TKR Tightness in knee
- Thread starter Smiler
- Start date
Cyprus
Smiler
junior member
Well it’s a bank holiday here in the UK and I am in bed still…
Yesterday I went as a passenger for a 40 min (total there and back) car journey and did a couple of light house chores and now I am suffering…
The tight band has got tighter and the tingling has got worse….I wish I’d never had this op!
Yesterday I went as a passenger for a 40 min (total there and back) car journey and did a couple of light house chores and now I am suffering…
The tight band has got tighter and the tingling has got worse….I wish I’d never had this op!
Smiler, after reading BBCG doing that lymphatic massage I decided to find a PT who could do that. After I had a session I was surprised at how that tight band improved. Even more so after my second session where a different PT massaged my leg for 45 min. It’s now just ever so slightly there. Quite impressed!
Please don’t apologise, just keep on ranting! There are plenty of people on here that will sympathise. I am 12 weeks out, and didn’t get up until 10.30, it’s now 2.07 here and I am back on the bed with ice.
Take heart from people that are much further on from you, and can see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel, like me. Or those that have been kind enough to post an update after a year extolling the virtues of their new knee, although it’s mainly the ones that have problems that do this.The best thing anyone said to me was “it will get better”. And it does..... slowly.
I too have had lots of regrets, and can’t see myself ever returning to normal. I have now, however, with less pain and discomfort and more sleep, come to terms with what I have and am perking up.
I am proud to announce that I held out for an hour cleaning in the kitchen, up from ten minutes a week or so ago. It sure did need it after 12 weeks of man-cleaning by my hubby!
Things will look brighter, eventually.
Take heart from people that are much further on from you, and can see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel, like me. Or those that have been kind enough to post an update after a year extolling the virtues of their new knee, although it’s mainly the ones that have problems that do this.The best thing anyone said to me was “it will get better”. And it does..... slowly.
I too have had lots of regrets, and can’t see myself ever returning to normal. I have now, however, with less pain and discomfort and more sleep, come to terms with what I have and am perking up.
I am proud to announce that I held out for an hour cleaning in the kitchen, up from ten minutes a week or so ago. It sure did need it after 12 weeks of man-cleaning by my hubby!
Things will look brighter, eventually.
Smiler
junior member
Hello Ghostpipe
Thank you for replying, I hate to whine…
I was thinking yesterday, could it be that quite a few people on here haven’t had the best time and there might be millions of others that have done well but because they are too busy enjoying life again they don’t write on here? I don’t know, I like to think so. I really want to feel normal again as I need to get back to my job on 12th July!
I laughed when you mentioned your husbands man cleaning, I have to bite my tongue when my darling husband does the chores as he tries his best!
I’ve just had a 10 min walk about and did a few other exercises so trying to be more positive for when he gets home from his allotment!
Have a great day and do stay in touch
Thank you for replying, I hate to whine…
I was thinking yesterday, could it be that quite a few people on here haven’t had the best time and there might be millions of others that have done well but because they are too busy enjoying life again they don’t write on here? I don’t know, I like to think so. I really want to feel normal again as I need to get back to my job on 12th July!
I laughed when you mentioned your husbands man cleaning, I have to bite my tongue when my darling husband does the chores as he tries his best!
I’ve just had a 10 min walk about and did a few other exercises so trying to be more positive for when he gets home from his allotment!
Have a great day and do stay in touch
Whine away! I have vowed to keep posting my achievements, as you said, most people disappear off the radar once they are out of the woods. It does seem like boasting to those who are struggling, but hopefully it will also provide hope to those embarking on recovery in the early stages. Some of the really positive threads did help me, and are continuing to do so.
Never thought the day would come when a trip to the supermarket is an exciting excursion, and an hour’s cleaning is a badge of honour!
Take care
Never thought the day would come when a trip to the supermarket is an exciting excursion, and an hour’s cleaning is a badge of honour!
Take care
Sisterpat
Former BoneSmart staff member
Smiler, you are not even a month into this 12-month recovery. Maybe a bit too early for regrets. The tight band will persist but will eventually dissipate. I think when you see all you can eventually do compared to your pre-op state, you will be very happy you had the surgery. We all have up and down days. BoneSmart is here to support you through both. Hang in there. And rest that knee!
Smiler
junior member
A new symptom!
To the right of my knee it feels like a have a huge ball bearing there! Along with the vice like grip it’s really hard to get around….I was down to one crutch before this but now need both again!
The joys….
To the right of my knee it feels like a have a huge ball bearing there! Along with the vice like grip it’s really hard to get around….I was down to one crutch before this but now need both again!
The joys….
It’s like that. Just when you are pleased at some new accomplishment, you seem to regress by a couple of weeks. That is largely what is so dispiriting about this recovery. Just keep remembering, it does get better.
Smiler
junior member
You are absolutely right, two steps forward and one back it seems at this time. When I wake up I always pray to feel better but I don’t really….I know I’m only 4wks on Thursday but i feel like I’m serving a prison sentence!
Due to go to Devon (5hrs in car) on 12th June but yesterday went to the dump which is 15mins in the car and I couldn’t get comfy….we bkd it last year and my hubby needs the break but I’m not sure I can do it…
Due to go to Devon (5hrs in car) on 12th June but yesterday went to the dump which is 15mins in the car and I couldn’t get comfy….we bkd it last year and my hubby needs the break but I’m not sure I can do it…
Ummm..... that’s soon. You won’t be much better than you are now. Postpone if poss., but otherwise you will need to make yourself really comfy on the back seat with your legs elevated, with a freezer bag of ice to hand. Your knee will still not be comfortable even in a sitting position for any length of time. Once there, the temptation will be to overdo it.
You are seeming to have had the same attitude before your op.as I did, I’m fit, not over the hill yet, therefore I’ll be ok in six weeks or so. It’s a rude awakening.
You are seeming to have had the same attitude before your op.as I did, I’m fit, not over the hill yet, therefore I’ll be ok in six weeks or so. It’s a rude awakening.
Sorry to disappoint a new recovery , but I am 2 1/2 YEARS out and still feel total band of tightness that then extends mid-thigh when walking. Ultra sound determined there is fluid in joint capsule, but nothing determined the cause. I have been to so many doctors, had EMG to determine nerve loss, Genicular nerve block, epidural of L3/4, acupuncture.... nothing helps. I am more than disappointed. Please help if anyone has found a cure!!!
You are not useless, you are recovering from major surgery. Try to hang in there, recovery is temporary.
I agree with everyone else, a 5 hour drive is not in your best interest at this point. You may very well be miserable the whole time you’re gone, and it will make your husband feel bad, too.
I was further along in my recovery when I went away for a weekend, but it was a very bad experience, and it took me a whole month to improve again.
Don't hesitate to speak with your surgeon if you have difficulty getting something to counter your pain. Proper pain management is essential to a good recovery and it would appear your GP is clueless about what recovery from a knee replacement can look like. Taking moderate amounts of prescription pain medication like Tramadol is not unheard of at your stage of recovery. But.....you do need to watch your activity and exercise levels if you are continuously having pain from a "tight band" feeling. Normally that's your body telling you that you're attempting to do too much during the day and your knee isn't quite ready for that level of activity just yet. Go back up to the beginning of your thread and reread the articles on recovery that were left for you. They will help you understand how early you are in this process and how it is counter-productive to try and push yourself. Your body needs to heal and it will do so on it's own terms.
The tight band feeling can last a long time. The key to reducing it and eventually getting it to resolve is to not overdo things in terms of activity or exercise, but instead try heat or ice (whichever feels best at the time) and gentle bends and stretches with your knee. Walking in a pool can help. So can doing turns on an exercise bike.
