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TKR Concerns LTKR<

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I'm at 7 weeks as well. I would never be able to walk 4 miles especially since my ROM is only to about 100. Because of that I still walk "funny" and it wreaks havoc on my hamstrings and lower back. I have to concentrate on every step I take to make sure it's heel to toe and not dragging it behind.

I have finally come to realize that I have to take this slowly and I'm not pushing it. I am doing more everyday around the house but I take time at least 3 times a day (or more) to elevate and ice for at least and hour. It makes me feel good and also makes me slow down and rest.
 
I think you are expecting too much from your new knee at this still early stage of recovery which can take over a year altogether. I am a walker and was pleased to manage 2 miles at about 3 1/2 months after surgery. At 7 weeks, I was still resting and icing a lot of the time with very short walks every day.
Why not try doing little exercise for at least a week to allow your knee to settle? You could do very short walks and a few heel slides , lots of ice and rest. Stairs can take many weeks to feel comfortable.
 
Cybil62 said:
I started walking 2 miles a day witch didn't bother me at all. Today I walked 4 1/2 miles, it felt good but my knee feels so tight and that tight band and not bending more is what is bothering me. It feels much stiffer than it was, I do come home and do some stretches and ice it. Do you think I am doing to much to soon?
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I think that walk was definitely too much for your very new knee. It's only about 6 weeks since you had this major surgery. Complete recovery takes a full year and you can't speed it up. It takes as long as your knee needs it to take. Do re-read this article and see what your activity level should be:
Activity progression for TKRs

Most people can't do stairs normally until 3 or 4 months after TKR, so don't worry about that, either.
 
I've had 11 knee surgeries and I never did pt or exercises. I just used my knee every day in my daily living. Many of us on here did the same thing and we are doing great. I followed the activity schedule the best I could. You have been and are doing way too much. Your new knee is still a baby and needs lots of TLC, ice, elevating, rest and pain meds! All of us on here have had knee replacements and are here to help you through this. Just follow the Bonesmart way and you'll do much better!
 
Thank you@Sistersinhim, I am try to follow the bonesmart way, it is so disheartening when a family member that is a PT is telling me I am not doing enough exercise. I have learned I do so much better if I do it the bonesmart way but it gets you doubting when people say your leg is going to freeze and you won't be able to move it. At 8 weeks I am still at a little over 90 for flexion. I guess I have to be more confident and trust I am doing the right thing! I am so glad I have bonesmart and all the knowledgable people to help me through this journey!!
 
If you have access to a recumbent or exercise bike it may help you to get a few revolutions a day. I was in an imbolizer for a month just 4 weeks after TKR surgery. After I was allowed to bend and walk with a bent leg for a bit I found using a bike helped loosen up my knee. At first I could only rock the pedals back and forth, but eventually (2 weeks) I got a full revolution. After that I did 5 minutes on the bike and graduated to 10 a week or so later.
 
Why not tell that family member that is a PT that you are doing your exercises. What they don't know won't hurt you! It's really nobody's business what you are doing with your new knee. You know it better than anyone else. I bet you that PT family member has never had a tkr! Tell her to go back to school and learn the modern way to rehab a knee replacement. The days of aggressive therapy are way outdated. It's a proven fact that gently using a knee that's undergone a replacement leads to a quicker, less painful recovery. Just read all the experience we have on this site that says the same thing!
 
Lately I am having a hard time bending my knee at all because I am having intense pain in the outer part of my thigh and right below my knee on the outer side. Every time I try to do heel slides or sit in a chair with my leg bent that happens. Is there anything I can do? Is it just tight muscles? I always stretch before I do any exercise. I am worried this is setting me back as my rom is still only 90. My surgery was 3/20/17. I never dreamed recovery was going to be so hard!
 
Have you thought about trying massage if you think the muscles are tight? I got one last week and she worked a lot on exactly those two areas, bc I am sure between manhandling during surgery, my altered gait and such, the muscles were all messed up.
 
My hamstring and IT band gets extremely tight. I have to constantly massage and stretch them out. Like Jennazoo, I'm going to try a massage next week for them to work on that exact issue.
 
Thanksf@Jennszoo & @flyaway79, That sounds like what I am feeling I have been massaging them myself, I will keep working on them. I can't believe how tight they get!
 
There is a good article in here that describes the whole hamstring IT band issue. Maybe someone can find it and link it here for you.
 
Here is the article that flyaway was talking about.
ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues and treatments
It may be your IT band that is causing the problem. However, since trying to do heel slides hurts so much, why not stop doing them for a while?

Cybil62 said:
Lately I am having a hard time bending my knee at all because I am having intense pain in the outer part of my thigh and right below my knee on the outer side. Every time I try to do heel slides or sit in a chair with my leg bent that happens. Is there anything I can do? Is it just tight muscles? I always stretch before I do any exercise. I am worried this is setting me back as my rom is still only 90. My surgery was 3/20/17. I never dreamed recovery was going to be so hard!
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I'm also going to ask @Josephine to advise you. Do try to answer her questions as fully as you can, so that she has all the information she needs, to advise you appropriately.
 
Cybil62 said:
when a family member that is a PT is telling me I am not doing enough exercise. It gets you doubting when people say your leg is going to freeze and you won't be able to move it.
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Please don't believe her. Don't you remember this article in the recovery articles you were give at the start of this thread (post #11)? Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

I'm now going to ask you to answer some questions so I can better address your problem. But in the meantime - STOP doing heel slides!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)
Please be sure to include other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how swollen is your leg compared to these?
[Bonesmart.org] Concerns LTKR<


4. what is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

5. are you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?

6. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.
 
@Josephine
1) pain level is 3 if I don't do anything, if I exercise my knee it goes up to 6, at night 6-7

2) I have chronic pain so I am back on my normal pain meds of fentanyl patch 50mcgs every 3 days, break through med Tylenol #3, 1 or 2 every 4 to 6 hours, soma 350 mg 3 x day

3) moderate swelling

4) Rom 90, extension 5

5) icing for 60 minutes 4 times a day

6) elavating for 5-6,hours a day

7) vacuuming once a week, light housekeeping like dusting, swiffer floors, make bed, clean bathrooms. Go to the grocery store once a week for 30 minutes.

8) ride peddler 10 minutes 3x day
Squats 5 3x day
Sit on chair bend leg back 5 3x day
No PT
Heel slides 5 4 x day
Walked every other day 2½-4½ miles, stopped that because my knee got so tight and painful
 
I just bought this roller massager ball from Amazon and it is awesome! I roll it on the side of my leg and thigh and it helps release the tension from my muscles.

[Bonesmart.org] Concerns LTKR<
 
I'd ditch the vacuuming for a while or break it up to one room a day. I found vaccuming hard on my new knees for quite a while.
 
@flyaway79 Wow! That looks interesting! Thank you I will order one, I have to get these muscles loosened up!
@kneeper, I only have 2 rooms to vacuum, it doesn't seem to bother me but maybe I will let it be for a while. It isn't like it gets dirty I live alone.
 
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