Sorry about the hideous red font- not sure how it got like that to begin with but if you can tell me how to change it to another color I will.
There is an article in the "How To Use This Forum"
How to change the appearance of your post text
@Newbie tkr I am so sorry I missed your answers. I usually mark threads where I've left my questions and must have forgotten to do this one. You should have tagged me!
1. Pain right now about a 2
Okay
2. Delaudid- 2mg. He wrote me a script on March 22 for 60 and told me they should last me for fifteen days. Today would have been the 8th day and tomorrow I run out. I took around 18 mg a day from last Thursday-Sunday after that horrendous pt session. Since Sunday night gone back down to about 8mg per day.
I'm confused - if your pain score is only 2, how come you are out of your meds already? And if your surgeon is cutting you off, see if your GP will oblige. Quite a few members have reported that theirs have done so.
3. Icing knee for 45 minutes 4-5 times a day.
Not bad.
4. Very little elevation other than sitting in my bed.
6. Knee moderately swollen.
If your knee is swollen, you should be elevating more. Elevate while you ice.
At 4 weeks - hmm ....
7. Little to no housework from Sunday to today- nothing but sleeping- (depression?) In my first 3 weeks of recovery I probably did far more work around the house than should have
I see!
My comments in
bold
Starting yesterday- rehab with new pt
Ankle pumps 20 at 2x day -
these are just anti clot exercises which you don't need to do now
Tippie toes- 20 at 2x day -
an exercise that is very hard on your knee. I suggest you stop doing it
Quad sets-
20 at 2x day -
do one 5 reps of these once a day
Tighten thigh muscles and hold-
20 at 2x day -
these aren't so bad but just do 10 once a day
Lifting operated leg up while lying on back -
straight leg raise. A tip about these, once you can do them you don't need to do them any more! So stop doing them!
Lifting operated leg while lying on side -
this has no benefit to your knee but will give you ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues. So stop doing them
Same leg while lying on tummy -
also pointless. Stop doing them. Walking will do the same but better
Sitting in chair lifting operated leg up -
same as straight leg raises - stop them!
Heel slides-
20 at 2x day -
heel slides are very easy to do badly and 20 twice a day is bad! Read this Heel slides and how to do them.
Lying on tummy bending operated knee -
this is a flexion exercise. You are already doing heel slides, you don't need to do more
Sitting in chair while "pulling" knee back towards the underneath of chair -
same as above
So this is your problem - you're doing far too much exercising. I added up your routine and you're doing
440 reps a day which is phenomenal, excessive and ludicrous! All that does is create angry tissues which are hard to live with! You need to understand that it's not the exercising that gets you your ROM, it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle and time to heal. One thing that seems to be missing from all the PT's protocols is that all your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen so it can show itself. In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Exercise as in strength training is counter-productive and does more harm than good. Normal activity is the key to success.
So far today I've done 1/2 mile walk, (knee protesting every step of the way), minimal pt, climbed about 8 flights of stairs ( I live on the 3rd floor of big, old house), and swept bathroom.
Question: how much more, if anything, should I do today. PT tomorrow.
What the others said. You're doing far too much and causing your knee to be painful. So you don't want to do more, you need to do LESS!!!
And when you get with your new PT, don't let her/him give you heaps of exercises with heaps of reps. Just be assertive and say no! Also
no pressing on your knee to improve flexion - it doesn't work, it's just cruel to you and to your knee!
Oh yes, and read this again
Activity progression for TKRs and remember you are not yet 4 weeks out!
United States
You're the boss in this situation.
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