TKR Good Days and Challenges

[Sporty79]

@Eggs
The silicone dressings work very well! I would also, after an evening shower, use some lotion and massage my scar. This helps break up the scar tissue in there. It should flatten out pretty fast if you massage it and use the silicone bandage. It also helped decrease the nerve pain I had after my first knee in September. Fortunately I haven’t had the nerve pain after my other knee done recently in December.
Congratulations on your bike accomplishment also!

 

[Eggs]

Thank you for your positive feedback. The nerve pain is awful.

 

[LifeinParadise]

I have a few suggestions, although all the things BearcatBethie listed sound like they would be worth a try. I have been following a bit different path. In some of the info my surgeon provided they briefly mentioned the possibility of taking gabapentin. My surgeon sort of dismissed it and did not prescribe it but I looked it up. It seems it is prescribed to reduce the amount of opiates required for pain relief. I took gabapentin for a year or so when my toes went numb. I had no side effects but I stopped with about 45 days of the prescription left. (it didn't do that much for my numb toes). I had TKR on one knee Thankgiving 2021. I started having severe sharp pains in my calves and knee about week 3. My surgeon had warned me I would have them and that it was normal. Normal, ok, but still hard to sleep. I started doing a couple things: 1) taking gabapentin daily, 2) using magnesium sulfate foaming muscle pain ointment before bed (and again midnight), and 3) alternating with generic aspercreme lotion with lidocane. My skin was also hyper sensitive and irritated. The lidocane helps with that but I also found some supersoft long legged jammie bottoms that I wear alternately with sleeping either on satin sheets or in satin jammies. All this has made it more comfortable to sleep without those stabbing sharp pains (I wonder if not all of it is nerve pain as the surgeon suggested - nerves are waking up, he said. It must be also that part is muscle spasms/cramps or the magnesium sulfate would not be effective). All this has made a world of difference but now I am thinking I may try BearcatBethie's remedy of using rough things on my skin for a week and see how that works for the skin sensitivity.

Also I have to comment that I started Physical Therapy one week after surgery and showed up with my walker. My PT had me ditch that and use one trekking stick for balance for a couple sessions and then told me just to carry it "just in case" and not actually use it. He wanted me finding my balance quickly. He was right. I quit using anything within the first 2 weeks of therapy. I am at week 8, walking a mile a day and working in the garden, sitting and pulling weeds, etc. Yes, I have that tightness like a band across my knee and it hurts at night at times. Getting up and walking 10 minutes, applying lidocane, and I am able to sleep for 4 hours again. I be sure to rest well every other day. As my PT told me, part of building muscle is rest. You work hard one day and allow all those muscles to rest well the next day, then do it again. Muscles don't build if they don't also get rest periods of about a day.

Good luck, I will keep watching your posts.

 

[Eggs]

Almost 6 weeks post LTKR and I reached a new milestone. I drove myself to Trader Joe’s and shopped for my own groceries! It was a wonderful feeling of independence to be able to go up and down the aisles, like being a kid in a candy store. Going to PT 3 times a week and doing strengthening exercises at home. And good news regarding using the silicone strips, my scar has flattened out so well. During the first few weeks I couldn’t imagine having the strength I do now and that my knee would look so much better. : )

 

[Rubyroo]

@Eggs Good for you! Driving yourself to the store! Woo-hoo! What a great feeling of independence!!! I had my 2nd TKR on December 10th & I haven’t driven yet. I could but just haven’t felt like it yet. But I feel it coming soon! Happy for you!

 

[FourCats]

Yeah!! Isn’t it funny how such a little thing can make us so happy!! I remember my first solo trip to the grocery store. I had made out my list in the order the store was laid out only to discover in my absence they had the nerve to rearrange the entire store!!!

 

[Vida]

At about week three I was having the same sort of ‘tingles’ at night. I read the suggestion of covering the knee with Saran wrap and found that it really works. If your scar has healed, rub lotion around the knee, which helps the plastic adhere to the skin. I did it for three nights and haven’t needed it since. I ran this idea by my OS who said, while he had never heard of it, he thought it was a good solution,
.

 

[Eggs]

Almost 10 weeks since LTKR and feel like my ‘old’ younger : ) self again. I am able to move my leg without pain and finally have a ROM of 130 and 0. Hurray!!! Making sure I continue daily 30-40 minutes of Pilates and Stretches. PT activity today was to kneel down on the floor and get up. Surprised that getting up on my left knee was easier than my right knee. Guess I need to strengthen my ’good’ leg now. Still taking Gabapentin as sometimes I have restless legs when I lay down to bed. Massaging leg with moisturizer before bedtime also helps. It continues to be a journey but I wanted to post my success. I never believed that when I was 3-4 weeks PO that I would be able to be where I am today.
Now my therapist will address my occasional sciatica pain. It is a sharp lower spine zinger that is painful. She said this often occurs with the change that has occurred with my walking gait.
Step by Step…. Getting better all the time!

 

[benne68]

Great report, @Eggs ! So glad to read how well you are progressing. You are doing a lot for 10 weeks out, which is great -- just be careful not to overdo.

PT activity today was to kneel down on the floor and get up

Wow! I couldn't kneel on my new knee at 10 weeks out. You are doing great!

Good luck with the sciatica, and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[kate97497]

@Eggs I had pain from sciatica, especially while climbing stairs. I alternated ice and heat on my lower back and in about 2 weeks it stopped, thank goodness.

 

[Eggs]

Thank you for your suggestion. I look forward to having less pain and becoming more active again : )

 

[Carol Anna]

Now that has made me think My right hip is numb and spreads when I lay on it for a while - no pain just numbness. I have an appointment with an online GP this morning to discuss but I wonder if it is because for a while my gait put stress on that hip (oposite to op knee)? I am sure that my gait even now is not always correct depending on where I am walking, in which shoes and how tired I am. Glad to hear your positive report - keep on improving

 

[Eggs]

Thank you for kind wishes. I’m also evaluating my old shoes. My walking style before my surgery was different. Now that I have a proper gait, my shoes need to have the correct support. Also I’m being more aware what activities could possibly cause stiffness or pain afterwards. Last week I played a board game with some friends and the next day my lower back and hips hurt. Well then I realized that I sat for over 2 hours hunched over a banquet table playing the game. Next time I will be mindful of my posture, getting up and stretching.

 

[FCBayern]

My walking style before my surgery was different. Now that I have a proper gait, my shoes need to have the correct support.

New shoes can make a huge difference in recovery. Wear patterns that developed in our shoes pre-surgery when none of us were working right can cause issues with a joint that actually works the way it should. Many people find new shoes, particularly ones worn a lot really makes a big difference.