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5 weeks 1 day post op tkr.

Posted , 6 users are following.

alison42818
alison42818

Help! Never know pain like this (and I've had 4 children and 2 total hip replacements).

I'm trying so hard with my physio got a 90 degree bend but need to straighten my leg more. so swollen! all i keep doing is reading other people's stories about tkr and think I am not doing as well, i am still using both my crutches and only been out a few times with my husband not sleeping well as i cant sleep on my back and keep going on my side and bending my knee which then results in giving me a stiff knee. How long will it be to get myself back to some sense of what is normal i was walking so bad before I had this i also had a valgus deformity which as been put back to normal but i seem to be bending the other way know is this because I am not keeping my operated knee straight when in bed. So down about all this im wondering if I can ever get it sorted out . i should be leaping. Thanks for reading. x

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX alison42818

    Posted

    "Help! Never know pain like this..." Welcome to the club...none of us have and were never prepared by a doc. We all had expectations that proved to be completely delusional.

    Everything takes time, work and patience. Get rid of ALL expectations; this is typically a year-long recovery. You get better very, very gradually. Plus you cannot push the knee to recovery...it will just sit there all swollen laughing at you.

    Trouble straightening the knee? Combination of the PT working on it plus some work at home..

    ROM Work at Home

    #3 is guaranteed to straighten your leg. No cheating. When you get brave, try it with 2-pound ankle weights. Gravity is a law and it must be obeyed. PS: Shut all the doors and windows, send everyone out of the house, put the stereo on volume 10 and warn your neighbors NOT to call the police. You'll get the idea. Works like a dream...err...nightmare...

    Next, NEVER compare your recovery to that of anyone else!!! Everyone is different and experiences their recovery in their own way. Own yours...embrace the horror of the first 12 weeks. It really does get better as you achieve your ROM goals, get off the opioids and start the muscle rebuild for your atrophied muscles. It takes a lot of patience.

    Track your STEPS...time and distance are irrelevant as its the number of steps you take in a day that determines the total pressure put on the knee. If you get "balloon knee", back off, heal and resume gradually. The number of steps that caused the swelling is your current upper limit. Go past it gradually. I learned my lesson at 5 weeks...very dumb. By 8 months with the ROM and rebuild, I was doing 11,000+ steps with no problem. GRADUAL improvement.

    "Never give up! Never surrender!" - Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest

    • alison42818
      alison42818 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Thanks for the advice and support it means a lot to hear your story.

      I'm going to my physio therapist on Monday so i will post my hopeful improvement then.

  • kathy63770
    kathy63770 alison42818

    Posted

    Hi Alison. 5 weeks is still so early on. My knee replacement was in Dec of 2018. Things did not really begin to turn around for me until early March. I went to my physical therapy sessions 3 x a week for two months and then tapered off to 2 x a week.

    I said before on this forum that my physical therapist pushed me...but never to the point of excruciating pain. In between sessions I did the exercises he gave me at home religiously and did my best to keep moving. Pain, swelling and stiffness are the norm for several months. I have no pain now but still have stiffness which surgeon says is normal. And I wake up at night several times needing to simply change positions. My life is pretty much back to normal and has been for about 2 months. Keep the faith....things will improve if you work at it. But listen to your body. I backed off when I knew I needed to rest or pain was too much. Stretching helped...icing and elevation and most importantly..patience. We all need to recover at our own pace. Fortunately, my physical therapist set up great sessions for me and he did not believe that every one should be on the same page. Best of luck to you.

    • alison42818
      alison42818 kathy63770

      Posted

      Thanks for your input and helpful advice, I'm trying hard working on my exercises i have only been to physio twice and will be having my next one on Monday so ill let you know if there is any improvement.

  • ann18637
    ann18637 alison42818

    Posted

    Hi Alison every one is different who has tkr so I would say after 2 tkr right and left patience. I am 10 weeks past second and can honestly say much better than my first 12 months ago. I walk, drive, cycle no pain but when I do all these things as soon as I return home I ice both knees. Just stick in take it easy it's a marathon but you'll suddenly wake up one day and realise it was worth it. Xx

  • alison42818
    alison42818

    Posted

    Hi,

    Thanks for the advice and so pleased it's working for you, hopefully my time will come.

    Alison

  • selena1972
    selena1972 alison42818

    Posted

    HI ALLISON

    WISHING YOU BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR RECOVERY AND PLEASE KEEP US POSTED? THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ADVICE. AM DOING MY DAILY 6 MIN CYCLE AS WE SPEAK.... WEIGHING UP THE PROS AND CONS OF TKR AT 46 YEARS WHILST CARING FOR MY 11 MONTH SON AT HOME WITH STAIRS.

    I AM STRUGGLING TO WALK OR DO MUCH AND HAVE HAD THIS UNSTABLE SHARP PAIN FOR 2 YEARS. ALSO HAVE COXA VARGA IN HIPS. ONLY HAD EACH HIP SCOPED SO FAR NOT REPLACED.

    PART OF ME KEEPS SEARCHING FOR ALTERNATE DIAGNOSIS AS I HAD HUGE L5-S1 DISC AND SACRO ILIAC JOINT ISSUES IN MY TWENTIES. AM SO SCARED TO BITE THE BULLET WITH TKR THEN STRUGGLE FOR MANY MONTHS WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. IT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A BIG OPERATION BUT IF THERE REALLY IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE PATIENCE TUNNEL- LET's KEEP SUPPORTING EACH OTHER THE WAY THERE. AND YES KNEE PAIN IS DEBILITATING. BEST WISHES.

  • donna43639
    donna43639 alison42818

    Posted

    I will be week five in three days. I’ve been to as much as 100° flexion and can’t even get to 90 today. Every day is a new ball game. Hang in there

  • alison42818
    alison42818

    Posted

    Hi,

    Thanks for the encouraging words, been to physio today and can straighten the leg another 3 degrees more so im now at 33 from 36 was 40 got a few more exercises to do now till i go back in 2 weeks.

    They had me on an exercise bike to see if i could do it I managed just going over half way round could not do the full cycle ( even getting on the bike brought on a panic attack) . My bend is still 90 degree but they have said I need to get to as t least 100 degree to be able to climb stairs but I've been up and down the stairs since i came home 3 days after the tkr.

    Thanks everyone for your support and interest in my recovery.

    Alison

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