TKR Panic after surgery<

[Celle]

Your PT is right in one respect. Sitting at a desk will make your knee stiff. Even if you can't be up and walking around all the time, do try to have a little walk about once every hour.

You did go back to work a bit early and your knee will probably react by getting a bit more stiff and swollen. When you come home, try to spend extra time resting, incing and elevating.

Now you're back at work, ordinary life should be your PT. Continuing to do PT as well as working could be a bit too much for your knee. You won't lose the ROM you have already achieved, and this ROM can continue to increase for a year or more after your TKR.

 

[kneeper]

I took tylenol (Paracetemol) throughout the day when I first returned to work. You might try that rather than "getting by" with one dose.

 

[Booboo55]

I have lost a bit of rom fleation by 5 degrees my extension is still not where it should be. Thats only being back a week. I do take the pain killers when I remember while working. I do take the one when waking up then 1 at work and 1 after. With the codene taken at night. I have been icing when I get in but hasn't helped much. I noticed this morning that there is more pain and stiffness. Then I've had in weeks. And I'm only on half days for now. Wonder what it's going to be like when I go back full time. Hopefully it will settle down. I do hope so. I do like most aspects of my job. Some I may not be able to do anymore. We shall see.

 

[Lilli215]

Booboo we had our op on same day and we're experiencing much the same recovery problems! I live on the Isle of Arran and last week went to mainland for a few days. Between having to stand for over half an hour in a ticket queue (long story) then 2 hour drive then generally being really busy and on my feet a lot over the next few days my knee has put up one almighty protest! I am experiencing more swelling, stiffness and pain than I have since couple of weeks after the op. I've found it quite disheartening as I fully expected to be 'over the worse' by 12 weeks and like you feel as if I've gone weeks back the way! In a way it's good to know that you've experienced the same problems when you upped your activity by returning to work and it's not just me. So it's more same old elevating and ice pack (getting to hate the damn thing) until our knees settle down again. Hang on in there, you're not alone op twin

 

[DebM]

@Booboo55 I am having similar problems to you. I went back to work last Monday. My job is delivery so short drives and in and out of the car. By then end of the day my knees were super tight and sore and stiff despite taking paracetamol/codeine every five hours. I only worked the one day and it took me til Friday doing not much except adl and elevating/icing/heat for my knees to settle down. My pt thinks they will settle down once they get used to the activity. Luckily work have ok'd just one day a week for a few weeks til they (hopefully) settle otherwise I may need to look for another job.
I (somewhat stupidly) thought I'd be okay after 3 months but now can see this a long long recovery but I am hopeful it is worth it in the end

 

[Celle]

It's normal to lose a bit of ROM when you first go back to work. No matter how you try to look after your knee at work, it will probably react to the added stress of working by getting increased swelling, pain and stiffness. That then causes the temporary reduction in your flexion. Don't worry. It's not gone for good. It will come back!

It's still very early days in terms of this recovery, which does take a full year. Your ROM, both flexion and extension, can continue to improve for a year, or even longer, so you have plenty of time for improvement. In addition, extension often takes longer to achieve than flexion does. There's no need to rush, no deadline you have to meet. Your knee is coping very well and it will get the ROM you need, given time.
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

You say you haven't noticed that icing when you get home from work has helped much. Do carry on doing it, and also elevating your leg, for as long as you can every day. At your stage of recovery, you theoretically should probably be icing and elevating for about one hour for every two hours you are up and about. Ice for as long as you can every time, because you don't achieve much by icing for only short periods. About 45 minutes each time should be the minimum. Just make sure that you protect your skin, by putting some material between your skin and the icing mechanism, so you don't get frost bite.

Are you still going to PT? A lot of people stop the PT when they go back to work, because the activity involved in getting to and from work, and work itself, is plenty of exercise for a new knee.

 

[Booboo55]

Still doing exercises everyday. Still doing pt 1-2times a weeek. The knee feels better after the pt and exercises. Have the long weekend this week. We will see how the knee reacts on Tuesday.

 

[Booboo55]

The knee hasn't swelled this much since much earlier in the recovery process. Icing and elevation seem to help a bit. Don't think I'll be giving up pain meds anytime soon

 

[KarriB]

Really returning to work is all the PT you need. It would be best for your knee to come home from a day of work to rest, ice, elevate instead of more therapy. Working is enough therapy.