Bilateral TKR Pain on the insides of my knees<
- Thread starter AnnieC
- Start date
United States
That's why we suggest no squats! The knees hate them. So not worth it!
jakeleg
member
@AnnieC I definitely think the knee affects our entire being. I have never cried so much in 3 months as I have here. This has brought back memories of my husband's last days, the dogs and cats I have lost or had to put down. All the emotions come in one big jumble and then we have our knee pain and fear on top of it all. I have been exhausted by this. Bonesmart has saved me. We just keep trudging. The dictionary says trudging is walking with purpose. I have to remember there is an end to this.
AnnieC
member
Oh absolutely! I mean, I’ve lived with bone-on-bone for so long that a little pain is nothing, right? ..... UGH. Wroooong!
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
MSgirl
senior
My doctor told me two things not to do. One was not to jog. Oh dear, how sad. I've never jogged in my life nor want to! As if I could jog anyway. The other was to not do squats. He was very emphatic about it and said it would put too much pressure on my new knee.
Amazing how PT’s don’t know that. 
PT’s should have specialties like MD’s do. And we should only be sent to TKR specialists. If we go to PT, that is. Which I won’t do next time, unless for some reason insurance says I have to or they won’t pay. (does that ever happen?
) And if that’s the case won’t do everything they tell me!
PT’s should have specialties like MD’s do. And we should only be sent to TKR specialists. If we go to PT, that is. Which I won’t do next time, unless for some reason insurance says I have to or they won’t pay. (does that ever happen?
) And if that’s the case won’t do everything they tell me!AnnieC
member
I’ve come to the conclusion that, after 5 weeks of recovery, I can go downstairs and up again once only in a day. The ups are what really wipe me out. I can walk for 15 minutes. NO more or the knees come up all hot and angry. Thank goodness for an extremely loving and caring husband and daughter. I would have been totally lost without them.
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Good observation. That will not always be the case, so for now, keep the knee happy. Remember, the knee is in charge!
It is so helpful when we have a good support system! My husband has been awesome with my recovery!
It is so helpful when we have a good support system! My husband has been awesome with my recovery!
Space Knee
junior member
AnnieC, I am a few weeks ahead of you and the pain was a constant thing for me, too, no matter what I did or didn't do. So, I opted to really take it easy and rest, elevate, and ice for weeks. I had a very good PT who was trained for TKR recovery and it was very gentle, so that helped a lot, too. Much of her focus was to have me move safely for the things I HAD to do (go to the bathroom, etc.).
Jockette, you are so right about having a PT who is trained for TKR recovery. My current rehab PT actually shadowed several patients (not me) through surgery and recovery, and was specially trained for joint replacement work. She has been a miracle worker. But, I didn't start working with her until several weeks after surgery, and she has the same attitude as my first in-home PT: no pain. Work with what you have, gently push within your comfort zone, and rest, elevate, and ice! We end every session with a nice long icing session, and it really helps. Sure, I still have stiffness, and sometimes those quads really get a bee in their bonnet no matter what I do. But, the hard pain is over and now it's mostly stiffness and the occasional soreness if I overdo things. As someone else said, we become knee whisperers (love that).
Jockette, you are so right about having a PT who is trained for TKR recovery. My current rehab PT actually shadowed several patients (not me) through surgery and recovery, and was specially trained for joint replacement work. She has been a miracle worker. But, I didn't start working with her until several weeks after surgery, and she has the same attitude as my first in-home PT: no pain. Work with what you have, gently push within your comfort zone, and rest, elevate, and ice! We end every session with a nice long icing session, and it really helps. Sure, I still have stiffness, and sometimes those quads really get a bee in their bonnet no matter what I do. But, the hard pain is over and now it's mostly stiffness and the occasional soreness if I overdo things. As someone else said, we become knee whisperers (love that).
AnnieC
member
Oh praise be! There may still be light at the end of the tunnel that is not an oncoming train [emoji12]
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
AnnieC
member
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa and today was 33 degrees Celsius. So I went for a dip in the pool with my dear husband helping me in and then me scooting around from step to step on my butt until I was on a patio chair. We laughed and laughed. So nice to not be confined to my bed for a bit.
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Space Knee
junior member
Great! One thing to do though is make sure that incision is covered and/or cleaned well after you get out of the pool! Many chances for infection. My doc won't even let me near a pool until the scar is completely healed and so I won't be doing any dipping until late in January (I'm in the western US), and that would be in a public pool. So, I'm being ultra careful.
AnnieC
member
We’re fortunate to have a very small splash pool and boy, is it a boon on these extra hot days.
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Space Knee
junior member
I imagine it would be! Glad you can enjoy it! My hot days don't come for a few months yet. ;)
AnnieC
member
Ugh, but now you have the other extremes of weather, I believe?
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
It does seem a little early to be going in the pool, @AnnieC . Is your incision completely healed, with no open areas or scabs? If not, you really shouldn't be immersing it in water.
I do understand how hot you were - I live in NZ, and it's summer here, too - but you do run the risk of introducing infection if you go in a pool too soon.
By the way, be sure to cover that incision so it doesn't get sunburn.
I do understand how hot you were - I live in NZ, and it's summer here, too - but you do run the risk of introducing infection if you go in a pool too soon.
By the way, be sure to cover that incision so it doesn't get sunburn.
AnnieC
member
It was after 5pm, Celle. And yes, no more scabs or raw spots. Just sat on a step, gently sipping champagne [emoji56]
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
That's OK then, Annie!
AnnieC
member
Oh my body is sooo tired of sitting and lying down! By back hurts like crazy between the shoulder blades when I lie on my back for extended periods. Always have. Some sort of syndrome, I believe. But my buttocks, tops of buttocks and both sides have HAD it with all the pressure from sitting/lying. I wish I could go into a suspended position to relieve this pain. Almost as bad as the knees. Ugh!
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
Bilateral Total Knee Replacement 27 November 2017
