I'm 12 days post TKR. Just had clips out.
Posted , 10 users are following.
Is it normal for knee to be very stiff and tight. Will this pass?.. They really don't warn you about what to expect after surgery.
0 likes, 23 replies
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Notes on I'm 12 days post TKR. Just had clips out.
bradley_33200 Pepperpot68
Posted
yes its normal just make sure your doing your bending exercises they gave you to help stretch out the leg also make sure you sleep on your back and elevate the leg by putting just your heel on the pillow so your knee will be bending downwards stretching it out put an ice pack on it to help ease the pain and swelling. the gave me a home therapist for a week to help stretch out my leg and help teach me how to get around the house then I'm going to out therapy next
Pepperpot68 bradley_33200
Posted
Thanks bradley_3...i suspose I stupidly thought tightness would go once clips came out.. I'm moving around house and doing the stairs and using ice which relieves the stiffness but then I rest and stiffness returns..
tynetta09539 Pepperpot68
Posted
i kno ur struggle. i just had my 3rd surgery on my knee in a year&a half for very thick scar tissue Wednesday!had a tkr in march last year.so I'm back in therapy for 3 more months ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ i hope u get some relif soon!
karen14697 Pepperpot68
Posted
Everyone heals differently but you are doing super. This not an easy operation to recover from. Take it easy on yourself as this is a marathon not a sprint. Try to do a little more each day
Pepperpot68 karen14697
Posted
Thanks Karen14697 yes have had good days and bad it's good to come on here and chat and realise that other people have felt the same as you and that each day is different.
lynda49844 Pepperpot68
Posted
You've just had major surgery. They've taken apart your knee and taken a saw to it so it's no wonder it's tight and stiff. Ice and elevate toes above nose on 4 pillows for at least 45 minutes for a minimum of 4 times daily to bring down the swelling, which will relieve the tightness and stiffness. Take your painkillers regularly. I wouldn't have been able to sleep with my foot on a pillow, I slept on my back, but with a pillow lengthwise under my leg and, as I have long legs, another for my feet to rest on.
Remember it's a year to complete recovery, sometimes longer, and we all recover differently. We all start at the same place, but like a marathon, we don't all finish at the same time. Be kind to your knee and you'll get there. Things improved for me at 4 weeks and then I overdid it. Each month has seen improvement with some steps back along the way - it's not a linear progression by any means.
Pepperpot68 lynda49844
Posted
Thanks lynda49844 have been doing exercises and ice regularly. Just didn't really have any understanding of how debilitating it is at the start and it feels such an uphill struggle. I've always been active and now spending so much time resting is driving me mad!!.. As you say it will take time I'm just having to learn to be patient..
denise00393 Pepperpot68
Posted
hi hun im having my first knee replacement
in july i must say im dreading it im 61 poor u i hope it eases soon
CHICO_MARX denise00393
Posted
Click on my name. On the right side, click "Discussions" and then "View All". I have about 30 out there covering tons of topics including pre-op and what you can expect post-op that the docs never, ever tell you. Have fun...
Guest Pepperpot68
Posted
I am about 10 months post TKR, and it took about 4 months for me to sort of forget about the stiffness and tightness. And though I'm doing considerably better, my knee still feels weird - not pain, just not normal. But that said, I'm doing almost everything I want to do without knee pain. I still have some strengthening to do.
Pepperpot68 Guest
Posted
AliMarie glad your doing well. It just seems there's no end in sight but by coming on here I realise I've got to play the long game.. and a good day may well be followed by a bad day.. Just feel I was not prepared on what to expect immediately after surgery. Your told you need TKR and that after you will be pain free and more mobile. No mention of how hard the recovery is both physically and mentally.
Guest Pepperpot68
Posted
Yes. I was very disillusioned. My surgeon told me I could return to work in 3 weeks! I made it back to work at six weeks post, but it was rather miserable for a while. I even got a second opinion at 4 mos. post. Will not go back to the original surgeon, but I've learned this is definitely a long patch of bad road. I am a school librarian, and we just moved into a new library. My cell phone counted my steps during about two weeks of very busy days - and I averaged walking about 6 miles a day. Good news was that my knee was pain-free. Bad news was that everything else hurt! ;^)
Pepperpot68 Guest
Posted
I'm a care assistant at a day centre for people with learning disabilities, and older people, on my feet all day so won't be back to work for 12 weeks, which is a long way off. I have a fit bit and at moment I'm managing about 1000 steps a day but am hoping to up it soon but find if I over do it I'm absolutely worn out the following day...
Guest Pepperpot68
Posted
Definitely. Over-doing it can definitely bite you in the behind!
Guest Pepperpot68
Posted
P.S. This has required the most extensive period of rehabilitation - and was the most long-lasting pain - of any surgery I've ever had. So hang in there; take your pain meds; do your exercises; and don't be too hard on yourself. :^)