Bilateral TKR Pain!!!

We will change your thread title for you if you want a different one.
 
@Jockette
If I'm able to, instead of saying MUA can it just be BTKR and the title can be "One Step at a Time" Thanks Jockette!!
 
The MUA as the prefix is important as it allows other members who are looking for information about MUAs to find your thread and read your experience, so we need to leave that there.

But we’ll be happy to change your title for you!
 
Sorry to be a pain but since my MUA was 8/7 and its coming up on 12 weeks is it normal to still be stiff after sitting/walking (not long distanes) etc. I really don't have any swelling that I can see and I elevate/ice as much as possible. Thanks for any input anyone can provide.
 
You're not a pain at all! Yes, your MUA set your recovery back and it been only 3 months since then. That's 1/4 of the way healed. I stayed stiff off and on for about 6 months and after more strenuous activity. You are doing the right thing by icing and elevating. You still have swelling, which is causing the stiffness. Even if you don't see it on the outside, the inside is still swollen. When you had the MUA, it causes all those internal soft tissues to be damaged and traumatized again.
 
Yes, that is normal. This recovery takes a year, on average. You still have lots of healing to do.


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.
 
@sistersinhim
@Jockette
Thanks for the feedback. It just becomes scary when you hear stories from people that have had TKR and they say how they were doing so much more than what I'm currently doing and then your mind starts playing tricks on you. I start thinking I've done something to mess up my knees or that I'll have to have another MUA (which btw has totally caused some serious PTSD). I have been almost obsessed about ready different posts on the forum. I love reading about stuff that I've gone through and realizing that I'm not the only one out there that is having issues/concerns. Thanks again... you all are amazing!!!
 
I know it’s really hard not to compare ourselves to others, especially since so many people like to point out how much better someone else recovered, but, seriously, we are each on our own healing journey. I caused myself a lot of stress in my recovery comparing myself to others, even though I had read a million times on here not to do that.
 
I just found out today that my OS is taking me off Vicodin which I've it been on for less than a month. Before that I was using Percocet but I had been telling her that I needed something stronger for pain. She left me a message when I found this out. I'll have enough for one more month. How do I wean myself off them without going into withdraws if that's even possible.
 
I would ask both the doctor prescribing it, and your pharmacist, how to wean off it.

Years ago I was taking a medication that I needed to wean off and my pharmacist was very helpful. I did what she said successfully and with no withdrawal.
 
This is what Jamie suggested about weaning off pain medication:

Here is a suggested schedule for cutting back on prescription pain medications. Stay at each level for 3-4 days or even longer if you notice the pain symptoms increasing. This schedule assumes you are starting with one pill every 4 hours before beginning the reduction process.

1 pill every 6 hours and 2 at bedtime
1 pill every 6 hours and 1 1/2 at bedtime
1/2 pill every 4 hours and 1 1/2 at bedtime
1/2 pill every 6 hours and 1 1/2 at bedtime
1/2 pill every 8 hours and 1 1/2 at bedtime
1/2 pill every 8 hours and 1 at bedtime
1 pill if you are really doing something active during the day and 1 at bedtime

It is usually better to wean off these meds over several weeks, not several days. But.....if you are still having pain, then your body is healing and you still need pain relief. And in this case, I would discuss your pain management with your GP instead of your surgeon.
 
The guide above assumes your pain medication is prescribed at 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours. If you're currently taking it on a different schedule than this, you may need to adjust your doses from what I suggested in Celle's post above. But I think you can get the idea. The point is to reduce gradually over several weeks and allow your body 2-3 days at each level so it can readjust itself.
 
Jamie, Celle, Jockette -

Thank you all for the very valuable information. Before I saw this post, I had contacted my OS and explained my concerns. She said she will give me a months worth in order to get me off the medication. I will definitely try the above method in order to acclimate my body to not having the medication.

I do have another question... I do the icing and elevating as much as possible and I've been doing my heal slides but my chair is just a normal chair so I can't bend my knee past a certain point due to the design of the chair. Am I supposed to be doing something different? I do feel like I am able to bend my knee further than what I was bending while going to PT (shocker, lol):loll:. Also, in regards to the extension. I use the reference material that's provided by Bonesmart to do my exercises but I still feel like there is a bend in my knee when I walk. Is this normal?? And actually, I'm afraid to discuss this with my OS because she has already made a comment that we can do another Manipulation if need be, to which I told her absolutely not. So when I do I the exercises I feel like it looks really straight so I'm super confused. Thanks!!
 
You really don’t have to do those specific exercises any more. You get enough of those movements in your daily activities. You have been back to work for a while. I bet there is plenty of walking within your normal work day. Your ROM will continue to improve with your daily activities and with time.

Yes, what you described is normal for a knee that is still as young as yours. Extension will improve with more time and walking is very good for it (but not to excess)

Once I found Bonesmart I discussed very little with my surgeon as he often told me to do things Bonesmart said not to. I trusted Bonesmart more.
 
I found that i could bend my knee further by putting my foot outside the chair leg and sitting further forward on the chair - but not far enough to fall off the chair, of course!
Once you've reached your limit that way, there's not much point in continuing to do the exercise. time will take care of continuing to increase your flexion anyway , just in the course of your normal daily activities.

As for extension, you can increase it by taking longer strides when you walk, always making sure to walk heel-midfoot-toe, like this:
heel-toe-gait.jpg
 
@Jockette
Thanks so much for the reassurance and yes I totally agree with you about not talking to my OS because they definitely have different opinions than what Bonesmart believes and so far all the stuff I have learned on Bonesmart has been true. I don't get why they are so reluctant to get advice from a source that is so accurate. I know she's going to be mad at me for not going to PT since the last time I saw her but I don't see the point. Again I Love All Of You at Bonesmart!!! :loveshwr:
 
@Celle
Thanks for the helpful tips. I've tried doing the longer strides but almost every time I do that my legs muscles give out on me. I think I may be trying too hard.
 
It's a good idea to use a walker or a stick when you try to take longer strides, just to give you more support - and take it slowly. Have you tried that?
 
Here is what one of our member’s posted the other day:
Just an update for those who are apprehensive about gaining ROM:
It has now been 26 weeks and all I do is ADL and this is what my ROM has done:
3.5 wks: 75
6 wks: 85
7 wks: 90
10.5 wks: 95
14 wks: 100
17 wks: 105
20 weeks: 110
26 weeks (where I am today): 120!!!
I did it! My goal of 120! No "pushing through pain", no PT after the first 3 visits, and most importantly to me: No MUA! My surgeon who said I would never get beyond 85 ROM without pushing through pain was wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm excited to see if it gets even better. :happydance:
 
@Celle Thanks for the advice. I hadn't tried it with help until after I read your post but I feel like when I use the assisted device I work one leg more than the other. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. :what:
 

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