TKR Blood clot in knee 2 days after surgery

[liam2015]

hi @sporti9 ~ i'm just going into my 10th week. my r.o.m. is around 90, 95 with the surgeon pushing it. he says he will release me when i get to 100 degrees. he has me come in every week to check. i'm doing better walking up the stairs holding onto 2 handrails but not able to go down on alternate feet, unless i give a little hop. i cannot do a full backward or forward revolution on my bike. i don't think my surgeon is too happy with my progress but he has accepted that i won't consent to an m.u.a. and now says that as long as i'm progressing a little each week, he's okay with that. i'm walking fine unassisted and doing all the household chores i did before, except i don't feel confident walking the dog yet. i do take him out the backyard and i can walk up and down the hill holding onto the fence. i take Celebrex twice a day; although i do have some pain and stiffness, i'm not taking anything for it other than the occasional Tylenol. it sounds like we are at similar places in our recoveries, slow but sure. i can hardly wait to get to 100 degrees r.o.m.

 

[sporti9]

My son got a giggle watching me go down stairs the other day. He helps me have a sense of humor about all this. I wish we could all hang out for a day and make fun of ourselves.
It's good to hear how folks are doing.

 

[sporti9]

Hi all, so at 12 weeks post op my extension is still about 3-4. Just needing reassurance that I still have time for it to get to 0. I just started laying on my stomach with legs hanging off bed for stretching, it feels better than my leg on a chair to stretch. Any other ideas? I also have more pain with this knee vs right knee and take pain meds every couple days if pain is greater than a 5-6, I also try to ice and elevate but not as much as I used to.
Happy 4th all!

 

[sistersinhim]

My extension was slow coming. It stayed at 10 for a month or so at first. I was able to lower mine but holding tightly onto my walker and taking as long of a stride as I could. I did this often. I also laid on my tummy with my legs off of the edge of the bed. But, the long strides did me the most good. And remember, heel to toe!

 

[KarriB]

Extention can be the last bit of ROM to come. As your walking more the leg will extend the length of your stride, extending your knee. If you can do the bed stretch keep with that also.

 

[Celle]

Hi all, so at 12 weeks post op my extension is still about 3-4. Just needing reassurance that I still have time for it to get to 0. I just started laying on my stomach with legs hanging off bed for stretching, it feels better than my leg on a chair to stretch. Any other ideas? I also have more pain with this knee vs right knee and take pain meds every couple days if pain is greater than a 5-6, I also try to ice and elevate but not as much as I used to.

Sure. You have plenty of time to get to 0. Like flexion, extension can continue to improve for well over a year after a knee replacement - and it's not unusual for extension to take longer than flexion.
Here are some suggestions:
Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it
Getting full extension is a matter of going slowly and gently, because it can take a while for your tendons to stretch again.

 

[sporti9]

Hi all, just checking in. I'm at 14 weeks not much improvement then 2 weeks ago. I walked a mile yesterday and my pain level has been high since, so I've been icing, elevating more. I know, I know I'm not supposed to compare knees, but this one is so much slower and painful than my right TKR that it's hard not to notice. By this time with right knee, I had very little pain and was completely off pain meds. I still take tramadol a few times a week now at low dose and probably should take more but hesitate to take any opiates for too long. Anyhow just venting because I want to feel good again, this is a long process and my fear is that I may never feel better. Even my RTKR from 2 years ago has been bothering me and it could be because it's been supporting both legs for the past 3 months.
Thanks for listening, now I'll go back to icing, elevating and hoping for the best.

 

[liam2015]

just the fact you could walk a mile shows improvement, even though you're paying for it. i also don't notice much in the way of my r.o.m. but i do notice i can do a few more things that i couldn't do a week ago, ie. walking down the stairs alternate feet, albeit tippy toe first. my extension a week ago was -10 which surprised me as i walk just fine. my flexion on my own is only 87, up from 85; with pushing, it's 96, up from 95...slow but sure. i agree with you, it's very frustrating and we want to feel completely recovered. as mentioned here on Bonesmart, it can take a full year. vent anytime ~ you never know what you may learn. have a great weekend.

 

[sporti9]

Thanks liam, your sharing is helpful and reassuring. Glad to hear your going down the stairs. I've been doing PT on the down step - daily (just going down a couple times a day, but going down is still difficult and painful unless the steps are very short. My old house has tall steps, not able to go down them yet. Keep up the good work and thanks for being such a good support on Bonesmart.

 

[earlgrey]

I guess you are better now. I had a clot under my new knee for ten days that I thought would never leave. Even when the blood started flowing I have pain where the clot was or is that can drive you out of your mind. Read up on PTS from blood clots and it talks about scaring that can last in the vein for months. I'm dealing with a new knee from June 19th and pain from the aftermath of the blood clot plus OS that writes for my meds for five days before running out. I just keep telling myself the worst is over and I'm heading down hill now. I hope you're feeling better now. The Amish believe that what dose not kill you make you stronger.

 

[sporti9]

Hi all, 4 and a half months out and getting stronger and more flexible every day. Checking in to ask folks who are about 4-6 months, if using an elliptical machine is practical? I still use a bike but miss the elliptical.
For those of you who are in early recovery, BoneSmart is a great resource and helped me get through both knee replacements within the past 3 yrs. Patience is most important, so take it one day at a time.
Marc

 

[BossK]

Elliptical machines may be a little hard because you rock side to side more than you think. My PT prefers the stationary bike because your new knee (same age as mine, BTW) can only go in a straight line.
I've loved this forum too. My other knee is now almost 10 months old!


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[kmak81230]

I've been using the elliptical for a couple of weeks - only about 10-15 minutes at a time with low resistance as I am just at 15 weeks. I find that I have to use the handles as my balance is not as good as it was prior to TKR - I used to not use the handles to get a better core workout. My PT approved it for me due to low impact.