Getting tired to be home - it’s now 4 weeks since my tkr surgery

I had my rtkr on 6/18, so I feel you! Please don't wear a brace. It will limit your motion and put you so far back. My PT and OT have both said that the actual knee is metal, so I can't hurt that, and my main job is to reduce the swelling with ice and elevation, strengthen the muscles that will support a normal gait pattern, and increase my range of motion to allow normal functioning. It sure isn't easy, but the struggle and pain now will be so worth it in the end! These few months of painful exercises and stretches will give us twenty years of mobility! Don't give up, you're strong, and YOU CAN DO THIS! 😀

You're very early on in your recovery. It's 12 months for a full recovery and you're not a twelfth of the way. It's not a linear recovery either, so expect setbacks along the way. You have had the equivalent of a double amputation and the bones and surrounding tissues needs to heal, which it will do in its own time. My surgeon said to expect to be mobile after 6 weeks, to begin doing normal activities at 3 months, but a year for full recovery. At this stage you should only be doing light household chores, short walks and any PT exercises that don't cause pain. Stiffness is quite normal. Try to move a little every hour you're awake. Once my wound had healed and there were no scabs I wrapped my knee in clingfilm overnight and that really helped the pain and stiffness, so it might be worth trying. 6 weeks is quite early to be going back to work. Can you extend the time before you return, or at the very least have a phased return to work.

I agree with the others that a brace this early on doesn't sound a great idea. How will your muscles, tendons and ligaments learn to support your new knee if a brace is doing it for them?

It was the inactivity that got to me, so I found free on-line courses to do and jigsaw puzzles. Maybe this could be the time to take up a new hobby? Is there anything you've always wanted to do, but not had the time? I wouldn't opt for bungee jumping or abseiling just yet though! Good luck, you will get through it. It just takes time.

Also, the difference between three weeks out and six weeks out is HUGE. At three weeks, I was just coming out of thinking "what have I done to myself????" At six weeks I could mow the lawn. But getting that range of motion is the most critical thing you can do.

Every negative thing you said is caused by exactly one issue...your expectations. We all had the same delusional belief that this would be over quickly, that we'd constantly improve...and rapidly, that we could handle this without breaking a sweat, etc. WRONG!!!!

Everything you pointed out is completely normal and part of the recovery process. Stiffness, hard to get the +120 flexion, lack of sleep, depression and soooooo much more. Wait until you push the knee too far one day...it will look like a balloon for days.

Gotta give up all your timetables and expectations. This is long and slow with advances, setbacks and plateaus. Very, very, very, very few escape this fate. The whole thing takes a year and you are most definitely NOT in control of this. See your new knee? Say hello to your boss for the next year. The knee controls your recovery. Your part is to give it the time it needs to heal, do the necessary work to achieve a 0 / +120 ROM and then rebuild all your atrophied muscles, and finally have the patience and will to see this through.

Not kidding. We can all feel your pain because it was ours too. So many of us questioned our own sanity in getting the op in the first place. But all that pain and all those misgivings dissipate over time and at one year, you're dancing at your ann-knee-versary party. Welcome to the club, Kneebie...

Some of these may help...

Sleeping

ROM Work at Home

Post-Op Depression

Reality

Hang the last one on your fridge.