TKR crowie53 right TKR recovery

crowie53

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I had my surgery this morning at 9 am, I was worried it wouldn’t go ahead as they were awaiting my COVID test result, also I had a small scratch on lower leg. Spinal anaesthesia, but heavy sedation! I was completely zonked, never heard a thing as I was really anxious. Was really pain free for at least 3 hours, but have just taken one quick release morphine tablet as I was feeling slight pain and didn’t want it to escalate as I’m not good with pain. My catheter will be in overnight at least, which is great for me as I have an overactive bladder so I am hoping to get a good night sleep, i often go to bsathroom at least 4/5 times during the night.
 
Congratulations on getting your surgery done!

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​


4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
Hi @crowie53

Congrats on your new knee! Hope you don’t mind me asking which area of the UK are you? My TKR was supposed to be Tuesday 18 but cancelled due to the virus. It seems some hospitals are going ahead but many aren’t.

Encouraging to hear you were zonked for the whole procedure too! How long will you stay in hospital? I was told 3 nights. Anyway I do hope you have a great recovery and I shall be following your recovery thread and hoping I’m not far behind you!

Sleep well!
 
Hi Carmencita, I live in Cheshire and I am an NHS patient in a private hospital.my surgery was cancelled in March last year. I am booked in for 3 nights. My hospital was supposed to take COVID patients last year if the NHS was overloaded, but I spoke to a member of staff and they didn’t need to take any. Where abouts are you? Have you been told when it’s likely to be re scheduled or if they start admitting people for elective surgery soon do people that have been cancelled now do they lose their place on the waiting list.
 
I also went to an NHS sponsored hospital. The first knee was also done there10 years earlier. They were done at Barlborough, near Chesterfield.
For the first one, I stayed in 3 days (I think), but they had since tuned the procedure up even more and for the second one, one night only, which was normal for those who recovered as expected. I reckon I would have gone home the same day, but for the spinal injection taking until late evening to wear off.
On occasion, some went home the same day, presumably if the op was carried out first thing.
 
Congratulations on getting your surgery!! I am so happy to hear the pain has been under control so far!
 
Hi, that’s great news,especially since you’d been cancelled previously. I was expecting to stay 2 nights but was offered a quick release after one. Hope your recovery goes smoothly - I’m 11 days in , just waiting for stitches out and a zoom physio session which might just test my online skills!
 
Congrats!
 
Thank you all for you kind words of support, much appreciated! i am doing a bit of physio and using the Zimmer frame. Will be trying the crutches later today. Hospital have been great at providing pain relief, 2 oxycodone ( slow release morphine) daily, oxynorm ( quick release morphine) every 3 hours if you need it and 2 paracetamol and 1 diclofenac in between. I asked what pain relief I would be discharged with and i was told it was codeine, paracetamol and oramorph. My physio will be passed back to the NHS and I’m having a zoom consultation with them on the 25th, I’m not sure how that works though! I’m sure it can’t be as good as face to face physio, well we will see..I may decide to pay to have physio as I have a pre-op flexion contracure and I have limped for over 2 years. Can anyone offer advice please.?
 
Hi, my zoom physio no.1 is on the 20th so I’ll let you know how it goes for comparison
 
What did your surgeon advise about your contracure?

My advice about post TKR physio is wait. Once that knee is healed, then you can look at physio. Gentle stretches and heal slides are just fine for now. And please don't believe any of the talk about timeframes for gaining ROM. Our members report increases in ROM years post op.

Go back and read the article Jockette left you about "window of opportunity".
 
Hi Jaycey, he popped in late last evening after his clinic on his way home, so I didn’t really get a chance to ask him, as he asked all the questions. I will ask him this evening as he is coming to see me then.
 
I also went to an NHS sponsored hospital. The first knee was also done there10 years earlier. They were done at Barlborough, near Chesterfield.
For the first one, I stayed in 3 days (I think), but they had since tuned the procedure up even more and for the second one, one night only, which was normal for those who recovered as expected. I reckon I would have gone home the same day, but for the spinal injection taking until late evening to wear off.
On occasion, some went home the same day, presumably if the op was carried out first thing.
Gosh only one night! I feel that I need longer than 3 nights stay!
 
Hi @crowie53

Pleased to hear things are going well and you have plenty of pain relief. Could you explain please, what is flexion contracture? What sort of state was your knee in before the op?

Good luck with physio!

Thanks
 
In the UK, you will probably find the involvement of a physio will be nothing more than two questions.
1. How much gentle bend can you get?
2. Is everything else OK?

"give me a bell if you have any issues"
"Goodbye!"

The British approach is nearly always the Bonesmart way ie the best way!!

Good luck, stiff upper lip and smiles is the way to go
 
Hi @crowie53

Pleased to hear things are going well and you have plenty of pain relief. Could you explain please, what is flexion contracture? What sort of state was your knee in before the op?

Good luck with physio!

Thanks
Hi Carmencita, flexion contracture is the inability to fully straighten or extend the knee and because I have tricompartmental osteoarthritis a TKA is the only way to correct it. i have been limping for over 2 years now And I will have to work harder to keep the leg straight as the muscles and tendons have shortened.
 

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