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TKR Post surgery - Finally!

I was blessed to have a surgeon who never pushed PT. He gave me a prescription for it, which I threw away and never went. My OS never even asked about PT when I went back for my 3 checkups! Of course, he knew I was a divorced lady who had to take care of myself, my home and my yard, and obviously trusted that I would not be just lying around all the time. He just asked to see what I could do with my knee, never mentioning numbers at all.

Because of birth defects, I had to have 12 knee surgeries, so I've had lots of knee recovery experience. I knew from that experience that I did not need formal PT after my TKR, and neither do many others if they do their own daily activities and do not just sit around all day. My knee recovered just fine all on its own with only my daily activities. I didn't have the terrible swelling or agonizing pain that so many have after taking formal PT. I knew the Bonesmart way worked before Bonesmart was even thought of. My surgeries started in the early 80s and I never went to PT even back then. I just didn't see the need for it. Bonesmart was formed around 2004. By then I had already had 6 knee surgeries and rehabbed the Bonesmart way!
 
I appreciate all your support, everyone! Thank you for your patience as I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes I wonder if when people say that their dr. never pushed PT, they may actually have had good ROM from the beginning so the dr. didn't have concerns. I was never talked to about ROM with my last knee and that's probably because I had good ROM from the beginning. This knee has been more stubborn. I was exited from PT at 5 weeks with my right knee 4 years ago, but with my left, I'm still going to PT once a week and doing my exercises to increase ROM at home and I'm about 9 weeks post op. So interesting how two knees can have such different recoveries! I do appreciate Dr. Samantha Smith's course on knee bending on Succeedcourses.com. She has an approach that does not torture me!
 
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Hi BarabooProud,
Good to read you found the recovery course you mentioned beneficial. Hopefully it's helping you increase in strength and motion as you're healing. Yay for no pain or torture, you certainly don't need that.

It is too bad our bodies aren't as predictable as we'd like. After already facing a recovery, it must be easy to assume the next recovery will follow the same timeline as the first. Thankfully you've found an approach that's helping you in the process. Hang in there, as you know through experience...brighter days are on the way!
@BarabooProud
 
Thanks! Like what is discussed on this platform, recovery includes more than ROM. I'm able to do so much more now without pain and swelling. Yesterday, I was able to watch my nephew golf in a tournament. I used a golf cart, of course, but still was able to be out and about for 4-5 hours without tremendous side effects. That's a win! The ice sure felt good when I got home, though!

And I highly recommend Dr. Samantha Smith's courses. I have gained ROM over the past 2.5 weeks and it's been enjoyable following along with her on the videos.
 
In some ways your doctor was correct with his statement. However, and this is a big HOWEVER….the heart of the issue is how you define pain. I think some surgeons believe their patients expect to be totally pain free in recovery. This is not the case. Most patients have pain as they gradually increase activity and exercise. This is why we try to “grade” the pain by calling it “mild discomfort.” This isn’t a perfect definition either, as it can be interpreted differently by different people. What IS the case is that if your exercises or manipulations by therapists produce real pain, that is probably going to result in inflammation which will slow your recovery. It’s not productive to allow the “mild discomfort” to go to that level. So we don’t like to hear people say “no pain, no gain” because they (therapists and surgeons) are usually equating that to very painful movements. There will be pain, but it should be on the milder end of the scale and not leave you in tears or hurting afterwards. And, any pain should be under your control…..meaning no one should push on your knee to gain a few more degrees that are usually fleeting. Does this make sense?
 
:hi:Happy Three Month Anniversary!
How has recovery been over the last month? Let us know, we'd love to hear from you.
A great weekend to you! :)
@BarabooProud
 
Recovery has been going pretty well! Thanks for asking! I feel like after about 2.5 months I really turned a corner. I'm able to go on longer walks (2-3 miles) and started resistance training again, which feels great since my stamina is still low. Don't get me wrong. I still wear out quickly, but at least I feel like I've joined the living again! And I'm able to do more now than I have been able to in 6-12 months.
 
BarabooProud said:
I'm able to go on longer walks (2-3 miles) and started resistance training again, which feels great since my stamina is still low.
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It's great that you can walk 2-3 miles. I found walking the best exercise for my recovery. I would be careful though with resistance training this early on. I didn't use any weights or bands until nearer 5-6 months. There are still tissues that are healing and it's best not to push them too much.
If you want a knee safe glute strengthening pilates routine with no squats- have a look at my pilates teacher's free classes on YouTube. Google Katja pilates glutes and it comes up.
 
Thanks for the update! Wonderful to read how well you're doing. You can look forward to increased stamina as the months click on by and your body continues healing. Enjoy the rest of the Summer, it's slipping away quickly.
Happy Saturday! :SUNsmile:
@BarabooProud
 
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