What is your stiffness level after 3 months

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Barb123

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I'm right at 3 months after replacement and sure still have a lot of stiffness
bending to the back. The stiffness seems to be all the way across the top
of the knee when I bend it to the back. I'm through with PT so I'm on my own for exercises. What is your rate of stiffness after this long? My surgeon said it would take up to a year for it all to go away. I don't want to wait that long!
 
3 months, eh? Sounds to me like you 'might' have a bit of adhesions there, Barb. A visit back to your OS might be in order just to check it out. Don't leave it too long though. Those things are better sorted sooner than later.

On the other hand, maybe you need to step up the exercises which should be done under the direction of a PT, if you can manage to get to one.

Let us know how you get on, ok?
 
Do you mean permanent stiffness (i.e. don't have a good ROM) or
I sit down to dinner and when I get up it takes me a while to get going
stiffness?
 
I'm at 3.5 months. The stiffness I have is the "get going stiffness", tkk refers too.
OR, I may get some swelling after a hard day on the leg. I spread 25 40lb bags of dirt today, and raked it in. It's slightly swollen and a little stiff across the top of the knee as Barb describes.
I'm thinking the bad stiffness is that which limits the ROM.
Either way, I have a Dr.'s Apt. in a couple of weeks so I guess I'll see if he's happy. I still work the flexion almost every day. More a maintenance flex. I'm happy with what I've got.
 
I am at 3 months and my only stiffness is getting out of bed in the morning or after a long car ride. Continual exercise and a job that is on my feet 9 hours a day I am sure helps keep the stiffness at bay.
 
This is not stiffness upon getting up but ROM on the bend. I just had an
appointment with my surgeon and he didn't say anything except walk
every day.
 
I'm 3.5 months out also and I'm stiff a good part of the time. I can bend to 95 degrees but still have to fight for that so I'm just a slow flex. I saw the doctor Friday and he said I would continue to gain bend for 18 months so I'm okay with being slow. No comments from the peanut gallery okay?
You learn very quickly from this forum that everyone recovers differently.
Cathy
ps Doug what were you thinking doing all that work you're making me look bad
 
We live on a pretty good hill and the rain runoff washes the dirt away from the grass. These last couple of years my knee wouldn't let me stay up with it. So today I got to play in the dirt. Tonight, my knee is talking to me!! Tomorrow is sod day.
 
I'm stiff right on the "knee caps", and sometimes just above them, like front & bottom of thigh. But I am at 6 weeks today so I figure stiff is still in the norm. I think my insides are still healing around and adopting my prostetics.
 
I'm at 4 months+ and my stiffness is mostly when I stay in one position too long or upon getting up in the morning sometimes. It swells and stiffens if I overdo things - but ice takes care of that quickly. One of my friends at work is at 18 months and she says she still gets stiffness from time to time.
 
Hey Barb, I still have permanent stiffness in my knee after 16 weeks. The IT Band is stiff, around my knee and above my knee is also very stiff. ROM is only 90 with a lot of pushing from my PT. I still think I may need an MUA. I go to see my OS on the 13th May.
 
I forgot to mention my ROM is ~120+ and 0 or more (hyper extends a bit). So the stiffness hasn't impacted my ROM much. I am working to get to 130+ if possible.
 
For my own peace of mind I quit measuring ROM and just started thinking in terms of 'what can I do and not do'. I was fixated on ROM measurements for long enough.
 
For my own peace of mind I quit measuring ROM and just started thinking in terms of 'what can I do and not do'. I was fixated on ROM measurements for long enough.

Smart guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I'm with Gat...If you're happy it's good. I keep working out maintain what I have but don't care about the numbers anymore.
 
Has anyone measured the ROM on their "normal" knee?

My therapist did and it was 0 and 130. I'm not to either of those numbers with my new knee at 9 weeks out, but still working on it. I think swelling may still be impacting my ability to get there at this point. But I think you guys have the right idea to just focus on what you can do and what to work on to get where you're functioning well. Smart cookies!!!
 
My good knee is about 135 and -5. I have stopped measuring it, but I am working to get my new knee equal to my good knee. That's my measure. Equity.
 
Let me back up just a tad. I think measuring your ROM during the early weeks is good so people can see improvement. It is something 'measurable' like lowering the seat on the bike, a visual tool that measures incremental improvements. During the early time it can be very frustrating, what with everyone's impatience to 'get over this'. However, if a person struggles during that time, like I did, it can be MORE frustrating and depressing to watch those numbers just 'creep' or not even change. At any rate, for me "The Great Epiphany" came when I realized that the ROM numbers were just numbers and what REALLY mattered was whether or not I could do the things that I need to do in order to get on with my life. When I got to the point that I could ride my Harley, walk normally, get back to work, well, that was 'it' for me. My knee won't bend as far now, at 18 weeks, as my PT wanted it to when I quit going at 10 weeks, but guess what, IT AINT HIS KNEE. Sorry about the rant, but I still get slightly aggitated when I think about what those guys put me through. So far, since I left therapy, my knee works just fine and I'm good with that.
 
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