TKR Numb feet

[Babybaby]

Thank you for the advice. I really can't think what I did to make my knee so angry!! Maybe something in my sleep but it's not like I'm sleeping a whole lot.

 

[Jockette]

Got my staples out yesterday and the incision looks good. Still doing gentle therapy. But today my knee is so swollen and stiff I can hardly move it at all.

At only 16 days post op just a trip to the doctor, and all that involves, is enough to upset your knee. Plus, the irritation to the knee of getting your staples out. And, like @sistersinhim mentioned, maneuvering in and out of bed can add to its distress.

 

[Vioryny]

I am nine days out from my TKR and am having trouble with numbness and tingling in my feet. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Hello
We have almost the same timeline. I had surgery on April 7th.
I also noticed some numbness on my 2 small toes.
As far as medication I quit oxycodone after 8 days
I take 800 mg Ibuprofen and 1000 mg Tylenol 2-3 times a day.
I had 4 PT sessions, and after 10 days I was able to walk with one crutch.
I feel tired as I have hard time sleeping.
Also, being by myself gives me the blues.
Speedy recovery!

 

[sistersinhim]

Also, being by myself gives me the blues.

You're never alone on Bonesmart. Someone is here 24 hours a day. That is what helped me get through this alone. It really helps to have someone to 'talk' to when those lonely times hit.

 

[Babybaby]

So today marks three weeks since my RTKR. I'm still experiencing numbness and tingling in my hand and foot. A little swollen. But knee and thigh just feel so stiff. Pain is not bad at all unless I try my exercises. The stiffness seems to get worse everyday. I'm starting to have nightmares about scar tissue. These thoughts are consuming me and it's hard to stay positive. I start outpatient therapy on Wednesday and I am very apprehensive about that. Thanks everyone for listening and your replies. It is so helpful to know I'm not alone.

 

[Jaycey]

Pain is not bad at all unless I try my exercises.

What is that telling you? Listen to that knee and you won't go wrong. Trying to push through any activity is counterproductive. Stop all that exercise and focus on ice and elevation. And if PT tries to force anything be firm.

You are only days out of major surgery. The issue is not scar tissue. Soft tissues, tendons and muscles have been traumatised. Please give them the chance to settle.

 

[Soreone]

My biggest complaint besides the numb feet is insomnia. I am exhausted but can not get any sleep. Is this normal?

Totally normal.
I am not a great sleeper anyway but my sleep pattern is only back to my normal at about 5 months. Any pain interfered with my sleep.
I would recommend asking your GP for some sleeping medication. My GP was OK with giving me a month's worth of zopiclone. Accepted that knee surgery was a very valid indication! I used it sparingly and also used valerian ( herbal nytol) melatonin and a sedative antihistamine. Switching around meant I didn't get tolerance.
I am back travelling and have saved some zopiclone for nights away.

I found sleeping in my recliner helped sometimes. I was often up through the night for pain pills a glass of milk and ice. Sometimes fell asleep like that.

 

[Layla]

Hi Babybaby,

I'm starting to have nightmares about scar tissue.

I wonder if you'd feel better if you have a conversation with your surgeon, or member of his care team? Possibly they can calm and reassure you. Out patient PT is a choice, so view it as that and know that any tine you're not comfortable with it, you can quit. You do not have to do anything that causes you discomfort or pain. You can politely decline.

A little swollen. But knee and thigh just feel so stiff.

Hopefully you're icing and elevating. If not, please do as it will likely help with the swelling and stiffness.
I wish you comfort and all the best. Let us know how PT goes.

 

[Babybaby]

Had my first outpatient therapy appointment today. They so far seem to say that they will not push so hard that I'm in pain. There will be discomfort but their goal is to take it slow and not cause me pain. I will continue to go and see if that stays the same. I am walking with a cane now. Took a standing shower for the first time today!! That felt liberating. Still trying not to be impatient but I just wish my leg wasn't so stiff. Still elevating and icing all of the time!!

 

[Layla]

Still trying not to be impatient but I just wish my leg wasn't so stiff.

Swelling can last for several months, to varying degrees, so try to roll with it. It does take patience and it's good you're icing and elevating. It won't hurt to ice preventatively after PT sessions also. Congrats on walking with the cane. Yay for first showers ...they are the best! I hope you sleep well tonight!

 

[Babybaby]

Thank you so much Layla. I hope you have a good night too

 

[VA Mom]

@Babybaby
congrats on the shower! I remember how good my first one felt, too!
glad to hear your PT is on the same page about gentle therapy. Discomfort can be tolerated; pain during PT is a signal of a “no-go” from your knee.
wishing you a continued healthy recovery!

 

[WillB]

I guess everything else is going well. I had my surgery April 3rd and quit taking the oxy codon on April 8. I'm not sure if I might have done that a little soon. I'm only taking Tylenol now. 500mg every 4-6 hours. Worried that I'm taking too much Tylenol but I don't know. PT is going well.I only have two more home visits. My biggest complaint besides the numb feet is insomnia. I am exhausted but can not get any sleep. Is this normal?

You can take up to 4K mg of Tylenol per day. You might want to try 1000mg every 6-8 hours.

 

[Babybaby]

So today marks four weeks since my surgery. I am not where I thought I would be but maybe my expectations were too high. I have been to outpatient therapy three times. It is hard but not too painful. I have a little bit of swelling. I am icing and elevating all the time. My knee still feels so stiff and I wish it would just bend. I need to go back to work next week but not sure how I will be able to do that. My ROM is only at 82 and that feels so discouraging. My family is a great support but I truly have never felt so alone and despondent. I know I am still early in my recovery but when do they consider putting me under to manipulate my knee. It seems to be all I can think about. And I'm so scared. I feel like a failure.

 

[Babybaby]

Anyone else feel like they are going backwards? I am really struggling mentally and I don't know if that is why my progress has seemed to come to a stand still. I am trying to stay positive but not sure I am fooling myself. Hope everyone else is having a positive recovery.

 

[Jockette]

I know I am still early in my recovery but when do they consider putting me under to manipulate my knee. It seems to be all I can think about. And I'm so scared. I feel like a failure.

You are not a failure! This recovery is tough and so many of us were not given realistic expectations about the recovery. I know I wasn’t!

My PKR is 6 years old. I fell, entering my house, the day after Christmas. I hit my knee hard, on the hard wood floor. My knee swelled and I could hardly bend it, and it took 2 full months, to be mostly better. This was just from a fall. No trauma-causing surgery, no broken bones. I realized then, just how much more trauma happens to, not just our knee, but our whole leg, during this surgery, that makes the recovery so long, as long as a full year or more.

Stiffness/Tightness is a normal occurrence after this kind of major surgery. Your surgeon did major carpentry work and disturbed every millimeter of soft tissue in this area. You aren't tight because your muscle is underused and needs to be stretched and rehabbed. You're tight because your tissue has been disturbed and is healing...and full healing takes a full year or more.

4 weeks is way too early to think about an MUA. And if your doctor mentions it, you don’t have to consent to it, and he can’t do it without your consent. Your knee will bend better when you heal more, and that takes time.

I suggest you talk to your boss and ask for more time off. Going back to work next week is not going to help you heal. Bonesmart recommends about 10-12 weeks off work.

Phased return to work

For return to work at 10-12 weeks as patient feels able, the following schedules are suggested week 1: Tues, Thurs 5hrs week 2: Mon, Wed, Fri 5hrs week 3: Tues, Thurs 8-9hrs week 4: Mon, Wed, Fri 8-9hrs week 5: normal duties The thing to remember really is that so often when people think of...

bonesmart.org

 

[TK new knee]

If there is one thing that everyone here has felt in their recovery it’s that you are going backwards , I was not getting increased ROM the first 4 weeks at the outpatient p/t , I iced after every session and for the rest of the day on those days minimal activity only ! For me the best measure of progress was not the protractor they bring out . it was when I arrived and they put me on the bike for a warm up of 5-7 minutes . At first I couldn’t go a full revolution only half circles back and forth , and the day I finally made that full circle revolution I felt like I won the Tour de France ! So I used that as a measure of progress slowly putting the seat closer and closer over many weeks until reaching that ROM you want to get to . it will come eventually , this really is a slow process !! I am at 4 1/2 months and finally am glad I had this done , lol! Hang in there , it’s a roller coaster ride and all of a sudden you will have more ups than downs ! You got this !!

 

[Babybaby]

Thank you so much for your replies!!! It really gave me some peace. I slept for five uninterrupted hours last night!!!!! That is a huge deal for me.
I am also trying to make a full circle on the stationary bike. I can not do it yet.
I also don't understand why surgeons don't tell us realistic expectations. This is nothing like what was described to me!!! I will need to get my other knee done at some point but I can't even imagine that ever happening at this point.
Thanks again for listening and replying to me. It means the world!!

 

[FionaW]

Unrealistic expectations seem like such a common experience. It’s so unhelpful and unfair. People feel like failures, when, in fact, their recovery is completely normal, I’ve been a member of Bonesmart since I had a hip replacement in 2014, and I have now had a knee replacement just four days after your surgery @Babybaby , and I’m due to get my other knee replaced soon. My expectations have been very low this time, thanks to what I have already learned, and as a result, I am quite laid-back and feeling quite cheerful about my slow but steady progress. I expect to be exhausted all the time, so I’m not frustrated by it. I know I will have pain if I’m not careful, so I’m taking pain medications regularly to avoid that. I realise that gentle movement rather than exercise is best for recovery, so I’m taking it easy. If you’re someone who has been told you can go back to work in a month if you work ‘hard enough’ at your PT, then you’re being set up for problems, and it’s just not fair. Even my own hospital team, who are fantastic in most respects, and whose advice generally matches Bonesmart’s, has a ridiculous statement on their website that says people should be able to go back to office jobs after two or three weeks! There’s no source or evidence given for this claim, and it contradicts other advice they give about resting, icing and elevating, keeping moving, and not starting physiotherapy until after your swelling has gone down… I’m sure a few people can go back to work after 3 or 4 weeks, but I’m certainly not one of them, and 3 months is more usual.

 

[Layla]

Happy One Month Anniversary!
I am sorry you were feeling so down on yourself, thankfully you seem to have re-adjusted your expectations.

Depending upon how physical your job is, it's difficult to think about you returning to work next week. It would be ideal if you could get more time off, but it's understandable that not everyone has that option. Hopefully you have an understanding boss and your colleagues don't assume that your return means you are fully healed, which you won't be for a long time. It's easy to underestimate the energy it takes just to get to the workplace only a handful of weeks post op. Hopefully once home after work, you'll be able to chill for the rest of the evening until your strength and stamina increases. Lots of rest, icing and elevation will help for sure.

While your range of motion is currently limited, it will naturally increase as the swelling subsides and the pain eases. Recovery does take patience. Don't allow visions of MUA any air time.
Try not to look for daily progress either, because you will be disappointed. Pick a day of the week to reflect back on any progress you made over the previous week and try to do this only once a week. I believe your wins / gains will be more apparent then.
Wishing you all the best!
@Babybaby