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TKR I can’t believe I’m still dealing with this darn Knee^

Read your story. You've been so strong. Hats off to you. You had your TKR on my birthday. :) I'm praying for you...
 
@Danlovesmary. Wow, just read your post. You have been through a lot. Hope everything is going okay.
I am 11 days in and I am doing okay. I can bend okay but lifting the leg seems to be the issue. I was taking Tramadol but it was not strong enough so they have me on Oxycodone now. I hate how tired I am from it but I was barely sleeping at all before so I will go with it.

Take care and know that we are all here for you!
 
Hi I stopped taking Ibuprophen when my 30 son who I have nicknamed Einstein related the story of a guy who broke his arm skiing I believe. Very swollen and would not heal. He was taking Ibuprophen and remembering that it is an anti inflamatory. ( ie: it stops inflammation) Well working on the theory that broken bones, knee replacements etc always swell as the body uses it's own healing properties to push more blood fluid to the break to help healing. The guy stopped taking Ib and his arm repaired. Maybe it was just luck but I stopped and use Tumeric tablets which is a natural remedy. I was taking them for some time before my op to help with the swelling caused by bone on bone and it helped. It took a month or so and I even put my op off for a while. I still had to have my operation as it was never going to get as good as hopefully my new knee will. It's obtainable from health stores and in UK from Naturesbest (Google it). I am almost 9 weeks post and I only have 95/8 flex/extension. As a Personal Trainer I do my own physio and do nothing to hurt my knee. Very gentle movements on flexing and a bit tougher on extension as that is easier. I have reduced my Tramadol to 3 or 4 per day. Always icing. Until the swelling is gone I will not attempt any exercise that hurts as it just swells again. I hope this helps. Just remember it's not like a summer holiday but more like a one year trip around the world. It takes time.

ChubbsterPT TRKR 18th March 2914.


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
71Beetle.
Don't worry I spent the best part of a month horizontal and in pain. The mantra here is,if you can sit then sit, if you can lie then lie and if you want to sleep then sleep. It took around six weeks before I started to get 5-6 hrs sleep non stop. I still have uncomfortable nights in my ninth week but it's getting better. Have faith we are all in this together.

TRKR 18th March 2014


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
Hi my name is Bill and i just read your story and said ohh there goes me. I struggled with theROM for a long long time. Finaly about 8 weeks post surgery i did get up to 105 degrees rom and zero flex but with lots of pain to get there. what everyone is saying is correct pain is not a good thing at all. They have all these artifical goals for us, and the truth is rest and very modest exercise will work wonders. I got kicked loose at 8 weeks post op and everyone was not very happy with my progress i was as i said just 105 degrees and from the doc to the PT they wernt happy. But there happiness is not the issue its our happiness. I was happy at that time and not in much pain. Now 12 weeks later 20 weeks post op i am over 120 degrees can wal 3 miles and do whatever i want to do. JUst do not let them push you too far too fast. My PT sent me an email that he learned a very important lesson from me and that was that if the patient does not progress at their standards not to worry and dont push the panic button, they will progress with rest and recovery. I am now at 121 degrees and zero flexion. I believe i will continue to progress in the next months and eventually get to where i am able. Remember all the basics but rest is very very important.
 
Thank you Bill, @fiftydollarbill for that encouraging post.

It is so true when we say that PT should never hurt and that there is no rush to achieve ROM. It is possible to continue to improve ROM for a year or more after TKR.

Recovery from a TKR is more of a marathon than a sprint. Slow and steady wins this race!

I don't understand the obsession some PTs and surgeons have with the numbers, either. My OS has never measured my ROM. He just says "Show me what you can do. Yes, that looks good." I haven't had my ROM measured since my PT discharged me at about 12 weeks. I guess it's over 120 and I can do everything with it that I want to.
 
Hi @Danlovesmary - saw your post on Nana Moon's site. Just saying 'Hi' to get your thread up on today's page - whoops it probably is already, I had to stop mid-typing to take myself off to PT, so several hours have elapsed.

If, for whatever reason you are walking badly without any assistance (crutch/cane) I was told that you should go back to using it. Better walk well with a little assistance, until things improve, than acquire bad habits that will be hard to rectify further down the line, and if you need it to help with pain when walking, so be it. There are no prizes on offer here for grinning and bearing it.

Don't worry about your ROM, every knee is different and some take a little longer to respond. I would really, really suggest some aqua therapy/hydro therapy. My OS and clinic absolutely swear by it and in my experience it has been amazingly helpful. I was in the pool only 2 days post op! I had a setback at 6 weeks which had me drop from 110 degrees to 5 - not too nice. I was straight back to the pool where it is easier to bend as the warmth and buoyancy all help. I could improve in there far quicker than land based PT (although I had that too!) After a few weeks I got back to 90 degrees again, and have steadily improved on that.

My PT has always said to do a little and often, don't get stuck in one position for too long, and to aim for a tiny improvement each week, even if it is only 1 degree.

I really feel for you, you have been through the worst time. Take care and hope things start to improve little by little.

Chris XX
 
I hope things start to get better. Take it moment by moment hon....recovery is different for everyone!
 
Hi @Danlovesmary I just spotted your post when I checked through the thread. I apologise for the delay in responding to you. Okay, personally, I would go back to using the crutch. You clearly need this for support. I have to ask though has something happened to make you limp again?

Love Nana moon 27 xxx
 
Nope....it just hurts all the time. I have been avoiding going to orthopedic surgeon...I don't want him to touch it. LOL! I don't want him to try to bend it. The biggest thing I'm afraid of is an MUA. He's one of those, "let's just get this going" kind of guys....not a hand-holding, "I'm sorry it hurts", kind of guy.

I'm at 14 weeks. I'm not seeing much progress with ROM. On a good day I can get about 105-110, a bad day I can still always get 90-95.
 
Hi @Danlovesmary my knee is swollen and hurts all the time. I'm going in fir day surgery. They are giving me a local anaesthetic and cortisone injection on the TKR. That maybe what your OS says first xxxx MUA is usually the last resort x
 
What kind of ROM do you have?
I'm surprisingly protective of my knee...hahaha! I used to be so brave and strong.
Thank you for staying in contact with me...everyone is so kind and interested and concerned!
 
Hello Mary. I have been reading about your journey , feeling sad for all that you have gone through. I understand you not wanting to go see yout OS, but he may need to know what stage of recovery you are in. I would be concerned about the limping. I have started back using my cane and walker because my knee has become very stiff and so very tight..I have decided to go back to the basic exercises they had me doing in hospital. Maybe you can consider this too. I hate that you are in pain..it just gets so frustrating. I have a theory about these folks that tell me it was a breeze...I think they had so much pain meds that kept their brains fogged and they just dont remember...I think it would be nice to hear from their care givers. Lol...Hoping you have a restful night.
 
Hi Mary - your ROM really isn't bad, ya' know. It will keep increasing as well if you continue gently exercising. I'm guessing your knee is hurting and you're limping due to swelling. I'm wondering if you're still taking pain meds? You should if your knee is still hurting. I know you don't want to go see your OS, but if you've stopped taking your pain meds because of this, please go see your GP instead and get a refill. There is no set date to not need pain meds anymore. I had to take them consistently for 4 months and I still take Tylenol a couple times a day every day as well as Tramadol on most days. We all heal at different speeds and with differing amounts of pain, so please don't be making yourself hurt because you think you 'should' be a point that you're not yet. I'm 5 1/2 months out and just getting to the point where many reached prior to 3 months. Although my recovery is different, I'll still get to the same end point. Just slower. ;-) Be good to yourself! xoxox
 
Danlovesmary said:
Nope....it just hurts all the time. I have been avoiding going to orthopedic surgeon...I don't want him to touch it. LOL! I don't want him to try to bend it. The biggest thing I'm afraid of is an MUA. He's one of those, "let's just get this going" kind of guys....not a hand-holding, "I'm sorry it hurts", kind of guy.

I'm at 14 weeks. I'm not seeing much progress with ROM. On a good day I can get about 105-110, a bad day I can still always get 90-95.
Click to expand...

Hi Mary, @Danlovesmary

At 14 weeks, your ROM isn't bad at all!
You're already past the 90-degree hurdle, so everything from now on is pure gain. I don't think many surgeons would consider a MUA once you're past 90 degrees, so don't worry about that.

Your knee is still sore and swollen, so keep on treating it gently, with Rest, Ice, Elevation and only gentle exercise. Don't try to rush it and I'm sure that your ROM will continue to improve. The numbers just creep up, even if it seems to be so slowly.
You do know that it's possible to keep getting increased ROM for a year, or even more, after surgery?

Softly, softly, gently, gently - you'll get there!

:flwrysmile::flwrysmile:
 
I just can't put into words what all your input, concern, and advice means to me. I decided I will call tomorrow, hoping to get in on Monday with OS.

What are symptoms of bone infection? I don't think that's happening...but I was thinking about that and wondering how you know....
 
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