TKR 8 months post op - Life is GOOD!

Naturelover

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Surgery was 11am on Friday, stayed overnight at hospital, got home 3 pm Saturday. I am using a walker and luckily do not have too much pain, only took Oxycodone 3 x on Sat and Sunday. On Sunday at home PT came and showed me a few ROM exercises. Today, I have only taken Tylenol for Pain. I am thinking that the nerve block has not yet worn off and that I am incredibly lucky as my belly is more painful than my knee. My leg is very swollen and have been icing, elevating it and doing ankle pumps. I am pleasantly surprised at how smooth my recovery has been so far. Will have PT again on T, Th and Saturday.
 
When my nerve block wore off, I never knew. Nothing changed and I had no post op pain. I hope things continue to be good for you!
 
Hi and Welcome to Recovery!

That’s great that things are going so well. Still take it easy and let your knee heal, you can join the Over Did It Club very quickly.


I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

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

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

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website

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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
surgery was one week ago today. At home PT actually had me walk around the house with a cane. I am very unsure of myself walking with only a cane, although I can't believe that it is remotely possible this early post surgery. I am still very swollen with a lot of heat coming from my knee, is this normal? I also feel numbness in the swollen areas.... I have soreness in my hip, calf, and IT band that I wish I could find a way to stretch these areas. Any suggestions?? I have my first outpatient PT on Monday.

This x-ray is from 10/31/19.
 

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The heat is normal and occurs as a by-product of the healing process. Mine is still warm to the touch at 6 months post-op, and this is my norm after most of my 11 knee surgeries. As for the tight muscles and IT band, a lot of this occurs because of how the Dr pulled/tugged on your leg to get the new components into your knee. I had an in-home PT gently massage my leg at both of the first 2 visits, as she was specifically trying to get some of the swelling down. I'm glad your pain levels aren't too bad though.
 
I am still very swollen with a lot of heat coming from my knee, is this normal?
It is normal to have swelling and warmth for months after PKR/TKR, they are both major surgeries, it takes awhile for the soft tissue to heal and calm down.
Your PT can help with getting the swelling down, and with some gentle stretches for your sore and tight muscles.
 
Hi @Campie2,

Happy Thanksgiving! today I am 20 days post op, I saw my surgeons PA for followup yesterday and she was very pleased with my progress. I was told to lose the walker and she suggested exercises for straightening my leg while standing as well as bending my knee while seated. She acknowledged that further bending and straightening will be uncomfortable for me.

90% of the time my pain hovers about a 2-3 / 10. Occasionally my pain reaches 5-6 and when that happens I know to back off and not exercise for a day or two.

This past Tuesday PT measured ROM at 107 and that was with PT pushing to point of uncomfortable stretch across my knee.

I am pleasantly surprised with my progress. I feel lucky and know that I still have lots of hard work to do.

Thank you for asking. How is your recovery?
 
Naturelover,
Glad you are doing well at 20 days, and are approaching this recovery by listening to your body.
 
20 days post op. HAPPY THANKSGIVING Bone Smarties.

My Rt TKR recovery is proceeding very nicely compared to my Lt PKR in 2016. I now have two regrets....

1. I waited too long to have surgery on my right leg because my left partial was not as successful as I expected.
2. I wish I had done a total instead of a partial on the left knee.

Thank you all for sharing your recovery stories. There is a wealth of information on this website!
 

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Looks good!
Glad you are happy with your Right TKR, sounds like you are doing well and are on the road to recovery.
 
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
 
I am 6 weeks post op. My PT has been pushing me to schedule an appointment with my surgeon earlier than my scheduled 3 month followup because she is worried that my new right knee is significantly valgus (knock kneed). I am slightly bowlegged and immediately after surgery noticed that my lower leg now protrudes out laterally away from my mid line (which is most noticeable to me) when I sit on the ground with my legs extended in front of me (with my knees together). I had mentioned this concern at my post op visit and the surgeons PA said that he probably tried to correct the bowleg during my surgery.

I was able to get an appointment with OS this Thursday. I am getting anxious and worried about what my surgeon will say about my now valgus knee. Is this going to complicate my recovery? Will I need a brace to straighten my leg? Will I need a revision? My range of motion has not changed much in 4 weeks which I was not terribly concerned about until my PT suggested the valgus might interfere with my ability to extend my knee.

Has anyone else experienced this type of "correction" to their stance?
 
@Naturelover I just merged your second recovery thread into this one and notice the post was a duplicate to what you posted here. Please don't start new recovery threads. We need your information all in one place to correctly advise you. Thanks!
 
Please, can someone from Bonesmart provide a list of knee revision surgeons near central NJ? My zipcode is 07728. From reading the threads of previous post Knee replacement Valgus outcomes, it sounds as if I should start looking for second opinions.

Thank you, Karen
 
Please, can someone from Bonesmart provide a list of knee revision surgeons near central NJ?
I’ll tag @Jamie for you.

I’m sorry you have a situation that makes you need a second opinion.
 
@Naturelover ... I'm sorry, but I don't have any revision surgeons in New Jersey. Would you be able to travel to HSS in New York to see someone?

Please tag me with your response so I see it quickly. To do that, you type the "at" sign (@) followed by my username with no space in between .... like this ..... @Jamie
 
How about the Philadelphia area?
 
Here are some options for you then:

New York City
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)


Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center is a special program created with a $10M grant that deals with diagnosing and treating the most challenging knee and hip replacement problems. As part of the diagnosis, a committee of surgeons meets to discuss your case. There is a $500 fee for your case review. This center is headed up by Dr.Thomas Sculco.

Hospital for Special Surgery
535 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
212-606-1000
http://www.hss.edu/physicians_su-edwin.asp

Dr. Della Valle (I have several recommendations on this surgeon)
Dr. Bostrom
Dr DeFelice
Dr. Jerebek
Dr. Westrich


Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Gwo-Chin Lee
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
800-789-7366
 

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