Posted , 9 users are following.
It's been 6 weeks plus 6 days since my TKR. My knee it's self does not hurt, however my shin and femur is still quite painful, also I still can't walk with bending my knee, I'm seem to be mentally walking with it straight, which is also hurting my hip. I'm scared of my knee giving way if I walk with it bending. I can bend my knee to 92 degrees. I won't get any more bend as the surgeon said that would be my maxiam. I've not had physiotherapy for 2 weeks and don't have any until Friday the 8th July. I haven't seen my surgeon since I left hospital and don't have an appointment with him until 25th July. Please any advice would be great. You have helped me previously.
0 likes, 36 replies
marilyn22260 michelle4612
Posted
Hi Michelle...sounds as though you are disappointed in your progress. Why were you told you have the maximum bend would be 92 degrees? How can they tell so early on. I'm not sure why you don't have physical therapy. I had PT come to my home for three weeks, 3 times a week and now I am in outpatient PT. Why can't you call your surgeons office to report your problem. This is a great blog and the people here have excellent recommendations. From what I read, it's time for you to call your doctor's office when you have these concerns.
Good luck and let us know how you are doing.
michelle4612 marilyn22260
Posted
Thank you so much for replying. My TKR was complex, I had a deformity to my tibia and also my knee was severely deformed prior to the TKR due to multiple fractures as I have osteogenesis imperfecta otherwise know brittle bones disease since birth. I am only 41 years young. The surgeon bent my knee in surgery and told me that 90 degrees the maximum that he could get, which will be the max I will get as if he couldn't get any more with major pushing while I'm in surgery then I won't be able to get any more after, when actually I have achieved 2 maybe 3 more degrees. And with myself doing my exercises at home. The physiotherapy here where I live is not the greatest. I have only had 3 half hour sessions in the 6 weeks that I have been home. It is all they have available. I will take up your suggestion and call my hospital tomorrow. Thank you for your advice. This site is amazing
marilyn22260 michelle4612
Posted
I will send you positive vibes and a successful recovery
lucie47312 michelle4612
Posted
Michelle, where are you? I'm surprised you aren't having Physio, nor not seeing your surgeon for such a long time. You should try walking properly, heel to toe, heel to toe. Your knee won't strengthen if you don't bend it. Have you any walking AIDS? Please use them and practise walking properly. You don't want your knee to heal straight which it will unless you push it regularly. I'm 11 weeks and can manage to walk without a stick for about an hour, and about two to three hours with one stick. Have you been given Physio exercises to do at home?
Hope you improve soon.
michelle4612 lucie47312
Posted
Hi .. I'm in Essex, England. I do try to walk heal to toe.. my brain is telling me not to.. as my knee has given way on me and has scared me and hurt like hell. I walk with no sticks and sometimes one stick in doors, but I use two when I go out. It's the pain my shin that worries me. And not being able to walk right. I have been told I need to be re educated on how to walk as I previously walked with a severe limp due to deformity in my leg, which has now been corrected by my new TKR. Physiotherapy is terrible here. I am doing my best with it at home.
michelle4612
Posted
lucie47312 michelle4612
Posted
Michelle, phone them up in the morning, speak to the surgeons secretary, and tell her that you're getting no input and that you can't walk properly. All the benefit from your surgery will be wasted if you don't get the right input. I was a nude in the NHS, so I know how things work. I am very surprised at your surgeon. Take care
michelle4612 lucie47312
Posted
Thank you so much lucien for you input. I certainly call them tomorrow and see how I get on. I'm not holding out much hope. As I have actually only met him once and that was very first consultation with him. When he told me how bad my knee was from previous surgeries and mri scans I had done at local hospital. He told there and then I desperately needed a TKR and he would put me on the waiting list. That was may 2015, I had my surgery may 17th 2016. I only saw his team in hospital, I never actually saw him. So I am not very hopeful I will call though and see what they say. Thank you again so much I really appreciate it. Good luck with your recovery.
lucie47312 michelle4612
Posted
michelle4612 lucie47312
Posted
sue37592 michelle4612
Posted
I had a lot of pain at the top of my shin where the consultant had removed all the bad bone and fixed the new joint into. This was were I had the most of my pain but was told it was as I put weight on leg to walk I needed to strengthen all the muscles. Check with hospital/Dr as your surgery seems to have been very complex with your history. You are young to have had this done. My consultant did not want to do mine as I was 49 but with pressure he went ahead, 15 week on and I am o glad.
Let us know how u get on. Take care x
michelle4612 sue37592
Posted
Hi Sue. Thank you so much for your reply. It is encouraging to hear someone has suffered from the same pain and is recovering well. You must be so pleased with your progress. Well done. I just wished I had more professional help from pt. And surgeon
. I feel like I have been left to just get on with it and hope for the best. Which is difficult as I have a young family and one of my children is severely pysically disabled with cerebral palsy and can't walk or stand. I have had no support from anyone except my amazing husband and my kids and family. I love the nhs and are so great full that we have such a wonderful health system here, I think all the nhs staff do amazing and work incredibly hard. I just wished the government would invest more into it so we didn't feel alone and ask the wonderful public on sites like this for help and support. Good luck with your recovery.
sue37592 michelle4612
Posted
Hi Michelle, I am so gald I have had it done, my quality of life as getting unbearable. The recovery has been a lot slower than I expected but this last 2 weeks I feel I have turned a big corner. I still get stiff and swell when I do too much and pain in back of leg but just take it a bit easier. GP finally let me back to work last week so suffering more at moment and having to up pain meds. Just want to get back to walking which is what I miss so much, I can only walk half a mile and before all this flared up I walked 5 miles 5 times a week. I'm in UK and i only got 6 sessions physio, then told to keep doing all exercises myself and keep doing them longterm as well a static bike and walk daily. My GP has been brilliant as has my husband. My children(all grown up, 21/23/25 still at home) were good for a week or two but then it was back to mum is at home and "sitting on bottom all day" can do everything . You have a young family with lots going on, Just take care and do not over do things , let the house wait Thats what I have done and honestly noone notices. I did the minimum but gradually am doing more as I feel more able. Take care you need this to work and be a sucess. You are young and want it to last for years to come. Keep me posted sue xx
michelle4612 sue37592
Posted
Thank you Sue. You are doing fantastic , keep up the hard work. I will certainly take your advice. Housework is such a chore at the best of times.. im managing to do all of it except washing floors as I don't want to take the risk of slipping. So my husband and my second eldest son helps with that.. not quite as good as when I do it... lol. My husband is a bus driver so works long hours and shifts.. I am glad I had it done and arthritis pain is gone and my knee no longer locks, which happened all the time prior to TKR. It's just so long and after care is so poor. I will call.my surgeon today. Good luck and I hope you recovery well.
nuala16574 michelle4612
Posted
Hi Michelle. Sorry to hear you're having problems with bending your knee. I think as others have said you need to see your surgeon but 8th is not too far away. I'm 9 weeks out from ltkr and surgeon fixed a bend in my leg. I did a 6 week prior couse once a week at the hospital. Bend started at 90 and my last session was past 115 and now past 120. We were told to exercise twice or three times a day. The heel slides were the ones I felt improved the best. Getting there slowly but surely. Hope all goes well for you. I remember reading to March instead of walking all worth a try. Take care xxx
michelle4612 nuala16574
Posted
Join this discussion or start a new one?
New discussion Reply