TKR pain below my new knee

my robotic TKR was Feb. 27, 2023. glad to be reading these comments, my therapist goes WAY too hard sometimes & has me seeing stars!
Speak up! I was a vigorous PT participant both of my TKR's but always at my own level (which tended to ODIC per my personality LOL!). No PT pushed me, or gave me down-trodden comments or criticisms.

I would have switched to someone else immediately. I let me PTs (both TKRs) KNOW I was not going to lay on my stomach for ANY therapy as I have back issues. They both were ok with that.

Some of these PT's go toooo far -- some doctors judged degrees of movement too early IMO.

My doctor never asked me about 'degree' this-and-that at the micro-management level.

It takes time, and the range gets better.
 
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They do the lay on your stomach with legs hanging off the end of the table with an ice pack on back of knee & ankle weight strapped on to help straighten the leg! It is hell & I told them I’m not doing it! Very glad to see that others are against that as well
 
That is so dated IMO T-bone. Good you're here to know you have a voice! One of my PT's told me he had dropped that technique years ago. Sometimes this stuff aggravates wound areas.

I had a friend going thru her TKR same week I did -- we shared the same Doc/ PT center and her PT forced her face-down on the table and her wound opened a bit, and to date she has a bad jagged scar.

It seems to depend on the PT. My center had about five PTs about as I was there -- I saw less of the face-down, on-stomach 'stuffs' this time compared to 2019.
 
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@T-bones, welcome to Bonesmart. I have started a recovery thread for you so you can have your very own thread to journal your recovery.

Each person is different as is their recovery. Most find that the Bonesmart approach works best for them, but others find that a more aggressive therapy helps them more. It's your recovery and your choice on how you recover. As you read more on other members' recovery threads, you’ll get a better perspective of what to expect. The following are our basic guidelines and should help get you started.

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.

KNEE RECOVERY GUIDELINES

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

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

6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital

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?

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.

Try out our great new opportunity to improve your gait. It's OneStep. It's free and you will find it to be a huge help to you. Click here: OneStep
 
Hi T-bones and welcome to recovery.
I'm 9 weeks post op with my second tkr. Fortunately, I found Bonesmart prior to first tkr. I followed the Bonesmart way of recovery (gentle pt...and not much of it) both times. I had, and am having, good recoveries. Range if motion is good. And I don't suffer through aggressively painful PT sessions.
You have to speak up and let your therapist know you will not accept certain movements. Or find another. I had to do that first tkr.
Good luck and....it does gradually get better!
 
weight strapped on to help straighten the leg!
Please do NOT let them do this to you. It is much too soon in recovery.

Unfortunately, many physical therapists never receive any training for how to treat patients recovering from joint replacement surgery. They think they can treat us the same way they treat someone suffering from an athletic injury. And it doesn't work! In fact, this kind of force increases inflammation and can set you back or slow your recovery.

Say NO loudly and clearly to anyone who forces your knee to bend or straighten. Recovery does NOT require this kind of pain.

Myth busting: no pain, no gain

Do let us know how it goes.
 
Thanks so much for the support & advice! I got to this TKR after 7 years of problems after falling straight down off a ladder & shattering my tibial plateau in right leg & calcaneous bone ( heel) in left foot. This is the 4 th & hopefully last surgery on right knee. So back when I was first going to PT they did the “ hangs” & I hated it then, but didn’t know any different. Ended up going to the same place now as I need transportation & told them I’m not doing it this time. I’m so glad a friend turned me on to this group! Your methods make so much more sense to me then pushing hard especially when I’ll just be 3 weeks post op tomorrow
 
@LeftKnee123
I‘ve moved your post above out of the Monthly team thread as we reserve that thread for surgery date information, and so members can see who else has surgery the same month. We prefer all other comments and discussion to take place in a pre op or recovery thread, such as this one. Enjoy interacting with others who are on the same journey, here in this thread. :flwrysmile:

Best wishes as you continue to recover and make new friends here on Bonesmart!
 
hi, I'm hanging in there, thanks! I have a new extreme pain down the outside calf of my surgical knee when they are bending it back! unreal! they say it has something to do with the fibula? have you experienced this? how are you doing? oh, I'm in NJ, how about you? it is alot more than I expected!
 
Hi T-bones and welcome to recovery.
I'm 9 weeks post op with my second tkr. Fortunately, I found Bonesmart prior to first tkr. I followed the Bonesmart way of recovery (gentle pt...and not much of it) both times. I had, and am having, good recoveries. Range if motion is good. And I don't suffer through aggressively painful PT sessions.
You have to speak up and let your therapist know you will not accept certain movements. Or find another. I had to do that first tkr.
Good luck and....it does gradually get better!
hi, thanks for sharing your info! I have told them I'm not going on my stomach & hanging or pulling my knee backwards with a strap, and I complain every time they cause me extreme pain, which is still basically every session! how did you get your therapists to listen?
 
how did you get your therapists to listen?
I stopped going.

Regaining our ROM does not require forceful bending or painful exercises.
Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.
 
The first tkr I left in the middle of pt. Just took my walker and hobbled away LOL
About 2 weeks post op the therapist had me hold onto a bar and told me to do SQUATS! He had helped me so much with back issues prior to tkr. Told him I can't do squats. He got an attitude and said I wouldn't have a good recovery and he walked away. So did I. I found another place.

This time I had rehabbed a shoulder replacement spring 2022 and liked the place I went to. I had a prehab with them prior to this tkr. I told them I wouldnt tolerate any kind of aggressive pt. And I would wait 4 weeks to start. Mouths dropped open LOL! If they didn't agree I'd go elsewhere. They agreed. I restated again first appt....no pushing, no bending. They complied. I went 5 times. The first was just evaluation. By 5th I had 120 flex, 4 extension. I could do the rest on my own. I just didn't go back. I graduated myself LOL.
You don't have to put up with anything that hurts you and your new knee. Those are your rights. There is no shortage of PT offices out there. If they won't listen to you, leave. Before they do damage.
Your only 4 weeks post op. Let yourself rest and heal.
 
I have had virtually no physio. Just a couple of sessions in hospital the day after my surgery and one informal consultation with a physio who called to see me, when I was in hospital recently with acute septicaemia. He was very impressed with my 140+ flexion and 0 extension.
I have had weekly private pilates lessons with an excellent teacher from about 4 weeks after my PKR last October. She has never asked me to do anything that hurt- always telling me to back off if anything caused pain. We are only recently starting to use resistance bands and very light weights to build up strength.
 
I have a new extreme pain down the outside calf of my surgical knee when they are bending it back!
Who is bending your knee back?! That is a big :bignono:! All that does is cause more inflammation, swelling and pain. That is setting your recovery back. You don't want that.
I complain every time they cause me extreme pain, which is still basically every session! how did you get your therapists to listen?
You tell them "NO!". When the PT at the hospital came to my room shortly after my surgery, she had me sit in a chair. Of course, I couldn't bend my knee well that soon after surgery, so she took her foot and started to push my foot back. I yelled, "NO, stop it!" She said she was going to tell on me. What?! Were we in elementary school? I told her to go ahead, that I didn't care.

I never took any PT after my TKR. I had had 5 previous surgeries on my knee and knew how to recover without anyone telling me how. What I did were only my daily activities. I recovered quite well without the pain, swelling, and stress of PT or exercises. So will most people.
 
The first tkr I left in the middle of pt. Just took my walker and hobbled away LOL
About 2 weeks post op the therapist had me hold onto a bar and told me to do SQUATS! He had helped me so much with back issues prior to tkr. Told him I can't do squats. He got an attitude and said I wouldn't have a good recovery and he walked away. So did I. I found another place.

This time I had rehabbed a shoulder replacement spring 2022 and liked the place I went to. I had a prehab with them prior to this tkr. I told them I wouldnt tolerate any kind of aggressive pt. And I would wait 4 weeks to start. Mouths dropped open LOL! If they didn't agree I'd go elsewhere. They agreed. I restated again first appt....no pushing, no bending. They complied. I went 5 times. The first was just evaluation. By 5th I had 120 flex, 4 extension. I could do the rest on my own. I just didn't go back. I graduated myself LOL.
You don't have to put up with anything that hurts you and your new knee. Those are your rights. There is no shortage of PT offices out there. If they won't listen to you, leave. Before they do damage.
Your only 4 weeks post op. Let yourself rest and heal.
Wow, that’s amazing! With them pushing hard I’m at 107 & 9. I’m going to be very clear on Monday no more painful stuff! Thanks for the support. May I ask what exercises or stretches did you do? I also had a huge rotator cuff surgery May 2022
 
Wow, no PT at all? Did you do any exercises or stretches at home? How’s your range of motion?
 

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