Almost 3 weeks out!! Mobility is still around 80° and working on it. Ice machine is still my best friend as it makes the knee tolerable during the day. Night time is hit and miss. Some nights it bothers me a lot and keeps me awake others I sleep all the way through.
TKR On the other side
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patriciad
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Your scar looks to be healing beautifully and you ae doing very well indeed for just 3 weeks out.
Nights are difficult but it might be worth trying the Saran Wrap (Cling Film )Method to ease the knee overnight. Search the threads on here for the post detailing the original video of the method but basically I wrapped my leg from just above the start of the scar to the top of my shin loosely - just once around with any brand of Cling Film you have to hand. It helped with the irritation from bedcovers that woke me during the night and with the zinging pains that came from cut nerves healing as the weeks went on. I found it also helped considerably with softening my scar and easing morning stiffness. You just wrap overnight and take off during the day. Works well for some - not for others but cheap and easy to try.
Good luck with continued progress in this challenging time. Have patience, go easy and you will get there.
Nights are difficult but it might be worth trying the Saran Wrap (Cling Film )Method to ease the knee overnight. Search the threads on here for the post detailing the original video of the method but basically I wrapped my leg from just above the start of the scar to the top of my shin loosely - just once around with any brand of Cling Film you have to hand. It helped with the irritation from bedcovers that woke me during the night and with the zinging pains that came from cut nerves healing as the weeks went on. I found it also helped considerably with softening my scar and easing morning stiffness. You just wrap overnight and take off during the day. Works well for some - not for others but cheap and easy to try.
Good luck with continued progress in this challenging time. Have patience, go easy and you will get there.
Sometimes you can trace that nighttime pain to doing too much during the day. Of course, at other times you can't really find a connection. All part of the weird and wonderful world of recovery. 
All of us have that up and down sleeping pattern in the early recovery days. You might have a good day and do a little bit more than normal and then your knee rebels that night. Listening to your knee's reaction is a great way to recover with less pain and swelling. Most of the time, the pain and/or swelling can be traced back to something that you did the previous day or two. And then again, sometimes the knee just wants to be a spoiled brat and hurt for no known reason! All the fun of a knee replacement recovery!
Sunday funday! Quiet day around here. Cooking some pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw. Having some company later for dinner. Got a 8 hours sleep last night but still needed a nap this afternoon , healing still I guess. Went to therapy Friday and had 85° in the knee. Told me I am in for a long painful road still. Slider board has to be the worst thing ever!! Using the bike with partial rotation and lay on my stomach and wrap the ankle with a seat belt and give it a gentle pull Is treading water in a pool a good idea?
Hope everyone is having a great weekend
Hope everyone is having a great weekend
Hi @Dcmprshn Quite a few of our members have found swimming or other pool exercises helpful. However, it's important that your incision be fully healed before you keep it under water for extended periods. It does look good in the photo, but you might want to check with your surgeon's office on that one.
On the other hand, you really don't want anyone pushing on your knee or pulling your leg with a strap or belt. You need to be able to control the motion of your knee so that you can stop immediately if what you are doing hurts. You are still very early days. Remember, that slow and steady is the key to this recovery.
On the other hand, you really don't want anyone pushing on your knee or pulling your leg with a strap or belt. You need to be able to control the motion of your knee so that you can stop immediately if what you are doing hurts. You are still very early days. Remember, that slow and steady is the key to this recovery.
Walking in water is like using weights and can be too much for your baby knee. At 3 months I went into the pool and walked for only about 10 minutes. My knee yelled for two weeks after. It was another month before I tried it again.
This is a bad idea. Using any kind of bend assistance is not helping your bend. Forcing it further than it's ready to bend is counterproductive and causes more inflammation, swelling, and pain. That's a setback. Bending only what you can do on your own is what counts. It's fine for you to bend your knee as much as you can without pain and without assistance. That's truly what it can do.
glidefloss
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Hi @dcmprsh, great report! Am sure all that quality sleep is a huge plus! I'm envious!!
I did manage a couple of hours of deep sleep in my "third session" last night and in fact had a very vivid dream. (I usually sleep very deeply for a couple of hours the first time I hit the sack and that's when I normally dream. I'd struggle to get back to sleep and when I do, it'd be choppy, dreamless sleep before I get up again ... and that'd continue on till day break. So dreaming when I did last night was a "victory"! )
All the best on your recovery!!
4 weeks out today and doing well. Sleep is interesting as I am waking up as the outside lower part of the knee is painful as heck. Thinking maybe part of the healing process. It is still swollen but not hot to the touch. Incision has healed up very well and looks good. Ice machine is still my best friend when the knee hurts though.
Rehab is going well have 95° of movement now and go twice a week for 45 minutes to an hour. Almost able to go downstairs like a healthy knee. Up stairs I can do normally now
Rehab is going well have 95° of movement now and go twice a week for 45 minutes to an hour. Almost able to go downstairs like a healthy knee. Up stairs I can do normally now
Sounds like you are doing very well, @Dcmprshn ! I couldn't descend stairs reciprocally until I was almost six months out, so if you are almost there at 4 weeks, that's amazing.
Nighttime leg pain is very common for the first few months and isn't a cause of concern. But remember that swelling likely means you are doing more than your new knee is ready for. Slow and easy is the smoothest route to recovery.
Hope your recovery continues to go well.
Nighttime leg pain is very common for the first few months and isn't a cause of concern. But remember that swelling likely means you are doing more than your new knee is ready for. Slow and easy is the smoothest route to recovery.
Hope your recovery continues to go well.
You are doing very well for so early in your recovery! Remember to continue to take things slow so you don't over-do it (which most of us have done!). Listen to that baby knee, it's in charge!
5 weeks out! This week has been interesting for sure. Range of motion is 105° now. Past 4 or 5 days the knee has been uncomfortable as heck. Probably some of my own doing as yard work/ pool opening and cleaning it. First time in 3 weeks I took a pain pill tonight as it bothered me that much. Going to try and walk in the pool tomorrow and see how that goes. Riding the bike now at rehab and hoping I can start riding my mountain bike soon. Thank you for all the encouragement and support
Welcome to the ODIC (OverDid It Club) bench! We've all spent time there during our recovery. It's human nature: we feel better and think we can do things that our new knee just isn't ready to do. You may need to back off your exercise routine until the knee feels better. Remember, you can't hurry this recovery; The Knee is in charge!
6 weeks out and doing much better. Rehab 2 times a week and exercises at home. Can go up and down the stairs again with just a little discomfort. Working on walking without a limp has been challenging, find myself having to take smaller and slower steps. Exercising in the pool and treading water again, I could not tread water pre surgery it was to painful. Sleep can be a bit of an issue as I find myself waking up very uncomfortable in the knee area. This has been an tough go for the 6 weeks to get here. Thank you for the support and kind words along the way
8 weeks out and feeling a ton better. Pain is pretty much gone, replaced with what I can only call a weird or strange sensation. Still feels numb on outside of leg below the knee. Right quad is smaller than my left, hopefully riding my mountain bike will fix that. Have 110° of movement in knee now, still a little shallow on straightening my leg which I am working hard on in rehab. Ontario government only picks up rehab to week 8, have my assessment this week and will have to payout of pocket for anymore.
Walking more every day and doing my exercises as regularly as allows. I can tread water again and building up my time in the deep end, along with some lengths swimming.
I was active in martial arts presurgery. Surgeon has let me know if the knee lets go it will be at least a few surgeries to fix it, looks like yoga or tai chi may be in my future with much lower risk from either of them
Will be checking in from time to time as this was a great group with good support and ideas. Thank you for the time and energy everyone has given along the way,
Walking more every day and doing my exercises as regularly as allows. I can tread water again and building up my time in the deep end, along with some lengths swimming.
I was active in martial arts presurgery. Surgeon has let me know if the knee lets go it will be at least a few surgeries to fix it, looks like yoga or tai chi may be in my future with much lower risk from either of them
Will be checking in from time to time as this was a great group with good support and ideas. Thank you for the time and energy everyone has given along the way,
There is no need to pay for more therapy. You are doing well already!
This is rehab and you are doing it your way and it's working! Why pay for something when you are already doing it yourself!
Hi all! Almost 5 months out from surgery. Have returned to work with no restrictions. Pain in knee I had presurgery is gone!! Range of motion is 110°. Stairs are no issue but I do find myself having to focus on walking correctly still. Funny how some habits carry over that way
Surgeon has told me it will be a year for full healing. I feel pretty good now and hopefully it will improve even more. Can not ride my mountain bike yet as I do not have the range of motion for it yet.
Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support on this journey it has certainly been a challenge
Surgeon has told me it will be a year for full healing. I feel pretty good now and hopefully it will improve even more. Can not ride my mountain bike yet as I do not have the range of motion for it yet.
Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support on this journey it has certainly been a challenge
You will get there with the bike, don't worry! It just takes time and patience.
