PKR Day 10

[ramone1961]

Hi all, 60 yr old male here, had my partial knee done 3 days ago. Very swollen, im sure that's normal, Its just to painful to do my exercise , and Im scared it will go stiff on me if I dont. Hard to know if one should push through the pain to keep it moving ? Any thoughts would be helpful. Hydro morphone helps with pain, but I thought it would help more haha, am I out to lunch ? Sure thankful your all here and have gone before me.
Thanks in advance for your help
Ramone

 

[CricketHip]

Hello and to the recovery side here on BoneSmart. I am a hip replacement gal but know that the swelling is definitely affecting your range of motion and it's normal. I will leave you some recovery tips to help you and also help relieve some of your worries/concerns.

 

[CricketHip]

Here you go, I hope this helps. If you read through some of the other recovery threads you will see that it's recommended to avoid pushing through the pain, it only increases the inflammation and swelling that happens immediately after surgery..


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
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.

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

the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Closure

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.

 

[ramone1961]

ty ty ty

 

[ramone1961]

Hey group, hope and pray all your healing is going according to plan.
I think im just bored today and want to write.
By far the hardest thing for me is sitting around, as the weight comes on etc.
Im down to one crutch , I think its all going well. Sometimes I read some people are walking on their own after a week or two, and I think I need to pick up the pace here, stinking thinking.
Took the bandage off on Friday as they instructed, knee felt a lot more vulnerable , but better today . I get the staples out this Friday. Im grateful for slow progress. Thanks all for being here
Gods speed

 

[Pumpkin]

@ramone1961
You are right the sitting around waiting for your knee to heal is the hardest part. It is Kinda like watching water boil.
Slow but sure you will get there.

You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[ramone1961]

Hi Chris, thanks very much ,
I wish I new how to keep threads all together, I dont sorry When one of our boys pop over I will ask him how to do that thanks
Ramone

 

[Pumpkin]

@ramone1961
Just bookmark your thread, that way you can find it easily when you come back to post.
Chris

 

[ramone1961]

Is this doing it right here. ? I always think this is for reply only, I can book mark yes, but what I have done here now, is it correct ? Thanks for your patience

 

[Pumpkin]

Yes, you have posted correctly.

 

[ramone1961]

Thanks very much, this tech stuff is hard for old people like I
cheers

 

[ramone1961]

Hi all, hope your day is going well.
Im on day after PKR, and was wondering if any of you still use ice at this stage ? Is their still a benefit to ice ? Thanks very much

 

[Susie-Q]

YES!!! You should be icing for the next several MONTHS. When you're relaxing on the couch/recliner, you should be icing/elevating. You are not even 2 weeks post-op. Ice is a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Ice, ice, baby!!!

 

[Jockette]

Here is an article from the Recovery Guidelines that is good information about icing:

Ice (Cryotherapy) to control pain and swelling

Updated 22 November 2020 Please note that though this article primarily talks about knees and hips, the information applies equally to shoulders and other joints as well. Using ice (cryotherapy) is an excellent means of controlling pain and swelling after joint replacement surgery and it...

bonesmart.org

 

[sistersinhim]

I iced for months whenever I was sitting or laying down. This kept my swelling and pain level down. You can't ice too much as long as you have a towel between your leg and the ice pack.

 

[ramone1961]

Thank you all so much for the help, it means the world.
One question if I may.
I had my left knee done and was told not to drive for 6 weeks. Just between us, I have been driving with no problem, right leg is perfect. Have you all got the same instructions ? Left leg people that is.
I understand if its the right leg.
Thanks much
Ramone

 

[Jockette]

Mine was a left knee. I was told I could drive when I was off the narcotics. I actually waited 11 weeks because my husband was retired and he was able and willing to drive and I just didn’t want to.

Maybe they say to wait 6 weeks because sometimes we have brain fog for a while after a major surgery and that can slow down our thinking process, and especially reaction time while driving. Just a guess.

 

[Irongirl56]

Ramone1961, I am on week 14 post Right medial PKR and still do some icing especially after I workout or train. I have just recently cut it back to only after activity as I didnt see any further benefit from doing it 3-4 x a day at this stage. my swelling is almost gone and my only pain issues are my upper calf and quad with certain activities. So there is an end game but as said previously you are still pretty early in the healing stage and should be icing fairly frequently as per guidelines.

 

[patriciad]

@ramone1961 - You must be doing very well to get yourself in and out of the car and drive
I felt well enough to drive my automatic around 3-4 weeks out from my left PKR but found keeping the knee in that non moving bent position caused a lot of pain and swelling so I kept my chauffeur for a few more weeks for longer journeys and even today, 10 weeks out, had an ice pack ready after a 1 1/2 hour drive home.
Ice is our friend and relieves pain and swelling without the need for meds as we progress.

 

[Susie-Q]

I'm lucky in that my car has enough leg room in the front for me to fully extend my non-driving left leg, and I'm 5'10"!!! Now to get off the oxy so I can actually drive myself.......