Scanne
junior member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2021
- Messages
- 42
- Age
- 61
- Country
- Australia
- Gender
- Female
Hello all. What a fantastic and informative Forum! I had my RTKR on 2nd Sept, and I must admit I had a totally different perception of what recovery looked like. On discharge day the PT assessed me with a short walk on crutches, a simulated stair climb and a range of exercises that I was to continue once I was home. I was also required to bend my knee to 90 degrees (in order to be discharged), 85 degrees wasn't good enough so I had to have another go. Got there but OMG it caused such immense pain just above the top of my knee.
Sent home with some pain meds and then the fun began, sleepless nights, restless days, tears, frustration and a feeling of failure. My exercise caused me so much grief to do and my knee got stiffer and sorer each passing day, but each time I reflected back to what the discharged nurse kindly reminded me, being that if I didn't do the exercises I would be back in hospital, that they would cut my knee back open and do manipulation to break up the scar tissue and I would be back to the start, so with that in mind I pushed through my exercises, tears streaming down my face.
However, since stumbling upon this forum on day 7 of my recovery I no longer feel alone and I have come to realise that intense exercise sessions are not the answer.
Although my knee is still very stiff and painful, it buckles now and then, I have a tearing feeling across the top of the kneecap, the occasional stabbing through the inside of my knee joint, aching when I stand for too long, have only 1 position I can sleep in for short periods and my lower back and right hip are copping the brunt of it and causing me some significant pain, still have bouts of depression, feeling of failure and tears, I can now see that this is not uncommon for most that have had a TKR and that there is a light at the end of what will probably be a very long tunnel. Since day 7 I changed my routine to now consist of pain meds, rolling my leg back and forth on a skate board, some rocking and semi rotations of a mini exercise pedal, ice and elevation 4 to 5 times a day and NONE of the painful exercises provided by the PT. Last night for the first time I was able to sleep on my right side for about 2 hours, another step in the right direction and a massive milestone in my eyes.
Thank you for this amazing site you have created and to all those who have shared their trials and tributes.
Sent home with some pain meds and then the fun began, sleepless nights, restless days, tears, frustration and a feeling of failure. My exercise caused me so much grief to do and my knee got stiffer and sorer each passing day, but each time I reflected back to what the discharged nurse kindly reminded me, being that if I didn't do the exercises I would be back in hospital, that they would cut my knee back open and do manipulation to break up the scar tissue and I would be back to the start, so with that in mind I pushed through my exercises, tears streaming down my face.
However, since stumbling upon this forum on day 7 of my recovery I no longer feel alone and I have come to realise that intense exercise sessions are not the answer.
Although my knee is still very stiff and painful, it buckles now and then, I have a tearing feeling across the top of the kneecap, the occasional stabbing through the inside of my knee joint, aching when I stand for too long, have only 1 position I can sleep in for short periods and my lower back and right hip are copping the brunt of it and causing me some significant pain, still have bouts of depression, feeling of failure and tears, I can now see that this is not uncommon for most that have had a TKR and that there is a light at the end of what will probably be a very long tunnel. Since day 7 I changed my routine to now consist of pain meds, rolling my leg back and forth on a skate board, some rocking and semi rotations of a mini exercise pedal, ice and elevation 4 to 5 times a day and NONE of the painful exercises provided by the PT. Last night for the first time I was able to sleep on my right side for about 2 hours, another step in the right direction and a massive milestone in my eyes.
Thank you for this amazing site you have created and to all those who have shared their trials and tributes.