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Bilateral TKR Mamamoe's Recovery Thread

I was worried about not doing the PT but I just don’t think I should feeling the way I do...
 
It won't matter if you don't do the PT, which isn't essential for recovery. At this early stage of recovery, your knees will get all the exercise they need, as you walk to and from the bathroom and kitchen.

It's not exercising that gets you your Range of Motion (ROM) - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal.

Your PT therapist may be able to give you a gentle massage, but you shouldn't be doing exercises while you feel dizzy.
 
I agree with Celle. Don’t worry about PT. It’s sometimes too much at your stage anyway. Just move your knee gently, for mobility.
 
Many of us never took formal PT or did exercises. I am one of them. I had 12 knee surgeries, 2 of them kneecap removals, and 1 tkr. Even after those I never took formal PT. But, I didn't just sit around and do nothing. I used my knee as it was intended to be used by walking around to take care of my daily needs. As I healed I was able to do more. Icing and elevation were a huge part of my recovery.

Listen to your knee. It will tell you if you're doing too much by increased pain and swelling. When that happened to me, I found that resting, icing, and elevating helped. Your knee knows how to rehab itself without being told what to do.
 
Good for you! One PT session is not going to make a positive difference for the most part. But, a PT session where you push to hard, to early CAN have a negative impact on your recovery.
This is my 2nd PKR. I am just over 2 weeks out. For the first one, I worked as hard as I could. I recovered in spite of myself. This knee, I have taken my time, I am SO much further along that the last one at this point. I do the exercises, but not in sets. I do a few ankle pumps, then a leg lift or 2, then a heal slide or 5, and so on. Then I have been Icing and elevating. No rush, no pressure to get to a certain ROM number. So far this knee has recovered much better.
 
I got up this morning and went to the bathroom with my walker and my husband was walking behind me. I came out of the bathroom on my own no walker. I did grab the walker and walked
in the kitchen and then back to the bed. I’m pretty tired now..

I‘m proud of myself..
 
Good job. But, be sure and keep that walker with you for the next month or so. You don't have a strong leg to rely on and you certainly don't want to take a fall!
 
I have been up to go to the bathroom and then sat in the recliner for about 30 minutes and did a few exercises in the chair. I had some sharp pains in my knees after I got back in the bed, I assume that is normal...
 
All sounds normal. You are only days out of what is actually 2 major surgeries. Ice and elevate and try and rest as much as you can.
 
Hi Team,

So I got up this morning to go to the bathroom and the stiffness in my legs just hurts so bad. Starting tomorrow I thought I would start doing some exercises. I have been doing some in the bed but for the most part I’ve been resting, elevating and using ice. I’m kind of sad this morning because I want this stiffness to go away.

Please let me know how long it takes to feel better. I know my surgery was less than a week ago, maybe I’m expecting too much..
 
Unfortunately, you are going to have pain for a while. This surgery causes a lot of trauma to your knee, and even your whole leg. The surgical instruments used are basically sterile carpentry tools! You had 2 bones sawed and drilled and then metal implants pounded into those bones.

Complete recovery takes an average of a year, but that doesn’t mean you will have your current pain for that long. But this recovery is a very slow process.

I, too, was shocked at the pain level I had after I got home from the hospital. I was so unprepared for this recovery. I had a partial, and everything I’d read about it made it seem like a minor surgery. I learned afterward, from Bonesmart, just what all had been done. I was quite angry and offended, that my medical team had not been more up front with me

Don’t worry about doing a bunch of exercises, they are not essential. What is essential is just basic movements to keep the joint mobile. Those walks to the bathroom will do that.

Reread the Recovery Guidelines and follow them.

Make sure you are icing and elevating. Take your pain medication as prescribed. Set an alarm so you don’t miss a dose. These early days are really tough, but things will get better over time.
 
Everyone is different, but try to be patient with yourself. I thought things would improve greatly after 2 weeks, but that did not happen. It is a slow, roller-coaster ride.

6 months later, I'm walking a few miles a day, biking, doing pretty much whatever I normally would do; but with no pain. My knees still swell and get stiff, but that is temporary.
 
Hi Bikinglynn,

Thanks for the encouragement, I guess I’m expecting too much too soon. I guess I’m not good with patience but I have to try to be.

I’m glad to hear that in 6 months you are biking and walking, at Ieast I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Tomorrow will be one week since my surgery. I have been resting, icing and elevating my legs.

When I get up to go to the bathroom I’m pretty tired by the time I get back

PT is coming tomorrow, not sure how much I can do but will absolutely give it a try.
 
It's not clear to me if you are still using your walker? I did a walker for about 10 days and a cane for 10 more, but I only had one knee replaced. My PA encouraged me to use the walker longer than I thought necessary. I believe he said it reduces the impact something like 60%. Since you had a bilateral, I would think you should be on the walker for 3 or 4 weeks.
 
@Mamamoe exhaustion is norma . My surgeon told me to expect a year long recovery. My recovery went very well ( until a blip this weekend involving a mail truck pulling in front of my bike!)- I rode my bike almost 50 miles in less then a week & was regularly walking 3-4 miles at 4 months after my bilateral TKR. I had no PT at all as PT shut down ( my TKR was mar 16, the day before the shut down)
 
It sounds like you're progressing normally.
 
Let me know if anyone is having these problems. So it will be one week since surgery on Tuesday. When I get up to go to the bathroom I’m still a little dizzy and a little sick to my stomach.

PT is coming tomorrow..
 
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