TKR Im losing my confidence

[Bikesouth]

Dang that's some heavy intake of assistance for the bowels.

11 days Whew.......what a relief for you.

 

[Jamie]

Those pain meds can really slow things down. Be sure to continue all your "helpers" until you are completely off any pain medication so that constipation doesn't sneak back up on you!

 

[newlybionic]

Keep on going!!

 

[Glamg1979]

Wow, you must feel soooo much better!!

 

[Naomi60]

Hello fellow travelers,

I am almost 6 weeks post op for my total knee replacement. I have been going to PT twice a week and trying to do the exercises faithfully. My exercise regimen looks like those:
Heel slides 10/3x day
Stretches to straighten knee - leg straight out, push knee into mat
Roll pillow under knee and push knee into pillow and then lift the heel 3x10 2 x/day
Prolonged low load stretch w foot elevated for a few minutes throughout the day
Use fitness ball and do some heel slides 3xday for 4-5 minutes
Bicycle for 10 minutes, no resistance
Massage around the knee
Lie on stomach and lower legs off the edge of the bed, let it hang for a low load stretch
Quad set - tighten thigh, lift heel up and then lift leg 3 sets until tired 1-2x/day

I've been told to ice and elevate thru out the day.

I'm at 0 extension after some warm up exercises and at 105 flexion.

My pain increases as the day progresses. My pain consists of very very tight hamstring pain, my quads hurt and the ligament that goes from my inner knee to my groin. So tight, I have to hold my leg and massage it. When I touch those ligaments, I just want to cry.
I'm taking Norco and Tylenol for pain, and am trying a muscle relaxer (flexiril) to see if I can get some relief and a better stretch on the ligaments.

And when I bend my knee, that tightness over the knee cap is always there as is a tightness behind the knee. I envision it to be like the white fascia you might trim off a cut of beef.

So, my question is, after 5 weeks, it this normal. I am trying to stay positive but the tightness of the ligaments is not only painful but playing with my sanity. Any suggestions to thoughts?

 

[Kelpie]

Hi Naomi, mine feels very similar so you are not alone. I've dropped back to doing almost no exercises in the past couple of days and it's been much more comfortable. I'm still on codeine during the day and tramadol at night and I really am taking it very easy. My ROM is similar to yours too.

Slow down and be kind to yourself. There will be plenty of time to get things stretched and working properly again AFTER our knees have healed. It's still very early days after such a major operation.

 

[Jamie]

Kelpie has the answer. You are pushing your knee way too much in these early weeks of recovery. I know this may not seem like a lot of exercise, but it is for a knee that's trying to heal. At most, do these exercises only once a day and not at all on PT days. But frankly, you could get by with just some gentle bends and stretches every couple of hours. The icing, elevation and taking pain meds on a schedule is good, so please don't discontinue any of that. Limit any household chores or errands you might be attempting as that contributes to exercise overload.

You have a zero extension, so you no longer need to do any exercises for that (like heel on a stool with light weight on your knee). And at 105, I'd say your flex is just fine for this point in recovery. It will improve as you allow your leg to settle down. All that tightness and discomfort is your body signaling you that you need to slow down. Listen to it and you won't be sorry.

 

[Jamie]

You may notice that I merged your latest thread into your existing recovery thread. Please continue to post updates, questions or concerns here as we need to keep all of your history in one place. It makes things so much easier should we need to do a little research into what you've experienced in order to give you good advice. If at any time you want to change your thread title to better reflect what's going on at the moment, just post what you want and we'll change it for you.

 

[Naomi60]

Thank you, I will take your advice. I rarely get thru those exercises, maybe twice but I am so overwhelmed by the constant pulling and tight pain in my muscles. The tenderness in the knee itself is secondary to the ligament pain. I am way more emotional than I ever thought I would be, crying now because it's a relief to know I am not the only one feeling so tired of it all.

Jamie, thanks for merging this with the other thread, I wasn't sure how to do that since I haven't been on this site for a while.

 

[Bikesouth]

Sounds like your doing well overall. Gentle stretching everyday & alternate days of PT at your stage are more than enough.

Zero extension at 5 weeks is superb & 105 flex is real good too. Tightness comes & goes. Keep elevating, icing & massage.

 

[Celle]

Naomi, the others are correct. Your knee is telling you that it doesn't need all those formal exercises. Just a few bends and stretches and a bit of walking around is all you need to do now. Your bend and straightening are coming along fine.

Listen to you knee and let it have plenty of rest. Be kind to yourself and kind to your knee, and things will go along smoothly.

 

[Kelpie]

I am way more emotional than I ever thought I would be, crying now because it's a relief to know I am not the only one feeling so tired of it all.

Oh I'm with you on that one too! I have great days that often end in a blubbering mess! My husband just asked me if I'd remembered to pay off my credit card (I hadn't). I burst into floods of tears! No biggy really, I did it online in 5 minutes. I think it comes with the territory really. We'll get there! Chin up!

 

[Pumpkin]

I agree with others slow down, let your knee heal.
This is the only exercise you need, Heel slides and how to do them. The walking you do around the house is plenty.
Go back and read the recovery articles in your thread, (they are on page 1). They are a good reminder of how early you are in this year long or more recovery.

 

[Jamie]

The emotions are often part of the deal with recovery. They can come with the frustration of being restricted for an extended period of time, from the pain you are experiencing (it takes a toll!) and from the pain meds themselves. Just recognize the tears are all quite normal and actually can provide a fairly good release of tension for you. Try to "go with the flow" as much as possible. It will get better! Try to focus on all the wonderful things you'll be able to do this time next year!

 

[Naomi60]

Should I be doing anything to stretch my hamstrings other than the exercises I'm already doing?

 

[newlybionic]

I'm going to go back to PT because of muscle tightening and also some possible tendinitis. I went back to work at three months and I'm on my get all the time. Other members suggested Chiropractors for massage or you can ask your PT for help. They should be able to instruct you with stretching and massage if it's needed.

 

[linney619]

There is a herbal tea that is a stimulant that works great friends have sworn by it. it's ~Smooth Moves~ you steep the tea bag for 10-15 min. you can buy it at any Walgreens, CVS etc. I use it when I had a hysterectomy all though I stopped oxy because it made me nauseous., but it does work. I have a box plus I take Ducolax at times and magnesium every night to stay regular.

 

[Clipless]

@Naomi60 , I am almost 8 weeks post op RTKR and didn't begin outpatient PT until 2 weeks ago. Since surgery I've been having a lot of discomfort in the back of my knee and thigh, sometimes extending all the way to my calf. This is presumably hamstring tendonitis (specifically, "biceps femoris tendonitis"). I'm not a huge fan of PT, but I figured I would give them a crack at my hamstring problem. Per my request they have been helping me with stretches. Unfortunately I am even more sore afterwards, at least for a couple of days. If I don't notice improvement soon I'll stop PT and go back to resting and icing. Simple passage of time resolves most TKR issues. I know this, but like everyone I get impatient. My advice is to proceed cautiously with any new stretches. I hope you feel better soon!

 

[kneeper]

2 different stretches (once in the morning and once [no reps] in the evening) plus *time* cleared up my hamstrings. Avoid overdoing it or you will just continue to aggravate things.
I would say learning stretches was one of the most valuable things I got from PT.

 

[Glamg1979]

I am 'supposed' to start outpatient PT and I might go once and then decide if I want to continue. Only time I purposely flexed my knee was for the home therapist so they could measure. Rest of the time I did nothing special but walk around the house, ice, elevate and have had 3 outings. I started to resent PT because of the discomfort and swelling that followed.
If I got to 120 flexion w/o constantly aggravating the knee I am not sure I want to sign up for more.