PKR Aching legs

[Jaycey]

Good and bad days

Totally normal! Recovery does not happen in a straight line. You probably did too much yesterday because you were feeling better. At only 2 weeks out please reset your exceptions to avoid this frustration. Recovery takes up to one year or longer.

Here's a good illustration of recovery:

 

[Metal-Knee]

@Jacey I think you are right, even when I have been unwell, as soon as I start to feel better I do too much so hence I go back down again, so I really should learn from my mistakes but thank you for the assurance that the up and down days are normal.

 

[EalingGran]

Good and bad days, is this normal on the route to recovery

Definitely in my experience.
I was just thinking of putting my ice machine away and then I had a very busy day with a lot of stairs and felt very sore and warm again!

 

[Jockette]

Two weeks is a fraction of this 52 week (an average of one year) recovery. Your body still hasn’t even figured out what has happened to it. Patience, patience, patience is a big part of this journey, and it’s not a straight, every day gets better recovery, it’s more like a rollercoaster.

 

[sistersinhim]

Even if you don't do more the day before, you could have moved wrong in your sleep. I did that a few times. At first, I panicked, then realized that my nights were restless so my knee got moved more than it wanted to be moved or how it was moved. This is definitely a rollercoaster recovery.

 

[Metal-Knee]

What a journey this healing lark is, I’m now 4 weeks post surgery and still in pain, I am still using a walking stick as I find if I walk too far without one my knee hurts even more. The skin around the incision is also sore to the touch, I saw my surgeon for the post operative follow up appointment and put all my concerns to him, I.e knee still painful, sore skin etc and he assured me this was all normal, I know I have a long way to go yet, but find it very frustrating, I’m a person that has always walked fast, now I’m hobbling around slowly and everything takes three times longer to do, not that I’m wishing my life away but roll on a few more months whereby I can walk without using a walking stick. Please tell me this does get better, as I’m feeling a bit fed up with everything at the moment.

 

[Jaycey]

Please tell me this does get better, as I’m feeling a bit fed up with everything at the moment.

Early days! Yes it does get better. But you need tons of patience.

Are you still icing and elevating regularly? That pain and stiffness is swelling. Ice will reduce this and help you increase your mobility.

Hang in there - better days are around the corner!

 

[Metal-Knee]

@Jaycey yes I am still icing, probably not enough, so I will up the time that I already do, I have tried to cut down on the amount of pain medication I was taking as I was worried that I was taking them too often, was I wrong to do this and should I go back to taking paracetamol often again? And can you suggest any other pain medication that I should be taking?

 

[Jaycey]

At only 4 weeks out it's pretty early to cut down on your medication. And you have seen what happens - you get discouraged. There is nothing wrong with taking the recommended doses of paracetamol throughout the day.

Do you tolerate ibuprofen? It's sometimes rough on the stomach so some people can't take it. But alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen can be very effective.

Ice for 45-60 minutes, several times per day. Ice is a natural pain killer. Always put a cloth between your skin and the ice pack.

 

[Metal-Knee]

@Jaycey thank you for your advice, I will certainly take this all on board, I will also go back to taking my medication and will alternate between paracetamol and ibuprofen as recommended.

 

[sistersinhim]

As long as I was swelling and in pain I iced and elevated the whole time I was sitting or laying down. This helped tremendously with the pain and reduced the need for pain meds as often. Ice is a wonderful inflammation treatment. Inflammation is the cause of the swelling and most of the pain.

 

[Mettleinside]

@Metal-Knee - Try to get a Rx for Celebrex. I likened it to a performance enhancing drug for joint replacement recipients I pop 1 in the morning. As soon as I took that my physical therapy sessions were MUCH better too!
Also try extra strength Tylenol rapid release. Just popped 1 right now for my little aches, at this point. I wish my doc gave me a Rx for Celebrex way sooner. I hated taking my Oxycodone but they were totally necessary - weaned off them asap.

If your implant is cementless you probably have at least another month before you feel better. But WHEN you do feel better you will be so glad you got your knee surgery! I am very happy with mine but the early days were just down right bad. Not sugar coating it at all.
Even though I am only 6 weeks out from R meniscectomy my 4 month old L PKR can run circles around it!!! I only notice my LPKR every second of the day now....IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE (compared to pre surgery). It healed into a very stout feeling joint that I believe will take A LONGGGGG time to wear out! I am very happy with it and I hope you will be as happy or happier with yours!

 

[Metal-Knee]

I am nearly 6 weeks post operation and would you believe I have just got a small infection in the end of my scar, which started to ooze slightly, I went to local walk in clinic and they could see a piece of an internal stitch poking out, they said that this is quite common so the nurse just snip off the piece of stitch and cleaned the area put a dressing on and prescribed me some penicillin just to help get rid of any infection, has anyone else had an issue with an internal stitch making it’s way out of the scar area?

 

[Jockette]

Yes, this is common. We have other members with this issue.


By the way, I merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?

Best wishes on your continuing recovery!

 

[Metal-Knee]

@Jockette thank you for your reply, I am relatively new to this group so was unsure how to post a new thread, so will read up on how to do this in future.

 

[Metal-Knee]

Update - I am now 7 weeks since my partial knee replacement, I started my physio when I was passed the 6 weeks, my leg still feels a bit stiff but is certainly getting better, if I do too much it can still ache a bit, the exercise I have been given feel uncomfortable but do not hurt, however when I saw my physio last week it was quite painful as she was manipulating my leg to bend further than I was bending it, I’m off to see her again today but might ask her not to be too enthusiastic with the bending, my knee is still swollen a bit so that doesn’t help. Good news is I’m now back to driving, so I feel like I have a bit of my life back, just now need to get this stiffness sorted, does anyone have any advise as to how long stiffness can last in the leg. Also I am thinking of buying some silicone gel to help with the appearance of my scar, does anyone else use this?

 

[Jaycey]

Please do not let anyone force your bend. It is totally counterproductive and does create more swelling. You are only 7 weeks into a process that can take one year or longer. Stiffness is all part of this recovery and it can go on for months post op. Continue to ice and elevate as much as you can.

Also I am thinking of buying some silicone gel to help with the appearance of my scar, does anyone else use this?

Just let nature do its thing! The scar will fade to a very thin, white line.

 

[mendogal]

Please do not let anyone force your bend. It is totally counterproductive and does create more swelling. You are only 7 weeks into a process that can take one year or longer. Stiffness is all part of this recovery and it can go on for months post op. Continue to ice and elevate as much as you can

100% this. There's a huge difference between doing gentle range of motion (ROM) and doing stretching.
Gentle ROM - either actively via gentle heel slides or passively via using your opposite leg and/or hands - moves your joint slowly within its current comfort zone and can relieve stiffness. I especially like to do this briefly before and after walking.
Stretching as a physio modality has its roots in preventing post polio and post stroke paralysis or weakness from causing flexor muscle contractures. The physiology simply doesn't apply to either knee surgery or athletic injury!
Because we have soft tissue damage, the painful passive stretching is counterproductive.

 

[Metal-Knee]

Week 8 update. Still having days where I find it difficult to walk, as my knee feels very stiff, have been having physio, but have had to ask my physiotherapist to be a bit gentle as they seem to be obsessed with how far back I can bend my knee.

Have also gone back to my personal trainer because all my muscles in the legs are very tight, from my calf all the way up to to my glutes so she is concentrating on stretching to help with these areas, but she is far more gentler than the physiotherapist. It was very interesting though at the weekend, I wasn’t very well so therefore didn’t really do much walking and exercising and was in bed for much of the 2 days, and my knee was quite painful on the Sunday/Monday so it does go to show that moving around gently does help.

I know it’s a very long road to recovery but as with other people I am finding it very frustrating, because it’s still a case of one step forward and two back. Some days I feel hopeful and other days just feel really fed up. However on saying this, it helps to read other posts on this site because I know it’s normal, thank goodness I joined this forum.

 

[benne68]

I know it’s a very long road to recovery but as with other people I am finding it very frustrating, because it’s still a case of one step forward and two back. Some days I feel hopeful and other days just feel really fed up.

Yes, this is a loooonnnnggg and slllooowwww recovery.

It is frustrating!

Something that helped me during the early months was documenting my "achievements": Once a week or so, I would list the things -- even the little ones -- that I was able to do that I hadn't been able to do the week (or couple of weeks) before. I also had a list of the things I was looking forward to being able to do in the future. As items moved from one list to the other, I saw real progress and it helped me stay positive.

Why not give it a try?