TKR dickiedo's recovery thread^

[dickiedo]

8 weeks out TKR right knee. Have had extreme pain right side. Told it was ITB. 110 Deg and 0 range etc. Cannot sleep on left side. Driving and sitting painful. Difficulty raising knee when walking. Therapy riding bike weights on leg raising etc. Therapy not helping with ITBand pain. Any thought? Is this wait and see?

Looking for ideas from others to improve recovery time. Have IT band issues. Not sure what or how to fix the problem. PT not helping as of yet.

 

[Benay]

Hello @dickiedo

I'm sure one of the moderators will be in touch shortly, they're full of great advice and help. This is a super site for all of us going through the same recovery.

 

[Celle]

Hello @dickiedo - and

Please will you tell us the full date of your knee replacement , so we can make a signature for you? Thank you.

Here are the guidelines and articles we give to everyone who has a new knee:
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 Care In Hospital​

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 a 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 history before providing advice.

You didn't give us much time to respond to your first post. Unfortunately, we do not have staff on duty 24/7, as staff are all voluntary.

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.
Don't worry that we won't see your question because, between us, the staff read all new posts every day.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on. Please will you do that, too.

 

[Celle]

8 weeks out TKR right knee.. have had extreme pain right side. Told it was ITB.

Looking for ideas from others to improve recovery time. Have ITBAnd issues. Not sure what or how to fix the problem. PT not helping as of yet.

NOw, about recovery and your IT band:

First of all, a knee replacement is not a surgery you can bounce back from within a few weeks. It takes as long as a full year for complete recovery and there's nothing you can do to speed that up. It's the same whether you're 18 or 80 - a long recovery that demands all the patience you can find.

Secondly, your knee is going to recover at its own speed, not the speed you'd like it to:
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)

Working hard at PT won't help either. In fact, that could even slow down your recovery, because your soft tissues remain upset and irritated if you work them too hard while they're still trying to heal.. Your Range of Motion (ROM) is excellent for so early in recovery, so now's the time to ease off that PT a bit - especially cut out the weights - and let your knee heal without being stressed.

Here's an article about IT Band issues that may help you:
ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues and treatments

 

[luvcats]

I have regularly gotten IT band pain from a combination of walking with a limp and the way my shoes break down. My go-to solution is magnesium oil. I just slather it everywhere on my legs, leave it for about 20 minutes, and then shower because it can leave a weird residue. I do that every night for several nights until suddenly it's gone. That might be something you could try.

 

[Josephine]

I'd really like to offer you some structured advice but in order to do that, I also need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to do that?

 

[Rockgirl4]

I'm also one that has had loads of IT band problems. It always flares after a knee surgery (as I've had 11 now), but it also flares with too much sitting and biking when I'm not taking care to stretch my lower back, IT Band, glutes, pyrformis muscle, etc. for me, it's all connected and upset in once area often makes my IT Band miserable.

Personally, I've almost always needed specific PT help when my IT band gets bad after knee surgery. My surgeon has no trouble prescribing PT for 3-4 wks if I need it. It's cheaper for me than deep-tissue massage out-of-pocket, as insurance usually pays most of the PT cost, and the therapist can address any other misalignment in my lower back sacrum, as that's usually a contributing factor too.

 

[dickiedo]

PT had been going well. 110 and zero degrees. Started swimming and developed stiffness in knee. I assume it's fluid. Soreness above patella. Could I have done too much swimming to cause fluid. Not sure how much PTto do at this time.

 

[Jaycey]

@dickiedo you will notice that I have merged your two threads together as we prefer that members in recovery only have one thread.

This is for three reasons:
1. if you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts others have left you in the old threads
2. it often ends up that information is unnecessarily repeated
3. it's best if we can keep all your recovery story in one place so it's easily accessed if we need to advise you.

Please keep all your questions and updates on this thread. If you would like a new thread title just give a shout.

 

[Jockette]

Please give us the exact date of your surgery. This is very important as it helps us advise you properly.

 

[Celle]

pt had been going well. 110 and zero deg. Flex. Started swimming and developed stiffness in knee assume fluid. Soreness above Patella. Could I have done to much swimming to cause fluid. Not sure how much pt to do at this time.

That's a good example of cause and effect. With swimming s well as PT, you are doing more than your new knee is ready to do. It has responded by getting stiff and increasing the fluid in its joint.

That's a message from your knee that you are doing too much and you need to ease off.

Instead of exercising so much, spend as much time as you can resting, icing and elevating your knee, until the swelling goes down.
Ice to control pain and swelling
Elevation: the do's and dont's

 

[dickiedo]

TKR date May 8, 2019

 

[dickiedo]

Thank you. Have iced elevated for last 4 days. Swelling is diminishing. How soon can I resume some PT, bike, swimming etc. Don’t want to rush back to soon.

Would like to join May TKR group. May 8th surgery. Hope I’m using this forum correctly.

 

[dickiedo]

Would appreciate any information you feel is appropriate regarding my issues. Thanks

 

[Josephine]

Here y'go then!

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. And don't forget to factor in 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?

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.