Four weeks post op partial knee replacement.

Thank you for replying. I am four weeks post op and very frustrated to still be using a cane. Do you really think it's a hamstring issue?

No....I don't think it's a hamstring and there is no reason to be concerned about using a canecat 4vweeks. Really, you are in the infancy stage of rehab. You shouldn't be concerned about that things like that for weeks. If you need a cane for security and stability, use it. One theme that runs through this forum......this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. Don't let others lead your life when it comes to healing. I've been through this so many times and I've found that by relaxing and staying with it I've done better. I've had 11 surgeries on my leg and 5 complete rehabs starting at age 65 and I'm now 79. You won't own that knee for a year so patience will become your best friend. Rest when you can......sleep if it's possible however you can. If necessary, set up in a recliner. My recliner has been my closest friend for years. Just try and relax as you proceed. This is a process that just doesn't allow for shortcuts. One of the things that happens very ofter, family and friends put pressure on surgery patients because they have no idea what they have gone through. Stories or speedy recoveries become the norm. I always explain it this way......you have have your leg cut off, a 4 pound foreign object cemented in and then everything was sewed back back together with stitches inside and out. Muscles, ligaments, tendons and skin are all stretched, bruised, twisted and yanked, bone is chisled, drilled cemented and you expect me to be up and close to normal in 6 weeks. Hang in and keep plugging away. Slowly but surely you will get streched and pulled back into shape and you will be thrilled with the decision you made to have this done

Thank you. You have relieved some worries. 

I'm going to try to stretch it out with exercises. I plan on calling my doc just to make sure there isn't something else going on. Thank you for your response. 

Always comforting to get answers from the Dr's. BTW, where are you located. I'm in the US......Kansas City area. There are people on this site from around the world so when the people in the UK get out of bed in a few hours you will be getting many more great suggestions.

I am from Cincinnati, Ohio. 😊

Hi!

A few of us in the UK are awake and sitting in their recliners and finding comfort in this forum and also in your great advice-thank you! It made me chuckle when you mentioned the bit about friends and relatives expecting you to be fully recovered at six weeks & your explanation about how the leg has been cut off etc etc as yesterday my 83 year old Mother kept stating that she "just can't understand why I'm still in pain & that I should stop taking all to those pills!" I love her to pieces, but at four weeks I'd tried to treat her to a nice Sunday lunch out for looking our dog while I had the TKR operation but I was in agony trying to sit at a table for a couple of hours. I kept it to myself until we got her home and then mentioned that I was in a lot of pain & then I got the lecture! I was so bad tempered by then that I suggested she had the operation (she does need a knee replacement) to see how she coped with having her leg sawn open!

I understand, Glenda. My 84 yo mother had two total knee replacements (20 years ago) and keeps saying, "Gee, I didn't have any issues at all!" Here I had a PARTIAL knee replacement and I feel like I'm failing. I'm a teacher and so frustrated that I can't get back to my students. I've been home for four weeks and going crazy. 

 

It's comforting to know that other folks share the same problems! I'm now four weeks after my second TKR (first knee was in 2014) and it's driving me nuts being confined to the house and that's why I was really looking forward to going out for Sunday lunch but the 30 minutes car ride, two hours sitting at a table and then the comments that were very scathing (& only an elderly Mother could get away with!) just about ruined the everything!

I've got an appointment to see my Consultant on June 1st when I'm six weeks & that's when he decides if I can drive & return to my part time admin job. I've decided to get to my local pool this week to try and get this wretched knee bending more and to also get out of the house!

Hi Glenda 

how long has it been for your Surgery? 

Hi!

Four weeks today! Early days I know and although I've been through this before I've forgotten many of the details (just as well!)

Glenda😷

Four weeks post op. 

A lot of details can be forgotten in 20 years. If she tells you she was out dancing after a month you can rest assured her memory is being kind to her. Your health comes 1st. As much as you apparently love your students, they will be fine. Just do things correctly and toull be back next fall......push to hare too fast and you may push yourself into long term misery. My situation was different. I was 4 months from retiring when a rare tumor literally blew up and started bleeding. Within hours my knee was 4 1/2" larger than the other. By morning blood was building up into my lower torso. I was going to an ortho group of 8 surgeons with over 100 years experience between them and no One had ever seen that tumor. I had thousands of $$$ in tests with no diagnosis. After 3 surgeries to drain the leg and take away some of The horrendous pain an ortho oncologist from the Kansas university medical center diagnosed it and one of the other Dr's in my original practice did some research and recommended radiation. I had 30 rounds of radiation but the uncontrollable pain continued. 6 months later the ortho oncologist did a synovectomy to finally controll the bleeding but couldn't get all of the tumor. It is so rare that my current surgeon......a teaching professor at KU has only seen less than 2 dz cases. Like I said earlier, we are are as different as our finger prints. Its always good to visit with others but don't let their flhistory become your guidelines. My surgeon ask me if I would be willing to visit with a 39 year old professional lady who had just been diagnosed with the same tumor I have. It was very difficult to go through the history without making it a horror story or appearing to give her advice. She has decided to live with the pain while going with a synovectomy and delaying the knee replacement for as long as possible. You mentioned you JUST had a partial. From visiting with several people in PT and my dr, I don't think you actually save yourself all that much when it comes to recovery. Most of the same steps have to be followed. Again, stay positive and if you have to worry about anything, make it you. Let everyone and everything else tAke a back seat.

I have one other part to my story. 7 years ago my wufecwas diagnosed with parkinsons disease and her condition has deteriorated fairly quickly. She can no longer drive nor do most anything like cook etc. In had a revision in Jan 2013, the day after surgery I fell and broke my leg, 10 months later had a staph which eventually required removing the knee, putting in a spacer, immobilizing, the leg for 4 months and putting me on a walker with not being able to bend the leg nor put any more than 25% weight bearing. A year ago next month the new knee ( the 3rd prosthesis) was put in and I've been rehabbing ever since. In the last 2 weeks I've put in over 100 flowers and just today finished putting down 35 bags of mulch. Much of this was done because my wife love flowers but of course cannot do any of the work for fear of losing her balance and falling. I'm not trying to be a hero but it just shows that things fall in place when you work at it and have faith. This isnt to say the pain pills aren't given an extra go and the ice bags are let stay in the freezer and that I'm not in a tremendous amount of pain but in the end it will be worth the effort.

The last time I saw my dr he said instead of the 1 year window for ownership of the joint, he's looking at 2.

Hang in there....take care of you first and all will work out.

Hi so sorry to hear you also had staph in you knee . That is what I had it was a long road they were talking about taking my leg 6 inches above the knee .

but I had it removed and did have the same as you and months later new knee put back in . I prayed it would be ok but out that knee had to go wait 8 more. IVs again at home it was a long road and I am still in pain but now I am walking better but I can walk a lot better if I am holding on to a cart at the store but can't do that every where  so I take it slow. I am still in a lot of pain and have a pain patch and pills but I am now coming off the patch just to see if I can do it and the pills I am going to just try at night . I know it's going to be a long road but I really want to take my life back . It's good to know we have a place to go and know we are not alone . 

Your still very early don't try to rush it . I used a small skate board and was sitting in a chair and I would slide my leg back and forth you know like a kitchen chair it helped  me a lot to bend the knee .   but I still only have about 110 range I can get more when I am in the pool but they told me that after all the opening up and closing of my knee I just don't kave a lot of skin to close it was tight . I hope you the best just knew you had a big surgery don't try to rush it . Pray you heel fast ! 

I had full range and motion the next day after surgery. The doc was amazed and said it was the first time he didn't send a patient to PT. so that has not been the issue. I have pain when i stand and put weight on it by walking. The back of the knee is the worst.

I never had pain in the back mine was in the side of my knee . That is wonderful you had great motion ! I wish my surgery was better it's one thing in life I wished I never had done . I would talk to your doctor about you pain . 

Wish you the best .

Thanks. I'm going in today. Best of luck to you as well.