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TKR Fibular Head Pain, Stopping Recovery<

My left quad as totally dead for weeks. The PT used painful and powerful estim to wake it up. The right quad was awake as soon as I woke up in post-op. Such a differnece between the two. To this day, 5+ months out ,the left leg is weaker. Patience man. I don't have it but this surgery requires it.
 
My quad took some time to "wake up" as well. The day after my surgery I was able to do straight leg raises, even though my nerve block hadn't worn off yet, so I thought "this is great, I got this whole rehab thing". The next day I went to PT (still in the hospital), and no amount of my "willing" it :beg: to happen would get that leg to move! :what: I was dumbfounded, disheartened, and a whole bunch of other stuff as well, none of it good. My quad muscles totally locked up and decided that they were NOT going to move no matter what. I do believe that for me it was due to some extenuating circumstances post surgery that they stayed that way for as long as they did, as my thought was that they were trying to guard against pain by not moving. In any case, they did "wake up" and things are moving along. You are still very early in the recovery process, but you will get there! :yes:
 
In my case, I think it's bc the quad was torn bc he had to reposition my patella so significantly. Apparently, my patella was tracking so much to the outside, it was constantly on the verge of dislocation. The amt of quad pain I had in the first week post-op was higher than the pain in my knee area. And none of that happened on the right side. So craxy how different the two knees were.
 
After my LTKR I was told I couldn't leave the hospital until I could perform a straight leg raise, which I could not do (not even close!). Then -surprise!- they discharged me after the usual 2 night stay. I eventually raised my leg, but it took about 3 weeks. Why do they threaten us and make us worry that something is terribly wrong when it isn't?

My advice is not to worry about it. Practice tightening your quad by "tugging" your kneecap downward into the mattress while your leg is straight out in front of you. At the same time lift your heel a little. Practice this a few times every day. To save your back do this while reclining on a few pillows- not completely flat. Soon you will surprise yourself and lift your entire leg!
 
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Things will be easier once your quads wake up. I was fussy about my TKR leg, no one really touched it or moved it but me for quite a while.
 
It was about a week before my quads woke up enough for me to do a leg lift.
 
@Jennszoo wow sounds like you have had quite the experience and yes it is SO weird how different the knees can be during recovery. Keep hanging in there, i have very little patience either but one learns to have it quickly with this surgery.

@Fire wolf thanks so much for your thoughts! I also think somehow the quad is guarding against pain and given my low pain threshold this likely has something to do with it. I am still early in recovery so will just keep doing my exercises and wait for ther big day. :)

@Clipless I agree why would they scare you like that??? Weird. Thank you for your advice, i will do this exact thing. Maybe 3 weeks will be my time also. I can hope but bottom line the muscles will come back when they are ready to and in the mean time i will use my shiny red box of patience.

Thank you everyone for the help. I am grateful for each of you!

Happy Healing!
 
Update with of course additional question that i am seeking advice on!

Request to Moderator: can you please change the thread title to: Cycling67 Left TKR: realistic weekly flexion goals?

A brief update on my recovery which i would like to say is in part to each of you and the advice, positive thoughts, great energy, and realistic reminders! I believe I am doing pretty good. I am currently 4 weeks and 1 day post-op. I can get to 0 degress extension, 87 degrees flextion and with help maybe 90, and my quad has awoke! :yes!:. I can do leg lifts as well as leg extensions although certainly not with a straight leg, need more strength which is coming slowly. I have two official PT sessions each week and when at home i do two sessions of very light exercise and ice, ice, ice and maybe a bit more ice. LOL. My emotional state is semi-stable with a periodic melt down. I try and allow myself the melt down and then get back up!!!!

Wuestion: Knowing that i am in the slow bender group i wondered if anyone had advice on realistic weekly goals to set for flexion increase. My gut says likely not as i think flexion will come when it is darn good and ready to, assuming i do my part with gentle stretccing. Thoughts???

My surgeon would like me at at least 90 degrees by week 6 which, unless i digress, i should accomplish. Fingers crossed. He would consider a manipulation if not.

Any thoughts from those more knowledgeable than i as to my current progress and question would surely be appreciated !

Much love and positive thoughts to each of you on our shared journey, it is quite the ride isnt it???:heehee:
 
cycling67 said:
Knowing that i am in the slow bender group i wondered if anyone had advice on realistic weekly goals to set for flexion increase. My gut says likely not as i think flexion will come when it is darn good and ready to, assuming i do my part with gentle stretccing. Thoughts???

My surgeon would like me at at least 90 degrees by week 6 which, unless i digress, i should accomplish. Fingers crossed. He would consider a manipulation if not.
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90 degrees by about 6 weeks is what most surgeons expect and I think that's reasonable.

However, there is absolutely no way you should set yourself weekly amounts for your knee to bend. It just doesn't work like that. Your knee knows what it is doing and it's on its own schedule, not yours and not your PT's. It sounds as if it's doing just fine - and I don't think it's a slow bender at all. At this stage, you are well ahead of what many people can achieve.

Spend most of your time resting icing and elevating your leg, to try and reduce swelling. As the swelling goes down, your flexion will increase naturally.
You don't need to do lots of exercise. Just walking around the house is sufficient at first.
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 ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.

My best advice to you is to stop worrying about the numbers. You're going to get good ROM, and there's no need to rush. There's no deadline you have to meet.

I've changed you thread title to "LTKR: Realistic Weekly Flexion Goals?" Your username is under that, as the thread starter.
 
Im 10 weeks out and I also think setting flexion goals may not be realistic. Recovery isn't always a straight line. I was really obsessed with ROM the first month and wanted to be measured every time I went to PT 3 times a week. Some days were 5 degrees less than the last time and I hung somewhere near 95 for 3 weeks. I made good progress in the end, it was just very erratic. I am done with formal PT and have no idea what my ROM is but the new knee is very close to going back as far as the old knee and I can do most activities like stairs, exercise bike, etc. I've learned to set very short term goals based on how I'm coming along at the time and listen to my body about how much I can try and when it's time to ease off.
 
I think you're doing extremely well! Now, if you concentrate on function instead of numbers, you'll do even better! While doing so, think about all you CAN do versus what you can't do. I still have rather cruddy flexion by the numbers, but...there really isn't much I can't do. :SUNsmile:
 
Try not to get fixated on numbers, or fall into the trap of thinking that flexion numbers are accurate. That number will vary by who is doing the measuring, the instrument being used to measure it, the time of day, if your knee is loosened up a little with mild exercise, whether your knee is a little more swollen because you did a new activity it didn't like, how much you elevated before measuring, and... well, lots of things. One time my PT measured my flexion on Friday to find it was 5 degrees less, and then it was 10 degrees more on Monday after a restful weekend. It was almost always a little less at the end of the week because of PT. My surgeon? He just eyeballed my bend and guesstimated.

Definitely try the function route. It's more relaxing and yields better results!
 
Celle, Jajakio, Pheebs52, and SusieShoes: Thank you for this excellent advice. As a "numbers" type of a person i have gotten too obsessed with the number progression. The advice to focus on function rather than numbers is what i needed. I knew from my last replacement and am reminded with this one that my recovery is a mental challenge for me. Why can't i just relax and settle in? Argggggghg :umm:even yesterday the PT, who i love, said i am doing well and to simply settle in and believe flexion will come.

Thanks for helping me again. :thumb:

One side question: is motrin/ibuprofen 800 a pain reliever and anti inflammatory? I have forgotten what the doctor said. I can call him but figured i would ask here. I have started taking this again and i think it is also helping.
 
I'm a numbers gal also and it took a long time for me to let go of the obsession - can't say that I'm completely there yet as I still measure myself about once a week (my PT doesn't - she's all about function). It is really all about the functional ability. I can do more and more things each month and yet I don't think my flexion has increased in at least a month. The patience required for this recovery is unbelievable.
 
@cycling67
I have edited your post, to remove the multiple tags. We ask that you don't use tags like that in a post, because ti makes it so difficult for people reading on mobile devices - all they can see on their small screen is a list of tags.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

cycling67 said:
One side question: is motrin/ibuprofen 800 a pain reliever and anti inflammatory? I have forgotten what the doctor said. I can call him but figured i would ask here. I have started taking this again and i think it is also helping.
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Ibuprofen (Motrim is the trade name) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) and not a very good pain reliever. I don't think it's a good idea to use it as post-op pain relief, because there are dangers associated with using it. It can cause severe stomach bleeding, so never take it on an empty stomach and stop taking it at once if you experience and gastric symptoms. In addition, a recent study has disclosed that its use can pre-dispose you to developing heart disease:
NSAIDs Diclofenac. ibuprofen increase risk of heart problems: new study

I think it's wiser to take the prescribed narcotic pain relief and stick with icing and elevation to deal with inflammation.
 
I too am a numbers person. And flexion is an easy thing to measure, so of course we get caught up in the numbers. Why do we think we weigh ourselves so frequently? Weight alone is not a good indicator of health, but it is easy to measure. Being able to do things we couldn't do before, keeping our mind set positive, and enjoying life are all very important parts of rehab.
 
Good evening! Please modify the title of this thread to: "Left TKR: feeling down and tired". Thank you

I need to reach out to everyone. I am 6 weeks post op tomorrow and i have taken an emotional downturn recently. I am feeling depressed and tired! It seems all I do is exercise, ice, rest over and over. I think overall i am doing ok but my patience seems to be out. I am crying all if the time, argggggg!!!

I see the surgeon this Wednesday for 6 week check up and i sure hope my progress is enough, it is what it is, i could not have done more.

I also start back at work tomorrow. This scares the livin daylights out of me. Note however i work from home so i have literally he best case scenario. I seem to fear getting back to normal although this is what i want! Good grief i sound like i have lost it.

If any of you could offer some words of wisdom at this point in recovery (6 wks post op) i would sure appreciate it. And if a kick in the pants is what i need please feel free to say that also.
 
I edited your thread title as requested. Does that look right?

Sent from my Z799VL using Tapatalk
 
Working at home has some built in advantages, like being able to ice and elevate more easily. At six weeks, you're still in early recovery (though feeling much better) and so should spend lots of time with your legs up and iced.

I also work from home, and... it wasn't easy getting back into that harness. I found that my concentration was off, and my ability to perform some of the more complex aspects of my profession wasn't up to speed. I was forgetful. Out of sight, out of mind. You might not have any problems, of course. Everyone is different. But if you do find yourself having difficulty with your work, don't blame yourself. It happens to many of us! Make no mistake: recovery on this scale affects our brain as well as our limbs. That's why we're so often emotional, off our usual game, and uncertain.

You don't say what your exercise routine is, but I hope you aren't doing too much. Less is more when it comes to rehabbing a knee in the early days and weeks. Ice, elevate, and don't do any exercises other than some gentle bends and walking would be my advice. When at the doctor's office, should your knees feel stiff, walk around a little. You'll be a bit more limber when the OS handles your legs. (At least, that's what my OS did, bending me like a pipecleaner!)

No kick in the pants. You say you think you're doing okay, and... well, you would know! I bet you're doing just fine. :)
 
I'm so sorry you are feeling so down. If it's any consolation, it happens to a lot of us. I still cry easiliy. A couple of weeks ago I went through a very emotional time, this recovery seems endless, and I, too, feared I won't be where my surgeon wants me to be at my check up in 2 weeks. The expectations are so stressful.

This major surgery just knocks the socks off us!!! I was so unprepared for this recovery because no one told me what it would be like, even, and especially, people who'd had knee replacements. The way I understood it, I'd be ok in a couple of months, because I "only " had a partial. What a shock to learn it actually takes a year! (But we will feel better before that)

But take heart, we will get better. We will feel better, and we will get our rom back. It just takes time. Lots and lots of time. But I know how hard that is to accept. I only just figured out about a week ago to just accept that. So now instead of dreading my upcoming appointment, I am now only mildly nervous.

I'm sorry you have to return to work so soon. I'm sure that will cause you stress. I am retired so I didn't have to deal with that aspect.

Hang out with us, we're glad you joined us! There is lots of encouragement here.
 
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