Going good still pain at night, wish it would go away then all would be good. Keeping me from getting good nights sleep. Nothing seems to relieve it Like clockwork 10:00 o’clock pain starts.
TKR Week 4 is this common
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Hi again walker,
Do you notice more swelling in the evening? You may want to try some gentle stretches along with
icing / elevation right before bed, or even while in bed as you're getting ready to fall asleep. Wondering if you're too active during the day currently? If that's a possibility it may be the reason for the nightly pain. Hopefully you can get some relief through temporarily using OTC meds, if you're not already.
Best wishes this begins easing for you soon.
@walker45
Do you notice more swelling in the evening? You may want to try some gentle stretches along with
icing / elevation right before bed, or even while in bed as you're getting ready to fall asleep. Wondering if you're too active during the day currently? If that's a possibility it may be the reason for the nightly pain. Hopefully you can get some relief through temporarily using OTC meds, if you're not already.
Best wishes this begins easing for you soon.
@walker45
KJ24
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I was still having more pain at night until I hit week 5, Oct 30th. It was weird one day I woke up and the pain was no longer severe. Currently it is just the annoying tightness around the knee that is bothersome, but not painful. I stopped taking my Vicodin at the end of week 4 because I was so nauseous all the time. I only take Celebrex and Tylenol before bed, plus I ice for about twenty minutes about an hour before bed. I sleep for about three hours then I’m up going to the bathroom. Lay back down, then sleep for another few hours.Going good still pain at night, wish it would go away then all would be good. Keeping me from getting good nights sleep. Nothing seems to relieve it Like clockwork 10:00 o’clock pain starts.
Hang in there. It will get better.
How many times a day are you taking Celebrex I take it in the morning not sure read somewhere people taking twice a day. Should I take the Celebrex at night.
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@walker45 As it's a prescription med, you should check with the prescribing physician before adding a second dose.
However, if the bottle doesn't specify what time to take the single daily dose, then yes you can adjust the schedule.
It has peak blood levels at three hours, so if pain keeps you from falling asleep, that one after dinner. If it's more that pain wakes you, take it at bedtime.
Either way, if you're using acetaminophen, do continue that on its every six or eight hour schedule.
However, if the bottle doesn't specify what time to take the single daily dose, then yes you can adjust the schedule.
It has peak blood levels at three hours, so if pain keeps you from falling asleep, that one after dinner. If it's more that pain wakes you, take it at bedtime.
Either way, if you're using acetaminophen, do continue that on its every six or eight hour schedule.
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I only take celebrex in the evening, 8pm, with two Tylenol. This is the only medicine that I take all day.
7 week update extension 0 and flexion 115. Dr says looks great my question still having some pain I know can last for awhile but some of it I think is nerve issue gets irritated when anything touches sheets etc. Has anyone found anything that may help alleviate this I use lidocaine but didn’t know if someone found something that may be more effective. Thanks for all the help from this forum.
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Hi walker,
Try dedicating some time to elevation, if you're not doing so already.
Here is a link to the article from the Recovery Guidelines -> ELEVATION
It is our lymph system that rids the body of fluid (swelling). So you want to get the fluid to the lymph nodes in your torso area so your body can more quickly process it. The lymph system works rather slowly on its own and much more efficiently with the assistance of gravity. The fluid isn’t draining into the hips, but contained with the lymph system and moving to the torso and lymph nodes located there.
Give it a try and see if it helps.
@walker45
Try dedicating some time to elevation, if you're not doing so already.
Here is a link to the article from the Recovery Guidelines -> ELEVATION
It is our lymph system that rids the body of fluid (swelling). So you want to get the fluid to the lymph nodes in your torso area so your body can more quickly process it. The lymph system works rather slowly on its own and much more efficiently with the assistance of gravity. The fluid isn’t draining into the hips, but contained with the lymph system and moving to the torso and lymph nodes located there.
Give it a try and see if it helps.
@walker45
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Good range of motion!!!!
The nerve issue is super common. As the tiny sensory nerves that got cut or traumatized in surgery start to heal, reconnect, and communicate very often the signals glitch for a while.
Simple light touch might, depending on the person, be perceived as burning, hypersensitivity, wetness, cold, itching, or odd friction.
Some members/staff report using plastic food wrap to isolate the area. I'm sure others will start chiming in!
(Personally, my left knee gave me the weird friction: when walking it felt intermittently as if my very soft pjs were literally catching on the skin - they weren't!)
Thanks swelling has eased some but still have aching pain at bedtime on the inside of knee that really interrupts sleeping. Not sure what to do to ease it it’s the exact place where I had pain prior to surgery. Any ideas for relief. Happy Thanksgiving also.Hi walker,
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
I hope you tried icing and it's helping to ease the swelling.
Enjoy the week and have a nice Thanksgiving!
@walker45
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So I am returning to work after 3 months, my job requires lifting,kneeling, squatting, climbing ladders etc. I work on Xray equipment in hospitals. I still have a lot of swelling and pain at night. My Dr. said to give him the restrictions I would like to have. My question is what are some restrictions I should ask for and timeframe in which I should avoid until I totally heal. Not sure if I’m ready to return yet. Thanks for any suggestions.
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First, we recommend a phased return to work - see below for that....
Second: Have you been kneeling and squatting already at home? How much has been tolerable? I was doing good semi squats around the garden at 12 weeks, just ten minutes at a time, not intermittently for hours. And these are things a lot of our members don't start doing til 4 - 6 months. If you're not already comfortable doing them at work, you can't go "from 0 to 60" too fast!
Third, have you had to carry groceries, sacks of anything, etc at home? Doing upper body exercises while seated doesn't count: what weight can you realistically carry from say your driveway into the house with zero strain on your knee. That's your short term weight limit.
Fourth, if your limitations can include a 15 minute rest for full "toe over nose" elevation with icing every two hours, go for it.
Here's our post about a phased return:
For return to work at 10-12 weeks as patient feels able, the following schedules are suggested
week 1: Tues, Thurs 5hrs
week 2: Mon, Wed, Fri 5hrs
week 3: Tues, Thurs 8-9hrs
week 4: Mon, Wed, Fri 8-9hrs
week 5: normal duties
The thing to remember really is that so often when people think of going back to work they just think of the work.
They forget
having to get up earlier in the morning
getting washed/showered, putting on the 'face',
getting dressed
getting a fast breakfast and eating it in about 5 mins instead of casually
getting out the car
driving to work
walking from car to office
actually being up and about and unable to take intermittent proper rests during the day
walking from office back to car
driving home
putting car away
making an evening meal
probably feeding pets and/or others
washing up and then finding it's almost time for bed!
All of that is pretty much equivalent to a day's work on it's own but then you've got to do the day's work as well!
HIPS
for a full time office/teacher/light worker as shown
for a part time office/light worker could possibly manage this over 2-3 weeks
depending upon hours normally worked
for a manual/heavy worker longer, 8 weeks perhaps
KNEES
for a full time office/teacher/light worker as shown
for a part time office/light worker could possibly manage this over 3-4 weeks depending upon hours normally worked
for a manual/heavy worker longer, 12 weeks perhaps
Bilateral knees, minimum of 12 weeks for all.
In preparation for your return, whatever your job, you might find it helpful to stock yourself with some coach's instant ice packs. You just crush the capsule inside the pack and a chemical reaction makes the pack go nice and cold - and it lasts for a couple of hours! No mess, you can keep them in your handbag or pocket. Very convenient and invaluable for a sneaky 5 minute ice during work! And they're fairly cheap.
Also remember that there is no such thing as "just" a desk job, like it's simpler/easier than a manual job. Well, physically it might be but it has it's own set of problems the principle one of which is called "the movie sign".
Read this for more information Knee pain after sitting for a while
Second: Have you been kneeling and squatting already at home? How much has been tolerable? I was doing good semi squats around the garden at 12 weeks, just ten minutes at a time, not intermittently for hours. And these are things a lot of our members don't start doing til 4 - 6 months. If you're not already comfortable doing them at work, you can't go "from 0 to 60" too fast!
Third, have you had to carry groceries, sacks of anything, etc at home? Doing upper body exercises while seated doesn't count: what weight can you realistically carry from say your driveway into the house with zero strain on your knee. That's your short term weight limit.
Fourth, if your limitations can include a 15 minute rest for full "toe over nose" elevation with icing every two hours, go for it.
Here's our post about a phased return:
For return to work at 10-12 weeks as patient feels able, the following schedules are suggested
week 1: Tues, Thurs 5hrs
week 2: Mon, Wed, Fri 5hrs
week 3: Tues, Thurs 8-9hrs
week 4: Mon, Wed, Fri 8-9hrs
week 5: normal duties
The thing to remember really is that so often when people think of going back to work they just think of the work.
They forget
having to get up earlier in the morning
getting washed/showered, putting on the 'face',
getting dressed
getting a fast breakfast and eating it in about 5 mins instead of casually
getting out the car
driving to work
walking from car to office
actually being up and about and unable to take intermittent proper rests during the day
walking from office back to car
driving home
putting car away
making an evening meal
probably feeding pets and/or others
washing up and then finding it's almost time for bed!
All of that is pretty much equivalent to a day's work on it's own but then you've got to do the day's work as well!
HIPS
for a full time office/teacher/light worker as shown
for a part time office/light worker could possibly manage this over 2-3 weeks
depending upon hours normally worked
for a manual/heavy worker longer, 8 weeks perhaps
KNEES
for a full time office/teacher/light worker as shown
for a part time office/light worker could possibly manage this over 3-4 weeks depending upon hours normally worked
for a manual/heavy worker longer, 12 weeks perhaps
Bilateral knees, minimum of 12 weeks for all.
In preparation for your return, whatever your job, you might find it helpful to stock yourself with some coach's instant ice packs. You just crush the capsule inside the pack and a chemical reaction makes the pack go nice and cold - and it lasts for a couple of hours! No mess, you can keep them in your handbag or pocket. Very convenient and invaluable for a sneaky 5 minute ice during work! And they're fairly cheap.
Also remember that there is no such thing as "just" a desk job, like it's simpler/easier than a manual job. Well, physically it might be but it has it's own set of problems the principle one of which is called "the movie sign".
Read this for more information Knee pain after sitting for a while
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I think all of these could be tricky at just 3 months. Can you either get an extension or do a desk job for a few weeks?
I think the kneeling and squatting would be particularly hard. I can now kneel quite well but many members struggle with this for many months or even longer.
I have more questions so supposed to return to work News Year week. My question going on twelve weeks I’m still swelling and pain on inside of knee a lot of the time, no matter which way I try to sleep it aches almost like before surgery. Should I try to schedule another visit with Dr the people I am around that’s had a replacement don’t seem to have this much pain at the same point. I’m worried it may not go away. Thanks
Pain and selling at 3 months is not unusual, but maybe you're doing a bit more activity than your knee is healed to do. What are your activities like? Any PT or home exercises, or going to a gym? If so, how much?
I know it’s hard but try not to compare your recovery with anyone else, as we all recover differently. Even people who have both knees done the same day report that each knee recovered differently. I had cataract surgery almost 2 years ago, two weeks apart. Guess what they told me after the second eye? Don’t compare the two because they recovery differently! Ha, I thought, well that sounds familiar, and I guess it applies to eyes as well as joints!
I know it’s hard but try not to compare your recovery with anyone else, as we all recover differently. Even people who have both knees done the same day report that each knee recovered differently. I had cataract surgery almost 2 years ago, two weeks apart. Guess what they told me after the second eye? Don’t compare the two because they recovery differently! Ha, I thought, well that sounds familiar, and I guess it applies to eyes as well as joints!
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I agree - many members have pain and swelling at three months and some amount of that is from overdoing activity or exercises and from slacking off icing and elevating - people so want it to be over!
But at 12 weeks tendons and ligaments are just getting basic healing. Overtaxing them definitely slows the healing process.
I would see if your doc will see you (a three month office visit is standard with my ortho team) AND if you can get an extension on time off to get the pain and swelling markedly improved.
Let us know how it goes!
But at 12 weeks tendons and ligaments are just getting basic healing. Overtaxing them definitely slows the healing process.
I would see if your doc will see you (a three month office visit is standard with my ortho team) AND if you can get an extension on time off to get the pain and swelling markedly improved.
Let us know how it goes!
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Your job description sounds high demand this soon after knee replacement so I understand your apprehension.
If I was in your position I'd discuss the specific job duties with my surgeon, and PT if actively engaging with one. They should be able to evaluate your readiness to return to your normal work duties. You need to know if you're able to safely lift, squat and climb.
If you haven't already, consider speaking with your employer about a Phased Return to Work. If that's not possible, ask if your duties can be temporarily modified. Pain, swelling and instability may be signs you're pushing too hard. If you feel you are...consider dialing it back.
Keep up with icing and elevating. Icing before bed may help also, if you're not doing so already, give it a try. We generally recommend icing for no less than 45 minutes with a barrier between bare skin and the ice source.
I hope things improve over the next couple weeks or you're able to work something out with your employer so you're comfortable upon your return. We often read from members that once you return to work, colleagues assume that because you're back, you're back fully, which is not always the case. Good Luck! Keep us posted!
@walker45
If I was in your position I'd discuss the specific job duties with my surgeon, and PT if actively engaging with one. They should be able to evaluate your readiness to return to your normal work duties. You need to know if you're able to safely lift, squat and climb.
If you haven't already, consider speaking with your employer about a Phased Return to Work. If that's not possible, ask if your duties can be temporarily modified. Pain, swelling and instability may be signs you're pushing too hard. If you feel you are...consider dialing it back.
Keep up with icing and elevating. Icing before bed may help also, if you're not doing so already, give it a try. We generally recommend icing for no less than 45 minutes with a barrier between bare skin and the ice source.
I hope things improve over the next couple weeks or you're able to work something out with your employer so you're comfortable upon your return. We often read from members that once you return to work, colleagues assume that because you're back, you're back fully, which is not always the case. Good Luck! Keep us posted!
@walker45
