TKR More front tightness after 18 months

[bottomshollow]

I think you're doing entirely too much too soon. Your poor knee has undergone extreme trauma and needs TIME to heal. And you need to find the PATIENCE to let it do that. The real secret to a good recovery is TIME & PATIENCE. We have to find enough PATIENCE to give our knees TIME to get there.

If you haven't read the articles-----please do it soon----and if you have, read them again. And really take in what the mantra says. You must keep in mind that your knee is in charge of this recovery---not you, not your OS, not your PT---your knee IS the boss. If you push too hard, knee will make you pay---and you will be sorry. Pushing only slows the healing process down and recovery stalls.

So relax, take it easy, and keep your activity level reasonable for your knee---slow, gentle, and easy. You are allowed to push to discomfort but NEVER to pain.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

:iagree:

Keith, take it easy.

At home wake up today: whole top of my left leg is ultra stiff was this due to 1. Trying too hard in physio on Saturday to get good bend.

Very possibly, trying too hard is not good.

2. The business of the return trip and getting unpacked. Luckily the people who brought me home stayed to help.

Again, very possibly. As you now know, the tiniest effort is huge -- it's because your body is taking all your energy for healing.

3. Doing no physio after I got back. I was threatened with MUA and a "stiff knee" if I don't do the physio.

At this stage doing no exercise will not do you harm.

Stuff them and their MUA threats. You won't know if MUA is needed for weeks or more likely months, not a few days. You should do gentle stretching exercises just to the point of discomfort but not past it into pain. This is all you need for weeks, until the swelling has gone down.

 

[keith55]

Hi Roy,
Tks for responding. I'm elevating and icing - have done a few gentle heel slides and got breakfast etc. Still can't lift the operated leg unassisted. I did some quads exercises prior (weighted leg lifts). What causes this and when will I be able to lift my leg?

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Keith, I don't know what causes it but do know it's very common, especially in the very early days where you are.

This recovery takes ages, and it seems interminable during the first, worst, month. Relax, watch a lot of telly or read a lot, don't worry about a thing -- your body is beavering away to heal and you will feel cream crackered for a long time as it soaks up all your energy to do this job.

Elevate and ice

Gentle heel slides

Time and patience are what you need now...

 

[Veganism]

keith55: good to hear you made it through ok! I'm going to watch this thread to learn from you while you recover.

 

[keith55]

Hi Veganism,
I'm no expert but I do ask questions and like consistent answers. For instance, NHS physio says "you're knee not hip so you don't need a raised toilet seat". Well as a humble recovering patient who knows nothing I beg to differ!!!!!!!!!!!! I bought one thanks to advice from this excellent forum beforehand.

 

[1ELISEA]

Great report out, keep on healing.
Your quads will recover soon and you'll be able to raise the leg again.

 

[Hopper]

I'm just over two weeks partial post op. I had worked very hard to strengthen my quads before this op but found it very hard to do leg lifts post op.
Then a few days ago, having worked on just engaging my quads through tightening and relaxing repetitions, I suddenly found the lifts much easier.
I've just put away the raised toilet seat - I needed it!

 

[Veganism]

keith55: I've still got my raised seat (actually commode that fits over toilet) from my THR. I'm all good there. Curious if you've taken advice and slowed down a bit? Did it help? I'm one who tends to push limits. It was ok with the THR, but think not so good with TKR.

 

[My way]

Hi, Seems the only place you'll get consistent answers to questions is here. Your PT says you don't need a raised toilet seat, yet ,the PT at my Joint Class said it was necessary. The same PT says you will have to push through the pain while in hospital and my PT says never push to the point of pain.
Thank Goodness we found this forum! At least most everyone here has the same ideas that make a lot of sense.

 

[keith55]

Yes the raised toilet seat only cost c £20 - it clips into the original seat in three places and lifts with it. I couldn't see the harm of buying beforehand when you may well need it.

I have stiffened up (and also bruised up) after leaving hospital but I'm more active in the flat since I'm getting meals and tea/coffee, answering the door as well as doing some physio and using the bathroom which I did in hospital. Pain is subsiding slightly I think. I can walk a few steps without sticks and not hanging on to things but haven't been outside yet. I'll defo take my sticks when I do that. I haven't tried to force my heel slide with other foot to impress physio since leaving hospital but do find the foot on the step exercise easier. I don't see how that could account for increased stiffness. Sleeping and the "jumps" are an issue so I'm going to talk to my GP about that.

 

[bottomshollow]

@keith55, in your list of links, you will find articles on stiffness and sleep problems. The jumps may be restless leg syndrome which some people experience after TKR.

 

[Veganism]

I can walk a few steps without sticks and not hanging on to things but haven't been outside yet. I'll defo take my sticks when I do that.

Wow, sounds like you're doing great. I could not walk without crutches for weeks after THR. I found that taking care of myself, like going down stairs to get water or whatever was a plus in my recovery. Not being idle too much of the time was good!

 

[keith55]

"Few" is single figures due to poor balance but not pain.

 

[Veganism]

"Few" is single figures due to poor balance but not pain.

I couldn't even do a few. I still think its great!

 

[Hopper]

Heel slides I'm slightly wary of but I'm ok letting my legs dangle from sitting and putting my left foot over my right, pushing up with my right against my left then letting the right go with the gentle force from the left leg and bend a little - it just seems to stretch and bend a little more easily and less traumatically.
Hope that makes sense.
When I do do heel slides is in the middle of the night if I wake - it's easier then. Someone here said its because you are more relaxed then

 

[eaglesnest]

Hi Keith55, I am at my 4 weeks post op, and I am having those knee jerks at night , I have somehow hurt the right side of my left knee, and now find it painful to do leg slides and sometimes feels like it's locking up when I walk, I'm just hoping it will go away.
Take care
L

 

[keith55]

Stayed up to watch a Blackadder II ("Bob" episode sorry to non UKers) still hilarious and a programme about the making of the series.
Asleep c11.30 pm but wake 2.30 am read a bit in bed then give up and get up

So a question about pain - I'm on paracetamol (acetaminophen) 4 X 1g per day and Ibuprofen 3 X 400 mg with meals. Now this only allows for the daytime so as I'm not sleeping too good I've got nothing for the night time. I'd prefer to sleep better but I'm going to ask GP for a prescription(s) for sleeping and pain. They did offer me codeine in the hospital but that makes me constipated immediately and I think that's worse.

Hi eaglesnest Hope your pain goes away. Sometimes when I'm walking things don't feel right but that may be muscles rather than prosthetic. I am getting the occasional stabbing pain in the knee.

Just a thought about ROM. Ok so you force your ROM from c70 to c80 as I did. Achievement but your knee naturally stays at c70 i.e. to get to 80 the next day you have to force it again. So what's the point of the bare ROM figure? What we all want is a knee that freely rotates to a good ROM.

 

[keith55]

Dr suggested Tramadol again and thought previous hallucinations were due to combiming with Amitriptyline. I've taken 4 X 50 mg since yesterday lunchtime and only effect is feeling drowsy: pain less this morning. He also prescribed Zinovane sleeping pill - that may be causing the drowsiness. I took 1 X 3.75 mg tablet last night. I got to sleep c11.30 pm after I Claudius (Jacobi et al) then woke up c2.30 pm. I got up c3pm had some cereal and slept till 7pm. Have been napping and drowsy all morning - first really quiet day.

Now I keep my left leg up nearly all the time. In hospital a nurse said I should sit normally with feet on the floor more but knee aches a lot more then so I don't. Knee feels a bit unstable when walking - wants to bow backwards sometimes as in opposite of kneeling. Ache is the new knee pain today. Any ideas?

How do I label my op date?

 

[Veganism]

keith55: you put the op date in the signature section of your profile.