TKR thneed's Right TKR

You’re doing great! A few degrees every week is good. I agree with you regarding comparison - it’s hard not to compare your progress with others. My case is a little different in that this is a revision. It involves a much larger implant and a longer recovery. Patience all around!
 
Ugh, first big set-back since this started. My knee tonight is just hurting so bad, it hasn't hurt this bad since like week 3. I even am using a cane tonight and I haven't used it for about 3 weeks. Not sure what happened.

Yesterday I walked a lot and possibly overdid it, but this morning I woke up fine. Walked my dog the usual length of time, did my first round of exercises, iced & elevated a couple times. This afternoon we all went to a mall then out to dinner. Didn't walk a ton at the mall but that's when it started feeling a big sore. Right above the kneecap.

This evening after getting home I elevated and iced while watching a movie and it slowly felt worse. Took Tylenol and finally when I stood up, it was so painful I couldn't stand on it.

I am thinking one of two things (or both?). Either I overdid it with my exercises this morning, or this afternoon before we went into the mall I changed into jeans, and I haven't worn jeans since the surgery. I noticed right away they were kind of rubbing on the scar, was a bit irritating. Could it be they irritated the scar so much that I feel it way down inside the scar? if that makes sense

Regardless, I am icing again, this time with the ice machine. Almost contemplating an oxy but I won't unless it's so bad I can't sleep. I am just hoping I don't feel this terrible in the morning. I think I will take it easy tomorrow (though I do have to go grocery shopping so we'll just cross that bridge when we get there).

Other than this afternoon/evening, I have to say I am feeling pretty decent. Still super tight and swollen feeling, but I feel my stride is getting better and I can even do The Stork now! I stood as long as 18 seconds yesterday! Feeling pretty good about my progress, hoping today is an anomaly.
 
Sounds like you overdid it, take it easy and let your knee settle down. Keep resting, icing. and elevating.
 
Yeah, probably. I just didn't think I did all that much yesterday to make it feel that bad last night. I did overdo it the day before so maybe it was a delayed response.

Anyway, I didn't sleep super great last night but it was alright. Couldn't get comfortable and it was reminiscent of the early days after surgery. I woke up this morning still in pain but not nearly as bad. I did end up going grocery shopping this morning and I felt so much better afterwards, even walking out of the grocery store I noticed how much better my knee felt. No more pain, just warm and of course stiffness. I didn't even take a tylenol nor anti-inflammatory before going because I hadn't eaten anything yet.

But now I'm back, meds onboard and ice on knee, and I'm breathing a sigh of relief. I shall still take it easy today but I'm glad it doesn't appear to be anything major nor long-lasting.

Hope everyone else out there in Recoveryland is doing well today.
 
Sometimes we just have a bad day and can't always pin down why. :shrug: But like you said, you probably overdid a bit. Glad you're feeling better today.
 
I found I found I couldn't wear jeans without pain for months. I was sick of sweat pants, but being without pain was worth wearing them until I could get back into jeans comfortably.
 
I’m so glad you’re feeling better. I really feel it when I overdo it.

I didn’t wear jeans for a few months after my first surgery. I had to go buy some new ones that were baggy, though. I only had one pair that I could wear and they were old ones that were a couple sizes too big. I’m my case, the knee was really large and swollen because of the improperly placed implant - I hope it won’t be so long before you can wear jeans comfortably.
 
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Thanks folks! Yeah, that's interesting about the jeans, I didn't really think it would be a problem. They are loose and even stretchy, but still jeans. My daughter warned me not to wear them, and I guess she was right!

I really took it easy yesterday and I hope it was worth it. Back to full exercises today and some walking, and tomorrow will be my first PT appointment since last Friday. Hoping it goes well!

*Editing my comment because I forgot I've been meaning to ask this*: When people talk about their extension measurement, they sometimes say -2 or -5 or whatever. Is that before it gets to 0, or do they use the - when it gets past 0? My PT tells me I'm at 1 or 2 last they measured but I don't know if 2 is different than -2 or if it's the same thing.
 
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@thneed, I think those plus/minus symbols are mixed up often but you can figure out if you're nearly straight (+2) or if you're hyper extending (-2) on your own. The extension is zero when you can straighten the knee fully and there is virtually no space between your knee and the surface you're extending on. So, if you're on your bed and straighten your knee, you would not be able to place fingers between the bed and your knee without some push. 1 or 2 is pretty fantastic for 2 months out and will continue to improve as you walk it out, focus on a heel to toe gait and work on extending your stride as it's comfortable to do so. Walking within your comfort zone will minimize additional swelling since swelling absolutely impacts your ROM for both flexion and extension. There are additional exercises for improving extension but never EVER hang weights from your legs to improve extension. Here's a quick image and an article to help:
1660660712918.png

 
@hawk2go Thank you for that info and the link to the article. I thought maybe that's what the negative numbers meant, but then I didn't think negative extension sounded natural. I guess it is for some knees. I do have a hard time measuring it myself because I lay on my bed to do most of my exercises and it's a memory foam mattress, so I feel the bed on the back of my knee no matter how straight it is. I'll have to find somewhere else to lie on to measure it.

I do that one exercise that's pictured in the link, the one where you lay on your stomach with legs hanging over the bed. But I don't use weights. I also try to sit with the knee unsupported like the article recommends. It's NOT comfortable though, so I don't do it as often as I probably should.
 
I do that one exercise that's pictured in the link, the one where you lay on your stomach with legs hanging over the bed. But I don't use weights. I also try to sit with the knee unsupported like the article recommends. It's NOT comfortable though, so I don't do it as often as I probably should.
The exercise on your stomach is more about endurance. I could only hold a few seconds before I had to stop, now I can lie like that for minutes and still do. Don't do the exercise that's uncomfortable, just try it again in a couple weeks. There's no need to do both.
 
Hey folks! Small update because I haven't posted lately.

Last week at PT they gave me a new exercise, I think they called it hamstring curls? I sit in a chair with my feet dangling and someone holds the ends of a band that is looped around my ankle, and I have to pull back as far as I can. It's challenging and sometimes I feel a strong pull in the back of my knee and going up the back of my thigh, but I really think it's helping with my strength and stability. I have been doing it faithfully twice daily with my other exercises.

This past weekend, in addition to all my exercises, I did a bunch of yardwork, household chores, grocery shopping, etc. I was even too busy for a nap, lol. But my knee felt fantastic! Still stiff and tight but not nearly as much as it had been. I feel like I have turned yet another corner.

Friday will be my last day of PT for this knee, then I have the next knee surgery on September 21. While I can't say I'm actually looking forward to it, I do feel I'm going in more prepared than I was for this knee. Hopefully I'll be braver and not break out into tears as often as I did with this one, lol.

Hope everyone is having a great week!
 
Welp, big test of my new knee last week. I went to NYC for the first time in my life and we walked all over the place. We were there 2 days and walked 4 miles each day (more or less). It's the most I've walked since the surgery, by far. And I really haven't walked that much the last year or so leading up to the surgery. I am happy to report my knee felt fantastic! (The blisters on my feet, on the other hand...)
 
Wow, that is fantastic! Did you use a cane?
 
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Wow, that is fantastic! Did you use a cane?
I brought it because I wanted to sort of use it as a buffer from other people, if that makes sense. But I walked too fast for my cane to keep up so I ended up just folding it up and putting it in my backpack. Glad I brought the foldable cane and not my other one.
 
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Welp, big test of my new knee last week.
Celebration is in order. :yahoo:

How did the September knee hold up?
My September knee was not bad, surprisingly. It has gotten worse since the surgery on the other knee, but has still never been as bad as that one. Still bad enough, though, that I'm looking forward to the second surgery!
 

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