Hello, this is my first post in this group. I have been reading many of the other posts and they have been quite helpful for me during my journey. I had my left knee replaced 9/21/2021 and my right knee replaced 12/21/2021. I have been doing very well but I have noticed in the past 6 to 8 weeks in my left knee I am all of a sudden having a hard time completely straightening my knee. I can tell when I'm standing that my right knee is straighter than my left. It's not a huge difference but enough that I notice. Along with this I have noticed that when I first stand up from sitting and having my leg bent, the back of my left knee feels a little tight. It's not painful and once I get moving it's ok but it just seemed odd to me. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I notified my dr's office as I have a follow-up appointment scheduled for June and I wanted to ask if I should be seen sooner and they said it was nothing to be concerned about and I could wait until my appointment in June.
TKR LTKR 9/21/2021; RTKR 12/21/2021
- Thread starter karhoads
- Start date
Hi and Welcome!
All throughout the first year pain/ discomfort can come and go in different spots, as we heal.
Have you added any new activity in the last 6-8 weeks? Sometimes that can have an effect on how we feel.
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:
3. Do what you want to do BUT
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.
All throughout the first year pain/ discomfort can come and go in different spots, as we heal.
Have you added any new activity in the last 6-8 weeks? Sometimes that can have an effect on how we feel.
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!)
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.
karhoads
new member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2022
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- 53
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- Female
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United States
Thank you for that information. I finished PT on my left knee and then a couple weeks after that had my right knee done. When I finished PT on my right knee they recommended I work with a trainer. I did start doing that for a short time and I just felt like it was too much. It would have been right after I stopped that I really noticed the left leg bothering me.
Extension can take a long time to get to zero or better for some of us. At 12 months I was still 4 degrees from zero but during my second year of recovery I got to zero and beyond. Good heal/toe walking with as long a stride as possible will get that extension where it should be @karhoads.
