TKR LTKR April 1 - bending knee hurts

[FCBayern]

You can expect your knee to swell if you've done too much for months @SkiBikeHikeDude. What is too much will be a moving bar as you heal. You just need to increase activity slowly and listen to your knee afterwards. As time goes on you will be able to do more and more without it being too much. This recovery really does require patience, you can't rush healing. Just provide your body with the appropriate nutrition, rest, ice, and elevate. Time and your body will do the rest.

 

[SkiBikeHikeDude]

I am now 19 days post surgery, and I feel like I am really healing. I haven't used a walking aid for some time now, and my gait is pretty close to normal. The pain of surgery is mostly gone and I only take acetaminophen for pain as needed, not on a regular schedule. I still have pain in my knee and bending and straightening are compromised.

My regular PT has been out of town and the substitute has a different approach. He definitely believes in pushing the ROM and feels one must put up with some pain to make gains. I decided to go with it for now to see what would happen, and while stretching to pain wasn't fun it doesn't seem to have hurt me, and I do feel better with increased mobility. My regular PT will be back for my next session, and I look forward to working with him again.

The substitute PT did say he didn't think he'd ever seen anyone 2 1/2 weeks post TKR with so little swelling or walking so well, which I took as good signs. I am extremely diligent about elevating and icing, so hopefully that is paying off.

 

[kneeper]

It sounds like you're doing well and area using your common sense regarding the PT.

 

[SkiBikeHikeDude]

I'm now just a little over 3 weeks post surgery. I developed a weird pain that felt like a tight band around my knee, going under my kneecap. I had been progressing steadily, but this pain seemed to limit my ROM and make walking and getting around more painful. It made me grumpy, too, as I couldn't understand why I felt worse when the swelling was obviously less and I hadn't overdone it in any way.

My regular PT was back for my appointment on Thursday and he said I was feeling scar tissue. He gently massaged and manipulated the leg, and by the time the session was done I felt a huge sense of relief as if a tight band had been removed from my knee. It wasn't completely better, but it was a major improvement. I returned to PT yesterday (Friday) and he gently worked the leg some more and I feel like a new person!

I was at 0 - 98 yesterday, and managed to pedal an exercise bike for the first time, although it wasn't smooth or comfortable. I am super anxious to ride a bike outside, so was thrilled that I could get my knee to bend enough to go around the full circle of the pedal stroke. I know I'm still a ways off from biking outdoors, but it is always nice to get a glimpse that it may be possible someday sooner than later.

 

[SkiBikeHikeDude]

Well, the roller coaster has been all down lately. 5 days ago I was getting into bed and while swinging my legs around accidentally kicked my bedside ice machine with the foot of my bad knee. Kicked it hard. I screamed. Couldn't sleep that night and the few times I managed to fall asleep I woke up screaming in pain.

At PT on Monday my leg was still swollen and ROM was way down. PT tried to gently massage and manipulate to reduce pain, but not much progress. I still can't sleep through the night as I wake up in pain several times a night. Before this I was sleeping well.

PT on Wednesday I was still stiff and swollen, but the PT worked hard to try to get it to feel better. We made progress, but I'm still not back to where I was a week ago.

I'm pretty frustrated. I really was hoping to be able to do stuff by week 4 (today is my 4 week anniversary of surgery). I'm close to back to where I was a week ago but I still can't bend my knee well and have lots of pain. I'm not walking, outside of ADL, because I can tell it will make my knee swell and hurt more. Basically I'm just stuck inside with my feet up all day long.

I've gotta say so far I regret this surgery. I was limited and compromised before surgery, but at least I wasn't stuck lying around all day with no signs of improvement. Ugh. It would be better if I had signs of hope, but I don't.

 

[newlybionic]

Four weeks is very early in what is at least a full year of recovery. Your knee just took a bump to it. Make sure you ice your knee while you are elevating it. You probably have some extra swelling inside the knee that you might not see. Take a few days taking it easy and I'm sure you will start getting back to where you were.

 

[Jimi G]

I can relate, I'm 5 weeks ahead of you with RTKR. I really was hoping to be getting back to work after 12 weeks. I have a really physical job that keeps me on the move all day, soooo, I pushed myself everyday. The 6th or 7th week I was thinking maybe I to had made a bad decision in this. Reading through these threads I finally realized that this was more than fix it up and go. The journey begins. We'll get through this and be all the better for it. I guess after 59 years (1961 was a good year) it was time to learn a little patience. The folks here will get us through this. Hang in there.

 

[SkiBikeHikeDude]

I was told by two surgeons that I'd probably be back to doing most things I want to do at 12 weeks. I wouldn't be strong or fit but I'd be able to do stuff.

From how I feel now that doesn't seem possible. I was told it would take up to a year to completely heal but that I'd be way ahead of where I was pre surgery by 12 weeks. If it takes a year to get there this was a mistake. Hopefully healing will speed up at some point.

Jimi, when do you turn 60? For me it's June.

 

[Jimi G]

60 in August

 

[Celle]

Hopefully healing will speed up at some point.

Probably not. This is a long-haul recovery, a marathon not a sprint.

 

[BBCG]

Hi SkiBikeHike Dude,

Love the pseudonym!

One of the most difficult tasks in healing from TKR #1 for me (2016) was patience! I’m a “do-er”: own a business, now caregiver to my husband, grandma to a feisty 10 year old gymnast, and her puppy and actively involved in her life, physically active hiking, Elliptigoing, etc. So the hardest part of my first recovery was just the patience required.

I found Bonesmart a few weeks in and it changed my life! These folks were reassuring, I found out I’m not alone in recovery struggles, and I learned to trust MY body and listen to her.

But for me the hardest lesson was patience! I had set unrealistic goals for that knee at that time and I had to come to terms with the need to change those goals. My goals were great, but unrealistic in terms of the timing!

My job is very physical, too, so I had to delegate the more physical aspects and switch how I worked and what I did. It wasn’t impossible, but initially inside I kicked and wailed! (Shhh! No one was supposed to hear!)

But, the folks here helped me realize that some things in life are just, well, different than I had imagined. If I were more religious perhaps than I seem to be, I probably would have phrased it use one of my mom’s favorite phrases: Let go and let God. For me that meant realigning my expectations and priorities and letting God or whatever higher power take the reins as there is some other path I’m actually supposed to be following. Once I got that wrapped around my head, my decisions were clearer, I hired other strong, younger bodies to do the more physical tasks, delved in to different aspects of my business, etc.

I did get back to the more physical tasks, delivering our products to customers early during Covid, doing curbside deliveries, etc. I love the interpersonal interactions so I missed those most, but in letting others take on some important tasks, they felt greater ownership and commitment and that turned out to be very beneficial!

A few years later when my husband got leukemia, I was able to leave the business in very capable hands as I went in to caregiving mode. I came to understand the path which I had not early on... I would have had to give up the business had I not prepared them to run it as I would, with their own successful touches.

I don’t know if this will be helpful to you, but I kinda saw myself in your struggle to meet your earlier expectations, so thought I’d offer this up in case it might help.

Hang in there as you will get there..with a new strong and rock-solid leg!

 

[Sisterpat]

Believe me, down the line you will not regret having the surgery! While we are recovering, it is so easy to forget the limitations and bother our knees caused for years pre-surgery! Those limitations would only grow worse day by day and eventually you would not be able to function. So, we trade a few months to a year of some pain and limitation for a remaining lifetime of knees that hold up. Try to be patient and LOVE your new knee!

 

[SkiBikeHikeDude]

Thanks all. Clearly my pain and frustration boiled over yesterday. I don't get to feel sorry for myself much, as I'm usually the rock that has to be strong for others. I guess I just needed to whine a bit and feel sorry for myself.

I slept last night and wasn't woken up by pain for the first time in nearly a week! Sleep helps everything seem better. And today my ROM that has really limited walking and moving around seems a bit better.

I was an international wilderness adventure guide for much of my life, and getting outdoors in nature to exercise and recreate is what makes me happy and keeps me grounded. I've chosen to live in smaller mountain towns where I can hike, ski, bike, paddle, etc, in the woods any day of the week and still work and do chores because connecting with nature is life-giving to me. Getting into the woods is my happy place, and it is my therapy (no problem seems too big after a beautiful walk in the woods). It is where I feel connected to the world. Not being able to go there or exercise has never been healthy for me emotionally.

I'm sure (ok not sure but hopeful) that the new knee will be worth all of this. I've been hobbled for a dozen years and this past winter my knee started collapsing on me, making it scary to get too far from a road or vehicle. But at least I could still get out, even though it hurt and limited me.

Worrying about not being able to go anywhere or do anything that gives me meaning is overwhelming. I just need signs that I will be able to live again.

 

[Jimi G]

Wow, I live in the Adirondack mnts. Being outdoors has been a huge part of my life. I'm no guide, but I spend a great deal of time working in rough terrain around Lake Placid. I would have no chance of returning to work had I not done something. I've had arthroscopic surgery twice to clean up meniscus before deciding to go this route. This is what I have to remind myself on those days that I feel sorry for myself (and I have plenty). It's been years since I could make even an easy summit, that's what I look forward to most. We'll get there.

 

[sistersinhim]

BBCG is so right. This early trade-off will turn out to be very beneficial in the long run. We've all been through what you are going through, but have also reached the end and know it's worth it all!

 

[Sisterpat]

Don’t apologize for whining! We all need to vent at times or we’d go crazy! Sometimes you need to sit back and let others be the rock! That’s what BoneSmart is for.
And you WILL be able to live again - just not tomorrow. We’re all in this together. In unity is strength.

 

[FCBayern]

If it takes a year to get there this was a mistake.

It's difficult to see from where you are so early in recovery @SkiBikeHikeDude, but this surgery is life changing in a good way. I hadn't really realized how small my world had become due to my joint pain. There were so many things I enjoyed doing that I just avoided because of the pain it caused. Now I take challenging hikes, scuba dive (which includes climbing a ladder into a boat with heavy gear on) and do pretty much anything I want to pain free! I too love the outdoors and it's all mine again. You won't be back to full activities at 12 weeks, but you will feel one heck of a lot better than you do now. For me it was at about 6 weeks that my recovery pain eased off and I could also tell that the grinding joint pain was gone. That was the moment I realized I would heal from the surgical trauma, and the life limiting joint pain would be gone for good. Patience isn't easy, especially if you have previously lived an active life, but it really is the key to TKR recovery. Better days ahead my friend.

 

[Jockette]

5 days ago I was getting into bed and while swinging my legs around accidentally kicked my bedside ice machine with the foot of my bad knee. Kicked it hard.

Thanks all. Clearly my pain and frustration boiled over yesterday. I don't get to feel sorry for myself much, as I'm usually the rock that has to be strong for others. I guess I just needed to whine a bit and feel sorry for myself.

This accident caused you a lot of pain and you have every right to vent, and yes, whine about it! We’ve all done something similar in our recovery, so we understand.

This recovery is long and slow, but it’s temporary. Give your knee the time it needs to heal and you’ll be back to all those outdoor activities you enjoy.

I have never been a sports person or a hiker, or anything athletic (creating things in my sewing room was my happy place) but I can still relate to how hard it was to accept the length of time this healing would take. And yes, it even limited my abilities in my sewing room, I couldn’t stand long enough to do what I wanted to, getting up and down from where I sat at my sewing machine was difficult for months, as well as bending my knee enough to even sit comfortably at the machine.

No matter what we want to do, this recovery does disrupt it. The good news is, Time does wonders, and we do get better!

 

[SkiBikeHikeDude]

Thanks again all for the good advice, but more importantly the support. My knee actually felt much better Friday and yesterday, giving me much needed hope about my recovery.

I reread the Bonesmart "activity for TKRs" and it mentioned walking 5-10 minutes at a time in week 3, and lengthening walks to 20 minutes or longer in weeks 4-5. I haven't been walking more than just around the house as my pain was affecting my stride and it didn't feel good to walk.

Yesterday was a beautiful day here, and I was feeling much better so I decided to try to walk a bit. I started off down the sidewalk and felt good enough that I stretched it into going around the block and a bit more, for a slow walk of nearly 15 minutes. I iced and elevated afterwards and still felt good, so I went for a second 10 minute slow walk outside later in the afternoon. It felt amazing to be outside and moving, which did wonders for my mood.

Last night I had a rough night as pain woke me up a number of times - clearly a response to the extra activity. I've been icing and stretching this morning, and don't feel too bad now.

My question is: should I try walking again today, or should I just lie around and rest? I feel like I didn't do any damage with the walking yesterday, but definitely paid for it a bit overnight. Would a short walk today possibly get blood flowing and loosen up my knee, or will it make things worse? I know that nobody can know the answer for sure, but I'd appreciate suggestions and other's experiences.

 

[Jaycey]

@SkiBikeHikeDude The strategy I always take is walk half as far as you think you can walk the first day. If you don't have any issues then try just a bit more the next day. Keep building up time and distance - but very slowly. If you suffer at all, stick with the same distance/time until you no longer have issues. Takes lots of patience - but it does work.

Taking 2 walks in one day was obviously too much for that new knee. I know you are anxious to get moving. But you just can't rush this recovery.