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TKR krobar's recovery

krobar

new member
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
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Age
65
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I'm 10 days in and still having constant pain which gets better when laying down but worse with any walking/stretching. I'm unable to take Ibuprofen so i'm relegated to Tylenol and Oxycodene. I'm wondering how much not being able to take the Ibuprofen is contributing to my pain level. Ihad my other knee done 4 years ago and i don't remember being this miserable at 10 days and that knee was in much worse shape.
 
@krobar Hi and Welcome back! Please confirm the date of this recent TKR and we’ll add it to your signature.

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary

2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
If you want to use something to help heal the incision,
BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
I'm unable to take Ibuprofen so i'm relegated to Tylenol and Oxycodene.

The most effective way to take Tylenol is 2 x 500 mg tablets every 6 hours, to a total of 4,000 mg (4 doses) in 24 hours. You need to take it regularly, to keep up the levels in your bloodstream. If you just take the odd dose now and then, it's far less effective. I took this amount but clear this amount with your doctor and Check all other medications you're taking, to make sure there is no Tylenol/Acetaminophen/Paracetamol in them. If there is, scale back one or two of your regular Tylenol doses, so you stay within that safe 24 hour limit of 4,000 mg.

Another way to keep the pain down is to be careful with any rehab/exercises you’re doing. There is no need to do any of those if they cause you pain or increase your pain and swelling within a 24 hour period. In these early days, less really is more! :flwrysmile:
 
Hi! I can't take ibuprofen or any of the NSAIDS and did fine on the prescription pain med + acetaminophen, staying within the recommended dosage as above, slowly tapering off the prescription med and increasing the acetaminophen until I was just taking 500 mg acetaminophen by itself every six hours. It was weeks before I fully tapered off the prescription pain med - the bedtime dose was the last to go.

I hope you're elevating toes over nose while icing at least 45 minutes at a time. During my first 2-3 weeks that's pretty much all I did unless I was taking my prescribed hourly short walk or attending to hygiene or food. Longer icing not only reduces swelling, it helps reduce pain.
 
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Hi krobar,
Happy One Month Anniversary!
I hope you're doing okay. Please let us know when you have time. Hopefully your pain has eased over the past three weeks since you last updated.
Will be looking forward to your next post. :wave:
@krobar
 
Thank you. I'm 33 days post-op now and my ROM is 125 which i'm told is excellent. I am noticing though that i am having increased pain under the patella when going up/down stairs, pain that i didn't experience just 10-12 days ago. Guessing this is all normal but it does feel like i've gone backwards.
 
You're welcome, krobar!
Please understand that complete healing takes many months to a full year for most and even longer for some people. You'll slowly regain mobility, the muscles around your knee will strengthen, your balance will improve, and the aches and pains will lessen as you get back to pre-surgery levels. Your healing knee is likely sensitive to the increased load while climbing stairs which can cause pain under the patella. Whether visible, or not, there is likely still some inflammation which can put pressure on the patella and surrounding tissues causing pain under the knee. If it persists or worsens you can always check with your OS's care team for reassurance and peace of mind.
Early days still at only one month post op. Hopefully any discomfort eases soon as the healing continues.
Happy Tuesday! :wave:
@krobar
 
Happy Three Month Anniversary!
Happy New Year too! Please share an update when you have minute, we'd love to hear from you.
Take care!
@krobar
 
My knee was doing fine, 135 degrees ROM, flat extension, minimal swelling so at almost 3 months i decided to play golf last week. I don't remember tweaking it on the course but afterwards it swelled up pretty good and now i have this pain towards the back of the knee and after 1 week of rest, icing it is still swollen and painful. I am in Florida for the winter and am leery of having a different doctor drain the knee for me.
 
Hi krobar,
I am sorry you're still dealing with swelling and pain after a week of icing and rest.
Not sure if you walked or used a cart, golfed 9 or 18 holes, but no matter which, it was obviously too much.

My guess is you strained soft tissues or muscles around the knee joint since you don't recall tweaking it. The repeated bending and twisting and repetitive motions of golf likely led to inflammation which can happen while the knee is still healing or overworked, remember, it is a year long recovery for most.

I'd advise you continue resting, icing and elevating until the swelling goes down and avoid an activity that will further stress your knee such as long walks, exercises, or anything that involves squatting or twisting. If you're not already, OTC meds may help reduce the swelling and pain, but you should get a nod from your OS first if you're on any other meds. If it doesn't begin easing soon, I would have it evaluated by a medical professional.

Lots of comfort to you, krobar. I hope you being to notice some relief soon.

Can we change your thread title since you're now three months post op and not "10 days post op"?
How about - krobars recovery...or any suggestion you may have?
@krobar
 
Okie dokie, "krobar's recovery" it is!
Please keep us posted on the status of your knee. We do care.
I hope you have a warm sunshiny day in Florida! :SUNsmile:
@krobar
 
So i went to get the knee checked by a doctor down here in Florida where we are for the winter. He said the swelling was soft tissue swelling and there was no fluid in the knee. I'm not convinced though as i later noticed a small bump on the back of the knee which feels like it could be filled with fluid. Anyone got any thoughts?
 
Baker's Cyst...maybe? Did you notice this after you met with the surgeon?
Read this and see what you think -
Baker's Cyst

@krobar
 
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