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TKR Feel so alone

Today has seemed to drag by but I have managed to stay cheerful. I have been icing, elevating, resting and trying to walk around the house on my crutches for some exercise. After all of that, the movement in my knee has not improved. My first hospital gym class was cancelled for tomorrow due to staff illness, so that was a big relief for me as the smallest of bend is a real problem still. Hopefully tonight I will sleep better and my knee will decide to be a bit more motivated to bend a little.
 
Measure your progress weekly, and in hindsight it will look great...In the moment, not so great! You are not far from surgery, so time will be your friend..Don’t rush it, as many of us will tell you, we did, and the setbacks will happen!
 
Just hang in there. We've all been through this and my advice with sleep maybe buy one of the elevated pillows for your knee off amazon. Your sleep is probably going to be so so for the next few months. For me, I had my surgery November 16, 2017 and it was around late February early March of 2018 that I started sleep regularly in my bed. I would go back and forth between my recliner and bed and even with the pillow. It takes a while as obviously the bend in your knee probably isn't all there yet but it will get there!
 
Today my knee feels no better, not sure what is going on. My physio and hospital gym has been cancelled until further notice due to the Coronavirus so I have received no help since I left hospital nearly 2 weeks ago. How am I ever going to get my knee moving when I now can hardly move it.
 
Flash1955 said:
Today my knee feels no better, not sure what is going on. My physio and hospital gym has been cancelled until further notice due to the Coronavirus so I have received no help since I left hospital nearly 2 weeks ago. How am I ever going to get my knee moving when I now can hardly move it.
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You WILL get it moving flash, I promise you well.

Think of it this way, have you ever had the flu?? Since Corona virus is in the news. It is draining and horrible, it took me a full month to recover.
Now knee surgery is 60x's as brutal. Why would you think you can just be over it in 2 weeks??
Seriously. Give yourself a break. Who said that you're supposed to be able to move it after only 2 weeks
Please please take a deep breath and relax. Elevate your leg and ice. Get the pain manageable. That's the first steps

Heck I'm almost a month out and I'm still sore and bruised around my ankle. I think they must have been swinging me around by my ankle
 
In the UK we are given minimal physio exercises to do at home - and that's all you need to do apart from getting up, washing, dressing etc. There are going to be ups and downs.

I remember one exercise was doing a knee bend on a step (not forcing) and the heel slides of course - and I wondered when will this knee ever bend beyond 90deg - and then quite suddenly it did. It's a slow process with what may seem trivial milestones that are so worth celebrating e.g. lifting the operated leg unaided, walking on two sticks outside even a very short distance (a few yards) But all the while that awful arthritis pain has gone - replaced by post op pain which though more intense in a way (stronger meds) isn't so bad and progressively gets better. You won't believe how long you need to ice and elevate to cool down that frying pan of a knee but even that cools down eventually - months I'm afraid.
 
Flash1955 said:
How am I ever going to get my knee moving when I now can hardly move it.
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You will, honestly.

This is a brutal surgery. Surgical instruments of this surgery are basically sterile carpentry tools. Two of your bones were sawed. A drill was used to drill holes in those 2 bones, so that the implants could be pounded into them. Your knee was bent and straightened multiple times to test it. And before all this happened your knee was cut open and the inside soft tissue was moved out of the way.

All this is very traumatic for our body. It takes an average of a full year to completely heal from all this trauma. 2 weeks is a drop in the bucket.

We here at Bonesmart are here for you. We care about you.


Hang out here with us.
Bonesmart has a wealth of advice, information and support.
We will offer helpful suggestions, :idea:

Cheer your accomplishments :happydance:

And send hugs when you are feeling down. :console2:

Best wishes!
 
It will get better. I was in pain moving my leg or knee much at about your time frame. The first thing I mastered was NOT my knees or leg... but just pumping my ankles in the bed (toes to the floor, then to the ceiling) slowly. I reasoned to myself that was not river dancing it was what I could manage.

Your body has been traumatized as Jockette mentioned. We're here for you. Celebrate every day.
Flash1955 said:
How am I ever going to get my knee moving when I now can hardly move it
Click to expand...
 
I counted the days until I would get past 2 weeks, expecting to be past the worst. It did not happen. I realized later that I was feeling better, just not the big change I was anticipating.

Nothing in this process happens quickly. Try to ignore your thoughts about how you should feel and how much you should be doing. LD, I also did a lot of ankle pumps.
 
You are so young in this journey, please don’t worry...2 weeks is just a very short time frame...I am just past 8 weeks, and still working towards being 75% ! Time is our friend , and this friend will be around for awhile!
 
keith55 said:
In the UK we are given minimal physio exercises to do at home - and that's all you need to do apart from getting up, washing, dressing etc. There are going to be ups and downs.

I remember one exercise was doing a knee bend on a step (not forcing) and the heel slides of course - and I wondered when will this knee ever bend beyond 90deg - and then quite suddenly it did. It's a slow process with what may seem trivial milestones that are so worth celebrating e.g. lifting the operated leg unaided, walking on two sticks outside even a very short distance (a few yards) But all the while that awful arthritis pain has gone - replaced by post op pain which though more intense in a way (stronger meds) isn't so bad and progressively gets better. You won't believe how long you need to ice and elevate to cool down that frying pan of a knee but even that cools down eventually - months I'm afraid.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I am also from the Uk
 
Don't be disheartened. This really is a marathon (like a three legged race minus two legs!) And not a sprint. You will get there:friends: and you will heal.
 
Hello Flash1955,

Yes I tend to think most people here are Americans and they often seem to be told to do lots of physio. But the message from this forum I'm sure is good - just do the specified physio and the basics of life and the rest of time it's ice and elevate. Full recovery is a year. I had my op in May and by the following April I was on holiday in Istanbul - trying to avoid steep steps though!
 
@Flash1955 hang in there! Follow BONE SMART guidelines, they are smarter and common sense. You don't need formal PT ask @Jockette !

Progress is S L O W and it is OK. If you have to measure yourself, do it week to week rather than day to day. I guarantee you just when think it is easier...you do too much then the new knee says...what were you thinking?! :heehee:

Walk focused on heel to toe when up and about your living area...hourly if possible and you will see progress even if you don't do heel slides! Those things hurt me badly but I could walk a lot considering.
 
Yesterday I made an urgent appointment to see the hospital physio. I was lucky to see them as 99.9 % of face to face visits have been cancelled.
I showed the physio the big bulge on my knee and explained I am have severe problems with all movements. It turns out that lump is filled with blood or fluid and my kneecap has the same behind it. I was told to stop all bend and stretch exercises for a few days and just rest, elevate and Ice. I was given 3 very light exercises to start at the weekend and to walk around the house on both crutches every couple of hours. This will be my routine for the next 2 weeks then hopefully I will be able to progress to a few more exercises. I am so glad they are not making me do anything that increases my pain.
I will update soon and let you know how I am getting on following the physios advice.
 
That has to be difficult and painful to move your knee with it so swollen. I hope you get relief soon.
 
@Flash1955
I'm sorry that you have the haematoma (Swelling filled with blood) and you can't bend your knee yet.
But be assured that this is all going to resolve, given time.

Complete recovery from a knee replacement takes a full year and your knee is only 18 days into that year. You have plenty of time. There's no need to rush.
The swelling and the hematoma are physically preventing your knee from bending and nothing you can do in the way of exercise will make it bend more.

Have you contacted your surgeon about the haematoma? If not, I think you should. Sometimes, it's possible to remove some of that blood with a syringe.

Meanwhile, reduce your exercise and spend as much time as you can resting, icing and elevating your leg, to try and reduce some of the normal swelling.

There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

In any case, it's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee has the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start, but it's prevented from doing so by swelling and pain. As it heals and the swelling goes down, your ROM (both flexion and extension) will gradually increase, whether you do any formal exercise or just let your normal activities of daily living be your exercise.
 
Celle said:
@Flash1955
I'm sorry that you have the haematoma (Swelling filled with blood) and you can't bend your knee yet.
But be assured that this is all going to resolve, given time.

Complete recovery from a knee replacement takes a full year and your knee is only 18 days into that year. You have plenty of time. There's no need to rush.
The swelling and the hematoma are physically preventing your knee from bending and nothing you can do in the way of exercise will make it bend more.

Have you contacted your surgeon about the haematoma? If not, I think you should. Sometimes, it's possible to remove some of that blood with a syringe.

Meanwhile, reduce your exercise and spend as much time as you can resting, icing and elevating your leg, to try and reduce some of the normal swelling.

There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

In any case, it's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee has the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start, but it's prevented from doing so by swelling and pain. As it heals and the swelling goes down, your ROM (both flexion and extension) will gradually increase, whether you do any formal exercise or just let your normal activities of daily living be your exercise.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much
 
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