TKR RTKR Mar 4th 2022. My journey

[Rubybegonia]

Went to physio and as I expected no improvement in the degree of bend. Still at 71. At the end of the session I had attained 80 degrees. PT says today thst it may take longer as I had less the 100 degrees of bend pre surgery. Came home with some added exercises most of which appeal to me.
However tonight as I sit under the ice machine my knee is quite swollen and my pain is at about a six. Ugh.
Tomorrow is a new day.

 

[Jockette]

Exercises that increase your pain and swelling are not going to improve your ROM, because swelling is what is preventing it from improving, so it’s a vicious cycle.

Try not doing the exercises for a week or so, and instead focus on gentle bends and lots of icing and elevating. You are not even 2 weeks post op yet, it is way too early to think about ROM numbers.

Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[MaryCat]

@Rubybegonia don’t worry about that 90 degree in one week comment. As everyone has mentioned that’s complete baloney.

It took me about 5 weeks to get to 90 degrees and 6 weeks to go all the way round on the bike.

I’m 9 weeks and still waiting for some of the inflammation go go down.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

PT says today thst it may take longer as I had less the 100 degrees of bend pre surgery

So it will indeed take longer. Your body has adapted to your previously dodgy knee. Your body will now adapt to your new knee. You can help it along with stretching exercises to the point of discomfort but not pain. See my own ROM, Extension and Quad exercises which are just illustrations, there's a zillion ways to stretch.

 

[Rubybegonia]

PT says today thst it may take longer as I had less the 100 degrees of bend pre surgery

So it will indeed take longer. Your body has adapted to your previously dodgy knee. Your body will now adapt to your new knee. You can help it along with stretching exercises to the point of discomfort but not pain. See my own ROM, Extension and Quad exercises which are just illustrations, there's a zillion ways to stretch.

Thank you

 

[Rubybegonia]

Admin can you change the title of my thread to RTKR mar 4 22. MY JOURNEY
THANK YOU

 

[sistersinhim]

However tonight as I sit under the ice machine my knee is quite swollen and my pain is at about a six.

I hate to hear this. It means that you did too much in PT and doing other things besides that. Now, you have to get this swelling down from your overworking before your knee can get back to healing itself. We try to stress that aggressive exercises mostly cause setbacks in a baby knee. Yours is not only a baby, it's an infant and needs to be treated with lots of TLC! Treat yourself to a few days off, concentrating on icing and elevating.

 

[Rubybegonia]

However tonight as I sit under the ice machine my knee is quite swollen and my pain is at about a six.

I hate to hear this. It means that you did too much in PT and doing other things besides that. Now, you have to get this swelling down from your overworking before your knee can get back to healing itself. We try to stress that aggressive exercises mostly cause setbacks in a baby knee. Yours is not only a baby, it's an infant and needs to be treated with lots of TLC! Treat yourself to a few days off, concentrating on icing and elevating.

Yes I suspect you are right. Today I've had a full day just at home. Some of the simple exercises and lots of laying and elevating. Ice cuff is my friend. Lol.
I find just walking around the house my knee feels so full. ‍
Thank you for your words

 

[Susie-Q]

I can not get my knee to bend much more than about 70 degrees. Will this continue to improve? As I've been led to believe if it doesn't get to 90 degrees by the end of week one it never will. Advice ?

I was exactly where you are at two weeks post-op. I could only bend my leg to 72 degrees. Yes, you will improve! By the end of my first month I got to 90, this was slower than my first TKR. I am currently 6+ months post-op and somewhere in the 120s with my bend. It will come, don't worry! It just takes time, healing and the swelling needs to go down.

 

[MarkTKR]

Ruby, late to the thread here.

Every knee is different. I'm no expert just reading here you can see that.

At one week post op I was at almost 117 ROM which shocked the PT department so much that they brought several other over to check it out.

Yes I pushed, probably too much but I wanted to prove to myself and my wife that I was committed to the recovery. I paid the price a few times being far too sore and I backed off some but I remained at 120 ROM easily.

I remember my first PT appointment which was like 1 week post op and the PT girl told me to get on the bike and rock the pedals back and forth. She almost fell over when I went right to full rotations easily. I had a bike at home and had been riding it a lot.

When I would sit I would regularly stretch my heal using a dog leash.

Like I said in my post I was the poster child for TKR and the PT people were so amazed. That was the case until 01/13 when an accident at PT ruptured my patella tendon. I walked in strong and tall and recovering great and left in a wheelchair.

I had petella repair surgery on 01/20 and here it is 2 months later and I have 20 degrees ROM and I walk with a crutch. It has been crushing to go through this but what choice do I have.

I play golf, mainly to get outside and be with friends. I am really hoping I can at least drive a golf cart and hit a ball a few yards this summer. Before 01/13 I knew it was going to be a great summer. Now I'm not so sure. I've lost so much strength, I get extremely tired just loading the dishwasher. So how am I gonna do swinging a golf club. We will see. I suspect it will be another year before I will feel normal.

The links on post op depression are important. In my case I was up, way up on my TKR but with the patella tendon thing I have been seriously down. I've missed a lot of important work at my company and while I work from home its just not the same as being there. Luckily they are supportive.

But don't get down on yourself. You are the boss. You decide what is enough and tell your PT, thats it, I've had it for the day. Don't listen to the claims you should have ROM of this or that if you don't you are in bad shape. Every knee and every one is different. Do not let doctors or PT tell you otherwise. You control the flow and rate of your recovery. Only you.

Keep in touch here!

 

[Rubybegonia]

As I here icing my knee after exercises I thought I'd better introduce myself. I'm a young 69 year old woman, whose always been in denial of my age. I'm very active with hiking, walking , dance aerobics called high fitness, barre classes etc. My knee has had issue all my adult life and have had numerous surgeries including an acl repair. So it was only a matter of time until
This TKR was needed
I'm no stranger to rehab as I've had rotator cuff repairs done on both shoulders
I've had ups ned downs with this surgery so far but today I'm at the two week mark and am having a good day. My range of motion is poor at best but today I got on my spin bike and began the slow process of being able to make a rotation. It's pretty sad today Lol. Anyone know how long that typically takes?
I'm getting around the house with the cane and sometimes nothing. Nights are a bit rough even with Tylenol.
And that's my story today. Thanks to all the people on here for there views and encouragement

 

[Rubybegonia]

So so tired today. Day 14. Have done two ten minutes sessions on the spin bike. Ha ha. Oh for one revolution That's the goal But so so tired.
How long will I feel this tiredness?

 

[benne68]

Hi @Rubybegonia Yes, that tiredness is frustrating, but it is a normal and necessary part of recovery.

Your body is working hard on the inside to mend itself from the trauma of the surgery. That consumes a lot of energy and leaves us feeling tired all the time, especially in the early days -- and you are still in the early days. If you try to do too much, you will take energy away from the healing.

For most of us, recovery fatigue continues for several months -- but it does lessen with time. For now, listen to your body and give in to the fatigue. Take naps. Or just rest while you elevate and ice your leg.

Be patient -- you will start to get some of your stamina back soon.

 

[Rubybegonia]

Thank you for your comments. I do appreciate
And every day brings more questions.
I'm trying to do the prescribed physio exercises and the number of times they are suggested. I find by after two sessions of them y knee is quite swollen so that I feel I can't bend it at all on Fact it's impeding my gait.
I still use a cane for most walking including in Doors.
After each physio exercise session I lay and ice and elevate.
I haven't worn my fitness tracker until today and I've done the sum total of 2700 steps so I'm thinking that's not too many.
Suggestions are welcomed.
I see my pt and surgeon on Wednesday
Thank you In Advance

 

[Jockette]

I'm trying to do the prescribed physio exercises and the number of times they are suggested. I find by after two sessions of them y knee is quite swollen so that I feel I can't bend it at all on Fact it's impeding my gait.

This means your knee is not ready for this level of exercises. Often they give us too many to do, and too early. You don’t have to do them all, and not the amount they suggest. Only do the ones you like, that are easy, and don’t cause any pain. Your knee just needs some mobility, you are not training for an athletic event. You are recovering from a major surgery that caused your body a lot of trauma, from which it needs to heal.

After each physio exercise session I lay and ice and elevate.

How long do you ice and elevate? You can ice 45-60 minutes at a time, as long as you have a cloth between your skin and the cold source.

Your leg should be elevated to some extent any time you are sitting or laying down.

Elevation: Doing It the Right Way

Updated June 11, 2024 by Jockette Proper elevation is one of the best ways to help with pain and swelling following either hip, knee, or ankle surgery. Many people elevate improperly, which can dramatically lower the effectiveness. In the weeks following your surgery, make sure you elevate...

bonesmart.org

 

[Rubybegonia]

Thank you so much for your response
I do ice almost all the time I'm sitting or laying, elevating. I have a cryo cuff.
You are right I've likely over done it and now I have to figure out how to get the knee back to bending at all. I‘m very nervous about not getting to 90 degrees in the "normal" time. I just can't imagine living with a limp.
I'm in thst stage this morning wishing I'd never undertaken this Pity party going on here with tears.

 

[Jockette]

I‘m very nervous about not getting to 90 degrees in the "normal" time.

Please don’t worry about this. Honestly, there is no window of opportunity. You are very early in recovery and are in the angry tissue stage. Your bend will improve as the swelling goes down and you heal. My ROM continued to improve well into my second year, as my whole leg continued to relax and heal.

Myth busting: "window of opportunity" in TKR

This "six week window of opportunity" surgeons often speak about is little more than a myth. It presupposes that all patients have the ability to create adhesions which is far from the truth. It also ignores the simple fact that in the first 3-4 weeks after surgery, swelling reactive to the...

bonesmart.org

I'm in thst stage this morning wishing I'd never undertaken this Pity party going on here with tears.

Sending lot of hugs.

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

We have all felt this way. It truly will all be well in the future, this recovery takes time and you‘re just in the beginning. Try to relax, we’re here for you!

Hang out here with us, Bonesmart has a wealth of advice, information and support.
We will offer helpful suggestions,

Cheer your accomplishments

And send hugs when you are feeling down.

Best wishes!

 

[Jockette]

Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[Rubybegonia]

Thank you. I do hope that turns out to be the case.

 

[Susie-Q]

Here's a helpful chart that shows how long it takes for everything to heal following a TKR. As you can see, your body is very busy using all its energy healing that knee right now and that is why you feel so tired.