TKR Tawinoh on the other side, its turning into a nightmare

[hopefaith]

I do not understand this stuff I read on here at all where OS then subsequently PT get all worked up about ROM. I cannot say enough how glad I am to have found this site and just to trust this slow and steady pace wins the race. ( a poet and did not know it. ) @tawinoh I am so sorry that you have had to go through this. I agree with the above post. It is YOUR knee and your knee to care for....not theirs. I wish you healing, at YOUR pace not anyone else's.

 

[Josephine]

She said if I refuse then she can't continue therapy on me, the place she works for won't let her.

So? Tell them to take a hike! It's your knee and your choice.

I think your surgeon, while he may well be technically good, sounds like a right little Hitler - a "my way or the highway" person .... you have the right to choose, not to be bullied into having your knee hurt.

I totally agree with Celle about this. You have the right to choose not to be abused! I think it's insane for him to be getting so exercised (pardon the pun!) about this when all the literature shows that it's a totally unproductive approach to take. Any surgeon who tried to do this to me would very quickly be treated to the sight of my back as I left his office!

I don't recall if I gave you this link before but you might find it empowering to see how little exercising I did! Knee recovery - UK style

I do not understand this stuff I read on here at all where OS then subsequently PT get all worked up about ROM.

Neither do I, Hope. I simply cannot understand how qualified doctors think it's a good idea - at all !

 

[maryo52]

She said if I refuse then she can't continue therapy on me, the place she works for won't let her.

Yes it's your knee, but a doctor's order is a doctor's order, it has to be followed -- by the physiotherapists, but you have the right to refuse therapy.

You stated a good solution, which was abandon PT and take over your own rehab. There is absolutely no reason at all why professional guidance is needed. This is not rocket science. Do some gentle stretches (bending and straightening), some quad strengthening (left lifts), and patella mobilizations (or whatever assortment your knee prefers). I went through two physiotherapists and I made NO progress with them. So when I had my last intervention, I announced I was not going back to them and I followed the professional advice of a specialist in arthrofibrosis via an online article. My ROM today is proof that I did the right thing. Fortunately my ortho tends to really listen to and trust patients.

 

[tawinoh]

Well I am happy to say that I stopped PT today, I couldn't take it anymore and it only made me worse, she couldn't even get more than a 90 degree bend. I told her I'm getting worse and not better and my knee needs to heal and the bend would eventually come. I really think she agreed with me but of course she couldn't say anything against my doctor. I am going to continue my rehab myself and do what my knee and body tells me I am able to do. If my dr doesn't like it....too bad!! I am so thankful for this website or I would have never known what was really happening to my knee. I have read and read the information and other people's stories on here. Thank you for all the support and wealth of information that I will continue to use during my recovery and I know I can do this myself at my 'knee's' pace. I'm relieved but still determined, I can do this.

 

[Jozilla]

Yes you can do this!

 

[Celle]

Well done, @tawinoh ! You can do the exercises by yourself.

Did you see this?
Exercises for TKRs: do-it-yourself exercises from basic to advanced

 

[tawinoh]

@Celle yes I've seen it but I'm going to look at it again and follow what it says. Thanks so much for your support

 

[Josephine]

Excellent! You're still in early days. Plenty of time for improvement.

 

[tawinoh]

Thanks Josephine that's exactly what I think, it will get there.

 

[BigBend]

I had btkr 6 weeks ago and because of my insurance and personal circumstances could not do formal pt. I have taken to heart all the Bonesmart advice and am directing my own recovery. I'm not going to be the poster child for quick and dramatic recovery, but I'm confident I can get there at my own pace. You can, too! Best wishes for a gentle but complete self directed recovery!

 

[Mai5ie]

@tawinoh You've been through a lot, but I think you've made the right decision to stop PT. Take your time and be gentle with yourself.

 

[tawinoh]

@BigBend I'm sure I won't be the poster child for a quick recovery either, but I think I can do better than PT did. I shouldn't say anything bad about my Physical Therapist, she was very gentle, never hurt me, she helped me a lot until my doctor ordered aggressive PT on flexion, her hands were tied then and she had to do what he ordered and my recovery went downhill FAST. I can't go to outpatient PT either because I don't drive and don't have anyone to take me there 3 times a week...which works in my favor...lol I have an OS appointment next week which I think I'm going to cancel til I get back to where I was and start improving again. There's no way I'm going to let him do an MUA this early, if ever!!

 

[tawinoh]

@Mai5ie Thanks for the support, I think I made the right decision too. Its going to be tough but at least I can go at my own pace

 

[BigBend]

I made up my mind before the surgery, @tawinoh , that I would not subject myself to a MUA. My goal is to be functional and painfree. I couldn't drive and had no one to drive me the 30+ miles each way to PT (which would have been miserable, anyway!) So, I continue to expect myself to increase my ROM slowly, and I hope, steadily. I suppose if I go backwards with an onset of adhesions, I might rethink it. But I'm just not a fan of pain!!!

 

[waitingtogarden]

The surgery went great and the first couple of days were great. But now they've injured me on the CPM machine, it was so bad yesterday that I couldn't do PT. They keep putting me on the CPM, I keep telling them I don't want it but they force me to use it. They don't give me my meds on time so my pain is not controlled and I'm always chasing the pain. They don't elevate but they do keep I keep ice machine on all the time. I feel like I'm in a torture chamber and can't get out. I just want to go home so I can control my pain and let my knee heel. HELP please.

I know that this is late, but if someone else gets in this position, please ask...if necessary demand.... a patient advocate/representative from the hospital. Things happen to correct issues when this happens. And they appear quickly. I had a situation that was very serious. My health was is at risk. Things were fixed quickly....it had nothing to do with my TKR. So please share this with everyone.

 

[Ellejay]

Oh @tawinoh I've only just read through your thread, what a terrible time you have had. If it helps you to know, I was given just four group PT exercise sessions, no hands on at all, and then left to my own devices, I religiously continued to do these exercises at home. As soon as my scar was healed I paid for two hydrotherapy sessions and then took myself to the local pool where I used the learner pool and did these exercises myself at least three times a week. These were the best things I could have done, my ROM increased rapidly, and then finally I have paid for two PT sessions for massage, and these have just ' put the cherry on the top' and now I have enough ROM to ride my bike again, so I am happy.
You are very early in your recovery, so just ice, elevate and exercise slowly and gently and you will get there - a far better approach than the one used on you so far. Best wishes, Ellejay x

 

[71Beetle]

@tawinoh so sorry that you had to go through all of this. I am doing private care PT until my appointment on the 26th with the provincially funded team. My hospital experience was thankfully very good and I am optimistic
that the PT there will be good as well.

It sounds like you have done the right thing in taking control of your pain and your PT. I do find that having this forum gives us options from people that have true life experiences as opposed to bureaucrats that are run by policy and procedures. A lot of people won't question someone that has a title or letters after their name but we don't have to be doctors to know if the pain or the feeling is not right.

I hope your rehabilitation goes well. Hang in there!

 

[Celle]

@tawinoh
There's no need to rush to improve your knee. If it's any sort of a race, recovery from knee replacement is a marathon, not a sprint.

All that matters is that you are making steady (even if slow) progress. You may find that some days you seem to take a step back or plateau for a while, but you'll get there in the end.

Lots of people have described their recovery as a roller-coaster, or two steps forward, one step back.

 

[Wednesday]

I sometimes wonder how valuable formal physical therapy is. When I go in, it's a regular routine of cycling, step climbing and stretching. I think that the stretching I do at home and the exercise that comes from regular daily activities accomplishes just as much, but at a more relaxed pace.

I think more and more that improvement is more a function of allowing our bodies the time to heal and that the forced, concentrated PT sessions don't really help all that much. I have three weeks left, but I am seriously considering dropping out tomorrow.

Don't worry. You will be fine on your own.

 

[tawinoh]

@Ellejay Thanks for your kind words and support. The pool in my neighborhood opens at the end of this month and I plan on using it, hopefully that will help like it did you.

@71Beetle You're exactly right, I would never have questioned my doctor or PT had I not found this Forum! I can't even imagine the torture I would have had to go through. I've been through enough torture, I'm done, it's time for some TLC on this knee and let it heal at its own pace.

@Wednesday After what I've been through I feel like doing your exercises at home at your own pace is the way to go. If you go to PT and it helps and doesn't hurt then that's great, but if it makes you worse or causes you extreme pain...get out of there fast!!