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TKR Jodingers recovery thread<

Thank you so much for your help :)

1. Pain 3 at rest , up to 7 at night when it burns/ stings. Some stiffness after exercise

2. I take paracetamol 500mg x2 4 times daily and ibuprofen 400 mg twice daily am + pm

3. Moderate swelling

4. Flexion just over 90° - extension 6cm off floor

5. Icing 4 times daily religiously for 30-40 mins each time

6. Elevating above hip height all the time, other than short periods doing exercises or toileting/ washing

7. Just gone onto x1 crutch, fully self caring walking in house + garden. Making drinks, prepping foods.

8. These exercises 4 times daily, 2 x 10 reps of each,
Leg raises 2 x 10 reps
Gentle squats 2 x 10 reps
Standing side + back leg raises 2 x 10 reps
Standing on tiptoe 2 x 10 reps
Sliding knee flexes 2 x 10 reps
Standing bend heel towards bottom 2 x 10 reps
Seated knee flexes (extending leg under chair) 2 x 10 reps

I saw a physio on discharge on day 3 but not since , now day 10. Due for PT in 9 days.

I've felt much happier today knowing I can weight bear and not inflict damage. 1 crutch seems really comfortable.

Thank you!
 
Greetings from sunny Southern California. I just wanted to chime in to say welcome and to let you know that you're right on track. The first 3 weeks post-op are fairly awful although, with my interesting surgical history, it wasn't the worst. I noticed definite improvement week over week from week 3-6 and then minor improvements week over week since then. I was probably in week 4 when I was in less pain than before the surgery and happy that I had it done although that seems to be earlier than most.

I'm really glad you found the group (as I am for everyone that does). It is an amazing support group with people who truly care about each other.
 
Hi CAdesgirl, thank u, I'm so happy I found this site, it's been invaluable, it really has. Everyone has been so generous in their time and advice. Stuff like this warms your cockles!! :)
 
It sounds like you're doing great. Personally, I found squats (no matter how "gentle") to be aggravating to the knee. You might skip those for a while.
You are probably in as much pain as you are at night because of all the activity you're doing during the day. It generally comes back to haunt us at night even if we feel ok while doing it.
 
I meant the back of my knee is 5-6 cm from being flat on tbe floor.
I shall certainly stop the squats for a few weeks, that sounds like good advice :-)
 
Can you measure your extension for me?
You can assess you own extension though. It's quite easy:
1. put your leg on a bench, seat, bed, floor or anything similar but preferably something fairly firm.
2. with not too much pressure, press the back of your knee down - use your leg muscles, not your hand!
3. slide your hand, palm down, under the back of your knee
a) if you can get your entire hand under easily, it's probably about +10 degrees
b) if you can get just your fingers under, it's about +5
c) if you can get your fingers under but it's a push, it's +0
d) if you can't get your fingers under at all, it's -5 or more​

Here's a graphic to explain the degrees involved
[Bonesmart.org] Jodingers recovery thread<
 
Hi josephine, it's +10 degrees, I can slide my whole hand underneath. I haven't had full extension for over 18 months pre tkr. My flexion is just over 90 degrees. I've swapped to walking with just 1 crutch, stopped squats but continued stretching, knee flexes , leg raises as before.I Potter about + have started doing a 5 min walk in the garden 3 times a day. I elevate/ ice constantly. I'm now 11 days and feel a small steady improvement daily. My knee remains moderately swollen, pain level 2/3 in the daytime, still higher overnight so I have stopped doing exercises just before bed.
Thank u :-)
 
I'm due to have my staples out either tomorrow (12 days) or wed ( 14 days) , there are 2 dates on my discharge slip! I'm a Gpn and a colleague will come + remove them for me- I favour 14 days, there are tons, I've never seen so many, there's barely a gap in between them... I think my flexion may improve when they're removed tho I'm not concerned about it. I slept better last night but the pain is so much worse overnight, I know this is common but I dread going to bed!
 
@Jodingers
I am sure you will feel much better when your staples are out. It certainly helped me.
As for sleep I know what you mean. I long to get into bed because I am tired but when I do I just can't get comfortable and toss and turn most of the night.
For the first time last night I wore a sleep monitor and was not surprised when it said I only had 1.40 hours deep sleep.
I hope your sleep improves soon.
 
Thank you Bionic, you too. I wrapped cling film around my knee again last night at around 2.30am and had a couple of hours sleep :) I don't seem to be able to nod off in the day either!

Generally improving every day and haven't wanted to person for several days now!!!!
 
I had a 'zip' of staples too. Having them removed wasn't exactly a treat! There was a certain amount of digging out involved. The practice nurse did it over 3 days. She removed every other one on the first day then two days later she removed the remainder. She was obviously expert at it and managed it (and me) very well. She told me it was fine if I swore!
It left a different sort of burny pain for a few days. I asked for some steristrips more for psychological purposes than anything else!
All was well though. I'm sure you'll be fine too.
 
Your nurse sounds great, they look lovely and clean. I'm not worried. I've worked with my colleague for years and trust her completely :) thank you x
 
My first TKR, it was a different practice nurse. She terrified me by saying that she didn't think my wound would burst open and it'd probably be OK!!
 
Oh no! I have another colleague who's not great at wound care.... :-/
I really hope my other knee stays as well as it is. At the moment it's absolutely fine, not sure I want to go through this again.... :-(
 
@Jodingers I was dreading getting the clips out, my first tkr was glued so didn’t need to go through the process of getting them out. So the clips came out on day 14, the first few nipped like hell but the District Nurse was a smart cookie, she started talking about Brexit and hubs, me and the nurse got into such an intense conversation about the whole mess that it is that I didn’t feel the rest of them coming out:rofsign:
 
Thanks Lilli215. My philosophy is that it won't last forever and it won't kill me. :) My knee is really tight when flexing and I'm sure it'll feel easier when they're out.
 
@Jodingers, yes the knee does feel easier once they’re out and psychologically it gives a good lift in the spirits
 
Yes, I can understand that. Just changed my dressing, there are over 50 staples!! I'll get ready to grit my teeth :-O
 
I held my husbands hand when the nurse took my 35 out. In fact I'm surprised I didn't break his fingers as I was squeezing so hard. To be honest it wasn't really that bad and didn't take long, although I did ask the nurse to stop a couple of times so,that I could catch my breath.
Don't worry about it. They are better out than in :-)
 
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