TKR RedBarchetta Recovery Thread

[RedBarchetta]

Surgery day today. Everything went well, staying overnight and scheduled home tomorrow.
Did not quite expect the pain to be where it is, I was pretty aligned to how much.
Dr’s orders are no in home PT , rest ice and elevate with walking around the house and basic exercises as you can do.
Had some PT at the hospital this evening, did around 60 ft.
Tomorrows a new day!

 

[MSuki]

Welcome! If you have too much pain at least you are where they have the good medications! Hope tomorrow is a better day….I think you’ll do great!

 

[Layla]

Welcome to recovery! Glad things are going well for you. I hope they provide you with some ice, your pain remains manageable and you're released for home tomorrow. Lots of comfort to you! Check back often, we'll be here for support and to cheer you on.

KNEE RECOVERY 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​

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.

 

[sistersinhim]

Dr’s orders are no in home PT , rest ice and elevate with walking around the house and basic exercises as you can do.

Yay for your doctor! Many more doctors are realizing that healing needs to take the place of early days after a joint replacement.

 

[benne68]

Welcome to BoneSmart!

Did not quite expect the pain to be where it is,

Don't be surprised if it worsens over the next couple of days as the nerve block wears off. With both my TKRs, I had 4-5 days of intense pain. The best approach is to ice, elevate and take your pain meds on schedule (even if you don't feel you need them).

Dr’s orders are no in home PT , rest ice and elevate with walking around the house

Sounds like we have the same surgeon! Mine said: "Your only job for the first to weeks to rest and recover."

Congrats on the new knee and keep us posted on your recovery.

 

[RedBarchetta]

Day 2 and heading home. Used the walker a lot today and had PT and OT.
Really cant do a lot of the extension exercise and they hurt like ****. Heel slides really suck but the sitting slides are probably the best ones right now. Staying on my pain meds and keeping the oxy to 5mg with only a 10 right before pt and at bed.
Icing with the Polar Cube for a few hours after getting home that looks to be helping. So many mixed messages on how long to keep it on, I’m probably going an hour or so on lower cool setting and then some time off. Planning for an ice wrap all night like the did in the hospital.
Tomorrows another day!

 

[mendogal]

YES a few of us were just sharing earlier today that seated heel slides are easier!

If it hurts like you wanna cuss like a longshoreman, just stop. That pain is your new knee's only way to tell you that you are doing too much! Yes, it's normal for things to be uncomfortable and there's a line between discomfort (ok) and pain (not ok) that we each fumble our way around in the initial weeks.

Icing less than 45 minutes, according to some sources, may cause rebound swelling. That's why I chose to ice until it was time to get up for the short walk my ortho team wanted me to take every hour (when awake).

 

[sistersinhim]

keeping the oxy to 5mg with only a 10 right before pt and at bed.

We suggest that you do not take a pain pill before PT. You need to feel the pain so you'll know when to stop. Going into pain only makes the knee's inflammation increase. Obviously, that is not a good thing. Increased inflammation means more pain and swelling. That is counter-productive to your knee's healing.

 

[RedBarchetta]

so what is the opinion on using a strap to assist some on exercises I’m barely able to complete? For example can’t really do anything on a hip adduction but with a little help from a strap I can at least get some movement. That ok to do?

 

[sistersinhim]

We suggest you don't use a strap for assistance. If you do, you might overdo, plus, you are not using your muscles to do the movements, which isn't a help. If you need to use the strap to lift your leg onto the bed or sofa, then that's fine, but not for your exercises. Do the best you can without it and soon you'll see success!

 

[RedBarchetta]

Ok thx!

 

[MSuki]

Welcome! Hey, you JUST got out of the hospital. There will be a lot of things you can’t do the first few days and you don’t need to do them. There will be plenty of time to do those exercises when you’re ready for them. You just need to exercise some patience because a lot of your progress at first will come through healing instead of through effort. Later comes the effort. But you will be making progress and able to do more every week!

 

[RedBarchetta]

Post op day 5. Had my first meeting with the PT and we did our evaluation. I measured 7 and 77 on my own, was able to get 84 with a little help from therapist. I thought we got off to a good start, she may be a little more hands on than some but was very gentle and I thought we worked well for my first time. Spent the afternoon icing and getting a little walking in. Next session is on Friday and then 3 days a week after that. I have a good list of exercises to do on my own with an emphasis on the heel slides. Quads are working, just not very strong I guess at this point. My hamstring was tight as well and she spent a bit of time helping stretch that…. I am also favoring my sitting position with a bend and she recommended I try and get the leg as flat as I can tolerate with my toes and knee pointing up. Will continue to watch that, I am definitely taking teh path of least resistance there lol.

 

[sistersinhim]

was able to get 84 with a little help from therapist.

Be careful with doing this. It is so easy to go too far and end up with more pain and swelling. There is no rush to get your ROM to come in. Right now you need to concentrate on healing with very gentle movements only. Also, don't worry about doing a list of exercises. Just doing a few of them will be fine. You don't want to anger your already angered knee!

 

[MSuki]

Glad to hear that your PT is gentle. Yes it takes a little bit for the quads to get back to normal. Good news on that is that a lot of it is reaction to the surgery. Many people wake up one morning and the quad that wasn’t firing before suddenly works again. Not saying you won’t want to strengthen it later on but you will likely get a lot of improvement just by letting it heal. Let us know how it goes!

 

[mendogal]

Agree with @sistersinhim .... instead of doing a bunch of reps or sets on heel slides, I just did up to six, staying in comfort zone, but doing several times throughout the day. Same things with quad sets. Done that way in the first weeks, they never aggravated my joint but they did help with range of motion.

My ortho team was firmly united in telling me that in the initial weeks "less is better!"

Being pushed, pulled, or weighted is never the way to achieve ROM (except very temporarily, until the rebound swelling sets in!) - slowly moving within your current comfort range during the initial weeks, and then after a few weeks, gently going just into mild discomfort and holding that a few seconds - never ever going into pain.

 

[Layla]

Hi Red B!
How is the healing process going for you? We haven't heard from you in a few weeks.
I hope you're pleased with your progress and slowly easing back into all that you love.
Consider leaving an update if time allows.
Happy One Month Anniversary!
@RedBarchetta

 

[Law]

I'm a hipster, but your name stood out...Rush on and good luck with your recovery!

 

[Jockette]

I am also favoring my sitting position with a bend and she recommended I try and get the leg as flat as I can tolerate with my toes and knee pointing up. Will continue to watch that,

It’s fine to have a slight bend in your knee, especially this early in recovery, and is much more comfortable than keeping your knee as straight “as you can tolerate.” Relax and rest, your bend, and extension (straightness) will improve just fine, with time and healing.

 

[Layla]

Hey there Red
How are you doing on this special day? It is two months to date since your TKR.
Happy Two Month Anniversary! Please let us know how things are going for you.
Looking forward to an update.
@RedBarchetta