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TKR Chimera's Recovery

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Your description of your old toe pattern reminded me of a Star Trek Vulcan greeting. My back bothered me a little bit, but what bothered me most was my ankles after the surgery. It seems like my weight was distributed differently, and it took a little while for that achiness to go away. Just part of the process. Our body has to make adjustments to our new knees, as they are the boss of all!
 
Already learned something new....again. Never even thought about shoes. I'm not much of a shoe person but there is another reason to shop!
@Chimera you must be about on track with me. I had staples removed Wednesday and this Wednesday will be 3 weeks since surgery.
I constantly had back and hip pain before surgery and I used a heating pad, felt wonderful. Since surgery those pains have thankfully disappeared.
I have hydrocodone 7.5/325 mg for pain and I have to take it about twice a day.
Was on oxycontin and oxycodone the 1st 2 weeks so hopefully your Dr will reconsider.
I don't know how they think we are going to become addicted because we are in real pain!!
Sounds like you are doing well.
 
I had my staples out this past Wednesday as well and today was my 3 weeks from surgery. With my new hip and back pains I found wrapping my electric blanket around those sore spots offers a bit of relief.

Just returned from PT and I have met the torturer I have heard about from the boards - I stopped her multiple times but I still ended up hurting. At one point she flipped me onto my stomach which is position I have not tried since surgery, and had me hang my feet off the edge of the bed which was unbearably painful. She went to town on my hamstring telling me it was nothing but knots back there, horizontal ones, and I told her that perhaps it was from the tight tourniquet. She told me multiple times "No pain no gain" and that if I didn't push hard now to increase extension then I will not be able to get it straight in the future, she told me she was sorry but that is just the way it is. She seemed obsessed with pushing hard on my extension.
I asked her how many TKR's she had worked with and said I was her first.
Feel tired and depressed after this therapy session. I have another tomorrow and hopefully I will be up for it. Iced and elevated as a type this.
 
OMG!! Request a different therapist!! My therapist told me she feels bad for her first 25 TKR patients because there was a huge learning curve and she knows she was too hard on them. Textbook vs. the real world are entirely two different things. Learned that when I became a nurse.
 
Yes, most definitely tell her goodbye. She will slow down your recovery.
 
Oh my goodness! Remember: YOU are paying for her services! This is an unacceptable way to treat anyone - it was disrespectful to you. I am so sorry. You are not her guinea pig! Prayers for you.
 
Gotta leave her in the wind. Another session like that and your knee will be so swollen it won't bend or straighten.
 
Kick that one PT to the curb. They work for you, and you are in charge of them as well as your own recovery (don't tell your knee that, though!)

Find one that puts you, your knee, and your recovery first.
 
No!!! That's terrible. I would complain to the manager of that office. I'll echo what everyone else has don't let her touch you again.
 
4:45 am, took pain med just a bit ago. Feels like a whole new universe of pain - my whole body hurts and I can barely move anything after the PT session last night. The pushing for extension has made my back, hips, and of course knee hurt in a whole new way. Feels like I am a giant swollen toothache, waves of sickening, throbbing pain.
I am canceling the other 2 PT appointments I have this week (today and Thursday ) and will cobble together my own gentle stretching and strength plan until my next appointment next week.

Thank you everyone for your insights and encouragement.
 
Chimera said:
Feels like a whole new universe of pain - my whole body hurts and I can barely move anything after the PT session last night. The pushing for extension has made my back, hips, and of course knee hurt in a whole new way. Feels like I am a giant swollen toothache, waves of sickening, throbbing pain.
I am canceling the other 2 PT appointments I have this week (today and Thursday ) and will cobble together my own gentle stretching and strength plan until my next appointment next week.
Click to expand...
Good call to cancel the PT!

If you decide to go back to that PT place, be sure to tell the manager exactly what happened and how bad it made you feel. Ask for another therapist. Don't let any PT touch your leg again.

You don't need all that over-enthusiastic PT anyway. My surgeon does not allow any formal PT for a month after surgery and all his patients do well.

There's no need to rush to get ROM, or to experience pain during PT. ROM can continue to improve for a year or even longer. Read these articles:
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It is scary when the PT tries to scare you into pushing beyond your capability - believe me I want the extension too, but I am simply not physically able to achieve it right at this moment. The appointment yesterday was frustrating for other reasons as well - my gal was 21, fresh physical therapy assistant just out of school who started in September. She would ask me questions and then walk away from me while I was answering - which tells me she really could care less, which certainly doesn't help me to trust her. She would also pull bolsters out from under my affected limb without saying a word, or making a move to help me lift or stabilize it. I wear my lavender bathrobe tie around my neck like a jaunty scarf (lol) to help me maneuver with lifting and turning. There were a few times that I yelped in pain and surprise because she was so fast in pulling the support out from under my painful knee.

My other therapist is also younger - but she is very professional and careful. I will praise her the next time I see her - which should be next Monday. My last booked appointment is the last Monday of the month - should I keep going or should I try to rehab on my own? I know from reading here that the UK docs don't have the immediate PT after surgery. I am going to keep reading everyone's recovery stories, they help a lot!
 
Stand your ground, @Chimera and don't let anyone bully you. Don't compare your recovery to other people. Remember that you are not in competition with anyone, you just want to be better than you were. An artificial knee is better than an arthritic one. Go at your own pace, use common sense, and let your body heal the way it wants to
 
Don't allow anyone to touch your leg or knee, Pain = No Gain. I agree with Celle, you need to let the Manager at the facility know of your poor treatment, and use of an out of date protocol for TKR's.
Since it appears PT is not helping, canceling the remainder of your PT appointments should not be a problem.
Here are some gentle Extension: exercises for improvement .
You surgery sounds like it was complex with all the damage in your knee, it is going to take time for it to heal. Be sure anyone involved in the care of you TKR is aware of how much your knee has been through.
:sleeep::ice::elevate: and :chillpill: on schedule as prescribed.
 
Frankly, I think going to outpatient therapy is a waste of time and money. I did all my own exercises on my own at home. My OS has a therapist in his office that I saw once a month on my post-op visits and she would measure my flexion and extension and suggest exercises or stretches I needed based on the findings but never did any torture. That's just unacceptable. Everything you really need to do you can find on here as links as far as extension exercises and heel slides to improve flexion. Later down the road when you are feeling stronger you can add in cycling and some weights to strengthen your quad muscles. It's really not rocket science. Just common sense. Trust me - I was a couch potato before my 1st TKR because my knees had limited my mobility so much. Now I can get around like a 30 year old!
 
Chimera, so sorry to hear about this! There is no excuse for hurting a patient at any time, but this one sounds like she just didn't care, which is even worse. I hope you can find someone who can guide and encourage you rather than force your already battered leg. There are a lot of PT options where I live and hopefully it is the same in your area.

I also see a PT Assistant on most visits, but she is very gentle, and told me she has worked with a lot of PKR and TKR patients. The therapist (PhD) who created my program is also present at all my visits. Even better, she told me her dad had a TKR in June of this year, and is still frustrated, so she is extra sympathetic and gentle! In return, I suggested that she direct her dad to BoneSmart :thumb:
 
I hope you are feeling some better tonight @Chimera. Kind of sad that your therapist is just out of school and already has developed such a callous attitude towards
patients.
I flat did nothing the past 4 days and gained 14 degrees flexion. Home p.t. to work with me until December 3rd and then another 4 weeks outpatient. I am thinking I am NOT going to do the outpatient and instead use my recumbent bike and ankle weights at home.
Gentle approach, be kind to your knee.
 
I can't believe a PA was allowed to do that to you! At my group a PA only kept track of what you were doing or helped you off or on a machine. A PA never touched my knee and the PT only touched to massage or measure.
 
I waited until almost 6 weeks out to start outpatient PT. It is working very well for me. I wanted to get healed up a bit. My pt did mention today that most folks don't wait so long as I did. And I don't really care. It is a slow go, & I am very careful, but each time we do different things and I make sure it doesn't hurt. When I started last week I was at 90. In a week and a half I have made it to 101.
 
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