TKR Annaf's recovery thread<

[AnnaF]

I don’t feel bad on the treadmill. My balance is good. I keep the speed very very slow. Any ideas on how I can improve my ROM. SORRY this still drives me crazy. At least I’m not crying everyday

 

[Jockette]

Aw, I’m glad you’re not crying every day! Been there, done that!

I’m glad you keep the treadmill very slow and that your balance is good.

Your ROM will improve, sometimes it just takes a while. Read the thread that Campervan wrote earlier, the title of it is “Rom at 6 years”

 

[AnnaF]

Did anyone experience numbness in their foot of the TKR?

 

[Celle]

Here is Campervans's post about her ROM:
ROM at 6 years....

There really is 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

Did anyone experience numbness in their foot of the TKR?

It sounds as if you could have some nerve involvement. Can you discuss it with your surgeon?

 

[AnnaF]

Knee still swells. I still ice & elevate 2/3 xs daily. Have a hard time sleeping in bed. I do all my housework, cooking etc. Get very tired when I go out. Does the swelling last a long time? Gets so stiff sometimes. Taking Tylenol 2xs morning and night.

 

[SusieShoes]

Many people find it takes several months (or even longer) for the swelling to go away completely. The knee joint is a compact unit with not much free space in it, so even a tiny amount of swelling results in that stiffness you feel. Keep doing what you're doing with the elevating and icing; it's the right program. So is the Tylenol, though if you want to you can take another dose in-between. Maybe that would help your nighttime pain, by keeping the level in your blood higher. If you're a busy person, and it sounds like you keep yourself pretty busy!, you can expect some nighttime swelling still.

You're four months out and... yeah, that's still a time when lots of people continue to have trouble sleeping. I know I did. I was five months out before sleeping got better, just better, and a good seven months before sleep became fully normal. That it took so long was annoying! But you can't force it. Maybe the extra Tylenol will help. Some people find Tylenol PM or melatonin to be helpful for sleeping.

 

[AnnaF]

Any suggestions on how I can alleviate this stiffness? How long does this last?

 

[sistersinhim]

Mine lasted for about 6 months. It gradually got better and then it was just gone. I didn't frustrate about it, cause I knew it was part of the healing and normally the last constant thing to go away. Don't worry, you are normal!

 

[Jockette]

I’m a year out and mine is still stiff. It is frustrating but that’s the way it is.

 

[CdnCarol]

Anna, I feel your frustration. I’m about 3 weeks after you and still swollen enough that I can’t go downstairs foot over foot, and the stiffness and swelling increases during the day so that the exercise bike is more uncomfortable at night. According to my OS, some people are just “swellers”. I am impatient to be past this, but haven’t found the secret yet. I’ve tried massage which helps temporarily. I haven’t tried an Epsom salt bath, which one therapist recommended. When I ice it is for an hour at least. There have been improvements, but very gradual. I may just have to believe all the BS experts here and admit it is just TIME that helps. Arg!

 

[AnnaF]

@ CdnCarol Thank you

 

[kneeper]

Any suggestions on how I can alleviate this stiffness? How long does this last?

Continue to pace yourself and listen to the knee. It will gradually diminish. Hang in there.

 

[SusieShoes]

Be patient. The stiffness will go away. Mine lasted for almost ten months, getting less as time went on but still hanging in there, mostly after sitting for long periods... and then one day it was gone in both my knees. I don't know when exactly it happened; I just realized it one day.