Posted , 6 users are following.
My tkr was 8 weeks ago, still have pain and stiffness, and now feeling exhausted, am thinking I may be anaemic, so have had blood test, no result yet. My biggest question is am I doing too much? PT has me doing 50 heel slides per day, 30 knee extensions, 30 heel lifts, 24 squats, 30 leg lifts, 30 side leg lifts and 15 minutes in 5 minute lots per day. Would love to know what others are doing.
0 likes, 17 replies
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CHICO_MARX Eaglebearer
Posted
If you put the work in, your stiffness will gradually subside by 9-12 months...up to 18 months for some. However, you have to keep the knee active forever. Stop moving and some stiffness will likely return even years later. Remember that I said GRADUALLY...you will not see dramatic changes at any point in time. One day, you'll just realize it's gone...that is, if you do the work and keep active.
The PT exercises are meant to get your ROM back and to get blood flowing to the surrounding muscles again. However, all those muscles are very weak and need to be rebuilt. This will take some strength training for your quads, glutes, hip flexors, core and more. Here's a program that you can use once you are more stable...it will take months to gradually get all that strength back so you have to be focused and determined. It will absolutely pay off when you are able to do stairs normally (alternating legs without holding onto anything) both up and down just like "the olden days". Takes a lot of quad and glute strength to do stairs. Here's the program...
Post-TKR Muscle Rebuild
Time, work and patience are your tools. The whole recovery usually takes a full year, give or take as everyone is different. Just remember that you cannot push a knee like you can a shoulder or hip. This is a slow, gradual recovery. Overdo it on any day and the knee will hurt and swell. Just back off, ice, elevate and resume slowly. We've all made the mistake and had to recover...totally normal. Just focus, do the work and let time pass. You'll be fine.
Eaglebearer
Posted
Hi Chico, you are a legend, you've been through so much, I must seem like a whinger! I'm a 70 yo female with good muscles in legs I think.
But what struck me about something you said in your link about exercising the same muscles every day worried me because that's what I do. I don't know how to vary them, Pts don't tell you that, and I have only been twice anyway. From my exercises could you suggest something different on other days.
PS. Have been to your wonderful city, I'm from Australia. Loved NYC very much.
Thank you for supporting all us tkrs.