TKR Sudden cramp like pain walking down stairs

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!
Happy Holidays too! I hope Santa is good to you!
@ouchie!

 

[ouchie!]

Thank you Lay,a! What a difference between 2 months post op and 3 months! Feeling more in touch with real life. Can I ask how long I should be doing physio at home? I stopped going to the hospital physio after a horrible session at the group class. I’m doing 3-4 different exercises twice a day. That is 12 different exercises in total. Usually 10 repeats per exercise. Things like leg lifts, leg slides, quad squeezes all lying on the bed, backward lower leg lift whilst standing, half squats and marching. All feel comfortable to do and I ice afterwards. My walking is mainly around the house doing chores, walking to the garage where the bins are, up and down the stairs several times a day.

 

[sistersinhim]

I never did any PT or home exercises, just used my knee as it was intended to be used. My recovery went well, and I didn't have all the agony of doing too much for what my healing knee was ready to do.

 

[mendogal]

Hi @ouchie!

At three months out, each one of those in itself is safe to do, but too easy to overdo.

My suggestion is to select just three exercises per day, rotating through them on different days, and with a couple of rest days per week just for walking and daily life. So you only repeat a given exercise a couple of times a week.

Try a single set of 12, done as slowly as possible, in time to your breathing, rather than two sets per day. After a week or two, if all is well, increase to a single set of 15.

After another week or two, if all is well, try adding a second daily set of 15.

I really like exercising for strength, but post op was very cautious about ensuring my muscle and tendon health. This is the kind of approach that worked for me. It's by no means THE right way, so take with as many grains of salt as needed and do what works for you!

 

[ouchie!]

Thank you both. So I seemed to be overdoing it a bit again. I will cut back what physio I do and having the odd day off sounds good! I must admit by the evening the knee is more swollen and doesn’t bend so well. Although I don’t walk outside much due to the cold and ice (I’m terrified of falling!) I do a lot in the house as my partner has dementia and I have to do most household chores and my only toilet is upstairs. Thank you both again.

 

[Rebnewt]

I am 4 and a half weeks post op. Not using any walking aids in the house now a there are walls/surfaces to grab if needed, but I take a cane when I go outside as an occasional wobble catches me by surprise when walking any distance. The PT also suggested using the cane when out because it helps other people realise that they need to avoid you/give you more space which I thought was good advice.

 

[mendogal]

Thank you both. So I seemed to be overdoing it a bit again. I will cut back what physio I do and having the odd day off sounds good! I must admit by the evening the knee is more swollen and doesn’t bend so well. Although I don’t walk outside much due to the cold and ice (I’m terrified of falling!) I do a lot in the house as my partner has dementia and I have to do most household chores and my only toilet is upstairs. Thank you both again.

With all that you do already plus increased evening swelling, it would be prudent to do the fewer exercises on one day on, one day off basis for now - until that evening swelling reduces.

 

[westiemom]

@ouchie

How are your doing now? Haven't heard from you in a while, so hoping that means you're over the hump and well on the way to "normal" again.

 

[ouchie!]

Hi @westiemom, sorry haven’t been on so much but am doing quite well. I’m now at 5 months and am seeing a huge difference from 2 months. The knee is still a bit swollen but not as painful as before. I only ice before bed. I still stock up on pain meds before I go out as the non operated knee hurts quite a bit, but managed to comfortably walk around a small garden centre, with a walking stick, today and then rewarded myself with a coffee and a toastie! I haven’t been able to walk around any store for years so a real achievement. I’m now thinking once the other one is done, my pain will be greatly reduced, but I just can’t face it at the moment. As I’m a carer I have to sort out respite care for my husband at the same time, and it’s just too much at the moment. I want to wait a good year just for my mental health as I do feel a bit worn out by it all, BUT the knee is so much better, imagine how it will feel at the 1 year mark? And I’d like to recover during the summer, not this blooming awful winter! Thank you for asking. How are you doing?

 

[westiemom]

@ouchie!

Congrats! I am so happy to hear your progress! To know you are even thinking of having the 2nd knee done is amazing.
I understand how things (other than knee progress) can be overwhelming. I am only doing the things that need done, not trying to figure things out in the future. But I do need to think about starting on our taxes; they need done by April 15.
Your good news at 5 months makes me feel that I, too, will be so much better at 5 months than 3 months. Today DH and I did my exercises and they were uncomfortable, rather than hurtful. So I'm coming along there. And my ROM is basically right at 90, which for me is good. I keep swelling up after exercises so it's mostly a day on, a day off.
I too am so tired of this winter weather. We are going to be going into the negatives (below 0), which is fairly unusual for us and will make me stay inside till it's warmer. When I do go out and about, I always reward myself with something tasty. I'm like training a dog - I will do most anything for baked goods!

 

[ouchie!]

@westiemom You really will feel a difference as the months go by. I sort of find a difference month by month rather than weekly. I know I dosed up on pain meds when out today, but before the TKR I never could have done that even with pain meds! Just shows the difference already. Thank you for your comment and wishing a good recovery. Take care xx