TKR Muscle spasm?

[BBCG]

Oh my, @BEWITCHED Charm! I’m laughing at your mice watching out for thrown pillows! I’m sorry sleep is so fraught for you. I had similar difficulties at the stage you’re at as well, and I found some help with melatonin taken homeopathically, but also used a CBD pain specific tincture and eventually salve at nights to aid sleep by lessening pain and the ache. I’m 7 months out and still awake for an hour at least in the middle of the night! I’ve taught myself to go to bed earlier so as to get sufficient sleep, have a bed where I can raise the foot area or head, plus a squishy pillow I can move about to put my newer knee on… sleep does seem to take the longest to regain normalcy, it really does seem!

 

[Scaredycat10]

I had my surgery on 27th October this year .
My pain had really subsided and I was only needing pain meds twice a day. Did exercises yest X three sets of 30 knee pushed back whilst sat in chair and holding for ten seconds.
Then pushing body up from chair and sit down steadily again.
On stairs down with good leg then up with bad leg.
This morning I woke at 4am with Zinger type pain in front of knee ( inside) it's now 10.30am and these pains are still going on!
They hurt and I have taken meds but to no avail.
Should I not exercise today? To be honest I don't know what's best to do or not do today.

No. Have a day, or even two, of rest.
I have been on my feet all morning [church for the first time in 2 mths] and I ache. It's wonderful to be part of the world again albeit masked up but I'm paying for it.
'The knee' aches but so does my right hip from standing talking. No gym for me tomorrow and no exercises today.
My sister pointed out I don't take any pain meds and 'might it be a good idea to take some paracetamol and/or Naproxen'!

I've taken both!

 

[BEWITCHED Charm]

@BBCG
Yes it's a shame but no melatonin here in UK we don't have it here to buy.
Someone else told me about CBD and I bought some gummies. But then when I checked with my pharmacy I was told not to take if on BP meds! So unfortunately I am still having terrible sleep as just can't get comfortable.
Glad you managed to sort yourself though.
I took yours and others advice yesterday and didn't exercise. I walked around the house but no exercise.
Must admit I did feel better for it today ( even though I didn't fall asleep until 3.45am,) I have nodded in my chair today and that was unusual but very welcome.
Take care and thank you

 

[BEWITCHED Charm]

Well yesterday we had our Grandaughter visit so in My infinite wisdom I decided not to go hard on with the exercise ( leg was really hurting me the night before) so did just that.. very little.
Saturday today up bright and ready to do exercise has shower dressed was ready to go downstairs then... My back went! So now I feel so guilty as having to do no exercises again today!
Will I be ok? I am so worried my knee won't get going properly because I have missed exercise for two days;

 

[Jockette]

I’m sorry your back went out. This has happened to many of us in this recovery, including me.

Don’t worry about missing your exercises. They are not essential as long as you are moving around the house, which it sounds like you are.

By the way, I merged your newest comment/question with your original recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please stop asking questions about your recovery in someone else’s thread, as we can’t answer you there, as it would derail that other persons recovery journey. Please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

How can I find my threads and posts?

There are a couple of ways you can find categories of threads on the forum. You are able to use links in the main forum toolbars at the top of the screen to quickly access certain types of threads: your own threads, threads with your posts in them, and watched threads. You can also use links...

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Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.


Best wishes on your continuing recovery!

 

[BEWITCHED Charm]

Hi is this where I should write please can you tell me? I don't have the grey toolbar only blue one sorry don't mean to write in wrong place if this is correct I will know for the future.
Thanks

 

[Jaycey]

@BEWITCHED Charm Yes, this is where you should write your questions about your own recovery.

 

[hawk2go]

2 days without exercise never mattered for my recovery.

 

[Schaargi]

My PT told me I MUST have one day per week of rest for the muscles to recover.

 

[DEL2022Jan-23]

I found personally that missing up to 1 week of exercising didn’t make a real difference to my ROM but that I started to stiffen up again after that. I was told to stop doing my range of motion exercises by my OS as I had achieved full ROM by week 7 . I made the decision to continue with exercising after 1 week once I started to stiffen up again. Listen to your OS, physio therapist AND your knee, sometimes taking a break for a couple of days can be the best thing for you and is nothing to feel guilty about. The normal every day things you do all add to your exercise rate and I bet having your granddaughter visit kept you on your toes!
Back pain can be a real pain in your even while completely healthy, I hope yours clears up soon.
Remember healing after knee surgery is a marathon not a sprint, slow and steady is the way to do it.

 

[BEWITCHED Charm]

Thank you everyone for your stories and support. To be honest I just couldn't do the exercises even if I had tried due to spasms in my back.
I can't do diddly squat about it as have lower lumber degeneration and it's prone to happening. But I think I have started in moaning by trying to get comfortable on my side and having knees on pillows .
Qué Sera.
Or as we say in Yorkshire it'll be reight!
Take care everyone and you have helped put my mind at ease.

 

[CricketHip]

@BEWITCHED Charm have you tried using ice packs on your back? My back has several issues, also and ice seems to help when it starts to flare on me.. good luck, and hang in there..tomorrow is another day closer to healing!

 

[BEWITCHED Charm]

Oh no I'm sorry I think I have put my last post in the wry place .. again.
Oh Blimey I do apologize I was just reading what some others had written and stupid me just wrote underneath it.. sorry!

 

[BEWITCHED Charm]

I am 7 weeks post operative today.
The not getting to the toilet in time has abated ( thank goodness)
My appetite has definitely come back ( this one is perhaps not so good as I do tend to turn into Kermit's girlfriend when it comes to food.)
I am able to get my leg doing straight leg lifts I was so worried after surgery as my ability to do this was zero. I can walk without crutches .. I do use them when back plays up or if I'm tired.
My question is how do I get my self to walk down stairs using my non surgical leg first?
I am trying to do this as an exercise but the back of my surgical knee will not allow me to lift that foot off the stair! Honestly it's like someone has put glue in my staircase.

 

[Ghostpipe]

The answer to your question is don’t try! 7 weeks is very early for stairs. I had bilateral, and couldn’t reliably tackle going downstairs naturally until around 7 months. It suddenly came without trying for me. Just be safe on stairs, no need to rush. Pride comes before a fall!

 

[Taoquest]

@Ghostpipe is right. I had Bilateral TKR 6 months ago, and had wondered if I was ever going to stop going up and down stairs like a toddler. Well, this week it just happened without effort. I felt that I had finally achieved my last big challenge. My recovery taught me that the Knee Gods are in charge, and you cannot rush things.

 

[Sara61]

Walking normally up & down stairs is the last phase of this surgery, I don't think I did it in 2019 until almost my 5th month, one day you will accidentally do it and think "wow" and then it will happen more often. For now take it slowly, you don't want to take a fall xx

 

[hawk2go]

I tried stairs every now and again earlier in the recovery, sometime only going foot over foot for a couple of steps every few days. These tests allowed me to gauge how I felt with those movements. Like you @BEWITCHED Charm, when it was too early to tackle, the stairs were glue. Sometimes I would catch my toe on the front of the step before clearing it, an accurate indication that the move was not a good idea (for whatever reason - too soon or too tired). Now, at 3 months, I go and up down normally about 70% of the time. When I get tired, it's just not happening and I don't force it.

 

[benne68]

@BEWITCHED Charm I'm more than 3 months out and still struggling with descending stairs normally. I can climb reciprocally, but going down scares me!

I can do it right after I've been stretching or riding the bike and am warmed up -- but even then, I hold on to the railing on both sides. As @hawk2go said, when I'm tired, I go back to double stepping.

My physical therapist says not to worry; it will come as the flexion improves and the leg muscles get stronger.

Hang in there!

 

[Scaredycat10]

@BEWITCHED Charm I'm more than 3 months out and still struggling with descending stairs normally. I can climb reciprocally, but going down scares me!

If, like me, you've been doing the downstairs one step for years, it's a habit as much as anything. My brain won't compute any attempt to descend 'properly', and I have no intention of trying, yet! No need so why try.