Bilateral TKR Jeaniesknees. Bilateral

That sounds like a 5 star hotel on wheels, Jeanie! I had visions of the traditional British camping, ie crawling in and out from under a bit of canvas on some windswept moor in the rain. I’m envious! Have a good time
 
@Ghostpipe sorry I didn't see your comment until today. I could/would not do the old school camping on the ground in a tent. We have been there and done that! Our camper has a bath, kitchen, a new queen, memory foam mattress and aforementioned A/C! It is not fancy by American camper standards but very comfortable.
 
Well today I decided to work on stretching, then took a little nap and woke up in pain! My legs were not impressed with my stretching regimen. I had to grab some Ice bags and am now walking around the yard to loosen up. A couple good days and I get over confident. At least I am having more and more good days at 4 months. I would really like some more ROM for comfort, I am very slowly progressing and getting around 100* just recently. Going down stairs like a grown up is getting there, but with limited ROM I still look a bit robotic.
 
Yes, 4 months does not get you out of the woods yet, I had a huge setback at 4 months and again, or I should say, a continuing setback at 5 months, since the 4 month one took a month for me to see improvement. At the time I thought I should have been well past that. I learned there is no “should.”
 
@Jeaniesknees, “but with limited ROM I still look a bit robotic,” explains exactly what my gait feels like, 3 1/2 weeks out. That smooth, fluid motion will take awhile I guess. In the meantime, concentrating on heel-toe, heel toe…
 
I spent last week helping our daughter move. I mostly boxed up and unpacked at the new place. It was a lot of time on my feet. After 5 days of this I felt like I did at 2 months post surgery instead of 4 1/2. This week is about recovery, I am feeling better but not quite where I was. I am trying a foam roller on my calves and thighs, it seems to help loosen some of the tight feeling in my knees.
Going to help her wasn't well thought out but a Mom is a Mom. ‍❤️
 
Jeaniesknees, at least you saw what too much activity can do to new knees! Rest up now, and you’ll be fine.
 
Sisterpat, I see it but I don't like it! I want to go sit in my chair and pout like my 4 year old grandson. Round two of elevating my legs today, when The Knees act up my energy tanks.
 
Help! am right at 10 months from surgery and really fighting for ROM. I work and work for small increases but then we travel or I do too much standing and I am knocked back to ~100 degrees or so. I used to sit on my heels so this is miserable to me. Any advice ???
 
I too would feel miserable. My bilateral was a week after yours, and my ROM has always been good. I am now an inch away from being able to sit on my heels, but realise now that I am unlikely to ever achieve that. I would be devastated to be in your position.
It seems to me that you are still swelling up. You did a lot of standing in the earlier days, much more than I could have done, maybe your lymphatic system has kind of got used to filling up. I was never able to stand still, had to keep walking around. It is only recently that I can stand for hours without walking around a lot, did four hours a few weeks ago and my knees stiffened up with swelling, but I’m ok if I keep moving around all day now, with short rests. My ROM gets worse as the day progresses, so I know I am still swelling.
If there is nothing wrong with the mechanics of your knees, and your OS doesn’t feel that you have adhesions, then maybe even more patience is required. Perhaps one of the mods will be kind enough to post the ROM progress of one of those people who took nigh on two years to stop swelling. It may give you a bit of comfort.
The only advice I can offer is to not to stand still, either keep walking around or elevate for a while and see if that helps. Difficult to get the chores done, I know, as there is not much to achieve whilst on the hoof.
I sincerely hope that this will end one day for you.
 
@Jeaniesknees You don't say whether you are still icing and elevating. Swelling is preventing improvement in your ROM. Ice 45-60 minutes several times per day.

We have had many members who had very slow progress on their ROM. Here are a couple of examples.

Here is betrtschb's record of how his flexion developed over time:
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.


And I have another record, from Campervan - she discovered that her flexion had increased even at 6 years post-op:
"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 "
 
Thank you everyone. This helps to know. I do wear compression thigh highs and react badly to salt intake. I will try icing again and keep chugging along. I see my OS in a couple months.
 
I work and work for small increases
Instead of all this work, which you don’t think is helping, why not give your knees a rest, let them relax and continue to heal. Sometimes working too hard at this recovery keeps our knees inflamed and upset and maintains swelling.

My ROM was poor my whole first year, but I had a lot of improvement in my second year.
 
Jockette is right - rest is the best cure. I started off doing too much encouraged by a very good start to recovery and then had a set back which stopped most of my excercise for almost 3 weeks. I then found Bonesmart and decided to do things the Bonesmart way which for me translated to just daily activity and lots of rest. It worked for me. No leg lift excercises but my leg knew on its own that it was ready to lift on its own when I realised I had stopped lifting leg onto bed or sofa, going up stairs in the normal way just happened - one day my knee just wanted to do it and I did albeit rather slowly. My walking is good withour aids and whilst I don't know what my ROM is (and I don't care) this week I managed to do 5 full turns on the static bike - doesn't sound like much but its all part of the improvement I am seeing and my ROM must be increasing for me to do this. My extension has always been good even from day one so I am fortunate that I don't have that to think about . And to prove a point about doing too much I did too much yesterday. Feeling cocky about recovery decided to go out for a wander round town looking in a few shops and having lunch out with hubby. I used both my crutches to warn others to avoid me and trotted round the shops. I became very tired even after a rest for lunch but when I got home I realised that I had been out for 3 and a half hours walking round most of the time. I was so physically tired when I got back that going upstairs was a chore and getting up to start walking was a pain. Got up this morning and feel like I walked for 20 miles yesterday - even my ankles and thighs are feeling it. So rest for me today with perhaps a very short walk by the sea. I would like to say I have learned my lesson but I know that I haven't and many Bonesmarters in the over done it club will be able to testify to the constant visit to this club. I hope that you rest more and improve more - wishing you a very Happy New Year xxx
 

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