TKR New Here Looking for Positivity

[LooLoo]

Hello all. I’m at around 9 weeks and still feeling some pain and stiffness. How much should I be walking? I can walk but it’s difficult and causes some pain. I do the grocery store etc. is that normal at this stage? Should I be doing more?
I have my follow up on Wednesday regarding MUA and I’m very scared. My range of motion is at 115 after warming up and stretching first. I am hoping my doctor will not suggest it again but I don’t feel like I’m gaining much improvement in terms of stiffness and pain. Also, I am not walking normally. I try but I tend to swing my leg a bit.
Thanks for listening.

 

[Tykey]

A ROM of 115, and an MUA is still on the agenda!! That would be a nonsense.

I used to swing my leg, like Chester in Gunsmoke. I temporarily used one crutch and placed it such that my foot had to go straight forward, or it would hit the crutch. Didn't take long to cure that.

Everything is different for everybody, you seem to be doing well

 

[Jaycey]

@LooLoo I would not even entertain a discussion about MUA at that appointment. You are doing fine. All this takes time and tons of patience. Your gait will improve - just give it time.

 

[Jockette]

This recovery takes and average of a year, which is 52 weeks. You are 9 weeks. You have lots more healing to do.

Your ROM is fine. If my doctor talked MUA with a ROM of 115, I’d find another doctor.

Recently I compared this recovery to baking cookies. My chocolate chip cookies take 12 minutes to completely bake. If I take them out earlier, at 2 minutes, 4, 8 or whatever, they will only be partially baked, and not all that tasty, because they’re not done yet.

The same is true of our knee at 2 months, or 3 months, etc. It needs time to finish healing.

 

[Carole4815]

Hello all. I’m at around 9 weeks and still feeling some pain and stiffness. How much should I be walking? I can walk but it’s difficult and causes some pain. I do the grocery store etc. is that normal at this stage? Should I be doing more?

I am no role model but I can give you an idea of what one old lady getting over serious mobility problems is doing, as far as walking.

My surgery was a couple of weeks after yours, and I just went to the grocery store for the first time this week. It was such fun! This is something I had wanted to do for a long time. But I didn't want to get too tired, so I bought a dozen eggs and some yogurt and then headed home.

I expected to be walking more by this time, but I am not upset about it. I don't feel much pain when walking (using a rollator), but still it is not completely easy for me. I am hoping that in time, walking will become easier.

I really can't speak for how much others are walking, though. Maybe they will chime in.

 

[LooLoo]

Thank you all for your comments. It is so helpful and will give me more confidence at my appointment. It’s difficult for me to have patience sometimes. I need to come here to remind myself that this is all going to take longer than I think.

 

[sistersinhim]

My range of motion is at 115 after warming up and stretching first. I am hoping my doctor will not suggest it again

Most OSs won't even consider a MUA once you reach 90 degrees. You are way past that. If your OS recommends it, run! At 9 weeks you are doing great!

Everyone's walking comfort is individual. I was doing only around 2000 daily steps at 3 months. My first hike attempt in the mountains was at 4 months and I stayed on paved walkways and only walked about 3,000 steps. I was thrilled that I was able to do that!

As long as you listen to your knee and 'obey' it, you will be fine. Some days will be good, some bad. That is normal for at least 6-9 months. There is a lot of trauma that was done to the inside of that knee of yours that it has to heal from before it's 100% recovered.

 

[LooLoo]

Hello all
Had my follow up appointment last week and thankfully do not have to do the MUA. I’m around the 11 week mark now. I’m going to PT in the am then work. At about the 5-6 hour mark I am tired, more stiff, and in a little more pain. Keep coming home to immediately elevate and nap not to mention some serious depression caused by my inability to do much. Also, not a whole lot of motivation to do much either.
Is this normal at this stage after surgery?
I appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

 

[Poctdb]

@LooLoo
At eleven weeks I had been back to work 3 weeks.
I could sit at my desk, then go to PT and I then went to bed.
Until about 4 months, I had no stamina.
I rarely could even manage to go grocery shopping after PT and work.
I was not depressed....but I certainly was worn out frequently.

 

[Rather]

@LooLoo I just finished reading through your entire thread. I am 5 months out for my first TKR and 9 days for the 2nd. Your experiences have been similar to mine. I had difficulty finding a PT person who was willing to focus on anything but ROM. I did finally find an occupational therapist whose focus was on activities of daily living - how well was I walking; how difficult was it to drive, to fix a meal, to do stairs, to sit at my desk for hours, etc. She showed me how the swelling in my knee was affecting/creating difficulties. By doing lymphatic massages and using kinesiology tape, she was able to start reducing the swelling and guess what - my ROM increased dramatically, but more importantly, I was able to move more easily with less pain.

I went back to work PT in week 5 and FT in week 6. My work is primarily at the desk and I work at a college, so I can be a bit more relaxed that might be possible in other settings. Each day I came home exhausted, with a swelling knee and immediately elevated and iced for at least an hour. For quite awhile it was hard to get interetsed in things the way I had before. I don't think I managed to stay awake any night past 7pm. But my stamina and positive outlook got better - slowly - but steadily and at 4 months I was not only looking forward to work, but could also walk for miles.

And now I'm back to ground zero again and today I was depressed and totally not motivated to do anything. Even though I know enough to expect it in the recovery, that doesn't help much at the moment it is happening. Hopefully, you will find small gifts of positivity in your recovery and in your work that can help get you through the tough times. Many people refer to this recovery as hard - I prefer the word brutal in its unpredictability and combination of physical pain with mental fog and depression. Luckily, all of the contributors on this forum provide so much evidence each day that the future will be better than the present. Like Tinkerbell, I am revived by all of the threads that help me to believe that.

 

[LooLoo]

Thanks @Poctdb it sounds like the 4 month mark will be better. It’s definitely improving but hoping for more energy.
@Rather Thanks so much for all of your information. A second surgery after 5 months?I can’t imagine going through it all again. You are very strong. I wish you a healthy, speedy recovery and sending positivity and healing energy your way.
I’m sorry you are feeling depressed. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, Its nice to have this forum to know we aren’t alone in our struggles and to hear they won’t last forever. Please keep us posted on your progress!
I’m going to look into the massages etc you recommend. Thank you!

 

[FitGal]

@LooLoo - I'm at 13 weeks and still working through pain, stiffness, and especially swelling. I am still tired, but gain more energy everyday. Each day I am hoping I will wake up and forget that I have a new knee....hasn't really happened yet --- but it will!!! Hang in there!!!