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TKR Linda1, I'm home

Well, I'm at 6 weeks now. My pain has never really let up. Last week I could barley put any weight on my leg. I saw the surgeon's PA Friday and she said it was inflammation. She put me on a high dose of prednisone. Friday evening my pain was less and I could put weight on the leg again. I sure hope it continues to help. I need to work on my extension. It's at 9 and she said I only have about 2 weeks to get it straighter. I hope with less pain I'll be able to better at PT. Hope everyone is doing great!
 
Linda1 said:
Well, I'm at 6 weeks now. My pain has never really let up. Last week I could barley put any weight on my leg
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Are you still icing and resting plenty with your leg up? Rest and ice may be better than medication for reducing inflammation.
I would walk in the morning at your stage, but then have a lie down in the afternoon with a book/ paper and ice my knee with my Aircast Cryocuff. I noticed you were doing a lot of housework early on and that could have kept your knee aggravated.
 
Linda1 said:
I need to work on my extension. It's at 9 and she said I only have about 2 weeks to get it straighter.
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Please don't let the PA frighten you with the baseless claim that you have a limited amount of time to regain range of motion. That's a myth:

Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

For most of us, it takes much long to regain extension. With my first TKR recovery, I was a 10 for a long time, but eventually -- as the inflammation inside the knee went down -- it straightened on its own.

The fact that she told you that your pain is coming from inflammation supports this. Whatever you do, don't force it. That will just make the swelling worse and set back your recovery.
 
Some of our members take MONTHS to achieve full extension. It does take most of us longer than flexion, because of muscle differences and the fact that there's simply less space behind the knee so even minimal inflammation impairs the straightening.

One thing some of us have found is that actively working on extension is counter productive: Once the inflammation eventually resolves, the next step is learning to let the quads and hamstrings relax. That's how extension happens!
 
Linda1 said:
she said I only have about 2 weeks to get it straighter.
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I agree with the others, this is not true. We all regain our ROM (both bend and straight) at different rates, and that’s ok. There is no date by which you should be at any certain number.

Most of all, don’t try to force it, as that will cause more inflammation and swelling, which defeats the purpose.

Linda1 said:
Well, I'm at 6 weeks now. My pain has never really let up. Last week I could barley put any weight on my leg. I saw the surgeon's PA Friday and she said it was inflammation.
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You might be overdoing the PT for your body’s healing rate. In this recovery, often “less is more.” What do you do at PT and what exercises are you doing at home?

6 weeks is very early in this recovery. Try not to worry. You have lots of time to improve. And, just so you know, my ROM continued to improve well into my second year of recovery. So, it’s never too late.
 
I found an easy way to help my extension come in. I was about 3-4 months out, and it lagged behind my bend. I knew not to force it, so I started walking with a longer than normal stride, making sure I put my heel down first and then rolled up to my toes. This longer stride helped to stretch out those large muscles and tendons behind the knee. It certainly didn't happen overnight, and maybe my extension would have come in any way, but at least I felt like I was doing something harmless to help stretch those soft tissues!
 
I'm happy to say that the prednisone has really helped. My pain decreased so that I was able to do my exercises. My flexion is 120 and extension 3. I'm slowly getting there! It's feels great to be going in the right direction. Of course I still have pain off an on, but it's manageable. Tomorrow I need to drive for the first time. Wish me luck!
 
@Linda1 Yay for progress!
Driving is a big milestone - One tip: don't feel upset if the R knee has an awkward time getting in and out of the driver's side. The combination of hip and knee flexion can be challenging during the weight shift so you might want to try it before it's time to do the drive.
 
Happy One Month Anniversary, Linda!
Hope you're making steady progress and doing well. :fingersx:
Enjoy the rest of the week!
@Linda1
 
Oopsie Daisy, so sorry! Thanks, @Benay
I certainly don't want to cheat anyone out of the time they spent struggling through discomfort, sweat and maybe even tears that a month of early recovery can bring. :wink:
Happy Two Month Anniversary, ladies! :)
@Linda1
 
Layla, Thanks! Sometimes it feels like it's been a year or more! I'm still in PT and my bend is 125 and extension is between 1 and 2. PT is happy. I was able to get in the car and drive without any problems. On the down side, after the prednisone was out of my system, a good bit of the pain came back. I have some pain walking, but as soon as I sit or lay down the pain starts. I still haven't had a good night sleep. The doctor ordered Ambien, but the pain still wakes me up so I stopped taking it. I actually see the surgeon this Thursday. I haven't seen him since the day of surgery. I'm sure I'll get the it takes up to a year speech. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the last of fall weather.
 
I continued to have pain and stiffness with sitting for many months with my R knee, requiring setting timers initially and at two months I think my tolerance was only about 15-20 minutes.

Are you somewhat elevating your leg to sleep? Many of us needed to for quite a while. Some members at two months ice and elevate 45 minutes before bedtime or even through the night if they have the ice machine.
 
I'm so sorry you're still having a rough time of it, Linda. I hope your OS listens to you on Thursday and has something to offer other than what you're expecting he'll say. Hopefully your sleep begins to improve. It's still pretty early into your recovery, which is no consolation when you're tired and in pain.
Sending a hug and best wishes for better days soon. :console2:
@Linda1
 
mendogal said:
Are you somewhat elevating your leg to sleep? Many of us needed to for quite a while. Some members at two months ice and elevate 45 minutes before bedtime or even through the night if they have the ice machine.
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Yes, I put a bed pillow under it. I stopped using the wedge. I haven't been icing as much as I probably should. I'll try to do it more often and see if it helps.
 
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