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TKR All done--YAY!

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[Bonesmart.org] All done--YAY!
zoesmom429, you are getting way ahead of yourself, sweetie. Partial knee replacement takes as much time to recover from as a total----no matter what your OS said. You are only 1/12 of the way through a 12 month recovery. It will be quite some time before you can bend your knee with no pain at all. Many of us took pain meds for up to 3 months post op--tapering down as we went. And then we used OTC pain relievers for a while after that.

You still have a long, long way to go. The Secret of Success with joint replacements is TIME & PATIENCE. We have to have (or find) the PATIENCE to give our knees TIME to heal at their own pace. Nothing else works like these two things and nothing can take their place. But it is a very hard truth to absorb in the beginning of our recoveries.

Recovery is what it is, and it's going to take as long as it's going to take. So be PATIENT and let TIME take care of things with some assistance from you.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.
 
zoesmom429 said:
I am off the norco completely and I don't seem to have any pain (generally) when walking. However, it is pretty painful to bend the knee. I didn't expect to have to take meds after the initial healing of the surgery
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What made you think that "initial healing" only takes 4 weeks? It can take 3-4 months! And since you are only 4½ weeks out, you will need pain meds for some time yet. It's a popular trap to fall into that since the pre-op pain is gone, anything left is irrelevant and shouldn't need medicating. What you are experiencing is not irrelevant and will stall your recovery if you don't medicate it. Adequate pain medication is crucial to being able to get good ROM. You should continue taking the Norco for a while yet.
zoesmom429 said:
I asked if it was OK for me to take the anti-inflammatory drug (Meloxicam) I was taking pre-surgery. This has helped, although there is still some pain
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NSAIDs, of which Meloxicam is one - are very mild pain killers and totally inadequate for post-op knee replacement. You should also read this about the usage of NSAIDs NSAIDs, acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol) differences and dangers.


I am also going to give you some articles from the Library to read which will explain things for you. I have highlighted some that are particularly pertinent to your question

First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Activity progression for TKRs

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Home physio (PT) and activity progress: suggestions
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

And wise words from members who have shared their experiences ...
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)
Five “P’s” of knee recovery
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
Recovering a knee - from one who knows!
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's worth the wait for ROM
 
Not sure if I am posting this question in the right spot.

I am six-weeks post-op. I have a rom of 125 degrees--is this good?
 
[Bonesmart.org] All done--YAY!
You are posting in the right place, zoesmom429, and your flexion (bend) of 125 is excellent. And it may become greater without a lot of extra work on your part. You should be able to do pretty much what you need to with that number.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.
 
zoesmom429

Welcome to the "bionic" world. I am a recent new member, just having had a PKR on my left knee 7.5 weeks ago. Until finding the forum and heeding the advice of the members here, I was pushing myself too hard, too fast. Some may say that I still do, but no where to the extent that I once did. As of yesterday, I am at 105 degrees flexion and 1 degree extension. I went through a period of stagnation for ROM and that is when I found the forum - looking for ideas, support, etc. It sounds like you are doing what I did. I got off the Percocet as quickly as possible and started anti-inflammatories as soon as I was off the blood thinners. My thinking was that the inflammation was inhibiting the ROM, so anti-inflammatories would be the answer. Not really. Ice, elevation, and rest are key. Josephine recommended Tylenol for pain relief over an NSAID, like ibuprofen. I will find the link she provided me and send it to you in a separate message.

We are the same age and maybe thinking that we should recover more quickly than others who are more "experienced" than we are. Patience is not only a virtue, it helps to put some perspective to what we are going through. Listen to what your body is telling you... even more so than a PT, family member, and sometimes your OS.

All the best with your recovery and don't hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. The members here are great and full of support and good ideas.

Larry
 
zoesmom429 said:
Not sure if I am posting this question in the right spot.

I am six-weeks post-op. I have a rom of 125 degrees--is this good?
Click to expand...

I am jealous of 125 degrees. My surgery was about a week before yours but I am light years behind you in ROM (105). From what I have read from others, you are doing extremely well.
 
Dear Larry and bottomshollow,
Thank you for your thoughtful responses.

I will try and learn some patience, but it is hard.

I also have been having some bad knee days. I feel like my knee is getting worse. More trouble on stairs and going down is particularly difficult. Could it be that scar tissue is building up?

Dr. prescribed Tylenol 3 for pain. I was hoping to take before physical therapy, but not sure if I can since they say you can't drive.

Sorry for the frustration.

Sincerely,
Zoesmom429
 
Yeah, you don't want to take something like that before you drive. You can take it when you get home. And don't forget to ice and elevate.
 
Hi again,
My ROM as I started PT was 125. Now, at the end of the session, I am 112-115. The therapist has requested more PT for me.

Does anyone know why I might have had this decrease? Scar tissue?

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Thanks,
Zoesmom429
 
Dear All
I now have flunked PT for the second time--not enough bend.

I did a 5K last weekend and at the 2.5 mile mark the left leg started to really stiffen up. Is this type of interior swelling normal at this stage? I just did the 5K to test my knee.

Any thoughts?
Zoesmom429
 
I'd think the 5k did it to you. I was still icing at work at your stage...
 
Hello again
My scar has been itching a fair amount today. Does it help to rub a cream into the scar? Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Sincerely,
Zoesmom429
 
A 5K? REALLY??? You need to give yourself more time, my dear. Your knee told you loud and clear that it's not ready yet.

The scar may itch for quite some time. For me, it meant that healing was continuing to take place inside as well as on the outside. Regarding ROM, I started out with a really good ROM (70 degrees when I left the hospital, increasing to 90 within a week or two). Since then (I'm 8-1/2 months post-op) it has both increased (probably about 125 to 130 on most days) as well as decreased (but not below 90) on other days. It all depends on how much I've done, whether I've had swelling (yes, the swelling does tend to continue for a LONG time, but not as much and not as long), how fatigued you are, etc. My OS told me repeatedly to give myself a year, and he has been RIGHT over and over again. I am feeling so much different now than I was at your point in time (you're about 3-1/2 months post-op, correct?) I've made great strides since then and you will too.

Several people have mentioned TIME and PATIENCE. It's so important! Please don't be in a hurry. In this case, the tortoise wins the race.

Take care,
Elaine
 
I would say that the 5K was done a bit on the early side---at four months, you still may have a ways to go yet. IT seems like a long time, but four months may be about 1/2--2/3 of the way through recovery.

I would settle down and not attempt more of these for four more months or so.
 
Dear Tim C. and Elaine
Thank you for your response. I guess patience is the key for me.

Thanks for writing.

Sincerely,
Zoesmom429
 
zoesmom429 said:
I will try and learn some patience, but it is hard
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IT is very difficult---I know just how you feel , as I wanted so very badly to resume an active lifestyle---one that had eluded me for a while.

You do have to understand, though, while you "only: had a partial, what others have said is true---it takes basically the same amount of time as a TKR---which is longer than many of us would like it to.
zoesmom429 said:
I now have flunked PT for the second time--not enough bend.
Click to expand...
zoesmom429 said:
did a 5K last weekend and at the 2.5 mile mark the left leg started to really stiffen up. Is this type of interior swelling normal at this stage? I just did the 5K to test my knee.
Click to expand...
Where you are in recovery, you will most l likely have some stiffness due to internal swelling---it is swollen, but you may not be able to see it from the outside.

Running a 5K will certainly irritate a surgical knee that is trying desperately to recover from very invasive surgery.

the harder you work at this---the more you challenge your surgical knee at this stage of recovery, the more stiffness you will encounter, and the greater chance yo will have of being unsuccessful during your PT.

zoesmom429 said:
My scar has been itching a fair amount today. Does it help to rub a cream into the scar? Any hints would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Some folks rubbed a Vitamin E oil on the knee---I rubbed a little bit of baby oil on mine, if I remember correctly. The itching is normal, as everything is healing and coming back together again.
 
Remember---this is not a case where working harder will increase ROM---it is not about working harder.

This is a difficult concept to understand and is contrary to what we have been taught and what we want to do.

It is all about working smarter---keep the surgical knee happy and do not try to rush things; let your knee be "happy" and you will make more progress and have a better time at PT.
 
Dear All
I just went to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. I mentioned that I'm still having pain when I bend my knee beyond 90-100 degrees, stairs are difficult and my leg gets really stiff. He said it could take a full year to recover fully and he offered and gave a cortisone shot for the Baker's cyst behind my left knee. Has anyone out there had this after a partial knee replacement and have they had good results?

Just trying to stay positive.

Thanks for your help,
Zoesmom429
 
Hi All
I have another question. I am at 4 and a half months from my surgery. Can I shovel snow or snow-shoe?

Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Zoesmom429
 
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