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TKR Slow and steady recovery

gardencrazy

new member
Joined
Jan 18, 2025
Messages
4
Age
68
Gender
Female
Country
United States United States
LTKR Nov 13 th and RTKR Dec 18 th.
5 weeks apart and now my life is measured in weeks. 9 and 4 this week.
PT going good but had a different person last Thursday due to mine being OOT. Not good she hurt me and I had to stop her. I noticed what might be a bakers cyst in back of knee later that day so I’m icing and trying to keep it from causing problems.
Left flexion was 135 a week ago and Right was 115 so doing pretty good in that respect.
Extension is really good also.
So many clicks and pops and weird pains that change all the time so I’m constantly googling everything and found this forum. Happy to be here.
Waiting for the day I say I’m really glad I did this and I’m back on a dirt trail happily hiking.
 
Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart and recovery. Thanks for joining us!
Wow, five weeks apart, you're a brave one. Not many would agree to that, but good for you! One recovery rolling into the other and you'll be done!

Thankfully you have the courage to let the PT know that you're not willing to push through pain.

Many members complain about clicking, clunking and popping sounds. It is natural to be concerned and wonder if something is wrong. It seems more often than not that noises aren’t indication of a problem. It takes time for the soft tissue surrounding the implant to heal and settle in with the implant and begin working smoothly.

I will leave a copy of our Recovery Guidelines. I'd like to encourage you to read through all of the articles as I believe you'll find the information beneficial. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Best Wishes for an uneventful and smooth recovery!

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.

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.

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?

Nutrition is of paramount importance. Available here are dietary tips, nutrition basics and additional food supplements. These articles are both general advice on food and specific guidelines aimed at people both pre- and post-surgery.

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.
@gardencrazy
 
You mentioned Baker's cyst. Here is an article from the BoneSmart Library on the topic -
 
Hi and welcome!!!

It's really common after TKR that we experience odd pains that might be anywhere from low back to ankle/foot. As our knee arthritis got worse, our entire weight bearing structure slowly (mis)adjusted to compensate. Suddenly in the OR our knees get reset!

So on top of healing from surgery, all those muscles, tendons, and ligaments that have been tugging at our bones need time to readjust - some are too tight, their counterparts too lax.

In my case, my pelvis got slowly skewed. When I finally could climb the stairs to my massage therapist she did sacral and hip releases that were soooo helpful!

Re noises: my two year old L knee still clicks like a metronome when I walk! :heehee:
 
Sounds like your new knees are moving really well- so I wouldn't worry too much about physio. And definitely don't do anything that hurts.
As to clicks and noises- lots of people have those here. I still have a slight click at over 2 years if I twist when stepping backwards- but it is painless.
 
I just read the article on 3 D printed knees. I couldn’t post anything on that thread so am posting here.
Maybe this should be renamed.
Both my new knees rtkr Nov 13, 24 and ltkr Dec 18, 24 were 3D printed from my CT scan.
Wondering how many others bone smart members have had 3D knees.
Still recovering at 10 weeks and 5 weeks but so far doing pretty good.
 

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