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TKR Suggestions needed for “tight band” feeling

Is your swelling gone? I still have mind. It is starting to worry me. I am 5 months. How do I get it to go down. I put it up, I ice it but nothing. Just wonder if there was something else I can do to get it to go down.
 
@judgar: yes, I still have swelling but it is not nearly as bad as it was. Like I said, I took about 7 weeks off where I didn’t do anything—no exercises, no gym etc. I didn’t do or not do anything special. I suggest asking the moderators for anything else you can do. All I know is when I started REALLY resting/elevating/icing, that’s when I started to get better. Hang in there...it was at about the 5 month mark that I started to notice REAL (but subtle) improvement. Good luck!!
 
judgar said:
Is your swelling gone? I still have mind. It is starting to worry me. Iam 5months.how do I get it to go down. I put it up I ice it but nothing. Just wonder if there was something else I can do to get it to go down.
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Hi, I’m 9 weeks post bilateral partial knee replacements. Since I finished anti-inflammatories due to reflux and switched to occasional paracetamol, I can’t get swelling down. I’m doing the hospital recommend exercises, functional walking and a bit of stationary bike. Swelling isn’t fully down in the morning and gets worse during the day. Using elevation and ice. Any suggestions?
 
Stiff Knee, your post is just what I need to cheer me up on a dank, drizzly miserable Sunday morning here in Blighty

Well done on your achievement, please stay around and help preach the Bonesmart way!
 
@Celle, @Tykey: I’m almost embarrassed to write after my “I’m so much better” post 3 weeks ago...but here I am. After water walking 3x/week for 2 weeks in a row w/no pain or stiffness either during or after in Jan, I got a month pass at the pool for Feb. Have been water walking 3x/ week for 1 hr, heel to toe, not very fast (can’t walk that fast in a pool anyway!). Have had nothing but trouble! Today, 15 mins into my workout, the stiffness started. I’m at the gym, too, abt 1-2 x/wk and I’m up to 8 mins on the bike and pedal machine. No problems there. I am trying to lose the holiday weight I gained AND get my exercise in. Should I just stop the pool and focus on gym exercises? I feel like I did not improve ANY the month of Feb. I’m at 29 weeks. Short of turning in my 62 yr old body for a 20 yo one!!, do you have any recommendations? I knew there’d be some backsliding but this seems more than normal. Tks in advance for ideas!
 
Your 6 month old knee is just not ready for that much exercise. Cut it way back and try really hard to be more patient with it.
 
No need for embarrassment! I hit 6 months next week and I've been doing fairly well, (and sharing that on my thread!) only to WAY-Y over do it this past week and I'm quite hobbly now on my poor knee!

We still have this road to recovery that we're on and that is the hard part!!! Hang in there, back off of the exercises and take care!
 
It would be too easy to say "told you so", wouldn't it.
So here goes, "told you so!"

I wish I got paid as much as your Dr who gave you such bad advice.
I'm delighted to hear you have adopted a much better strategy. I'd cut back the formal exercising to Zero, but just do a few stretches when watching the TV.

You'll do fine from here on in.
 
@Tykey: you made me laugh! I Will follow your advice (again). Trying so hard to get back to my former (pre surgery) exercise routine and lose weight. :) :-) (:
 
@Stiff knee NC

I can relate to you being told to put weight on your leg while laying on your stomach. My extension is off 5 degrees from being straight. My PT had me put a ten pound ankle weight on my ankle, lay on my stomach while dangling my legs over the side of the bed. I made it almost 10 minutes, the pain was unbearable. I actually had tears running down my cheeks. Did it straighten my knee/leg? Nope, not a bit. I could barely walk after that torture technique. I think I am around 10 weeks post surgery. I also suffer from a stiff knee. After BoneSmart brought it to my attention I was over doing it, I have slacked off and giving this knee a badly needed break. I was also treating my knee as though it was an athletic wound, when in fact, the way a friend described this TKR procedure as being, "the most invasive, violent assault of just about any orthopedic surgery available." And from where I am standing, he is 100% right on.

This is about as bumpy of a journey I have ever experienced. The only comfort I get, is hearing from people like us, that have went through this, and reassuring me that it WILL get much better in time. If I only had a time machine. Hang in there, you're definitely not alone in this battle.
 
I only put on 6 lbs during the early months of recovery. I put 1lb down to the weight of metal added, and measured the swelling of my leg and calculated that this accounted for another 3.
So despite living on jam Roly poly and custard, I actually put on ONLY 2 lb!!!!
 
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@Tykey, @Celle: still struggling, now at 32 weeks. Have stopped ALL exercise. What’s good: the “tight band” feeling is gone (yay!) AND I can stand longer (abt 2 hrs) compared to 1 hr...and after standing/doing errands for 2 hrs, when I bend my knee so my toes try to touch my backside, it’s not as stiff/swollen. What’s discouraging: i am STILL having swelling and pain. Even doing 2 hrs of house cleaning yesterday meant I had to spend hours afterwards in the recliner, resting and icing. I don’t feel I’m even as “good” as I was before surgery. If I go to my dr, he will tell me to do exercises (which I’m not going to do); another dr won’t see me til August (my 1 yr anniversary). 1. Should I just sit in the recliner icing/elevating for weeks doing nothing? (I thought I was beyond that) 2. Is this normal? 3. In your opinion, would a “flutter kick” in the pool be harmful? At this point I think I’m looking at a longer-than-1-yr recovery. Tks in advance for your comments!
 
Sadly the swelling is an indication that you are still doing too much maybe rest a little in between cleaning, I've basically stopped all exercises other than my daily stroll with my dogs at a leisurely pace and noticed by doing so my swelling has greatly reduced, I haven't tried touching my heel to my bottom yet haha but I'm sure my knee wouldn't be impressed if I did :heehee: I think each of us heal at a different pace some slower than others...but with time and tlc we get there in the end - weight wise I too have gained a little but am hoping when the warmer months appear I can then cut back on heavy meals. Not sure what a "flutter kick" in the pool is but exercising in the pool does put a lot of strain on the knees. Maybe @Celle could best advise you on this xx
 
@Tykey, @Celle: oh and one more thing: I thought a “warm knee” meant healing...but mine only is warm after I’ve been on my feet for a couple of hours, which seems more related to swelling.
 
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