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TKR My post-op thread

Well 3 weeks today, I had outpatient PT today, and it happened for the first time they brought tears to my eyes! Don't know that I can actually say I cried, but I did a lot of sweating and had some teary eyes and for split second thought I might actually pass out. All of this is a result of trying to get the leg straight, today my extension was 4, flexion 110. Extension was a problem before surgery, the flexion exercises don't bother me too bad, but when we put something underneath my heel to try to get that leg straight, that pain is excruciating! I knew this would be a long road, but I really thought at 3 weeks out I'd be doing better than I am. Trying to be patient but its so hard. My hip pain is subsiding some, think its a combination of the stretching, and reflexology of the foot that we found on the internet is helping. Hope everyone else out there is doing well. Oh, one more thing anyone out there ever tried acupuncture post TKR to help with healing and pain? I am considering trying it.
 
I'm glad your hip is feeling better, but sorry you were hurting at PT. I never had a problem with extension,. Now I have about the same flex in both my TKR and my natural, but my TKR has better extension than my natural knee. Did they give you anything you can do at home to work on extension?

My dad and friend had a PT that put all her weight on the knee and pushed to get better extension. I watched my PT very closely to be sure that didn't happen to me.
 
Thank God they didn't put their weight on it, I would have died. Just the act of it being with the heel elevated and me trying to tighten the quad to get the leg to go down was excruciating. Yes I try to set some times with my heel elevated up on a chair, they would like for me to do it for 1 to 2 minutes I'm lucky if I can make it for 30 seconds
 
You'll work up to it. Just start in little increments. I can now dangle off the bed for 10 minutes. I could only do one minute at the start.

sent from my Galaxy 4
 
Just do it for a few minutes at home once in a while. I used to Put my heel up all the time because that's when my plantar fasciitis started and I couldn't stand to have weight on my heel.
 
Funny you should bring up the heel prop as a source of agony. I had the same experience when I went back for my one week visit and my therapist insisted I stay that way for 5 minutes. I went back today for my 2 week visit and since my usual therapist was on vacation, I told the new one I wasn't doing that again. She was agreeable and only did it as long as she needed to measure my extension. Fortunately I had improved from +4 to 0 so her and the doctor were happy with my improvement. One of the exercises I'm supposed to do 3 times a day is to prop my heel on the cryo-cuff ( with it laying horizontal on the bed) and hold it for 5 minutes. Yeah....like that's going to happen. I may do it once a day and I'm working up on time. I can hold it for about 2 1/2 minutes now. My therapist did suggest I try doing it with ice on my knee and that seems to help some.
 
Achieving full extension often takes longer than getting a good bend. It takes patience, but you'll get there.
There are several things you can do at home to help with extension - just start gradually, for short periods of time, and don't hurt yourself. This article may help:
Extension: exercises for improvement
 
Hello all, happy 4th of July!!! Well today is 3 weeks and 2 days, I find one of my biggest thing is when I get up from sitting, it takes a lot of work for me to get my leg straight before I can walk. In those first couple steps are pretty rough. Wonder what other people's experiences are at this point. Also wondering how much walking I should do. Today I walked down to my garden and back probably about 70 yards each way. Did some laundry, helped with lunch and dinner. I can see my progress compared to when I first came home for sure. But it just amazes me how every day, actually every hour so different. One minute I'll feel like I'm doing really well and my knee is coming along, and then the next minute its froze up and feels tighter than ever. This is for sure a rollercoaster journey. I must be doing better though because I have really scaled back on the pain medicine. I was taking at least 1 1/2 percocet every 4 hours. The last couple days I'm down to one percocet every 5 to 6 hours. But boy it's amazing how bad the energy drain is. I gathered some laundry took it to the laundry room put in the washer, and then had a rest for 30 minutes before I could get back up. Be glad when my energy is back!
 
That sounds about right though I didn't walk out the front door until PT made me go. Don't be concerned with comparing though. Try doing a little stretching each time you get up. I just told the dog it was dinner time then did a gravity drop flex stretch for a minute before getting up, helped with the stiffness and good dog that she is she didn't bounce on me to get me moving. When your energy level allows it do a bit more but sit and evaluate to see if more than that is a good idea or not. Working through the energy drain is a great way to join the Over Do It Club and you don't want to do that.
 
Thanks!! And another question... I was doing quad sets and then trying to go into straight leg lifts. At one point I felt and heard something kind of pop or snap at the outside upper area of my knee cap, as the kneecap started to move as my quad tightened, can't say that it really hurt, but it did feel strange. Not sure if it was a good or a bad thing, anyone else ever had this may be scar tissue breaking loose or something I don't know
 
@kmann - you'll feel all sorts of popping until your quads are strong. I think it's perfectly normal, especially when changing positions. You shouldn't feel it so much when walking. My 1st knee had stopped popping until I had the 2nd one done. Now it does it when I change positions in bed at night. Once I can get back in the gym and start strengthening I think it will resolve.
 
Well I have outpatient PT again today, & I had been dreading it. The last time I went I had a different physical therapist because mine was on vacation, and she made me cry. I'm not much of a crier, especially in a public place , so I really did not like that. Luckily my other therapist will be back today, so hopefully it will be better. It was those stupid heel prop extension exercises that got me, it just hurts so bad, and then when I finally went to take my leg off of the prop I can hardly move. That coupled with the fact that I didn't wake up in the middle of the night to take pain medicine, so I've been without it for 10 hours, but I don't want to take it right now because I have 3 hours before therapy so I feel like I need to wait at least an hour and a half. Wish me luck
 
@kmann Good Luck - my dear!!! I am so dreading the PT part of recovery....... But I know it is a necessary evil!!! Let us know how you do!!!! :angel:
 
PT was so much better today with my regular therapist. I mean it was still hard, but she got what she needed from me, I had a 107 degree flexion, and 3 degree extension. She just knows what hard for me and she takes her time has me do certain stretches and other exercises first to get me ready for the extension, and it really seems to help. 3 1/2 weeks out I am now, they hooked me up to an electrical stim to try to get the quad to fire today, it's still not wanting to wake up very well. I'm sure once we get that woke up and going it'll make things much easier.
 
Glad you have a good therapist. Here's hoping your sleepy quad wakes up for you. I didn't have that issue, but lots of people say that just suddenly one day it wakes up for them.
 
Those traumatized quads sometimes take a while to get moving....one more way to teach us patience!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
I hope it wakes up soon. I know mine took forever to wake up.

I had lots trouble with pt when mine was gone. They made me cry to. I had to walk out. They don't see they hurt us. It's all about them. They want to meet there goal.

I had a good Pt. In beginning I had to say stop. Your hurting me. Be gentle with me. And she backed off. Good luck!!


FaithMitchmommy
PKR December.1,2014
TKREV MARCH.2,2015
 
Thanks all...the girl I have is WONDERFUL!!!Today I learned that Thursdays are her day off, so will not make appointments for that day. I am just so amazed at how long it takes to recover from this, don't think I was prepared for it to be quite this bad. I really worry and stressed over going back to work at 12 weeks. Unfortunately I don't have a choice, I have worked for this clinic for 20 years, but they have a very strict rule about FMLA leave. They might give you a little bit of leeway like a week or two over the 12 weeks. But if you go beyond that they terminate you, granted you can't be rehired and probably will, but it reset all of your seniority. And at 20 years of service that would be a big deal for me.
 
You will be surprised at how you'll see change slowly but surely. Look at @Kansas Teacher 's thread because she's had a great recovery and @JennyLynne has also and went back to a desk job relatively early. Don't worry, you have 8 more weeks and you'll feel like a different person by then. Would they allow you to come back slowly? A few days a week or half days?
 
I understand your concerns. I have two more weeks of my FMLA! I'm a little behind having had a manipulation last week. Told a co-worker I've only been on my feet at the most three hours at a time thus far, and I'm elevating and icing a lot. She proceeded to tell me about her neighbour's miraculous (at least it sounded that way to me!) TKR recovery. Lucky neighbor! I'm hoping my OS might write me a note for shorter work days at least the first week when I see him next week.

sent from my Galaxy 4
 
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