TKR Dearjr's new knee

[Dearjr]

@skigirl thanks
I will buy them and see how it feels

I am also putting on Saran wrap at night. Although knee less sensitive still hard to sleep. Wake up 1-2 hours to toss

Going on exercise bike now for 20 mins Seems to loosen knee but gets swollen after
It seems like a catch 22

Knee looser but swells

Then off to a day at work

 

[Slainte]

You asked me on another thread how long before I returned to work after my first TKR. I went back full time after 3 1/2 weeks. Tiring but doable. So 2 1/2 weeks for the next one will not be a walk in the park, but only half days for the first week. Plus I have a total desk job and can ice and elevate all day. It will have to work, as the owners have to go out of town and there is no one else to do the job.

 

[skigirl]

I use a bike in the am myself. I think that if your knee swells after 20 min, then you should try 15 instead. Still swells? 10 min.

Then when you reach a stage where the bike does not cause swelling, increase the minutes gradually. So 10 one day, 11 the next three days then 12, then 15. Just let your knee tell you how it feels, you should walk off the bike with no increase in the swelling.

Since you are on the way to work, increasing the swelling with the bike is not the way to go. I would do heel slides or put your foot on a skateboard or other rocking device---I used an old Tonka truck of my son's!! Or sit in a rocking chair and increase the bend with each gentle rock.

So, yes the bike is good, but not if it increases your swelling. Find some other way to loosen up or do the bike less.

My pt made me do the bike so slowly at first---I was so impatient---but---no swelling his way.

 

[Dearjr]

@skigirl my knee has some low level swelling in the am when I wake up
Even if I do just heel slides it swells...
Is that unusual?

 

[skigirl]

no, not at all. It took 3 or 4 months before all of the swelling left my knee---and I was not working full time. I think that some swelling will be there because of the trauma and then your early return to standing and sitting all day. My stylist returned to work early too, I thought she was crazy, but she was afraid of loosing her clients. She did admit that she was in terrible pain most of the time. And, her recovery did take longer.

So, in the ideal world, you would have laid around in bed for 80% of your time the first two weeks and about 50 % of your time for the second two weeks. At one month, most of the swelling would have been gone.

But those pesky knees do not like being overloaded. So, if your muscles are still not back to strength, the joint has to do the work of holding you up right now. Of course the knee complains--swelling and pain--and eventually your muscles will get stronger and take some of the load off the knee and the knee will become less sensitive.

When that happens, the swelling will disappear. Your job right now is to do as little to stress the knee as you can. So, when you get home from work, settle into bed, church or recliner and get that knee up on three pillows, with ice on it. Forget sitting in a computer chair or helping out with dinner. Get takeout if you live alone and get that knee up while you munch.

 

[Dearjr]

@skigirl thanks for the advice and words of encouragement for me. It's sometimes disheartening to know the swelling will continue for a while but gladdening to know that it's just my knee being angry with me. I guess I have to strengthen my muscles a little quicker

 

[Gojennygo]

Hiya,

Saran wrap at night?!? Pray tell...why? Instead of an ace bandage? I thought it was bad/wrong/dangerous to wear compression hose while sleeping. I am assuming you wear it for compression....

Or are you marinating your knee overnight for extra tenderness!?

I have so much trouble getting comfortable or sleeping...I dread going to bed

 

[Josephine]

my knee has some low level swelling in the am when I wake up
Even if I do just heel slides it swells...
Is that unusual?

Dearjr, I've told you before - more than once I do believe - DON'T do any exercises if you're working. You don't need both and you will make the swelling last logner.

It's sometimes disheartening to know the swelling will continue for a while but gladdening to know that it's just my knee being angry with me. I guess I have to strengthen my muscles a little quicker

Again NOOO ! Nothing comes of going quicker. Go SLOWER. Remember? It's all this haste that is partially responsible for the swelling in the first place.

 

[referee54]

Do not worry at this time about strengthening the muscles---just let the new knee joint heal and lose its inflammation. The harder you work it---the more swelling will occur. Listen to your knee---it is trying to tell you something.

 

[referee54]

and eventually your muscles will get stronger and take some of the load off the knee and the knee will become less sensitive.

Skigirl is absolutely correct---the word, "eventually" is very correctly used. "Down the road", "at a later time", etc---not now.

There is nothing one can do to speed up a TKR recovery---but there is plenty one can do to slow it down.

 

[Dearjr]

@Josephine i will take your advice. My question is does no exercise include no heel slides or even flexing while sitting in stool?
How about recumbent bike for loosening or walking?

 

[Dearjr]

@Gojennygo i saw the Saran wrap video here. Google it
It helps with the blanket or sheet rubbing in the sensitive part of the knee.
It does help somewhat

 

[tigz]

Saran wrap at night?


I have so much trouble getting comfortable or sleeping...I dread going to bed

The video is here


I found it made me itch instead so after two tries, weeks apart, I've decided Saran Wrapping the knee is not for me.

I do hope you're taking something for the nighttime pain!

 

[Dearjr]

Thanks

Although I wake up a few times a night in not sure why
When I wake up I don't have pain

Sometimes I take mitrin at

 

[Dearjr]

Motrin at night

 

[Josephine]

@Josephine i will take your advice. My question is does no exercise include no heel slides or even flexing while sitting in stool? How about recumbent bike for loosening or walking?

What part of "no exercising" don't you get?

 

[Gojennygo]

The video is here


I found it made me itch instead so after two tries, weeks apart, I've decided Saran Wrapping the knee is not for me.

I do hope you're taking something for the nighttime pain!

@tigz Wow, thanks for sharing this! I had no heard of it, and I DO get such sharp, strange pains in the night. As a matter of fact, I seem to have the most pain when I am sleeping. I tend to get in positions that hurt me and I wake up in agony. So kind of you to post this, thanks again!

 

[tigz]

Hope that works for you @Gojennygo. I still get twinges behind the knee when I roll over but I can usually 'stretch' it out to relax it.


sent from my Galaxy 4

 

[Dearjr]

@Josephine just apprehensive about doing absolutely nothing

Today was my first no exercise day. My left still buckles ...is this due to quads being weak?

@Gojennygo i hope the Saran wrap works for you

I wake up a few times at night but not in pain...any ideas why this is happening?

 

[referee54]

just apprehensive about doing absolutely nothing

Today was my first no exercise day. My left still buckles ...is this due to quads being weak?

Your #1 priority right now is to let the knee heal and allow the swelling and stiffness to subside. The more you do, the less chance (0%) of letting this happen. Fight the urge to work hard---fight the urge to do much of anything since you are back at work.

The quads are weak---you will be surprised to see how quickly muscles atrophy, but this is a non-issue as you will slowly gain strength when you let the knee heal first---if you try to force the strength issue with the quads now, you will only cause more frustration.

I wake up a few times at night but not in pain...any ideas why this is happening?

This is normal---I would wake up and I was not in pain---maybe a bit of discomfort, but not in horrible pain---there were times that I could not get back to sleep---I just could not get comfortable---did you take a look at this article that was posted to you a while ago?

Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?