TKR Ready to Recover!

[NancyAnn]

Also I've been icing and reading almost non-stop today, but it doesn't seem to help.

Yes, @NancyAnn, it's certainly possible that some of the swelling is because you've stopped wearing the compression hose.

But overdoing can cause swelling too. Are you pushing yourself too much? Remember this is a long recovery and you are only a few weeks out.

Swelling, stiffness and pain are all normal in the early days of this recovery. Keep on icing and elevating as much as possible. And, listen to your knee. If will tell you how much is too much.

I put a stocking back on my surgery leg .. Think it matters if I don't put one on the good leg?

 

[glidefloss]

Hi @NancyAnn , in my case, icing does little to bring down swelling. Elevating does a much better job for m, that combined with massaging from ankles to thighs. I've been fortunate in that my thigh isn't sore like with the right leg replacement and I can use a yoga strap to pull the leg up right as in the picture. One hand holds on to the strap to keep the leg in the air, the other one kneads the swollen parts downward. I've found it to be super effective albeit has made me need to pee a lot - a sign (I think) of excess fluids being drained.

The instability of the leg that I experienced through this morning is gone, swelling is under control as well.

I hope you find a procedure that works for you. All the best!

 

[NancyAnn]

Hi @NancyAnn , in my case, icing does little to bring down swelling. Elevating does a much better job for m, that combined with massaging from ankles to thighs. I've been fortunate in that my thigh isn't sore like with the right leg replacement and I can use a yoga strap to pull the leg up right as in the picture. One hand holds on to the strap to keep the leg in the air, the other one kneads the swollen parts downward. I've found it to be super effective albeit has made me need to pee a lot - a sign (I think) of excess fluids being drained.

The instability of the leg that I experienced through this morning is gone, swelling is under control as well.

I hope you find a procedure that works for you. All the best!

I'll have to try massage!

 

[NancyAnn]

Hi @NancyAnn , in my case, icing does little to bring down swelling. Elevating does a much better job for m, that combined with massaging from ankles to thighs. I've been fortunate in that my thigh isn't sore like with the right leg replacement and I can use a yoga strap to pull the leg up right as in the picture. One hand holds on to the strap to keep the leg in the air, the other one kneads the swollen parts downward. I've found it to be super effective albeit has made me need to pee a lot - a sign (I think) of excess fluids being drained.

The instability of the leg that I experienced through this morning is gone, swelling is under control as well.

I hope you find a procedure that works for you. All the best!

I'll have to try massage!

For how long do you massage each time?

 

[glidefloss]

Hi @NancyAnn , in my case, icing does little to bring down swelling. Elevating does a much better job for m, that combined with massaging from ankles to thighs. I've been fortunate in that my thigh isn't sore like with the right leg replacement and I can use a yoga strap to pull the leg up right as in the picture. One hand holds on to the strap to keep the leg in the air, the other one kneads the swollen parts downward. I've found it to be super effective albeit has made me need to pee a lot - a sign (I think) of excess fluids being drained.

The instability of the leg that I experienced through this morning is gone, swelling is under control as well.

I hope you find a procedure that works for you. All the best!

I'll have to try massage!

For how long do you massage each time?

Hi @NancyAnn , I count 200 kneading strokes and then just keep the leg elevated for longer. And if the leg is still elevated by the time I want to rest, I'll count another 100 strokes. In my case this has had great results today and now my morning blues have cleared.

I still ice a total of 2 hours, hour sessions each. Just because. Even if I don't see any difference before and after (other than some weird dimpling patterns on areas still puffy.)

 

[Jockette]

It sounds like since you we’re feeling so good that you did too much, too close together. 3 hours sitting at your desk and a long car ride. We don’t always see consequences right away.

By the way, I see members quoting whole posts frequently, and it isn’t necessary. Rather than quoting the whole message, just go down to the reply box, mention the member you want to address by using the @ sign in front of their username (no space) and type your reply. Not quoting whole messages saves a lot of space on the page, and also saves duplicate reading.

If you want to quote just a line in a post, highlight that line.

At the bottom of the post you will see:

Like/ +Quote/ Quote this message.

Click the +Quote

When you get to the reply box, you will see where it says “insert quotes” Click that and it will put your highlighted area into your reply.

Happy Posting!

 

[NancyAnn]

@Jockette thank you! I'm never sure how to reply back to a certain post.

 

[NancyAnn]

I'm at 4 weeks and 2 days.
My bend is at 96 and I'm about 2 ticks from being able to completely straighten my new knee. I still ice every night for 5 or 6 hours. I've been working at my desk from home about 4 hours a day in 1-2 hour stretches. Still taking a pain pill at night, but I think I'm going to try a Tylenol PM tonight cuz I'm only taking the hydro to help me sleep--and it's really not doing a good job of that. I just want to get more than 3 hours sleep at a time

 

[Jockette]

You sound like you are doing pretty well. Unfortunstely, sleep can take a while to return to normal.

 

[NancyAnn]

Six weeks out and I was doing well until Friday when I seemed to have twisted wrong and upset my quad muscle A LOT! I was able to alternate feet on the steps before and since this twist I can't even try to. What the heck could I have done to set me back so far and make it hurt this bad?!

 

[benne68]

I'm sorry to read this, @NancyAnn. Something similar happened to me when I slipped and fell at 3 months out.

The best thing to do is to go back to icing, elevating and resting for a few days to see if it resolves. If it doesn't improve in a week or if it gets worse, you should definitely call your surgeon.

It's frustrating but are not uncommon during the early stages of this recovery. We start to feel better and then we overdo. We have to remember that our legs are weak from all the work the surgeon did -- and it takes time for them to heal.
I found this chart really helpful in understanding why it takes so long:

Keep us posted on how you are doing.

 

[kneeper]

 

[NancyAnn]

8 weeks out as of this week. My 6-week set back didn't last as long as I had feared. In fact, I skipped PT appointment and I think letting it rest and extra icing pushed me forward. Also saw my surgeon that same week for my 6-week check. Had a 115 bend and -1 from straight. Finished my PT appointments yesterday where she measured me at perfectly straight and 121 bend. I can walk both up and down the stairs with alternating feet, BUT coming down is a little scary. It doesn't "hurt," but I certainly feel the pull in that quad muscle when I walk down the stairs. I talked to my surgeon about getting my left knee done this fall--he was in favor of it and we're going to discuss more at an appointment in late June. My PT warned me though that not all knees heal alike. You may have one pretty easy one and then the other a lot harder. I figure I might as well take advantage of having already met my deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for the year--the left knee will be free! Plus I already have all the rehab stuff at home.

 

[benne68]

Great update, @NancyAnn! You are coming along really well for just two months post op.

I can walk both up and down the stairs with alternating feet, BUT coming down is a little scary

I can relate to this! It took me many months to feel confident about descending stairs reciprocally without hanging on for dear life! I suspect some of it was simply habit -- I had been double-stepping down stairs for more than a year before surgery because of instability. They say it takes 30 days to make or break a habit, but it took me longer.

Congratulations on moving ahead with your LKTR. Keep us posted.

 

[InkedMarie]

@NancyAnn great update! Your surgeon is correct, no two knees on the same person may be the same. I had no pain for either but for the second one, I’m much more tired with this one, much more stiff. I’m not complaining, it’ll get better.

Marie

 

[NancyAnn]

3 months out this week. Saw my surgeon last week and we scheduled late September date for my second knee! My bend was almost 120 and extension was 0. I can walk down the stairs alternating feet, but I don't quite like the way it feels yet--there's a pulling at the top of my knee--not pain--just a pull that probably means needs to heal up some more. My surgery leg feels just fine when I'm walking, it's the sciatica I have on the other side that hurts! My surgeon prescribed me some more PT just to work on that before I have the next surgery in September. Anyone else here deal with sciatica during their TKR?

 

[NancyAnn]

Does anyone else find it hard to stand up and start walking after sitting at a desk for an hour or so? I have no trouble at all with this when I get up in the morning or up from my recliner, but sitting in my office chair for anything longer than 45 minutes and I can hardly get up. I have to stand still for a minute and let my legs strengthen up before taking a step. It walks off pretty quickly, but I find it strange that's the only place it happens.

 

[Jockette]

Anyone else here deal with sciatica during their TKR?

Yes, we’ve had other members with this. You can do a search, at the top of this page, to find other members.

Does anyone else find it hard to stand up and start walking after sitting at a desk for an hour or so?

Yes, I think we e all experienced this.

Pain: Movie sign in TKR

The movie sign (pain in the knee with a prolonged period of sitting) There are two leading theories for the movie sign. 1. while sitting we predispose our knee to change normal position so structures can impinge on a swollen and inflamed synovial lining 2. as we sit the knee's intra...

bonesmart.org

 

[InkedMarie]

I’m 9.5 weeks post up and I’m still very stiff when I first stand up after sitting for awhile, even though I always have my legs up and/or elevated on my wedge.

Marie

 

[Susie-Q]

I'm 10 months post-op and yes, I still experience pain when getting up. The longer I sit, the more it hurts and the stiffer I am. It doesn't matter if I'm sitting with my legs stretched out in front or bent but is probably related to leaving them in one position for so long. It's good my Apple Watch tells me to get up each hour but it probably should be even more frequent!