The BoneSmart view is very different from yours - but our
primary message is "What works for you is better than all advice." As what you're doing
isn't working, here's our view:
except on PT days I take 2 an hour before
Please don't take painkillers before PT. Masking the pain enables you to do too much, to worsen the existing damage, and delay/halt/reverse your recovery.
As far as PT, I am also the one intentionally pushing it (possibly overdoing it, but who knows).
You are overdoing it if it causes you pain.
My PT & surgeon keep trying to reign me in
They are right.
Being a seriously competitive runner, it is paramount that I lose as little muscle strength as possible because I do intend to race again.. with the goal to win!!
You have some serious thinking to do.
Wow, no running for a month? Was that said seriously?
Yes .. So that would be a total of 6 weeks from
Surgery. I’ll see him and get the details of how he believes I can start up
Yes it's serious, six weeks is incredibly early.
I’m pushing so hard for ROM, not strength. I got to 120* early on, but have hardly improved from there. That is what is so painful. I don’t get why I’m not progressing with the all the bending & holding I do.
Asked and answered. You are overdoing it.
A running friend is a PT said “if you don’t get your ROM right away there will be no running ever”
It's nonsense. Soft tissue can continue to improve forever, there is no time limit, trying too hard will worsen, not improve, your recovery.
Imagine exercising hard in recovery for a broken leg or a sprained muscle; counter-productive, obviously, and would
worsen the damage. It's much the same with TKR, you have damage needing healing, not unfitness needing training.
All you need is to help retain mobility (not fitness or strength) until healing is complete. This is done with gentle stretching exercises, without pain.
See also our article Healing and training are different
http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/post-operative-exercise-–-the-bonesmart-view.25463.
Running is quite strongly contra-indicated for TKR people, because the impact every stride is thought greatly to elevate the danger of loosening the implant. Plenty of people do run, quite successfully. The decision is yours.
But the BoneSmart view is that you're currently scuppering your recovery by doing too much.