4wks post op

thank you. yes its swollen and sore

In that case I would spend as much time as possible icing and elevating toes above nose on 4 pillows with a slight bend in the knee, at least 4 times a day for an hour each time. It might also be worth taking a break from physio to see if it helps and just do some simple leg extensions and heel slides together with sone gentle walking. Are you using walking aids?

When I saw my surgeon's registrar 8 weeks after my surgery he still advised not to do anything that caused pain that was more than discomfort. At 4 weeks I was feeling quite good, did an exercise that hurt and it took me over 2 weeks to get back to where I had been. Now at just over 5 months you would think I know better, but I was given another exercise that I did query whether it was appropriate at this stage. After being reassured I went ahead with it and ended up with a very hot, swollen painful knee that's taken nearly 3 weeks to get over.

This isn't a linear recovery. It's two steps forward and one back. I kept a diary to begin with just so

I could record any simple victories, like finally being able to do a leg extension unaided or sleeping more than 2 hours! You have a year to get your extension and flexion and, on another forum I joined, there are people who did no formal PT and managed a great ROM just by walking and doing their normal activities so hang on in there and hopefully things will improve soon for you.

i think lain killers are ok. its just slow and frustrating. its really swollen

Also, you are only 4 weeks post op. I have only started to feel significant improvements in the last few days (I am 6.5 weeks post op). At the 4 week mark I was stiff, swollen, had problems bending and felt thoroughly fed up - I still do some days. Slow and frustrating are the best words to describe the whole process (chuck 'painful' in there too!) Keep positive!

docs said i could drive by 3-4 weeks now it will be 6-8 wk. They say you should feel better by week 4 i sure don't! i hate relying on people I'm usually a very independent person. but im nit going to give up. thanks for support

Yep, pre-op I was told categorically by my surgeon's registrar that I would be able to return to work after 6 weeks. I'm a secondary school teacher (literally on my feet all day), and there's more chance of me sprouting wings than that happening! I'm now signed off until the end of July and praying I'll be ok by September! I also expected to be driving by 6 weeks but I can't see that happening for a few weeks yet as my leg is still too painful and unstable to be safe. I think for many of us these 'great expectations' we have are part of what makes it all so hard, particularly if you are an independent active person. It's been such a shock for me because being fairly young (46) and a fit and active person, I genuinely expected to breeze through and be pretty much back to normal after 6 weeks - ridiculously, I had even considered booking a walking holiday for August as I thought I'd manage it (what a laugh - so glad I booked a week lying on a beach in Menorca instead but not even sure now how I'll manage that!!). I was totally and utterly unprepared for the reality, and to be honest, I have often felt angry for being misled, dismissed and uncared for by my doctors along the route. I have felt dreadfully guilty for taking so much time off work as I was so adamant I'd be back in July and even reassured parents of my GCSE students that I'd be out for no more than 6 weeks (I feel I've let them all down). And I feel guilty that my poor husband is doing EVERYTHING for me and the kids as well as working full time. I hate feeling so useless and just want to be normal again! These are normal feelings I think, but they aren't helpful.

I went to my GP depressed around the 4 week mark and cried a lot and explained how useless, frustrated and frankly terrified I felt (would I ever be normal again???). He told me to stop being so hard on myself and rightly surmised that I am the type of person who sets very high standards for myself. He explained that everyone progresses at a different rate and age, prior fitness etc etc is often irrelevant. Yes, some lucky buggers do bounce back quickly (my neighbour had a double knee replacement and was horseriding again after 6 weeks!?!) but for most of us it's a long hard journey which hopefully will all be worth it in the end. We have to try and accept it's a long term goal (after all, full recovery is generally about 12 months so you are only 1/12 of the way there.

Why not think of progress in 2 weekly chunks - consider what is better now than 2 weeks ago (however small) and celebrate it - and in two weeks from now do that again. I think we're wanting to see progress everyday and that's putting too much pressure on ourselves and leads to fear and frustration.

And finally, a little reassurance: I really have suddenly started to see significant improvement at the 'magic 6 week' mark and 2 weeks ago I just couldn't perceive that happening as progress to that point had been so slow. It DOES get easier and faster. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS!

Best of luck!

thank you. those who bounce right back are blessed! it helps to hear others stories and support. thank you and best wishes to you too!