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Bilateral TKR Icing the knees<

@Celle you mentioned that you did just your daily activities to get you to 130°. I think I read that one of the threads. How long did it take you post surgery to get to 130°? I am getting More abs more discouraged and depressed and it feels like everything i read or anyone I talk to i get conflicting info.
 
I doubt that I am at 130, but I know that my bend is better now at 17 months than it was at 12 months. Proof that there is no rush.

We worry about our ROM because the surgeons and PTs fuss about it so much and measure us all the time and make us feel bad that our body is not on THEIR timetable. I don’t know where they got their timetable from, but our knee doesn’t care about their timetable.

It will heal and relax and “get there” when it’s ready and that’s just the way it is.

I remember a while back @Celle posted that she never worried about getting her function back “because everybody told her she would!”

What an amazing concept. A concept the majority of us are not told! Just think how much better our recovery would be if everyone told us, relax, it will happen.
 
hhaze said:
and it feels like everything i read or anyone I talk to i get conflicting info.
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Something to keep in mind, every day we are faced with information that we must base our choices on. In most cases, we intuitively know what is correct, other times we go off gut feel or sometimes blind faith. This experience of recovery from knee surgery is no different other than we tend to put a LOT of credence on the advice and opinions of those we consider experts (our OS and PTs). However, they are also human, their advice is based on their training and their own personal opinions. In most cases, I’ll bet they’ve never personally experienced going through TKR. While I greatly value their input, I ultimately made my decisions based on what I felt was in my best interest and what my knee could tolerate. Of course, I was also aware that I would have to accept the consequences of my decision, no different than if I chose to go with advice of the experts only to end up with a knee so badly swollen and angry that I was worse off than before surgery. I believe I made the right decision. Now you need to make yours. But whatever you do, just remember, you can always reevaluate and change your mind at any time (something I hear women are good at?:rotfl:). Just kidding!
 
You are going to get conflicting information. @NavyGunns makes a good point about making decisions based on your own best interest. That’s what matters most: What’s best for you?

You know better than ANYONE what works with your knees. Your body talks to you, no one else. Your OS and PT cannot hear what your body says. They don’t feel the pain; they don’t experience any of what you experience. So when your knees are happy or unhappy... they can’t tell that. You can.

I also followed the “what’s best for me” approach to recovery. If my knees acted up and were unhappy after doing something, I stopped doing that thing for the time being. If my knees were okay with something, say walking two extra blocks or sitting at my desk for an hour, I knew I could continue doing that thing. The knees always told me what was working and what wasn’t. I didn’t have to trust other people to be right. My knees were ALWAYS right. (And bossy.)

I recovered my ROM gradually. I reached 130 flexion in my right knee at about 9 months and in my left a few months later. My ROM is currently in the 135 range in both knees. I was surprised at how my knees continued — and still continue — to improve long after I felt fully healed.
 
@SusieShoes thank you. 9 months for your ROM. This makes me breathe easier. Since MUA has been brought up i have been in a depressed and panicked funk. Full on tears daily. The thought of it scares me.
My sister has had both her knees done separelty and her PT was forceful. They would start with a heating pad and then lay her down on belly and hamstring curl her. This is excruciating to me. Also I’ve read on here that heating is NOT good for knee. My sisters PT guys says ICING it all the time is not good for blood flow. I want to scream!! Not one thing I’ve read has been consistent. Not one.
I have learned to listen to my body. I’m not going to talked in to MUA. That I know.
 
hhaze said:
I’m not going to talked in to MUA. That I know.
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Good for you! Stick to your guns! You have thousands of accumulative experiences here. We know what works and what doesn't work. Aggressive PT sets recovery back. Easy does it is the best way to recover. It's best for you knee and best for your spirit! Many times I have said that I wish all these aggressive therapists would have to have a knee replacement!
 
Celle gave good advice about waiting another month or so before allowing thoughts of MUA to enter your mind. Sometimes MUA is a good thing (it exists for a reason) but it doesn’t sound like you will need one. Elevate whenever you’re not on your feet (elevation works even better than icing for getting the swelling to go down), ice after you do activity like walks or errands, etc., and trust your knees to heal. They won’t heal as quickly as you want. Mine certainly took their jolly time! But they want to heal and if you give them the opportunity they will take advantage of it.
 
@SusieShoes This may sound like a dumb question but when you say elevate, do you mean propping them up on pillows or actually laying with them higher up like an L position?
 
Well, not quite an L if one is resting in a recliner or bed. I used a foam wedge. Other people do quite well with pillows. The main thing is to get your legs higher than your heart or, as we like to say, “toes over nose.” This facilitates draining the excess fluid out of the elevated parts.

Here's a link on the Do's and Don't of Elevation. Complete with pictures!

I still like to sit with my legs up on an ottoman. I just got to liking it. I never ever used an ottoman before TKR.
 
sistersinhim said:
Aggressive PT sets recovery back.
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So very true!! It can also cause one to be fearful of p/t in the future, which happened to me!! I'm thankful that through the grace of God, I overcame my fear of pain, so that when it came time for p/t after my LTKR I was able to get through it.
 
KitKat64 said:
It can also cause one to be fearful of p/t in the future,
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I will not go to PT at all next time, I will follow the Bonesmart way. PT can be helpful, if it is the right PT, but it is not necessary. One can recover just fine without it.
 
Even with my shoulder repair I went to PT just twice. That was enough to learn the exercises. The rest I found online. I figured why I should pay $55 for each visit when I can do the same thing at home!
 
hhaze said:
@Celle you mentioned that you did just your daily activities to get you to 130°. I think I read that one of the threads. How long did it take you post surgery to get to 130°? I
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I don't have any idea of how long it took. I just know that one day I realised my knee was starting to bend more, and from then on it was a steady progression. I was probably at about 120 degrees a year after surgery and the additional bend happened during the following year.

It's not even 2 months since you had your surgery, so there's no need at all to get anxious about progress. You have plenty of time.
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

Here are a couple of examples from bonesmarties who had a slow, but steady increase in their ROM:
First, from Campervan. Notice how her ROM increased for years:
"I had a slow recovery. Here's my flex measurements at various points:
92 - 8 weeks post op
105 - 10 weeks
107 - 5 months
110 - 6 months
112 - 7 months
116 - 9 months
119 - 11 months
118 - 1 yr
120 - 1yr 2 months
125 - 1 yr 8 months
128 – 6 years "

And this, from bertschb:
I'm 12 months out from my surgery and have some advice based on my experience:
1- Stop going to PT (all it will do is make your knee swell and reduce ROM)
2- Don't worry about your ROM
3- Be patient - VERY patient!!!

Here is my ROM history (more or less):
1 month - 60 degrees
2 months - 80 degrees
3 months - 85 degrees
4 months - 90 degrees
5 months - 90 degrees
6 months - 110 degrees
7 months - 120 degrees
8 months - 125 degrees
9 months - 130 degrees
10 months - 135 degrees
11 months - 140 degrees
12 months - 140 degrees

I spent waaaaay too much time worrying about ROM. I thought I'd be riding my bike a couple months after surgery but it took SIX months! Looking back on my surgery, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my time with PT and I wouldn't have worried about ROM.
 
New question since we are all June bugs here. Since I had them both done at the same time, I have no past replacement to compare this to.....I am 9 weeks post op...my knees still feel soooo heavy...like I have 30 lb weights around my knees. Does this subside soon? I have been told that it can take a year for them to feel like normal knees. I've never had normal knees :) It is also amazing to me how the left feels so different than the right. Is this heavy feeling just how it has to be for now?
 
@hhaze, although I didn’t have a TKR, the knee I had my PKR felt the same way. I’m at just over 4 months and for the most part my knee feels “normal”. Still stiff at times, still have the numb patch, but closer to normal than not.

What you’ve described is expected and normal. It will go away in time.
 
So I feel like I am finally making SOME progress. For now I am OK with my PT guy. He never forces me to do anything and although I don't look forward to it, I do feel like it is helping. I know in the states it is more common to go to PT...but I have been listening to you all and respecting that I don't HAVE to push myself. I drove 5 minutes to PT myself for the first time. This is huge! I got on bike and pedaled a full rotation. When I get to PT I am still quite stiff...takes a LOT of movement to get warmed up...so I start at about 95 degrees, but get to about 112 with both legs. I am excited about that...and hopefully MUA is off the table of discussion (because I am not allowing that anyway!!)
I DO have a " catching " feeling happening behind my left knee when I walk. PT guy says it will fix itself over time.
I am continually amazed at the body and have a new respect for my legs now. This has been a truly humbling experience and I cannot wait to see what next week brings. I am continually grateful to have found this forum.
 
@hhaze, I had a similar feeling but it was across the front of my knee. My pt said the same thing. I even went to see my OS about it and he echoed my pt. Turned out it was just as they said. Probably inflamed tendons or ligaments along with some scar tissue that needed to break up. Eventually, it went away. I just remember one day I hadn’t noticed it at all.

Even at 4 months, I’m still amazed.
 
I am almost 5 months post surgery, and I still get occasional stiffness and achiness in my knee. I even have occasional stiffness in my right knee, and that knee was done 3 1/2 years ago. It tends to happen if I am on my feet for a long time, or do a lot of running around at work. I just ice and elevate, and that usually works. In fact, I have ice on my knee right now.
 
Hi all..3.5 months post op..a couple of questions ....since I had them both done at the same time, it is hard not to compare the two. First question: I have a pain (much like a torn meniscus feeling) in the left knee...behind the knee...the only time it doesn't hurt is if I'm laying down and STILL. I had it checked for a Baker's cyst, but nothing there. It also clicks behind the knee when I walk so it's hard to walk without favoring it some. The right knee feels like it is improving better....Second question...when do the knees start feeling more like knees and less like 50 pound lead weights?
 
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