TKR Rodzilla7's L/TKR Recovery 02-14-2023

[Rodzilla7]

I am/was a law enforcement of 25-years, when cumulative bi-lateral knee trauma brought me to this stage. Over the years, I had arthroscopic meniscus "repairs" on both knees. Two events really tipped the scale before I came out of uniform and onto modified duty: 20-minutes of CPR with an ALS team; both knees on concrete and a tactical range shoot (think John Wick). My last days in uniform... I could barely walk.

I had my L/TKR surgery on 02-14-2023 and everything went well. I was released into the care of my wife the following day.

My wife has been fantastic in support and attitude, my recovery has not been. I quickly realized that while I had mentally prepared for the physical aspect of surgery, I really had done nothing for the emotional side. I hadn't realized that this joint replacement IS major surgery.

I've struggled with sleeping, swelling, pain and ROM. I would like to credit this website with giving me some extra tools; as I've learned a lot. I tried to come off the dreaded "Oxy" well before my condition was ready to. I'm now managing my pain in a smarter way. Ice and elevation are your friends. I get tired throughout the day and now grab a nap whenever I can. ROM will come with time and PT. At my first PT, I felt a little discouraged when my measurements were -5 on extension and 85 on flexion.

Why? By whose standard was I measuring myself? The PT staff didn't say anything discouraging other than, "I like what I'm seeing". The road to this recovery will be looong.

I tip my hat to anyone that has gone through ANY type of joint replacement. Every journey is unique and you'll be amazed at the strength that bubbles up from inside you.

-R

 

[sistersinhim]

Welcome to Bonesmart, @Rodzilla7. This surgery is not for the faint of heart! But, you'll find lots of members that can relate to what you are going through and can offer suggestions.

Each person is different as is their recovery. Most find that the Bonesmart approach works best for them, but others find that a more aggressive therapy helps them more. It's your recovery and your choice on how you recover. As you read more on other members' recovery threads, you’ll get a better perspective of what to expect. The following are our basic guidelines and should help get you started.

If you want to use something to assist with healing and scar management, BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.

KNEE RECOVERY GUIDELINES

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, and 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 the 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.

Try out our great new opportunity to improve your gait. It's OneStep. It's free and you will find it to be a huge help to you. Click here: OneStep

 

[beachy]

Congrats on your new knee!
That was a great post and really sums up everything about tkr recovery. Docs don't prepare patients for this recovery. They see us at 4,6, or 8 weeks post op for 20 min, but have no clue how we've felt during that time.

Now that you've found Bonesmart you have a support group to help you through this long recovery.
You will gradually feel better. Your knee will get stronger.
You're in the period I called Limbo. 4-7 weeks were a strange time for me. Some days were ok, most days were not and after all those weeks you just want to have more pain free days and some good sleep.
It will happen. Keep icing, elevating, resting and taking pain meds as needed. Short walks and very gentle exercises will get your ROM.
Hang in there!

 

[Rodzilla7]

beachy,

Thank you for the encouragement and insights. Today was a hard PT visit. It didn't feel like we were overdoing it, but I just crawled into bed when I got home. Phew.

R

 

[Jockette]

You are only one month post op from a very major surgery that caused a lot of disruption to the inside of your leg. A PT session that makes you crawl into bed when you get home, even if that is figuratively speaking, means they are giving you too much to do. You are not training for a big athletic event, your are healing from major surgery. Unfortunately there are PTs who don’t fully understand how to rehab a knee replacement. Cut those PT efforts way back and give your knee time to heal, or find another office with a better understanding. Too much too soon does not help you heal, quite the opposite, it causes setbacks.

 

[beachy]

Rodzilla, I did very little PT. Maybe 4 visits. But, I did gentle exercises at home. And not if the knee was very swollen. Just walking, ADLs, icing and elevating had my ROM at 125 when I saw my doc at 8 weeks. The extension is a work in progress, but I know it will happen. I guess I'm more relaxed about PT because I followed the Bonesmart philosophy with my first tkr. It works.

When you've been a very active, productive person before tkr....it's humbling, painful, and difficult to recover from tkr when you haven't been told what to expect. IMHO, most of us felt that way after tkr.
Hang in there, it gets better!

 

[Layla]

Hi Rodzilla,
How is your recovery going so far? Please share an update next time you're here if time allows.
We love reading of progress and we're here for support if you need us.
I hope all is well and you're enjoying Spring so far. Take good care!
@Rodzilla7

 

[trinket]

Congrats on your new knee. I thought I’d be dancing on the table after a few weeks. Boy was I wrong. Seriously though, I’ve done well and am very happy I did it. My knees no longer run my life.

 

[kneeper]

beachy,

Thank you for the encouragement and insights. Today was a hard PT visit. It didn't feel like we were overdoing it, but I just crawled into bed when I got home. Phew.

R

Yes, it's amazing how even what seems like what should be easy is challenging when you're recovering from TKR. I remember breaking a sweat at one PT session doing things I thought shouldn't have been that much. But that would have been before having had major surgery. You should tell the PT that it was a bit too much last time.

But you were very right to take it easy the. rest of the day

 

[Layla]

Hello and Happy Three Month Anniversary!
Hopefully the journey has been smooth so far. We'd love to hear how it's going for you.
Wishing you all the best and hope to hear from you soon!
@Rodzilla7