TKR New knee for me

Hi and Welcome!

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.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

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!)​
If you want to use something to help heal the incision,
BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.​

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.
 
There's lots of great information here and helps to counteract the ideas of many people who totally underestimate this surgery.
 
Congrats on your new knee! How are you feeling? The first weeks are tough.
 
Happy One Month Anniversary!
If you have time for an update, we'd love to read about your progress.
I hope all is well and you're feeling stronger with each passing week. Happy Healing!
@LydiasMom
 
So sorry I didn't reply sooner, I couldn't get logged in.
I am doing well, my post op check ups have been great, everything is lined up and healing as it should.
Still a bit of stiffness and soreness, but theworst pain is now gone.
Physical therapy is helping me very much.
 
Ok.....I know it takes time and patience for recovery, having said that, my knee is pretty much refusing to bend. It will bend some, I can walk fine with no assistance (when it's not feeling stiff).
It will bend so far, then doesn't want to go no further, it scares me!
My physical therapist wants it to bend farther, I don't know why she's in a "hurry", but she forces my knee back farther than it wants to go, and it hurts pretty bad.
I really like her, she has helped me a lot, but how do I stop her from doing this since my knee apparently isn't ready for it?
I can do all the exercises and ride the stationary bike, but after all that, she bends my knee a few times then (not sure what it's called) she pushes hard real quick. She apologizes and says it has to be done to break scar tissue.
I'm not limping or anything, so why does my knee have to bend that far back so soon, I'm right at 6 weeks post op?
 
The PT won’t do anything you don’t allow her to do. When she tries to bend the knee, tell her no.

are you still icing and elevating? It’s likely the knee is still swollen from being pushed beyond what it’s ready for. Also, do you do heel slides? I found them very helpful as each slide would naturally come back a bit further.
 
Hi there. I was in exactly the same situation you are at. I thought my PT was great but then she would push the knee down until it hurt -- bad. I was so worried about saying something. Well, I did! She said it was necessary. It is not. I would come home feeling beaten after going to PT. Tell the PT not to do that. I suggest you cease PT if she insists. That's what I had to do. You have to be in charge of your body, your self. As you'll find out on this site, your knee will eventually get there.
 
how do I stop her from doing this since my knee apparently isn't ready for it?
Tell her, NO. It hurts and I want you to stop.
Please refrain from engaging in movement that causes discomfort or pain. Do not allow anyone to forcefully manipulate your leg. While your range of motion is currently limited, it will naturally increase as the swelling subsides and the pain eases. Give it time. You are only six and a half weeks post op.
 
She apologizes and says it has to be done to break scar tissue.
This is a myth that indicates she is not well educated about recovery from knee replacement surgery. Scar tissue is an essential part of the healing process. It's what holds your incision together. Without it, you'd always have an open wound.

What's restricting your bend is inflammation. Even if it isn't visible from the outside, at only 6 weeks post op, you still have swelling in that knee. And forcing the bend, as your PT is doing, is likely increasing the swelling.

If you an do a full rotation on the bike, your bend is great for just six weeks post-op -- and it will continue to improve with time.

Please say "no" to her next time she tries to do this.
 
Although some people don't like heel slides, I did them everyday and liked them. I saw a lot of progress in my flexion. I used a yoga strap and gently pulled back to flex my knee. I could control how much or little I went with it. I didn't find it painful at all.
 
I have to agree that your knee is swollen due to aggressive pt. Give pt a rest for a bit and keep icing and elevating. Get the swelling down (it takes some time and effort) then you will be better able to bend it. I've been there several times. You will be surprised how much more you can bend it by taking a PT break!
 
It's so scary to have a medical person pushing at you and having to stand up to them. But you can do it.
Gentle exercises are all that you need. I’ve had 2 THR's and I did attempt the exercises and if the first one hurt, I stopped. Some days I could do 3 or 4, then I stopped.
I did them in my home with no one harping at me.
A couple times, when I overdid activities I felt a huge difference in my pain/swelling levels so backed off and trusted the process. Which is rest, elevate, ice.
The best part is that both hips healed so nicely. I love them.
 
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Happy Two Month Anniversary, LydiasMom.
I hope things are progressing nicely for you and going better in PT.
Please let us know how you're doing next time you stop by.
Happy Spring!:flwrysmile:
@LydiasMom
 
Happy Three Month Anniversary!
I hope your return to work is going well and you've settled into a comfortable routine.
Best Wishes for a lovely Spring 2023!
@LydiasMom
 

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