TKR Popliteus tendon

[DMcM]

Hi all - TKR this afternoon (UK time) and a bit more too as they found I had a massive bone growth that they’ve had to remove as that was preventing my leg bending an straightening. Feeling fab at the moment but that’s probably a combination of drugs and 5 fully loaded caffeine coffees!! Loving the ice machine though - I need one in my life!! Xx

 

[DMcM]

Hi all - TKR this afternoon (UK time) and a bit more too as they found I had a massive bone growth that they’ve had to remove as that was preventing my leg bending an straightening. Feeling fab at the moment but that’s probably a combination of drugs and 5 fully loaded caffeine coffees!! Loving the ice machine though - I need one in my life!! Xx

 

[Layla]

Welcome to Recovery and congratulations on your new knee. I’m sorry your surgery was more involved than you anticipated. Fantastic you’re loving ice! It’s a great pain reliever for sure. Wishing you comfort and all the best as you begin your healing journey!

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

As you begin healing, please keep in mind that each recovery is unique. While the BoneSmart philosophy successfully works for many, there will be exceptions. Between the recommendations found here, your surgeon's recovery protocol and any physical therapy you may engage in, the key is to find what works best for you.


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
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
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
the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital


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 a 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 history before providing advice.

 

[Susie-Q]

Hi @DMcM ! Welcome!

When will you be expected to go home? Remember to take your meds as prescribed, it's much easier to stay on top of the pain rather than play catch up. Take it easy these first couple of weeks, you have lots of healing to do.

Keep us posted on your recovery journey!

 

[MSN58]

Best of luck with your recovery!

 

[Claire56]

Hi @DMcM, I had a bone spur that was restricting my range of motion too. It has taken a while and some persistence but it is a lot better and continues to improve. I now have more rom than before surgery and no pain. Last summer it was so bad I couldn't get my foot on my bike pedal. That was the last straw!

 

[DMcM]

Hi @DMcM ! Welcome!

When will you be expected to go home? Remember to take your meds as prescribed, it's much easier to stay on top of the pain rather than play catch up. Take it easy these first couple of weeks, you have lots of healing to do.

Keep us posted on your recovery journey!

@Susie-Q - hopefully they will let me home tomorrow. Been a funny day today really. They got me up to walk to the bathroom but my blood pressure is low so I almost fainted!! But not being one to give up they came back and got me up again and I made it to the bathroom and back round the bed. I now have a 90° bend and will be progressed from a zimmer to crutches this afternoon! #atadexcited xx

 

[DMcM]

Hi @DMcM, I had a bone spur that was restricting my range of motion too. It has taken a while and some persistence but it is a lot better and continues to improve. I now have more rom than before surgery and no pain. Last summer it was so bad I couldn't get my foot on my bike pedal. That was the last straw!

Wow I can relate to that. I could not ride the bike at all. The clunking and discomfort was beyond belief! Every time I tried to rotate the pedals - there is was! I’ve been up today walking and have managed a 90° bend so feeling like I’m on cloud 9 . Good to hear that yours is continuing to improve xxx

 

[Susie-Q]

Wow, 90 degrees is excellent for this early! Take things slow and easy, remember that your baby knee is in charge!

 

[DMcM]

Wow, 90 degrees is excellent for this early! Take things slow and easy, remember that your baby knee is in charge!

Thank you @Susie-Q - I surprised myself. And it is so good to be able to straighten it too. Though don’t know how I’d cope without the ice machine. Wow what a miracle that is!! Xx

 

[Jockette]

Being able to bend to 90 already is very nice, but don’t be surprised, or alarmed, or upset, if that number drops after you get home. You will start moving around more at that point, and the nerve block that you might have will have worn off, so you will probably swell more, and that swelling is what will make your number drop, and it’s very normal.

Your job in these early recovery weeks is to do what you can to keep the swelling down so you can heal.

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.

 

[Susie-Q]

Those ice machines are great! If you're going to have one at home I will recommend putting 3-4 frozen water bottles inside with the water. They will keep the water cold for a LOT longer than just regular ice.

I agree with Jockette, don't be alarmed if your ROM decreases once you get home and are up and moving around. Swelling is totally normal and will lessen with time. Use that ice machine as much as you can!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Welcome to the other side! Those ice machines are wonderful! They help keep the pain and swelling down and you don't need to change then every 30 minutes or so like you do with ice bags. I would suggest that you not only use frozen water bottles (I had 12 or 16 frozen and rotated them as needed. 12 frozen is probably fine, but I wanted to be sure to always have a set of four solidly frozen and ready to go. (make sure to remove the labels as they will break down and could clog the machine)

We would empty the machine and rinse it out every morning. Then we'd put 4 frozen bottles in, add a couple of cups of ice cubes, then fill with water to the max line. This helped the water to be icy cold from the start, instead of the time it took for the water to get icy cold with just the bottles in. Plus, the bottles last longer when they don't have to chill the water at the outset, so we only changed them about every 6-8 hours that way. It doesn't take a lot of ice this way, so my ice maker never ran out, but that small amount really does make the water ice cold from the start.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your recovery!

 

[DMcM]

Being able to bend to 90 already is very nice, but don’t be surprised, or alarmed, or upset, if that number drops after you get home. You will start moving around more at that point, and the nerve block that you might have will have worn off, so you will probably swell more, and that swelling is what will make your number drop, and it’s very normal.

Your job in these early recovery weeks is to do what you can to keep the swelling down so you can heal.

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.

@Jockette thank you so much for some excellent advice here. It can be so disheartening when things seem to take a minor setback but time is the greatest healer. Thank you for your support xx

 

[Scaredycat10]

@DMcM
I'm not sure what machine the hospital supplied you with but mine was Aircast Cryo. I had frozen loads of ice cube bags before going in to hospital as we don't have an ice machine on our fridge but after a few days, I realised the squat cottage cheese cartons were perfect for the Aircast and so easy to keep filling up for the freezer.
I too was scared stiff [hence my name] but found the horrendous stories I'd heard and read didn't apply to me. The meds kept the pain under control and all I have had is discomfort. I did all my exercises apart from anything which involved heel lift/quad strengthening. That hurt too much. Interestingly, five months on, I am lifting 10kgs on the leg extension machine in the gym [I was an habitual gym user before and was used to all the machines] so the two month wait for anything involving the quads didn't do any harm whatsoever.

My new joint is a success but I do have a hamstring problem which my physio and I are working on and which could take a few more months yet to resolve, but then I had a problem with it before the op so I ignore it apart from getting into the car [have to put the seat right back] and getting up from a low chair.
I have a manual car, had a LTKR and was driving at four weeks which will give you an indication of my recovery.
Hope yours goes as well.

ps
Nocturnal dipping into this forum in very common too. I habitually chatted with others with sleep disruption, at 3am ish. It goes, eventually.

 

[DMcM]

@Scaredycat10 wow that’s very impressive!! And so encouraging too. I was allowed home yesterday but today the leg lift seems to be evading me. Knee is painful. Still managing over 90° bend though so feeling proud of that. My knee is rumbling every time I move it though as so much fluid in it. In terms of the ice machine, I had the Game Ready system in hospital which was amazing but I have the Aircast Cryo at hime. Am loving it and using it regularly xx

 

[Scaredycat10]

@DMcM
The Leg lift hurt too much for me to really get to grips with, so I didn't and left it alone. As I said, on the leg extension set up, I can now lift 10kg.
Buy around six 300gm cottage cheese cartons. The contents will do you good and the empty cartons are perfect for your Aircast. When you freeze them, carefully so you won't have any spills, put them in the freezer and a bit of physics here, without a lid. That way no split cartons.
Once the water was cooled, I reckoned I got through around four blocks a day to begin with, Far easier than fiddly ice cubes although I used up the ones I'd frozen by just putting the whole bags of them into the kit.

I was ready to rent a Game Ready, but the Aircast came from the hospital and it seemed quite adequate so I kept with it. Saved a bob or two.

As far as the leg lift was concerned, I used to hoist myself up onto the kitchen table and swing my legs. The free movement let me ''lift'' the leg as far as possible, without actually having to do any actual work with the quads.

Pain. I didn't have any as such. I have a very high pain threshold, but found if I took my codeine phosphate and paracetamol as prescribed, then I just had discomfort. Yes, extreme at first but no actual pain. The worst time was in bed. I just did NOT know where to put the leg for many many nights and 3am ish saw me up for weeks on end, but it does go. Truly it does. I gave up on the codeine approx [I've actually forgotten when] three weeks. Paracetamol after six weeks, again, forgotten actual date.

I started gentle physio with a lady who has over seen ''the knee'' for years, around a week after the op. I still see her once a week, sometimes in the gym and sometimes on her treatment table.

I didn't believe that this caboodle could take over a year to settle, but I certainly believe it now and I'm one who has almost sailed through all the stages.

Don't worry, ask away and HUGE amounts of good luck to you.
xx

 

[Scaredycat10]

@DMcM
A few tips.
Use two crutches, not one so your gait will be even
When out and about, always take your crutches for as long as you feel needed, and then some. It helps you and just as important, tells others to be aware of your space needs. I abandoned mine as needed after around three months but have a collapsible walkin g pole with me, good advice from @Sara61, just in case as my knee is still not 100% stable.

One thing none of us want, is a tumble and there's no badge of honour for those who abandon walking aids, and then have an unexpected fall.

 

[glidefloss]

then I just had discomfort. Yes, extreme at first but no actual pain.

Hi @Scaredycat10 , this resonated with me! When I try to explain this to others, they typically find it hard to understand why "extreme discomfort" was not pain. But it makes a lot of sense to me and I'm glad there are others out there who do too!

Hi @DMcM , looks like your recovery is coming along nicely. All the best on a speedy recovery!

 

[Scaredycat10]

Pain affects different people in different ways but the only way I can describe my TKR experience is, pain hurts and extreme discomfort aches like stink but it doesn't hurt. The discomfort I had, and yes, it was extreme in the beginning, was far more bearable than pain and those who experience pain have my heartfelt sympathy. I think I ''got away with it'' very lightly.