TKR Left Knee TKR Recovery

[JDinCT]

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow I'll be 7 weeks post-op. Continuing outpatient PT twice a week and starting to include quad and other leg muscle strengthening exercises back at my community gym. Starting out with light weight and doing leg extensions and curls. I'm also doing warm-ups on the recumbent bike. I can now rotate forward at a steady... but very slow... pace. Also stated my regular upper body gym routine back as well.

My outpatient PT is including more balance type therapy. One I call "walking on clouds". It's stepping on and off... forward and backwards... on small semi-inflated discs (See attached pics). This is much harder than it may look and sound.

I'm also using the heating pad now several times a day to try and keep the muscles and ligaments loose. IT band still has tendency to tighten up several times a day. Over the weekend I went into my hot tub for the first time since surgery and I felt GREAT (meaning IT band and muscles felt loose) for a couple days. I will start incorporating that into my routine as well. Only using cryo therapy once or twice a week now.

Sleep can still be elusive most nights. However, I do occasionally sneak in a night of good rest only getting up once or twice. Still difficult to sleep in any position except on my back. Usually get an hour or so "nap" in each day.

Driving or sitting in a regular seated position is still elusive for more than about 30 minutes without significant discomfort.

Got a refill on my Lyrica for nerve pain and using it as needed most days and at night to help with the shooting pain. Other than that, only taking acetaminophen 3X daily.

Hope everyone on this journey is making those small positive gains in their recovery!

 

[Layla]

Nice update, JD!
Thanks for sharing. Hopefully sleep improves soon.
Take care and stay in touch!

 

[selketine]

stepping on and off... forward and backwards... on small semi-inflated discs

These look absolutely terrifying - haha! Maybe they are not as wobbly as I imagine them to be. I really struggled to sit with my leg down on my January knee - it felt awful after a short time - and it was just plain hard to sit in a regular chair or desk chair. I don't know all the reasons behind it but definitely caused more swelling when sitting with it down.

I'm glad to hear you are doing well!

 

[mendogal]

Oh good update!
And a stroll down memory lane for me.
The wobbly squishy things are an introduction to rebalancing dynamically, which I learned during the incredibly long rehab period after ACL graft surgery. I started with those and progressed to catching tossed beanbags while standing on a small teeter totter/rocking board thingie.
It's good to have this included in your therapy as it really develops the coordination between nerves and muscles that we lose temporarily post op.

 

[Layla]

Happy Two Month Anniversary, JD!
I hope November is off to a good start for you.
Have a wonderful week!
@JDinCT

 

[JDinCT]

Thanks Layla!

Exactly eight weeks today post-op.

Nothing much new to report. Still struggling with good sleep nights. About 50% of the time I'm up more than twice during the night. Knee still tight.

Think I need to do more stretching on non-outpatient PT days.

Best of luck to all on their recovery journey!

 

[sistersinhim]

At only 2 months out from your surgery, having bad nights, unfortunately, is normal. Nighttime pain is an indication that we are doing too much during the day or doing things that our knees aren't ready to do. It sounds like you are doing really well for your time out!

 

[Dearjr]

Hope the sleep gets better as time goes along
I wake up numerous times but really don't know why...lol
I'm 6 weeks out tommorow and like you knew is stiff
The rubber band around the knee phenomenon

 

[Rockgirl4]

I'm at 7 weeks today, and I agree that the stiffness is still crazy and intense. I've made a bit of progress with swelling and reduced pain, but I know the stiffness and swelling takes forever to recede for some of us. I'm trying to get back to all sorts of stretching to make the rest of my body happy. It would be nice if the TKR knees would cooperate. I'm glad things are going so well for you.

 

[Dearjr]

@JDinCT @Rockgirl4 We seem to all be in the same boat and hopefully our final destination good from and no stiffness or swelling will come soon if we all work on it slowly but surely

Have a great weekend

 

[EalingGran]

Nothing much new to report. Still struggling with good sleep nights. About 50% of the time I'm up more than twice during the night. Knee still tight.

This was my experience too.
I got some zopiclone from my GP and alternated it with some over the counter Nytol ( diphenhydramine) a sedative antihistamine. Alternating helped to keep both effective and spun out my prescription. I also rested my knee on the unwrapped ice cool jacket of my Aircast Cryocuff.

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary, JD!
Hopefully your knee is loosening up and you're sleeping better these days.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and all things good in the New Year!
@JDinCT