New Zealand
Please don't use Neosporin. It's an antibiotic and should only be used if you have an infection. Using antibiotics when they're not needed is one reason why we currently have a proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
TKR Pattikakes Recovery
- Thread starter Pattikakes
- Start date
Pattikakes
junior member
I'm having an issue that I wonder if anyone has dealt with as well. My entire incision has healed very well except for one little spot at the knee bend and it seems like just as it starts to look like it's drying up and beginning to heal, I go to PT and it starts to look open again. I think some of the exercises are putting too much strain on that part of the knee right now and causing it to reopen. Has anybody had a similar situation and would you refuse those exercises until it's fully healed? My PT is going pretty well for the most part just a lot of emphasis on the bending lately.
If the PT exercises are causing your incision to re-open, then don't do them. That's common sense and if your PT therapist can't see that, she/he isn't doing a good job.
It's your knee and you have the right to say what happens to it, so just quietly say "I'm not doing those exercises until my incision is completely healed."
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?
Your therapist has an agenda and wants to be able to show that she/he has caused your bending (flexion) to increase rapidly. That may not be the best thing for your knee.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
In any case, it's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee is capable of achieving good ROM right from the start and ROM will increase naturally, as your knee heals and the internal and external swelling decrease.
If these exercises are causing your knee to open up some, then it's not healed enough to be doing those. Please don't do them until your knee has no negative reaction to them.
Pattikakes
junior member
Well today I finally found out what was causing the one small spot in my incision not to heal and continue to drain. Evidentally, an internal stitch had come loose and surgeon proceeded to remove it from inside the wound. Thank God, he doesn't seem to feel that there's any infection but will do an out patient procedure next week to clean out and restitch. Also, put me on Keflex for a week just as a precaution. I wonder how often and how this happens.
Pattikakes
junior member
I haven't posted in a while since having the problem with one area not healing. I ended up back in surgery on Oct. 8th to have I & D and cultures to see what was going on. Thank God, no infection. The doctor is not sure what caused the area not to heal. Perhaps the loose stitch, maybe a little too strenuous PT that caused that area to open up. I definitely am very grateful no infection; however I am dealing with a new incision about 4 1/2" long, stitches and energy drain all over again. Fortunately, the improvement in the knee doesn't seem to be affected at all. I guess that's what they meant when they said that healing from TKR was a roller coaster ride.
Pattikakes
junior member
Home from the hospital after having second TKR. This one was a little more extensive since they found I had some bowing of the bone and it involved more to make sure I would end up with a straight leg. Now ice, meds and rest. PT evaluation on Mon.
Welcome back to Recovery!
Here’s a refresher for you:
Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
3. Do what you want to do BUT
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website
The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.
While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
Here’s a refresher for you:
Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website
The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.
While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
Pattikakes
junior member
I have a question about weaning off pain medication. Fortunately, my first TKR in Aug. was not that painful and I didn't need to take prescription pain meds very long and I just naturally was able to taper off quite early in recover. This time, it's different. I had my second TKR Jan. 21, 2020 and this time it was, and is, much more painful. Perhaps, this was due to more damage in this knee. Anyway, I have been Oxy from beginning to current, which is almost four weeks and doctor says it's about time to taper off and I currently am still having quite a bit of pain and discomfort. I'm wondering if I should taper off the Oxy and supplement with Tylenol as needed. I haven't been taking any extra Tylenol this time since there's Tylenol in the Oxy. Any advice?
Qdogpa
member
I take 2 Tylenol 500 mg , 3x a day, and Oxy on an as needed basis for pain..use the oxy mainly at night..if I recall correctly, percocet is oxy and Tylenol , and Oxycodone is simply oxy....might Need to call your DR and see what you are on
Unless he's willing to give you a weaker painkiller for a few weeks, I think gradually reducing the oxy and supplementing with tylenol is a good plan. Just pay attention to how much acetaminophen you're getting per day. Generally the oxy has some and the tylenol/acetaminophen comes in various mgs, so you'll want to make a note of that.
How I reduced the pain meds was to spread the time between doses from from 4 to 5 to 6 hours over the course of a couple of weeks as I needed it less. (And I was taking tylenol in between). You may have to do it faster, but don't try to do it all at once.
How I reduced the pain meds was to spread the time between doses from from 4 to 5 to 6 hours over the course of a couple of weeks as I needed it less. (And I was taking tylenol in between). You may have to do it faster, but don't try to do it all at once.
I tapered down with Tramadol and Tylenol, then just Tylenol. Just don't stop it cold turkey, that would probably cause some withdrawal symptoms.
Pattikakes
junior member
I'm wondering if anyone else is rethinking PT in view of the Corona virus? I got to thinking about all those hands touching all the equipment without being sanitized after every use. I think I've made a decision to pass on PT for now.
You'll be fine rehabbing at home. Just use your knee as you normally would and it will snap right back all on its own. Just be careful to not overdo.
By now you know all the exercises that they have you do. You’ll be fine at home. Do the ones you like, skip the ones you don’t, and just do your daily activities as you are able.
Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.
Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.
Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.
In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.
Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.
Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.
Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.
In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.
Pattikakes
junior member
I am a little over 7 months out from my RTKR and 2 months since my LTKR and have noticed that standing for a lengthy period of time still seems to cause quite a bit of stiffness. For example, standing at the stove or countertop and cooking for more than 30 mins (sometimes less) and I have to sit down because knees are so stiff. Does anyone else have this problem and what causes it and when can I expect for it to be more normal?
Unfortunately, this recovery can take way longer than we want. I would think your 5 month old knee had to be the strong one when you had your second knee done, and it wasn’t even halfway healed at that point, so maybe it struggled a bit.
Patience is really hard to have, but it is truly needed, and in time you’ll heal and be able to stand longer, and do the things you want.
Patience is really hard to have, but it is truly needed, and in time you’ll heal and be able to stand longer, and do the things you want.
The vast majority of us have had this. The longer you stand in one position, the more the knee is allowed to swell. Even if you don't see it outside, it will swell inside. That causes the stiffness. These new knees like to move. I found that if I walked in place why standing in one place, that it helped relieve some of stiffness.
Pattikakes
junior member
Does anyone know anything about your foot being strapped into a boot during tkr surgery to keep from movement. I 've had an ankle problem since my surgery on 1/31 and a of told me while I was in the hospital this was so and that' why I was having ankle and foot pain.
I've not heard of that and will ask around.
