Five months on
Posted , 5 users are following.
Had my tkr last October and still wish i hadnt.
I remind myself that my old pain pre tkr has gone which is good.
But im still stuck with a leg bigger than the other, a wierd podgy bit to the right of my scar, the sharp pins sticking sensation in the side where it is numb, still only have 90 degrees flexion and still cant fully straighten.
So i still walk with limp which hurts my back and still way off riding my bike.
I also get a strange phantom feeling that my tkr leg is under the chair or table the same as my other leg...but it isnt...its way out in front ....does anyone elses brain tell them your leg is where it isnt lol xx
0 likes, 7 replies
CHICO_MARX Guest
Posted
I remember seeing a size difference in my knees all through recovery. It takes a long time to get back to "normal". Even at one year, I could still see a very, very slight difference. At three years post-op, nothing.
All those weird sensations will eventually pass but the numbness at the incision site is from cut nerves...that's forever.
You can still fix your ROM. I got to -1 / +123 at 12 weeks with intense PT and work at home. Needed the meds to do that but it paid off. Now I'm more like 0 / +133 after doing the exercising. Just keep at it. No quitting allowed. Here are some things to try at home...#3 will ABSOLUTELY straighten your leg...guaranteed...
ROM at Home
The exercise program will rebuild all the musculature that supports the knee (quads, glutes, core and more). This will allow you to walk correctly, regain your balance, avoid other pain and do stairs like a normal person again...
Post TKR Exercising
Besides the knee, I had a hip replaced plus four spine surgeries including two fusions. The knee is the nightmare of all replacement ops. It takes a full year to get completely recovered...and some minor stiffness, tightness, clunking sounds, etc. may last to 18 months. Time, work and patience. Before the op, people feel fear. Right after the op and during recovery, they feel pain and regret. After one year, they tell you it's the best thing they ever did. Put in the effort, reap the rewards. Strength and determination!!!
Lynn195013 CHICO_MARX
Posted
hi Chico, can you tel me what all the numbers are please,, should you work through tge pain.
thank you
CHICO_MARX Lynn195013
Posted
Your Range of Motion (ROM is given in two measurements: straight and bent. When your leg is fully straight (the back of your knee is flat on the table), that's zero degrees. The inability to do that is measured in negative degrees. I started out post-op at -14 and finished at -1. After more work, I got it to 0.
The other measurement is degrees bent. If you're sitting on the end of a PT table and your leg is hanging straight down (perpendicular to the floor), that's +90 degrees bent. You want to get it to +120 degrees or more. To do that, you have to do exercises that pull your heel towards your butt. If your heel touches your butt, that's +161...we NEVER want to go that far. Anywhere from +120 to +135 is considered more than enough for a full recovery.
This isn't easy. It takes time, work and pain. There are advances, setbacks and plateaus. Physiologically, you are breaking down all the scar tissue forming (formed) inside your knee from the op. It is critical to get to 0 / +120 or as close as possible in order to walk correctly and climb stairs normally again. I posted the links to the ROM work for home use and the gym exercising routines above. This is not optional. ROM is the first and most critical part of your recovery.
Will there be pain? Yeah. Most people take some meds one hour before a PT session to mitigate most of it. Gotta work through it. Definitely worth the short term pain for long term health.
More questions? Just ask...
susane91705 Guest
Posted
I am 16 weeks now. I feel a sharp scrap now an then on the outside of my knee. Also my knee cap feels disattached when I straighten my leg or lift and move outwards. My rom is poor. I am walking well, and have no problem straighten it. My worry now is my other knee has pain. (horror)
Guest susane91705
Posted
Hi
Yes i have had some pain in my good knee...same as i used to have in tkr leg...and thought nooooooo way is that one ever being done...not until im crawling on the floor lol xx
Tomkat918 Guest
Posted
YUP!!! No way would I ever do this again unless a wheelchair was my only alternative.
Tomkat918 Guest
Posted
I’m only six weeks out but I definitely wish I never did this. I have way more pain now than I ever had prior to the TKR. I had learned to live with the pain in my knee that I had before. Sometimes it would get really bad but with injections, I could manage it somehow. I did walk with a limp but this pain is just ridiculous. I have the phantom feeling in my knee all the time. And I realize I have a long ways to go but this just does not seem worth it.