TKR Just curious

[mendogal]

Hi @Photogoddess - good to learn of your progress!
For most of us extension lags well behind flexion. It's definitely more a matter of reducing swelling and relaxing muscles than it is of working at it.
I'm curious to know what your PT recommended.
It's profoundly counterproductive to push or use weights.
Folks do report it's helpful to lay on their tummies with the leg relaxed and partly hanging off the bed, but just for a few minutes, for a gentle stretch.

 

[Photogoddess]

Hi Mendogal! Thank you! My therapist suggested just what you said, lie on my tummy and let my leg dangel off the edge of the bed. She said to try it for 1 minute or as long as I can handle. She asked that I do it a few times a day.

 

[Photogoddess]

Good morning all! Wondering how long most folks here were on pain medication? I am on tramadol 50mg now, surgery was 9/17, and only take 2 a day, mostly for pt since I still have that medial burning pain. I called this morning to get a refill and was told this will be my last refill and to use Tylenol or motrin to help with the pain. Tylenol doesn't really do much at all and I can't take motrin due to stomach issues. I have been taking aleve every other day and have been doing ok on that, but again, I have to watch how many nsaids I take. Is there any other otc pain relievers that have helped you guys? I have a lot of GI issues so got to be careful. I am progressing in the right direction slowly and my incision is still taking a long time to heal (see pic) I have 4 spots that have scabs on them. Also I couldn't find the chart that showed howling some of you took to get to their target ROM and straightening? Anyway, sorry this is so long but wanted to give an update and see how you all are feeling and dealing with pain. Thank you all so much and hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Take care.

 

[benne68]

Hi @Photogoddess If you are concerned about your incision, we recommend you send the photo you posted to your surgeon's office for feedback. Is the area unusally hot/warm? Does it seem as though the redness is spreading?

 

[Photogoddess]

The redness doesn't spread and my surgeon has seen it and knows about it and wants me to cover it when going out and keep it cleaned. It isn't oozing anything, just scabs and slow to healing in those spots.

 

[benne68]

couldn't find the chart that showed howling some of you took to get to their target ROM

Here is a chart of progress made by members whose ROM returned slowly but surely.

Campervan’s ROM history
92 - 8 weeks post op
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

Bertschb’s ROM history
2 months - 80 degrees
4 months - 90 degrees
6 months - 110 degrees
7 months - 120 degrees
8 months - 125 degrees
9 months - 130 degrees
10 months - 135 degrees


TortiTabby's ROM
6 wks: 85
7 wks: 90
10.5 wks: 95
14 wks: 100
17 wks: 105
20 weeks: 110
26 weeks: 120

 

[Photogoddess]

Thank you so much!!

 

[Jamie]

I’m glad you checked with your surgeons. I agree with mendogal that your incision appears to be healing just fine. Speed of healing can vary from person to person. The redness around each of the scab areas can occur as a normal part of the healing process. Excessive warmth or spreading of the red areas would mean another check with your surgeon. But just having the redness can be normal healing for you.

 

[ouchie!]

Hi photogoddess, I’m sorry I missed your reply a few weeks ago. I had my TKR the same day as you. I’m doing quite well but still get a lot of swelling if I do too much (just regular household stuff) so plenty of icing. Still have that band round my knee! I can bend my knee pretty well, but no one has ever measured it. I’ve ditched the group PT classes after my horrid experience so just do them at home 2-3 times a day. If I overdo it I miss the PT that day. Walking still painful, but I was able to use my scooter today to nip down town (too far to walk) and I did a short driving session. My thigh muscle wasn’t impressed so I’ll keep the driving local for now.

Medication wise (I’m in the UK) i take 2 Cocodamol 30mg every 4 hrs or as needed and I also take 2 Ibuprofen at the same time if needed. It does give me a bit of tummy ache so I try not to take that too often. I would say they just take the sharp edge of the pain off, certainly not a true painkiller! I do take them about an hour before bed as that really helps me sleep. Ditching the caffeine has really helped so I drink decaf everything! I took a picture of my wound as a comparison. It seems to have healed very well but knee still pretty swollen. Take care.

 

[Photogoddess]

Thank you for your reply @ouchie! Sending hugs and continued healing wishes your way.

 

[Photogoddess]

A little update today....I am 10 weeks post op and the other day at pt I might have pushed it a little harder with the heal slide. Since then the knee has been super stiff and yesterday I took it easy on the bending home exercises and only did some flexion exercises since I am still not at "0" I am at 12. Today I did my morning home exercises and we went out and I walked for a little while. It's still stiff, but not as bad as the out patient pt session, but it feels like there is a rubber band around it. There looks to be some swelling on the outer part of the knee, so been icing. Per post that I have read here, when it's really tight like that it is best to rest it and elevate it and ice it, so I just wanted confirmation on that?

Thank you
Polly

 

[benne68]

when it's really tight like that it is best to rest it and elevate it and ice it, so I just wanted confirmation on that?

Yes. It sounds ilke what you did the other day was more than the knee was ready to handle and it responding by swelling internally. Icing and elevating are the best ways to get that inflammation under control.

I took it easy on the bending home exercises and only did some flexion exercises since I am still not at "0" I am at 12

Just to clarify: bending and flexion are the same thing; straightening and extension are the same thing. Doing either kind of exercise can increase your inflammation, so I'd suggest stopping all for a few days.

Don't worry about your numbers; it takes most of us much longer to regain our ability to straighten than to bend!

 

[Photogoddess]

Thank you @benne68! I meant extention. Thanks again for the confirmation. I am going to take it easy the next couple days.

Take care
Polly

 

[Photogoddess]

Hi all! Got a question for y'all..how long did it take for those who have done the stationary bike to do a full rotation? I just started on the bike 2 weeks ago and still just doing the horse shoe swing. My ROM last checked was 97, but feels like it may be closer to 100 now, and my extension has been fluctuating back and forth from 12 to 15 as of yesterday (this is kind of frustrating). But all in all making progress slowly which is the bonesmart way and I am cool with that. Hope everyone has a very Happy Holidays and stays safe. Keep healing!!

 

[mendogal]

There can be big differences between the pedaling radius on a bike at PT and a bike at the gym, so it depends!

With my first knee, I could make a complete circle on the PT bike after maybe a month. The rotation didn't demand a lot of flexion or extension.

With my second knee, I skipped most PT so only tried the bike at my gym. The rotation required a much larger circle, more flexion than I could muster! In order to do a rotation, I had to have my seat set so far from the pedals that I couldn't actually reach the pedals! This despite having good range of motion. It took me 9 weeks to be able to both reach the pedals and do a rotation.

 

[Layla]

Happy Holidays to you, Photogoddess!
Thanks for sharing your journey with us here. May 2025 bring all you're hoping for!
@Photogoddess

 

[benne68]

how long did it take for those who have done the stationary bike to do a full rotation

I honestly don't remember the actual week but I did recall that really struggled with rotation on the bike with my first knee. My PT kept raising the seat until I was barely touching the pedal with my toe. After that, I was able to pedal backwards. We did that a few times, and then I tried a forward rotation. I did that for a few days, and then my knee swelled up again and I couldn't do it. It was a real roller coast ride but I eventually got there and you will, too.

Have you checked your seat height to be sure that it's as high as possible? Have you tried backwards pedaling?

 

[maryo52]

Some of us are slow. The thing is that pushing for faster progress results in more pain and maybe even slower progress, or (in my case) a backslide. Are you able to take NSAIDs? That incision is quite angry. NSAIDs were a big part of my recovering well.

 

[Photogoddess]

Thank you all for your replies. I haven't been able to back pedal @benne68 it feels like it is getting close but not yet. I will see where the seat setting is at and see if they can raise it.
As for the nsaids @maryo52 I can take aleve, but I have to be very careful on how many days I take it. I have autoimmune disease and it can cause issues, so I can only take it every other day and not every day.

 

[Photogoddess]

Hi recovery friends....this is something I have been mentioning in some of my posts. I am still having the pain in my medial side of the tkr left knee, this has been going on since my surgery. Please see pic with circled area I am talking about. It hurts the worst when going from flexion to extention, and it's pretty intense at times. Even sitting in my recliner and have my leg proped up on a pillow the pain will come out of nowhere and bring me to tears and have to dropped my leg down and massage that area. My surgeon says that all is looking good and that it is going to take time, he has been very supportive and gentle. Has anyone here experienced this issue? My surgery was 9/17/24 and this is pretty frustrating. It has been causing sleep issues, which is separate from the normal no sleep from surgery in the beginning, which was pure hell. Thank you for all the help I have received from you all and am so grateful for this site. Happy healing and happy holidays.