TKR Mmassagee Recovery Thread

[Mmassagee]

Hi @tlfiore,
Thank you for your post on how real and brutal the TKR post op and recovery is.
My right TKR was done on 10/18/19 so I am on post op Day 18.

I was in the hospital for 2 nights. My pain was at times unimaginable and unbearable. It was so important for me not to get behind on the pain med schedule.

Good news - I turned a corner on day 12. I remember this day distinctly. Needing less pain meds. PT seemed easier.

I have had home PT 2x a week but have graduated now to out patient PT starting tomorrow. Nervous about that.

Sleepless nights and stiff painful mornings are my biggest challenge at 2 1/2 weeks.

It will get better,

 

[Pumpkin]

@Mmassagee
You'll notice that I have copied your newest post and started your recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you have your own recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• With your own recovery thread, you will see the posts and advice others have left for you.
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Pumpkin]

You are right where you need to be in this recovery, what are you experiencing is normal.

Here is your copy of the Knee Recovery Guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

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​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

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

​

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

​

Activity progression for TKRs​

6. Access these pages on the website

​

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

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 a 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 history before providing advice.

 

[Sara61]

Hope your PT session turned out ok for you, the unknown is usually scarier than reality - I now look forward to my twice weekly PT session ( only downside is the distance) it's a 30 minute drive each way but I look at it as an escape from being cooped up in the house 24/7 ( we live in the country with no neighbours/shops etc)
Sleep in my case has improved in week 4 but still not a full night usually I sleep 4-5 hours wake naturally and take pain meds, let the dogs outside ( hoping they don't get into this habit ..) read a few posts on BoneSmart then back to sleep usually another 3-4 hours.
Like you every morning awake with stiff knee and tight elastic band feeling - this usually wears off after a few stretches but if I over do it then reappears quite quickly.
Thankfully we do know with time and loads of patience it does get better eventually and every little achievement is a bonus x
Hope your continues

 

[Mmassagee]

I am in week 4 of my right TKR. I am having trouble with my leg extension. I have great knee flexion which makes this problem perplexing.

It may be a nerve that is bruised because ever since my whole leg went from being painful to more isolated pains I could then feel a “nerve like” boring pain that traveled from behind the knee to the back of my right ankle bone.
(This feeling is just like when you are getting your hair washed at the hair salon and the edge of the basin is pressing the back of your neck just so - that you feel like you can’t take it any more and have to sit up to relieve the pain).

So all those initial leg elevations were torture for me and I could only take it for minutes at a time and would have to ALWAYS get up and walk around.

Fast forward to this week and my outpatient PT added this new exercise: sit on the edge of the couch, prop up back of ankle on edge of coffee table. My leg was Kind of like a swinging bridge. “To give me passive extension.” Nothing passive about it. Did 30 times first night, because could only stand it for a few minutes at a time. Then could not sleep because of the pain and had to take pain meds at night.

Next day set the timer for 15 minutes each time. Again I could not take it for more than a few minutes in a row, had to take my leg down and kept that routine up til timer went off.

So that night, I had to take a pain pill before bed and woke up 4 hours later and had to take another one. ( I never had to take so many pills before).
The next morning I can barely walk. Had to use the walker. Husband looks up shocked like what is happening.

Yesterday told PT that this new exercise etc. is really regressing me. He told me to back off and let the aggravated area rest.

Anyway, I am sad because I can walk over hurdles forwards and sideways, walk on a “ balance beam” forwards and backwards and bend my knee so well he does not even worry or measure that.

Has anybody else struggled with nerve like pain on their leg extensions?

 

[Jaycey]

Please stop all this torture! That "exercise" is totally counter productive and your knee is telling you so. Many of our members take longer to get extension. Forcing it will only set you back.

Are you icing the back of your knee? Elevating?

 

[Mmassagee]

Thank you for responding @Jacey. I am icing more than I was previously. Relieved to hear other members take longer to get their extension like me and I am not alone.

 

[sistersinhim]

My extension was slower coming in, too. I helped mine by walking with longer strides, heel to toe steps. It didn't happen overnight, but it did get better as time went on. I wouldn't worry about it. You are forcing your knee to do something it isn't ready to do.

Yesterday told PT that this new exercise etc. is really regressing me. He told me to back off and let the aggravated area rest.

He is correct. When your knee reacts like this, it needs lots of rest to recover.

 

[Celle]

Relieved to hear other members take longer to get their extension like me and I am not alone.

It's not at all unusual for extension to take longer than flexion to achieve. That's because those large muscles and tendons at the back of your leg need to be stretched slowly and gently. There's no need to rush, or to do painful exercises.

In spite of what you've probably been told, there's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

 

[Larryhg3]

My knees were complete opposites. Lefty struggled for extension took a long time to get back. Righty went to zero but flexion was much slower. Pushing your knee to pain is counter-productive for sure. I am pro PT but that is because I learned the basics of recovery here. I was able to set expectations and recover in a way that worked for me with PT as part of that process. Please read the articles they are very helpful. Good luck in your journey.

 

[Mrty2019]

I was at the 4-5 week point when I decided PT was doing more harm to me than good. Won’t repeat all the ways I was tortured, but you can read my account. When I found this site, I quit PT and when I have my other knee done, I will skip it all together.

Putting your leg on a coffee table to stretch your knee was pure agony for me too. Never again!

I have proceeded at my own pace. This morning I walked 1.2 miles and my gait is perfect. As recommended here, I walk with a longer stride which stretches your leg and improves extension. At 6 weeks, my OS said my extension will improve over time as my knee heals and it has and will continue to get better.

 

[Macknit]

Please listen to all the wisdom from Bone Smart. I have been lucky/blessed with a clinic where everyone listens to the patient! There are obviously 2 approaches to PT out there, and time is the key factor. I thought I was a fairly patient person up until this recovery, however as I learned to relax into the recovery I've found that BS is absolutely right!

You can read my periodic set backs, that seem to always be extra activity related...so I just tell everyone around me, it's time for a break.

Good luck communicating with your PT and recognize that you can always stop, if they don't listen!

Happy Sunday!

 

[judgar]

I hate to say this but there is lots of up and downs. It takes time.this surgery is not for wimps.iam at 3 months and one day I feel good and the next not so good. I really think people think oh iam a month out now why aren’t I feeling better. It just doesn’t work that way with this surgery.
.

 

[Mmassagee]

Thank you to EVERYONE who has responded to my particular journey and problem. You are all so great! I feel so much better physically and emotionally.

For one, I took everyone’s advice and have backed off from my tortuous swinging bridge (leg) exercise. My knee feels so much better. I have gone back to more of the humane stretching exercises from before and my gait is a lot better too. Also, icing back of leg more too.

I am grateful for all of you. I really appreciate it so much.

 

[Mmassagee]

Hi @Sara61,
I had my Right TKR on Oct. 18, 2019. So I am just about at my 4 month post surgery date. I do not post much, but, enjoy reading everyone’s posts and updates. I kept up with your recovery on bonesmart because your surgery date was so close to mine!
1) In just the last week my right knee finally started to feel “normal”. Meaning I have totally forgetten about it.
2) I hardly even talk about it now when it used to be a daily conversational update/complaint to my husband.
3) When I walk, my right knee feels routine and normal - not artificial - this phenomenon is recent as of last week.
4) I sleep through the night but still prefer a pillow between my knees.
5) I can take one step / one leg at a time going upstairs but going down is still tricky for me since my left knee needs surgery next and the whole going downstairs for me is still 2 feet per step anyway.
6) I’ve been a new grandmother since my 3rd week post op. It’s been hard for me physically until recently. Now I can hold the baby with both arms and get off sofa using both sets of quad muscles without suffering for 2 days. I can hold the baby and go up and down stairs slowly but safely.
7) I can go to the gym and use the recumbent bike. If I have any trouble on certain days it’s because of swelling in my non surgery left knee.
8) If I sit for 2 hours in car or restaurant I am stiff when I stand up. It’s mostly now in my non surgery knee but my R surgery knee still needs a few moments to wake up.
9) Not sure what my ROM is but flexion was 125 a while back and extension is now
good. I had trouble with extension for the longest time previously.
10) All good now except for still needing surgery for left knee. I am super nervous about that. Will need to be brave one day and just do it.

 

[Celle]

Thank you for the update, @Mmassagee .
It's good to hear you're doing well.

 

[sistersinhim]

In just the last week my right knee finally started to feel “normal”. Meaning I have totally forgetten about it.

When I walk, my right knee feels routine and normal - not artificial - this phenomenon is recent as of last week.

What a wonderful, new step! You're certainly on the road to recovery.