TKR Questions 8 months from surgery

[Mickimouse]

I am 7 weeks since my right knee total replacement (June 27, 2022) and I am very depressed and scared that being uncomfortable will never go away. If I socialize I can only do about 2 hrs then I hurt. I do my PT 3 times a day, I am doing everything I am to do but it just seems like my knee will never get better. Also the incision is healing but very sore to touch. Am I behind significantly? ROM 98 flexation, -5 extension. For me I think having the surgery in summer is not good for me mentally as I am missing a lot of things I like to do.

 

[Jockette]

@Mickimouse Hi and Welcome!

I moved your post and started a recovery thread for you.

Everything you describe is common to most of us.

Try cutting your PT efforts to once a day, and/or, don’t do them all at once, spread the exercises out throughout the day, and see if you feel a bit better.

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

You will have noticed there is a significant opinion here about the potential hazards of PT. You may feel that your therapists are experts and know what you should be doing. However, over the last several years I've been here, I have observed that the more intensive the regimen of exercising...

bonesmart.org

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

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​

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 to these pages on the website

​

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

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.

 

[Jockette]

I am very depressed and scared that being uncomfortable will never go away.

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Post op blues is feeling depressed, weepy, nervy, shaky, fearful of the future, anxious, overwhelmed by what is happening to you, convinced it's never going to get any better and finally, uttering that most intense of all cries "I wish I never had this done!" It arises out of a variety of...

bonesmart.org

 

[benne68]

Am I behind significantly? ROM 98 flexation, -5 extension.

There is no such thing as "ahead" or "behind" when it comes to recovering from knee replacement surgery. Each of us starts this recovery in a different place and each of us recovers at our own rate.

This is a year-long recovery. I found this chart really helpful in understanding why it takes so long:

At just 7 weeks, it's very likely that you still have a lot of internal swelling -- and that prevents you from bending and straightening your knee! If you are overdoing the exercises, that may be making the swelling worse.

Your knee WILL get better. It just needs time.

In the meantime, we are here to help and support you.

 

[Mickimouse]

Thank you benne68 for the information and support. It just seems everyday or so there is a new pain, more stiffness etc. I guess I am going to be one of those that the recovery won’t be easy, ugh. However it is good to have found this site!

 

[Mickimouse]

Do anyone remember when you started using steps? Again I am 7 weeks out from surgery and I have added the steps to my therapy but feel it has contributed to it band pain going up into my side hip area. I am trying to find that fine line as to how much and what type of PT brings on pain and more swelling…..

 

[thneed]

From what I've read here and from my own experience, you aren't doing too bad at all! I was only at 95 flex at 8 weeks (according to the doctor, who just eyeballed it rather than measure). And my extension wasn't quite at 0 yet (and still isn't). Every week it gets a little better. Eventually you will be at full ROM and won't even remember all this recovery. I think every person heals at their own pace, and even for every person each knee is different.

But I do understand feeling down. I was at my lowest point probably weeks 5-8, emotionally anyway. I have never had such a big procedure with such a long recovery (remember, it takes a full year), so when I hit about 4 to 5 weeks my brain was saying "Enough already, I'm over this!" but my knee was saying "Not even close" and that disconnect was disheartening to say the least. You will get through it.

As for all the different sensations and new pains, etc., I totally get it! I am the same way. I have found myself more than once humming the old 80s INXS song "New Sensation" because that's what every single day brings. It's frustrating on one hand, but it's also fascinating because we are feeling our body heal.

The step at PT was hard for me at first too. I am in week 10 now and I think I only mastered it a couple weeks ago. And I had hip pain too, and the physical therapists taught me a couple nice hip stretches that helped. Talk to yours, maybe they can recommend something.

Take care, you've got this!!

 

[benne68]

It just seems everyday or so there is a new pain, more stiffness etc.

Oh, I remember that well! In the first few months of recovery, there are so many odd and unexpected sensations. At the beginning, everything made me anxious, but it really is all just part of recovery. My PT help me change my POV and I started looking at every new twinge as a sign that something was waking up and healing.

You are early days in this year-long recovery. It takes time, but you will get better!

 

[Mickimouse]

I keep reading that people turn the corner and the recovery starts to get better, I am just waiting for that corner. Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[sistersinhim]

You are still very early in your recovery and that corner will get closer as time goes on.

 

[Mickimouse]

Has anyone experienced pain/uncomfortable feeling in the groin area, outer hip area and in the butt? Last night I moved funny and a shooting pain went from my knee to mid upper butt…….I also was informed by my OS that I am done being prescribed oxycodone, which I knew was coming but still have pain…..any suggestions how to deal with not having pain meds?

 

[WFD]

@Mickimouse , can you ask for a referral to a pain specialist? Pain management is all they do, whereas for your surgeon, pain management is only a part-time gig.

 

[Mickimouse]

Thank you for that idea! I will look into that!

 

[kneeper]

As you come off the narcotics you can try Tylenol on a schedule throughout the day. As for stairs, I started slow, just doing a few steps each day and gradually adding more. Generally people find going *down* stairs takes longer to do normally. My PT told me the stresses are different for down steps. It's ok to decrease your activity a bit for a day or two if an activity is causing you more pain.
Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[Mickimouse]

I have been having a pain that goes from my knee up to my butt, it seems to happen when I move my knee a certain way, this happens when sleeping and turning my knee a certain way. Does this sound like something not unusual?

 

[sistersinhim]

You are still very early in your recovery and getting aches and pains in different places is, unfortunately, normal. It could be that your IT band is inflamed and you feel it more at night when you move in different ways. IT Band Info

 

[Mickimouse]

I’ve been trying to sleep on my side trying to sleep on the non surgical side, and wake with a very sharp pain in the back of the knee which seems to last a long time. I love to sleep on my side and I am asking if anyone else has experience this and will it stop …

 

[Mickimouse]

Plus is it normal for the knee to be tight especially at the knee cap at eight weeks ? I am sad, I think I might be coming along then bam, seems like something is wrong…..my incision has two more scans left, I was told by my sister that is a long time for an incision to heal….I’m freaking out, please help

 

[thneed]

I am at almost 11 weeks and only recently can I sleep on my side consistently. Are you using a pillow between your legs? That can help.

And I still have a tight feeling almost everywhere, I think it's normal. It takes a long time to fully heal, about a year, so you will continue feeling tightness and other sensations for awhile. It's nothing to worry about, or so I'm told. I'm a worry-wort and constantly ask my physical therapist "Is this normal?!?" and the answer is always "Yes".

 

[Mickimouse]

Thanks for responding! As you can tell I too am a worry wort. I’m just scared I am going to be the 20% that the surgery didn’t work, so the slow recovery is making me anxious. Every new pain or stiffness freaks me out. I still can’t stop crying and it is worrying my husband. I just want to get back to as normal of a life as possible.