Jackie2211

Yes! You are doing way too much! Too early for stairs for sure. Hope you will be getting physical therapy soon. Follow their instructions exactly. Heel slides are good. Don't take this on yourself. You are not a doctor or a therapist. That's why I'm not sending you the instructions the therapist gave to me. Be careful. Hope you are using a walker at this point.

The real work starts after you see your doc, the staples get removed and you see some healing at the incision site.  Yes, you should start bending and walking but your PT will be responsible for helping you break down the internal scar tissue that starts to form.  Everything I've learned is here...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499

Hope it helps...

OMG! Think you're doing too much! I was still sat on the settee crying and feeling sorry for myself at the 1st week! Don't do anything that causes a lot of pain, that's your body telling you not to push it. The next day you'll be in even more pain. You should be still just pottering round the house, and doing fairly gentle exercises on your bed. I didn't get out the door until I needed my dressing changed!

I'm now 3 months and everything is fantastic. And that's definitely due to NOT pushing myself.

Hope you recover well.

Hi Jackie,

Sounds to me like you are pushing way too hard.

It was several weeks before I tried the stairs.I am 14 weeks post op, and I feel 90-95% back to where I should be. Based on my surgeon and physio's instructions, the following BED exercises are OK at this point, Heel slides; Straight leg lifts, which I found difficult at first, couldn't lift even 1 mm at first, then about a week later, bo problem; Lying on bed and straigtening your leg out by pressing your leg back into te mattress; Quad strengthening by rolling a towel, placing under your knee and lifting you foot up, and holf for 5 seconds. Actually all I have mentioned are hold for 5 seconds and 10 to 15 reps, 2 - 3 times per day. Personally I found the heel slides and quad exercises most beneficial. You tube has some good videos of these exercises, but I firmly belive in the professionals, in this case a good physio..who listens.

The two big things I learned from the great people on this forum is 1. Read your own body, NOBODY else knows it better and 2. RICE - Rest; Ice; Compress and Elevate. 

Hope this helps, Take care,

Alan

Rest is key, your body healing itself saps your energy. This is more like a marathon and not a sprint. 

Hi Jackie, as joy said its far too early for stairs. Yes go up them with your good leg ,but down with the bad leg. Heel slides, straightening your leg when lying down, a pillow or ball to squeeze the knees together. All gentle exercises. And above all else plenty of rest. Everyone is different but your PT should tell you when to do more exercises.

Good luck x

Hi Jackie. As you can see, we all have different experiences. I'm American, but was living in India and had TKRs on both knees at the same time. Day 6 I was still in the hospital - I got out on day 7. Before I was released, they did have me walking considerable amounts around the hospital with a walker and doing some bending and leg extensions. The day after I got home, pt started. The PT came to my home 6 days a week for 4 weeks. I did have one week off in there, but asked if he could return for one more week. I had to make a visa run at 12 weeks, so I was pushing myself hard to make sure I was able to get around not only the train station and airport, but also the country I was visiting. I was also able to drive a moped/110 cc scooter at 6 weeks. It was no easy task, but like I said, I pushed myself to where I was comfortable (well, painfully comfortable). You statement of fearing you popped a clip was one I often had. Well, I didn't have clips, I had a long running stitch in each leg, but I remember being certain they were being ripped out. I expected to see some fresh blood in my bandage - never did. I was terrified of the stairs and at two weeks my PT said he was going to have me walk up and down some. It was horrible and so painful. But after he was done, that was one area that I would work on, stepping up and down like someone who didn't just have a TKR. I mastered it, though I don't hop up and down quite as quickly, but I do it with only one foot touching each step. Your body will tell you what it's capable of. I remember a day or two when I just took a break...no exercises, but of course I walked around some. Best of luck with all this. By the way, I'm now 22 months post op.

-Mo

Hi Jackie,

Just catching up with posts on here. I had a partial knee replacement in Nov 2015

To be honest - well, compared to my instructions on discharge from hospital - yes, you are doing too much...... and I only had a partial !!  I was home after 3 days in hospital, on crutches and continuing my exercises which I started the afternoon of the day of surgery. At 1 week I was still hating myself for agreeing to surgery and wishing like hell I'd never had it done. The pain was unreal, sleep - non existent.

I didn't let pain motivate or influence my journey, if pain was there - well just get on with it. I made sure everything I did was slow and gentle. I stayed on crutches for the full eight weeks until my first post op consultation with my consultant. BUT every week I made sure I did more and more, slowly and gently. When I saw my consultant he was delighted, I came off crutches immediately, started driving my car again and went back to work 3 weeks later driving a bus. Job done. Now 9 months post op I reckon it was the best thiong I ever did. I've had no set backs ar all - every step was a winner. 

By the way, I had staples in my surgical wound and these were the disolving type. I never had to return to have clips removed. Just went to my GP's nurse to have the dressing removed.

There is one thing I did though - about 8 weeks pre op I went to my sports injury therapist to have my leg strengthened prior to surgery, massage and exercises. Then after my dressing came off post op I returned to her for more massage and leg exercise work - in addition to the exercises I had to do at home. She spent alot of time working on and massaging my surgical scar in order to prevent scae tissue forming.  My point is you can take short cuts of course but I chose the slow and steady method. The exercises you are doing are fine and the same as I did too. But hell not up and down stairs, and if you are walking outside without some sort of support I think you are asking for trouble. Sorry to be all doom and gloom.

Look, you've just had major surgery which at best is barbaric and at worst is like butchery - remember that.

If you go onto Youtube and type in somelike " exercises after TKR " you will see a range of short videos on the sort of exercises you should be doing, and remember its not just the exercises but the frquency you need to do them each day.

I was not let out of hospital until I got a 90 degree bend and a fairly straight leg. By 8 weeks my leg was dead straight and my bend was up to 130 degrees. I could only sit in an upright chair, like a dining table chair - could never sit in a lounge for weeks - I called the upright chair my exercise chair.

Hope this helps, good luck.

John