TKR Bip and Bop<

[ATHIKER]

Thank you

 

[sistersinhim]

Don't you worry about your ROM numbers. All you have to worry about is healing. As your swelling goes down, those numbers will improve. Besides, what's your OS going to do, fire you? But, you can sure fire him if you aren't happy with him. Also, if PT keeps stressing you out, fire them! YOU are the BOSS of the both of them!

 

[KarriB]

Yes, I changed PT groups because I was unhappy. Take a good look at the Activity progression for TKRs chart to get an idea of activity levels etc. I basically elevated and iced the first month with walks around the house and an appt here/there. Easy heel slides are ok also, but nothing to push or pull the foot.

 

[ATHIKER]

My PT guy isn't pushing me into pain. I don't go past mildly uncomfortable. We just did several yesterday so it was sore and a little more swollen then it had been. So today I pretty much stayed in bed with ice elevation is still a problem to get right but I'm workin on it. Did a few slides and straightening that's all

 

[sistersinhim]

Sounds good, but watch out for that swelling. That's a sign that it's more than your knee needs right now.

 

[ATHIKER]

Is it normal for the knee to stiffen up over night. And what should I do to loosen it up in morning

 

[SusieShoes]

My knees stiffened up overnight for months. When getting out of bed, I would walk a little bit to loosen them up. You are still very early in recovery, so doing a few knee bends and stretches in bed, and then a little walking in the house, is all you should be doing. Your knee may not loosen up as much as you'd like just yet, but it's too early to expect it to be stiffness-free. That will come.

It helps to sleep with your leg(s) elevated, if you can do that. I did this and thought it made a difference.

 

[KarriB]

Walking a bit loosened my knee up and later a few minutes on an exercise bike (0 resistance) helped loosen it up also.
I agree with Sistersinhim, additional swelling even the day after can mean you over did things.

 

[ATHIKER]

You guys are a wealth of info and you don't know how much it is appreciated. One more question. Will just these little stretches straightening etc make your calf muscle sore

 

[sistersinhim]

Will just these little stretches straightening etc make your calf muscle sore

Oh yes. Any thing a little bit different can cause different aches and pain. Sometimes you'll even have different ones and not realize why. They just show up!

 

[KarriB]

Yes! Especially at this very early point in the recovery process, everything hurts. The most important thing in the first month is to let that knee and soft tissue heal. It’ll take longer than a month, but things usually start feeling a bit better between 4-6 weeks.

 

[ATHIKER]

I think my hubby thinks I should be healed by now.
Do you have something on this site for the significant other or care giver

 

[KarriB]

You’re not even a month post op, my goodness! First you can pull up a TKR surgery from YouTube so he can see this is a major surgery. You can show the Activity progression for TKRs which shows what your actvity should be like as you recover. Then there’s this link, if you scroll down there’s a chart that explains how long healing takes for the different parts of your body. Also, take him with you to your next check up and let the dr explain to your husband.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/healing-how-long-does-it-take.5424/

 

[ATHIKER]

Today has been horrible. Sorry to be so whiny but can't gripe to anyone else. Pain pills haven't helped nor the ice nor raising it. Guess it's just one of those bad days everyone talks about.
I'm probably pushing it to much thinking I have to be at 90 by Friday. What if I'm not. I don't want to be yelled at or think I'm not trying

 

[Jockette]

I’m so sorry you are in so much pain. Stop pushing for that 90 degrees by Friday. No one can tell your body a date by which you must be a certain degree bend. Your body will get there in it’s own time frame, not your PT’s or your surgeon’s time frame. By pushing for that bend all you are doing is creating more pain and swelling which will decrease your bend.

I wouldn’t want to be yelled at either, but even if they do, that will not make the bend any better, it will only prove how uncaring and how unprofessional they are. Shame on them.

Try to relax and ice and elevate your leg. Don’t do anything around the house that you don’t have to. Seriously. If you won’t die if it doesn’t get done, don’t do it. Seriously!

Do you want me to come over and set people straight?

 

[KarriB]

If you’re pushing to make 90 that may be the cause of your pain. Often pushing a new knee before it’s ready brings on more swelling and pain. There’s really nothing you can do to hurry things along. The knee is in charge, literally. When it is calmed down from surgery the swelling will lessen, making bending easier. 90 at 2 weeks post op doesn’t happen to many TKRs.

 

[ATHIKER]

Come on Jockette. Where are you

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm probably pushing it to much thinking I have to be at 90 by Friday. What if I'm not. I don't want to be yelled at or think I'm not trying

Your knee is telling you to cut it out. You aren't doing it any good at all by pushing it. You're just setting the recovery time back by keeping it angry and inflamed. Stop worrying about it and just use it normally. Then, after a few weeks, the swelling will start to come down and that ROM will improve. You can NOT force it to heal any quicker than it will be, but you can slow it down. Please listen to so many of us who have been there.

 

[SusieShoes]

I think my hubby thinks I should be healed by now.
Do you have something on this site for the significant other or care giver

I think it helps to involve a significant other in your surgery as much as possible. I took Mr. Shoes with me to interview surgeons so he, too, could ask questions. He took time off work to do this. I printed up a collection of BoneSmart articles —including the Activity Progression chart, the explanation of post-surgical energy drain, the recovery chart, and a couple articles dealing with less PT=more gain approach to exercise— and put these in a binder for him to read. He did not read them before my surgery as I hoped, but soon after my surgery, he did. Reading these helped him understand how I was approaching recovery.

One of the best things is to have a spouse watch a video of TKR surgery. However... not everyone can do it. I mean finish watching one. Mr. Shoes had to do so even before my surgery for work purposes. He came home and was no longer sure I should have the surgery because it looked too brutal. Well, I did have it, and he was surprised at how well I did considering what he had seen.

 

[ATHIKER]

I finally got my elevation High and Comfortable and it feels so good.
Had a little fever last night so I'm waiting on the nurse to check everything out. Scared me though that's one of the big things to avoid