever the same, especially these knees replaced so close together! Heal on!!

 

[kayow11]

Acetaminophen never has done anything for me in regards to pain relief. I might as well just eat a carrot!

Please reconsider having ANY PT, or doing any exercises for many days. I suggest giving your knee a 2 week break from any exercise, and I would bet that you would feel so much better, sleep better because of less pain, and be able to think straighter. Doesn't less misery sound good!

I am 2 weeks out today, taking half an Oxycodone every 4 hours, and feeling pretty good. Many moments of no pain at all.
Had PT eval a week ago, and cancelled all this week. I know what the exercises are, and I have done a few reps, within painfree range a few times. But if anything started to hurt some, I would hurt from that for 2 days.

I have learned this from the past. Today now, I MIGHT do 3-5 reps of a couple exercises, but maybe instead just walk 5 minutes around the house with my cane, and do normal things. I don't worry about it.
My ROM is only 75 degrees. It's too early and too swollen and tender.

None of the knee rehab needs to be this miserable.

Please take care of yourself, no one else is

 

[kayow11]

If by chance, you're able to get more adequate pain relief, that still doesn't mean you should put your new knee through the wringer! It's like giving your horse a multivitamin and splinting it's broken leg and expecting it to plow the field and run a race.
Be thankful for opportunities like this to even have a new knee when you're old One was no good anymore. In the old days we would have just suffered till the end of our life.
Take care of that precious new knee and all its parts that are trying to mend together.

 

[Needhope]

I was able to get refill lower dose which is perfect. I wasn’t asking for morphine or iv drip, just something stronger than acetaminophen. So I am relieved.

I wish I could stop PT all together and allow my knee to heal gently, progress slowly but surely. Unfortunately, because I am on short term disability through an employer that I pay for, if I need more time, reports from doctors including physical therapist must be included to be considered. So therefore I cannot refuse to go to PT.

But I will however, let the therapist know what I’m comfortable doing, capable and incapable of doing. And most importantly, I will stop any activity that aggravates my knee.

 

[kayow11]

Well, I can see that you're in a little bit of a predicament with your work and short term situation.
So because of all of this, be very vigilant at each PT session because they will always try to push you, and usually beyond what you should be doing.
Listen to your knee and obey it. Or you'll be more miserable and the recovery will be slower. Not a good recipe.

 

[Jockette]

Yes, be careful at PT. Hopefully you can do enough to make them happy but not enough to overwork your knee too much. Try to find a good balance.

However, it’s another story when you’re home and they are not there.

 

[ATHIKER]

I think you said you like the PT you had before. Just ask for him to check with hurt feelings your recovery is much more important

 

[Needhope]

Where can I find the article for timeline of activity after tkr. Also, it’s been 6 days since surgery, my knee feels like it was just done yesterday, it hurts a lot. Normal? I’m not a happy camper today. Sorry.

 

[SusieShoes]

Sorry to hear you're feeling down about this recovery. Six days is still very early and it's perfectly normal for it to hurt quite a lot. This is especially true if you have a lot of swelling. The PT you are doing could well be a cause for that swelling. Do what you can to keep the PT as gentle (and minimal) as possible and that should help.

Here's the Activity Progression for TKRs.

 

[Needhope]

Thank you Susieshoes

 

[kayow11]

Like @Jockette said, if you have to do PT 2 times a week, that doesn't mean you have to do ANYTHING at home except rest, ice both front and back of knee, and elevate, and do it a lot. At least you can control that.

I agree with @SusieShoes in that the PT exercises are likely causing most of your extra pain.
Hope you are icing the whole knee, and not just the top/front, and 45-60 minutes is more effective.

 

[Needhope]

@kayow11 This hospital sent me home with Cryo/Cuff cooler! Love this gadget! Maybe it wasn’t intended for me, but it’s mine now! Lolololol! I took a shower short time ago, feeling fresh, and icing and elevating!

 

[kayow11]

The cryo-cuff cooler seems like a good tool. I never had one of those. Even the ice out the hospital was seldom very cold. That is my only real complaint about the hospital.

Glad you are feeling slightly better and have a fresher outlook today anyway.
Please remember all the good advice given to you on this site regarding PT, exercises, and how to take care of that knee. You will be a much happier person.

Sure hope the pain meds you have now, do a sufficient job in keeping the pain level down enough. That is so important.
It makes me so thankful that my half tab of oxycodone is not a problem for my doctor to prescribe, and it really helps, even that amount. But without it I would be much more miserable.

Remember all our recommendations from us regarding your care for a more tolerable experience. We have all been there and have shared with you many of our trials too.

I know it took me a long time to listen carefully and really believe, but I finally am there. Now I'm able to impart that to others.
It truly is a better way, despite all of the other voices coming from all directions, speaking to your ears. I admit they can be convincing, but they can be wrong, especially for some people, and I am one of them.

 

[katchmo]

Oh @Needhope I am so sorry these first few days have been so rough! I have decided if I ever have my second knee done I will have a written and signed pain management contract in my file ahead of time. I hope the medication you now have will help and I hope PT is not too rough. Do call and request the other therapist.