TKR Trouble Sleeping

[Titianlady]

Anybody use Voltaren Gel cream for leg cramps? I mentioned before that I tend to sleep with my leg bent and when I wake up, I fight to straighten up my leg and stretch it out. Well when I am stretching, my calf muscle cramps up and then it stays sore the remainder of the day. My wife put the cream on it the other day and within minutes the pain cleared right up. I just wonder if it is safe to use around my TKR. Would appreciate hearing from anyone that has used it.

My surgeon sent me a compounded version of Volaren gel, and I love it. Since I can't take NSAIDs orally, I had a time with relieving swelling. The cream works wonderfully. It takes about an hour, but it takes all the heat out of my knee. It also helped with the tightness in my quad right at the top of my knee.

 

[Jamie]

The numbness can resolve itself, but it may take a long, long time. Nerves repair very slowly so expect for it to improve slowly over many months to a year or more.

 

[Lori]

Very numb, because they cut tiny nerves when doing the surgery. It makes for a fun time when shaving over that area!

 

[Greeny]

Well as of yesterday, my physical therapists released me from treatments. I am cane free and walking a normal gait, and the therapist says that my ROM of 118+ in 9 weeks is excellent and I should continue my exercises on my own. He supplied me a band to work the knee and do stretches with. I also went and purchased a 10lb ankle weight set that has removable weight so I can continue at 5lb and work my way up when I feel comfortable. I feel really comfortable with the exception of early mornings with the stiffness in the knee area.

 

[kneeper]

Excellent!

 

[Greeny]

Anybody have any good suggestions on how to get the tightness out of the leg when first getting up and moving around? It normally takes me a good half day to loosen up and that includes exercise and icing it.

 

[bottomshollow]

The cure for tightness in the operated leg that you're looking for is TIME. Sometime in the next 4 months it should resolve itself. Just gotta be PATIENT and give your knee TIME.

 

[Josephine]

I have a suggestion - stop using that weight! It's much too early to be stressing your knee like that. Stiffness is a manifestation of pain so you should also medicate it. Pain comes in many different forms - read this (again!) The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart especially the 2nd post.

 

[Greeny]

Well, Fall has arrived here in Northeast Ohio and the cooler weather with it. Now it's time to put away the shorts and put on my jeans. Sure seems funny to not look down and see the scar. So far the wearing of jeans has not interacted with the scar any since it has healed nicely.

 

[Greeny]

Is tightness of the knee a normal thing, or should I be concerned. I can bend the knee easily but when I do, I can touch it and feel the tightness over the knee area. Probably just this old paranoid guy being overly-concerned since I will be talking with my OS about the left knee in Dec.

Update: Today, 13 Oct. I now have throbbing pain with occasional shooting pain in the quad area from right above the knee up through the rest of the quad area. Neither icing or heat pad does not help. Anybody run into this before?