TKR Total Left Knee Replacement CaredFL

[Jockette]

Different PTs and different surgeons have a different “gold standards.” My PT told me that I should be at 95 at my 2 week appointment and he forced it to that number to ensure that. About an hour later at my check up my surgeon also pushed it and said it was 97.

I now know that in reality there is no date by which you must achieve a certain number. Each of us and our recoveries are different, we heal differently and eventually we all get to the end of this recovery, but in our own timeframe.

Don’t let anyone push your knee to a better bend. My ROM continued to increase after my second year anniversary, so don’t believe the window of opportunity they tell you.

 

[marieltha]

I am not sure why the above post has repeated, i would like to blame it on the ipad, but it is probably something I did. Sorry.

You are right. Cats do not like change. Mine was terrified of the walker. My husband had to spend even more extra quality time with her until that scary device went away.

 

[Celle]

I've deleted the duplicate post, @marieltha .. It looks as if you might have hit "Quote this message" by accident.

 

[marieltha]

Oops. Thank you!

 

[Jockette]

It looks as if you might have hit "Quote this message" by accident.

I do that a lot on my phone when I scroll down the page. Too often I tap that area by mistake.

 

[caredFL]

So, today I woke up with a pain in the ball of my foot on the operated leg. Knee feels good but the foot pain is another story. Now, I'm afraid it is messing with my gait due to compensation for the painful foot. I'm wondering if some of my PT exercises put too much strain. Specifically, she had me holding onto the back of a chair going up and down on toes. The pain is the bottom of foot behind my third and forth toe. Any thoughts? I have been icing it.

 

[Jockette]

I think that exercise could be bothering your foot. It’s not a super important one, so I would stop doing it and see if your foot improves.

 

[tlfiore]

@caredFL It's amazing how pain appears and emerges in the most unexpected ways as we work these knees and utilize all sorts of muscles & tendons for help.

Sounds like the tip-toe exercise is straining something that's going to/connected to the ball of your foot. Sometimes I develop the oddest pains, I try massaging it, or rubbing it out. I've been elevating and icing continuously whenever I'm awake and not moving. I do about 20-30 minutes ice wrap on/30 minutes off. I'll try ANYTHING to get some relief.

I've had excessive pain on the lateral side of my right knee replacement...a bit also on the opposite medial side since Day [HASH=60]#4,[/HASH] or so. Who knows. Guess they displace, move, cut, stretch many tendons.

I hope you get some pain relief! Thinking about you!

 

[luvcats]

I hope your foot improves quickly.
I'm finding it surprising how much various things that aren't my knee hurt as I start moving more, and correctly for the first time in years. My knees feel fine, but this hip and that ankle are both quite the complainers! It's just another part of the process. It should all even out as we adjust to the new postures.

 

[Macknit]

@caredFL I sometimes wonder if my odd and sorted pains are come from the fact that my knee pain was so intense that now I'm oversensitive to any pain!?

In my case, I've had those moving/rotating pains since the nerve block wore off after surgery! It could have been the tourniquet for my thigh, it definitely is my IT band for my lateral knee pain and now it's my driving 35 minutes one way, 5x a week for the EDL cramping that was waking me up.

I hope your foot pain stops with a break in the foot exercises. It is amazing how this recovery is shifting sand.... good luck with your recovery.

 

[caredFL]

Well another painful foot day and I'm pretty sure now it is a Gout flare. I have had Gout in the past but it's been a couple years, as I started taking meds and have vastly changed my diet. When I use to get it, it was normally in the top of the foot or big toe. Never, where it is this time so I really didn't think much about it until I remembered it's the same kind of pain. Exactly the same. Awful! So bad, that I didn't even think much about the new knee just the foot pain trying to walk. As I thought about it this a.m. just like gout it struck as I awakened in the a.m. I was fine the night before although a few days earlier I woke to some pain the big toe but it went away. I guess it all settled where it is now. Anyway, I contacted my Rheumatologist and I started taking Ibuprofen this a.m. and it is some better. Normally, it goes away pretty fast like it appears. I was chatting with my PT nephew earlier and he has a patient with double TKR that has a bad case in his ankles!Maybe it isn't that uncommon...idk...but wow it is painful. Been so long ago I almost forgot! Better days tomorrow Meanwhile, the knee still feels pretty good although I haven't been nearly as active since this hit.

 

[tlfiore]

@caredFL just what you need, right? A gout flare-up. Sounds painful. Hopefully the additional ibuprofen and other options will help.

 

[caredFL]

just what you need, right? A gout flare-up. Sounds painful. Hopefully the additional ibuprofen and other options will help.

Thank you....So thankful it is much better today and I'm so glad as I start the out patient PT tomorrow. I have kind of neglected the knee the last couple of days with this set back as it was all I could do to hobble to and from bathroom. Hope you are doing better and PT has eased up!!

 

[Macknit]

Oh goodness, didn't think of gout! That is rough! I certainly hope it is on the downhill slide now and that the ibuprofen does it's magic!! hang in there...

 

[caredFL]

Oh goodness, didn't think of gout! That is rough! I certainly hope it is on the downhill slide now and that the ibuprofen does it's magic!! hang in there...

Thanks....all good now...started getting relief yesterday afternoon. Thankful for that as it was more painful than any day of my recovery so far. So, set me back a couple of days I could do nothing.

 

[caredFL]

So, after recovery from the gout episode, I had my first out-patient PT evaluation today and I must say it went very well. I really like the therapist and we discussed the approach and she is on board with my thoughts and said she doesn't believe in pushing to get a number and then the result is a knee as big as a melon the next day. I think we will work well together. Walking is good and pretty comfortable even without the cane although I am still using it most of the time for support. My main goal at this point is to reduce swelling, ice, ice and more ice and loosen the hamstring with gentle stretches. Bend is coming a long and both OS and PT agree it will come as swelling goes down.

 

[sistersinhim]

So, set me back a couple of days I could do nothing.

Resting does not set you back. Most of the time it actually helps you to reduce the swelling, thus bettering your ROM!

 

[caredFL]

No big change for me. I am coming up on 3 weeks on Monday. My biggest issue seems to be swelling. Which of course is a ripple effect on ROM. I ice whenever I'm not up and moving so hoping it starts going down soon. Yesterday I had PT and had leggings on and my neighbor said "oh do you have a brace"....lol No that is swelling" PT is going good in that they are not pushy. Just do the best I can. Got on the bicycle for the first time and of course could not get all the way around. Thankful, pain is under control with tylenol and tramadol, occasionally OXY at night. Sleep is like everyone else 3-4 hours, then up a bit and back to sleep for a few more hours. I'm usually a very good sleeper so annoying but I know it's part of the experience. Also, thankful I don't have to deal with icy weather and that we have a nice cool front coming through which will take our temps into the 50s in the a.m. and of course near 70 by afternoon. @luvcats ....hoping you have such lovely weather for your Disney trip.

 

[sistersinhim]

Sounds like you're doing well for just 3 weeks out. Having a good, non pushing PT is a blessing.

 

[caredFL]

Just a quick update...I continue to make good progress. PT is going good 3x per week as I have found the right therapist for me. I think that is so important. Very different than my home therapist but then again I started home therapy day 1 and looking back glad that is behind me. I drove for the first time Tuesday to get a haircut and it went well. Today I was able to drive again to nail salon and then a quick stop at the grocery. Feeling good to get a bit of independence back. I'm good without pain meds on the days I don't have PT but continue with Tylenol and add Tramadol on PT days. Sleep is not too bad considering i'm not a back sleeper but find I am able to sleep 3-4 hours then wake up go to bathroom and take Tylenol and fall back asleep another 3-4 hours. The last few nights I have tolerated a bit of time on my non operated side. So hoping it gets more comfortable as the weeks go on. That's about it. This recovery is so different for all of us. Wishing those struggling better days