Swelling

[AZgirl]

Hi!

I'm at 5 weeks and I have had a problem with swelling during most of my recovery, especially after I have therapy or do my home exercising, especially my bike, and if I am on my feet for a couple hours doing things around the house, etc. When swollen I don't get very good ROM. Is this a problem that is normal? I do ice and elevate. Will this go away soon?

Bridget

 

[Sticker Lady]

Hi AZgirl!

I had a lot of swelling throughout my recovery and , like you, it wrecked havoc with my ROM. In just the last few weeks it has improved remarkably. I joined Curves and do the 30 minute workout three times a week and I do think that has helped, but mostly I think that my body has finally made a jump in healing. Having patience with the time it takes to fully recover is just so hard!

Hope you see improvement soon.

Blessings,
Irene

 

[cindy88fan]

Bridget...My BTKR was July 20 and I still have a bit of swelling. It is common to have swelling up to 6 months! Some have it longer. Are you taking any kind of anti inflammatory? I wasn't at the beginning but after 4 weeks I asked my OS for one and he got it for me right away. When your legs are done the gravity will pull the swelling down to your ankles if you have them down too long. Keep icing and elevating. Especially after you exercise!!! The swelling will prevent you from getting that extra ROM and sometimes causes extra pain. So if you don't have an anti inflammatory call and get one. Good Luck!! And Take Care!!

 

[calling_all_angels]

Bridget,
You are doing quite well. The knee's will swell and that does make the Rom harder to get. But all of that will get better. Just keep icing.

 

[Texas]

hey was wondering how you were..yes you probably will get that for quite awhile .........all you can do is ice maybe ibuprofen.......it will go away i know its tough but your tough...hang in there........post anytime.........)

 

[Motherofmany]

Hi Bridget,

I am 6 1/2 months on RTKR and 6 weeks on LTKR. Today I went to pt with swelling. As I did my standing exercises at the parallell bars, you could see the swelling work it's way down the left leg. Have had swelling problems with that leg before surgery due to previous nerve damage. My PT said, you're doing too much and spending too much time on your feet. That's laughable since all my husband, 8 children and 3 grandchildren have been sick with a virus for the last week. I'm the only survivor at this point. Had to cancel pt on Monday at 9 am to get children's fevers under control and medicated.

Saying all this because, yes it's normal for most of us. And second, maybe you are doing too much at 5 weeks. Back off a little and see if it helps. When I overdo, I try to have the next day my down day. Resting, icing and elevating as much as possible. Even if it means I do school work from my bed and sit in the chair to cook meals. Do whatever it takes to get the swelling down. Sometimes it takes up to a year they tell me. :skp:

Swelling = poor ROM. The fluid has no where to go and you can't push against it. When you try, it causes pain. It's also important to keep the pain meds going as prescribed. This helps keep the swelling down. I have had issues with mine the last few days (see my hot knee clunking along for more details). So no wonder I'm swollen. Icing and elevating with laptop on my tummy as I type this. Tomorrow will be a down day for sure....Lord willing.

Swelling also causing stiffness in the IT Band that runs from your hip to right below the outside of your knee. If you have pain and stiffness in these areas, you need to work on loosening the IT Band. Several good posts with exercises on this subject.

Hope you get some relief soon and get that swelling under control.

Blessings,

 

[Jamie]

I also had quite a lot of swelling throughout recovery. I'm 1 1/2 years out now and still can get it if I get crazy and do a lot of activity with my knee. But Aleve and ice always do the trick, so please don't worry about it....it's normal and some folks just get it more than others. We're just part of the "juicy" crowd!!

 

[tom67]

Hi Bridget, My knee swells a lot at night, My Ice packs are still my best friend's LOL
Hope you are well and in good spirits! Best Wishes,

 

[HyperZen]

Hi Bridget,

I'm at 8 weeks and have the swelling too. Sounds from others' experience that it lasts a while. I personally think our doctors and PTs need to give us more information about this issue at the outset so we don't worry about it. They seem so focused on the ROM numbers to the exclusion of the reality of healing. But then again, I have a very young PT who tells me just to "push through" the swelling and pain...NOT POSSIBLE. Hang in there and be well.

 

[AZgirl]

Thanks everyone for your posts! I feel better that I am not alone in having the problem of swelling. You are so right that the PTs just focus on getting that ROM and no one talks much about getting the swelling down which would really help. I take several Advil a day, I guess that would be an anti-inflamatory, although I just think of them as for pain.
On the days my knee doesn't look swollen my ROM is much better. I can't wait till I can go back in the warm water because that is always so soothing for me to exercise there. Right now I'm waiting till my incision looks real good and I see my OS before going back to the pool.

Bridget

 

[Jamie]

Bridget, you are correct that Advil is an anti-inflammant as well as providing pain relief.

 

[Josephine]

But that kind of swelling is helped only minimally by anti-inflammatories as it's a different kind of swelling. i.e., the swelling is not gravity or infection, it's trauma induced (for trauma read surgery!).

But there's another facet that's not been mentioned: swelling is caused by pain and pain causes swelling. So the question is - are you only taking Advil? Because it's actually quite a mild pain killer and you could probably do with something else like acetaminophen at the very least. You can take them together, btw - they are very effective in combination.

Remember that at 5 weeks you still need good pain management and are likely to for another 4/5 weeks. Many people still complain of stiffness and swelling and don't actually realise that this is a manifestation of pain.