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5 weeks post TKR and feeling quite low

Posted , 62 users are following.

Pennypops
Pennypops

I had my total knee replacement 5 weeks ago ..I've realised now that I certainly won't be ready to return to work after 6 weeks (I originally thought I would) I'm still taking tramadol occasionally and though I can walk without a crutch I find I limp so still use 1 crutch . I feel a little depressed , my back gets sore if I walk for a while I can only presume it's because I'm leaning over one side ...going up and down stairs still hurts and the operated knee clicks and grinds ..my thigh muscles still tight and I'm trying to stretch them out ..anyone else feeling down and frustrated?

6 likes, 198 replies

198 Replies

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  • Sue360
    Sue360 Pennypops

    Posted

    Hi Penny. I too thought I would be back at work by now, 10 weeks post op but suffered a set back at two weeks with a bleed behind the knee and then suffered quite bad low mood for what seemed like weeks. Glad to say out the other side now. This forum had been a life line as we are all in this together and all different. I had 1 crutch from 6 weeks on and then dropped that at 7, pain wise, not taken other than paracetamol for the last 4 weeks. But, slight limp walking. Water helps if you have a pool available, the water takes the weight whilst you walk and bend your knee etc. Good luck, keep on here for advice and encouragement.
  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX Pennypops

    Posted

    Everything...EVERYTHING...you are saying is totally normal...especially having to face the unrealistic expectations we all had at the beginning.  Here's some reading...

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

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-and-post-operative-depression-604195

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/trouble-sleeping-post-tkr--539591

    ...and this is for your expectations...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-recovery-bell-curve--563756

    Got lots more out there.  We're here to help.  Enjoy, "Kneebie"...

  • jeanne41263
    jeanne41263 Pennypops

    Posted

    Hello. I’m 10 weeks after my tkr. Every step I take hurts like hell. The side of my foot and on the top of my shin have been numb since I woke in recovery. I’m limited to how long I’m able to stand. Have a lot of tightness all around the knee. The only pain I have is when I walk. Starting to think I may have a back issue. I walked my entire life and was active and now I haven’t walked since the surgery in August. It’s a terrible thing not to be able to walk and do the things you loved to do. I’m so frustrated!!!!!
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX jeanne41263

      Posted

      If "the things you loved to do" are anywhere on this no-no list...

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/do-s-and-don-ts-after-a-tkr-a-typical-list-541794

      ...then those days are gone.  Anything that pounds or twists the knee is forbidden...unless you want the knee to last a few years instead of 25.  Everyone makes their own choices.

      Tightness around the knee is normal.  Could last as long as 18 months...or more.  I'm 19-months post-op...never notice it anymore.

      The rest of your pain could be caused by any number of factors.  I got sciatica in my non-TKR leg 5 weeks post-op because I locked up my SR joints by walking "funny".  When we change our gait to avoid pain, it's very possible to "throw out" your lower back, hips, pelvis, and those SI joints.  That can cause all sorts of pain and numbness down a leg all the way to the foot.  My chiropractor fixed my problem with a few weeks of treatment.  That's the least invasive, non-RX-medication path.

      In the meantime, 800 mg ibuprofen TID plus some topical Voltaren Gel (RX in the US) could help.  If you're not better from the anti-inflammatories in two weeks, try the chiropractor.  Last stop is back to your surgeon.  I'd start small and follow the path.

       

  • dawn44823
    dawn44823 Pennypops

    Posted

    Yes yes yes all this is perfectly normal. I know its really frustrating and makes you feel low,but keep your chin up.

    ?It will get better each week and there will also some days that you are going 2 steps forward and three back but don't let it beat you.I have my op done 14 months ago and have had an uphill struggle, even though I am not overweight and had done all the excersizes as told.Sometimes its soul destroying to think that all you have done for very little gain. It is a very slow process and everyone is different.

    ?I am looking forward to the day that I can lie in the bath without sticking my leg out!!¬! ha ha ha

    ?Don't worry you are not on your own lady so keep thinking positive.

    Keep into the forum it will help!!

    Dawn

    • Pennypops
      Pennypops dawn44823

      Posted

      Thanks dawn , I had a session in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon and it was lovely..I could really stretch and do my excersises with ease of the water and felt better for it ...I've got another session next week

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 Pennypops

      Posted

      Thats brilliant...makes difference on so many levels...moving more freely!
    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      In an ideal world, I think exercises post TKR in water, once incision sealed up, at least twice a week, would be experienced by everyone with TKR...makes such a difference to rehabilitation!
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX robin15577

      Posted

      Big difference between the two.  First, there's the depth and then there's the temperature.  I guess if you lowered the temp of a hot tub waaaaaay down it might be possible (don't know the temp of a therapy pool...it's not like the 102-degrees of a hot tub) but I don't see how you could do the full range of leg exercises available in a real therapy pool with all the surround seating in a hot tub.  Wonder if anyone has tried that and to what level of success...

      My doc would NOT let me submerge my knee for at least 6 weeks post-op.  By that time I was well on my way to full ROM with my PT plus there are no therapy pools or even YMCA's anywhere near me.  However, when I had a hip replacement in '09 back in New Jersey, I started the pool and gym work near my home about 10 days post-op.  Six days a week, 5 hours a day...full hip rehab in six weeks.  The therapy pool was crucial to that fast recovery.  The problem is that knees cannot be pushed like a hip so the two timeframes are not comparable. 

      Still, a true therapy pool, or even snagging a lane at the YMCA, is GREAT exercise.  The best are the squats where you try to get as low as possible in the pool (water over your head?).  Plus all the leg lifts for the quads and extensions for the glutes are great...but typically, you're chest-deep in the pool to get the most benefit from the buoyancy and water resistance.  Adding the pool to the necessary gym work to rebuild all those atrophied muscles and you have a winning combination.

    • robin15577
      robin15577 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Thanks! You know I haven't even seen my doc in awhile! Last time I saw him was Sept 1 surgery was Aug 17th I am set to see him on November 1st  so I can ask him. But I am not doing squats at all not even in PT. 

      You're point about temp is good. Too hot might cause more swelling vs just icing. Icing consticts while best expands. I will be very interested in what doc says on the first. He will also be doing x-rays too

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX robin15577

      Posted

      You can do the squats at home.  Just hold onto the back of a chair and dip.  Go as far as you can...hold...rise...repeat.  Those and the heel slides are the primary ROM exercises you can do outside of PT.  Once you get down the road to the gym exercises, see if you can squat 350 pounds...right...like, those days are over!!!

      Also, you have to literally learn how to walk again.  Concentrate on kicking the new knee's leg as far out and as straight as you can and come down on your heel...roll to the toe.  This will feel very weird since you've been walking naturally since you were a toddler.  But it is something you have to think about as you walk.  After a month, muscle memory takes over and it feels natural again.  Remember...NO SHUFFLING!!!  And no limping...you can throw out your back or hips.  I got sciatica because of that.  Walk as normal as possible.

    • robin15577
      robin15577 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      This is what I am noticing ~ I have to focus on WALKING! Yes, I literally tell myself concentrate walk as normal as possible. Of course that slows me down but its very important to do for the very reasons you are suggesting. 

      Thanks for tips

    • ColleenAdams
      ColleenAdams CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Good morning Chico-my extension sucks. I focus on walking correctly trying to complete a solid stride during my walking times- I feel like it'll  happen but not anytime soon. I'm pretty sure my husband has sabatoged part of my recovery by being an awesome enabler this whole month and two days after surgery .    Thanks for your comments... to me and others 

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