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TKR Pain 2 years after TKR

Ack! That looks more than painful. You need more than a bag of peas on it....you need at least 4 ice packs on it. 3 for the front of your leg and one behind the knee. My left leg was swollen for months after that knee replacement (and still swells when tired) but not anything like that & now I realize it's because I was doing too much too soon. It sounds like you're doing the same and your leg looks like it. Are you elevating....a lot?
 
My knee is stiff when walking also. The more I walk the more it will swell so I keep my walking down to small trips around the house, even though my head says go walk that mile already! I did walk from the car to the doctor's office and back yesterday, which was a fair piece, especially considering it was 107 dang degrees out! Don't stress over the bend, or lack thereof. It will come with time, and the more you ice and elevate the better it will behave. I'll attach a couple of pictures for you. The first I took inside my car on the way home from the doctor's yesterday. Notice the exterior temperature on the bottom right corner. The second is how I spend my days now. Maybe you need to ice and elevate a lot more and for a lot longer each day?
 

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[Bonesmart.org] Pain 2 years after TKR
Taken just now. I have been elevating it but not nearly as much as you lovetocookandsew. It was 28°c here today which is hot for Scotland. I may be doing too much but it doesn't feel like it as I try to do as little as I can get away with. Hubby having to go away tomorrow for a few days so I will be on my own.
 
That's like 82 degrees F, right? 107 F is like 41.6 c. :yikes: Maybe it's the angle of the picture, but it doesn't look elevated very much, nor do I see any ice packs.
 
Each knee and each recovery is different. I didn't let this second knee get as bad as the first and can already tell the recovery might be a little easier. But i'm also not doing nearly as much as I did the last time - icing and elevating almost all day long; getting sick of ice packs and the ice machine very quickly! At the very least, you need more and bigger ice packs. A bag of peas is fine for behind your knee or a sprained ankle - not for what you're dealing with now.
 
Molly, you're still doing too much and you're not icing and elevating enough.

It's still only a month since you had this major surgery - far too early for doing the supermarket shopping. Your knee is going to stay stiff and swollen, unless you stop all the excess activity and concentrate on icing and elevating properly.

Please re-read these articles and follow their recommendations:
Activity progression for TKRs
Ice to control pain and swelling
Elevation: the do's and dont's

With your husband away, you will need to get simple meals for yourself but, apart from that, your time is your own, to concentrate on resting , icing and elevating.
Walking to and from the bathroom and kitchen will be all the exercise you need.

Before your hubby goes away, get him to buy you 6 gel packs (from the chemist shop) that you can keep in the freezer, so you always have them frozen. Use two at a time, one at the front and one at the back of your knee. Wrap them in a tea towel, so they aren't touching your skin and giving you freezer burn.
 
Wow we would all be melting here if we had that temp.... I have only been in that kind of heat on holiday. Scotland would never get that.
I took the photo when I came to bed so it's just flat on my bed and I don't ice overnight or I would have a wet bed. I can only use frozen peas as the ice we can buy in supermarkets are big ice cubes and aren't any good. I have 2 big bags of peas but can't think of anything else to use.
 
Read celle's message from a few minutes ago. I use ice packs that won't leak or soak anything. I made them myself before the surgery, but you can buy them and they're a lot better than frozen peas, IMO. I have a bunch of them in my freezer so when one melts, I just get another one, and put the first back in to freeze again for later use.
 
Read through those again Celle and I do see that my elevation hasn't been good enough despite having my like stack on the sofa when watching TV or reading. I tried stacking pillows when in bed but it was so uncomfortable I gave up.
Bedtime for me now. Hoping for a good night as I have taken my Amitriptyline again tonight
 
Jockette said:
You are lucky you don’t have go to physio. Where I live it is totally overdone.

Reread the recovery articles you were given here and continue to ask any questions you have.
Click to expand...
Same after my 2 TKR'S. I was told that I needed to start physical therapy right away, so I could regain good range of motion. I started my p/t a day or two after coming home from the hospital. They started me off slowly, but it was still rough for the first couple weeks, especially the ROM exercises. I had a great physical therapist, she was gentle with me, especially during the ROM stuff. Eventually, it got easier to get through the p/t.
 
sistersinhim said:
Many have found that sitting up and sliding your foot back and forth will work your bend. I sat on the toilet and slid my foot towards the potty. I would message my movement by the cracks between the tiles. This is much easier than the heel slides. You can try it, but if it hurts, don't do it!
Click to expand...
I did the same thing sistersinhim, when sitting on the toilet, lol. I started it the day of my surgery, while sitting on the toilet in my hospital bathroom. I was amazed I could bend it as far as I did!! I wasn't a big fan of heel slides either, but for me, they made it easier to get through the ROM stretches when the p/t lady did them with me.
 
Mollymax said:
Might be a peaceful night before family arrive but its a bit scary. Lol to the cat.

Has anyone suffered from groin pain after their operation? This started yesterday and worries me due to my lymphodema as that is where the pain usually starts. Kind of hoping it's just the muscles etc healing and nothing to worry about. I have had problems sitting on that thigh from day one but it has been getting better.
Click to expand...
I had pain in my groin area, for about a week or so after my surgery, plus bruising on almost my whole leg. I mentioned it to my physical therapist, and she told me it was probably from the tourniquet they used during surgery. Both the pain and bruising did go away.
 
lovetocookandsew said:
Read celle's message from a few minutes ago. I use ice packs that won't leak or soak anything. I made them myself before the surgery, but you can buy them and they're a lot better than frozen peas, IMO. I have a bunch of them in my freezer so when one melts, I just get another one, and put the first back in to freeze again for later use.
Click to expand...
I have the ice pack things I was given in the hospital, plus the cloth bag with velcro straps. I have been icing and elevating my leg for the last 3 evenings, as my knee has been a little swollen and a bit achy, I believe due to very humid weather we've been having in upstate NY. I thought it was odd, since I am 15 weeks post surgery tomorrow. But a friend who had both her knees done told me her legs swell when it's humid too.
 
As @Mollymax said its been very hot and humid here in Scotland. A real shock to the system. My knee seems much stiffer which is worrying.
I got gel packs which come with holders and velcro straps from Amazon @Mollymax. I quite like the mouldability of frozen peas behind the knees. I do find elevating using the pile of pillows awkward and uncomfortable.
 
When elevating for purposes of reducing swelling it’s important to have your legs up so your toes are above your nose. Foam wedges, stacks of pillows (or cushions, don’t be shy about using cushions from sofas, etc.), or making creative use of other furniture (I once had Mr. Shoes haul over a hotel room overstuffed chair so I could use it for elevating) is all to your good.

Elevating for comfort (legs up instead of sitting feet on floor) is a different thing. Toes above nose doesn’t matter as much. For reduction of swelling, though, you want your knees higher than your heart.
 
Every once in a while when I was really swollen (like a sausage) I’d lay flat on the sofa with legs on the arm of the sofa with pillows under them and ice on top. That’s was the best way for me to get toes above nose and also the most comfortable for my hips. Using a chair with an ottoman and pillows was easiest and most convenient, but the sofa arms really didn’t bother my back or hips so much.
 
You don't have a place to order something like gel ice packs shown on the Amazon website? We can get them at pharmacies or on line. You put them in the freezer, take them out, put them in a pillowcase and then put on your leg. Mine are about 12-14 inches long and 10 inches wide.

The stack of pillows can be uncomfortable unless you have the right combination of firmness and softness. I had to experiment a lot and mark the pillowcases about where to put each pillow in the stack. If you have different types of pillows, perhaps it might be something to try? Elevating and icing are really the keys to getting the swelling down.
 
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