TKR Highlander's New Knee

Status
Not open for further replies.

highlander

member
Joined
Oct 21, 2016
Messages
142
Age
61
Location
Virginia
Country
United States United States
Gender
Male
Day 2 of recovery is starting early this am. Yesterday I got my new knee- 36 years in the making. First day and night were not bad. But of course my femoral block is still going strong. Mt PT came in and we measured 95 degrees and 0 on the edge of my bed yesterday. I was able to do ankle pumps, and straight leg lifts quite easily. Now the fun begins. Group PT at 10 am today. My OS had to clean out A LOT of spurs and trash, especially in back of knee, so I'm worried I may have increased swelling. But pain is not bad yet.
 
So far so good then! Long may it continue.
 
Well pain is coming a little more now. My drain tube actually came loose and they had to pull the drain a day early. OS didn't seem concerned, but I'm worried that I will have more swelling etc. That happen to anyone else?
 
Welcome! Best of luck on your journey of recovery!
 
The drain on my R knee never drained (because it slid mostly out) and was removed early. The right knee did not swell any more than my L knee.
 
Congratulations on your new knee. My OS removed the drain early in the morning on the second day and it didn't cause me much problem with extra swelling. It's the elevation and icing that will make the difference in the next weeks. Here is your own copy of post op readings.
Here are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs

Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Activity progression for TKRs
Heel slides and how to do them

Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it

Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
 
Congratulations on your new knee. I didn't have a drain for either of my knees, so I can't comment on that. All my care was individual. I wonder what it's like meeting all your new knee buddies in group PT. :)
 
I had a drain that needed pulled and one that just fell out. I don't think it'll make a lot of difference in your swelling. But be thankful it fell out, because it hurt like the dickens to have it pulled!
 
I never had a drain either. Is there a reason for them?
 
Some surgeons use a drain, and some don't.



I have had one knee replacement with a drain and two without. There seemed to be no difference in my progress.
 
Welcome! Glad you found this group of BoneSmarties we'll help you through your recovery! I didn't have drains in either knee, surgical drainage and swelling are two different events. It sounds like your first 48 have been pretty easy. Please don't get discouraged if this changes a bit for the worse once the blocks and long acting anesthetic wears off. Follow the mantras and all will eventually be well! The dark days come and go, the new knee will bring you comfort for the rest of your life!
 
Wow. Nerve block wore off today and pain level went to an 8. I have most of my swelling in upper thigh and inner quad. Massive tightness and still numb from maybe the surgery incisions??? Anyway, group PT at 10am went pretty well and my ROM was 100 and 3. But my nurse did not get me my pm meds in a timely manner, and the pain and stiffness from the am session jumped on me. PM group PT was not good. The joint is not the problem , I guess it's the massive tightness in the inner and outer quad. Student nurse was late with pain meds. I made them give me extra gel packs this pm to go along with the do joy iceman. Seems my surgical dressing is so tight that the cold isn't cold enough to me. My OS came in and talked with me this am, worse 54 year old knee he has seen in a while. I even had one bone spur the size of a Ping pong ball floating in the back of knee. He said if all the spurs he shaved off were gold, he could retire :)
 
Speaking of a drain tube, I had one and my drain tube was working well, had more drainage in the container to be able to remove the drain tube. But from one shift to another the next nurse didn't think I had much drainage and removed mine.

I personally think mine was removed to soon, I had like a pocket of fluid that was next to my incision, took a long time for my body to deal with that pocket of fluid which in hind sight I think added to some problems I had later on during my recovery.

Not sure why some doctors use them and some don't, my best friend had TKR surgery at a different hospital, different surgeon and had no drain tube and no issues that way.

Maybe for most people if they come loose or are removed early it's no big deal, but I remember my one nurse saying I was having a lot of drainage yet, hours prior to the next nurse coming in and saying oh not much drainage we can remove that, and of course I was too doped up to know any different. :(
 
My drain tube actually came loose and they had to pull the drain a day early. OS didn't seem concerned, but I'm worried that I will have more swelling etc.
The wound drains are not connected with the general swelling. Their purpose is purely and simply to remove excess blood from the joint. But some surgeons don't use them and usually those surgeons have a different technique in that they are more diligent about haemostasis (sealing small bleeding vessels) so the risk of excess blood is not so great. It's not an 'either or' thing, it's purely about the surgeon's preference.

I have most of my swelling in upper thigh and inner quad. Massive tightness
Don't imagine a pain or swelling to be associated with a particular muscle. It's just post-op pain, nothing more.
still numb from maybe the surgery incisions?
Could be Numb area after TKR
Seems my surgical dressing is so tight that the cold isn't cold enough to me.
Not tight - THICK! That's why most (good) knee surgeons only put on a single dressing like this

opsite dressing 2.jpg
 
Guys thanks so much for the encouragement and wisdom. So here is the crazy group PT we had to endure twice today: 20 ankle pumps on a rolled towel.
20 quad flexes on the roll- holding each for 10 seconds
20 glute flexes- hold 10 secondsure,e
20 board slides with rubber band- hold each in progression for the number of seconds of each rep rolled
20 in out abductor adductor slides
20 half quad flexes on rolled towel under knee
20 heel slides on a skateboard while seated then a flex measured on 20 rep
Then ice on and a rolled towel plus a 3 pound weight on knee to straighten for 10 minutes. Then measure.

We did this at 10 am and then again at 2pm. My am flex was 100. My pm flex was 80, because I was in such pain from a combination of nerve block wearing off, and meds started late, plus the swelling that increased
all day. Is it just me or is this insane? We are due to do this for 2 sessions tomorrow as well. I've spent the last 6 hours just trying to reel in the pain levels. And can barely do one leg lift now, where they were a piece of cake this am.

Is this a normal regimen for day two????
 
No it is not! I can't believe a hospital is putting weights on a new knee! I had to do quad and glute flexes, and other stretches. Ankle pumps are somthing you should be doing all the time in the bed. Also you shouldn't be using a rubber band either.
Your knee is probably swollen from this PT, that's why you can't bend it afterward. When you are home try to follow the mantras in the articles above.
 
There are a lot of knowledgeable people here, so I am sure you will get some great advice, but I think that amount of PT is crazy. I had my surgery on January 9th and have had very gentle PT, due to some bleeding I am still having. If you are in that much pain, the PT might be too much.
 
Oh golly! That all sounds like pure torture!!! Head home and follow the mantras! If it causes more pain it's bad! Trust your body it is telling you something....
 
That sounds awful!! On another thread a poster was advised by the OS to treat themselves as though they had flu for the first 2weeks as they needed to recover and start to heal. Tell them you feel too unwell to attend this group - because you are!! Good luck.
 
Better pain level this am, but worried about group PT today. I may slack on it and preserve my lower pain level. Might be going home this pm if pain is controlled.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jamie
    Staff member since Feb, 2009
  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,053
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom