knee bend

Not sure what rype of surgery you had done but I had a patellar realignment done March 12th. My workplace fought me as it was a workers comp case. I had my leg locked straight in a brace for three months before I had my surgery.

Starting week 4 of PT this afternoon and had been stuck at 65 degree bend. This past Wed. I managed 72. I still deal with swelling and the more I do, the less I was able to bend. So, on days I had PT, I wouldnt do anything forced before my appointment and it has helped. Just did passive stretches beforehand then more forced stuff after my appointment. I'm 2 1/2 months postop, you can only do what your body will allow. It will let you know when it's ready.

Oh dear. 2 weeks is so so early in your recovery. It is hard to get much range when your knee is swollen. Just push as far as you can (and then a bit more) but remember at this point you need to be icing and elevating almost every 2 hours to get the swelling down. Not sure whether you can fully straighten or not but that's actually what determines you limping. Have you had you staples/stitches out yet? It can get easier after then.

it is normal to feel despondent at this point, your body has gone through a lot but you will walk properly again, just don't put a time limit on it. I am eight weeks this week, on my second knee, the first ten months ago. It takes time and determination and more than anything patience and pain killers!

At eight weeks I am still needing paracetamol to do much walking but ROM has miraculously come. The hard work now starts with building up my muscles.

good luck you are in the right place for answers on here.

Hi Defender, after I left the hospital I went to a rehab facility for two weeks. My ROM was at 70 which they kept saying I should be at 90. I came home and start home therapy. First week was ok. By second week my knee started getting swollen. Call my doctor and he stopped therapy. Said it was aggravating my knee and can't bend my knee. So kinda bed rest for two weeks. Keep me updated.

Don't be sad. You are so early in recovery. You will be alright. Do the best you can each day. Slow and easy wins this race which by the way is a marathon. Take meds rest ice & just practice exercises without over doing it. Swelling can last a long time unfortunately. I still get it at 8 months out but things overall are so much better. Keep that in mind always ~ it does get better glad you're here. I don't know what I would have done without the lovely people on this forum. It has been a blessing of enormous proportion. Best wishes to you. 😘

Don't be too worried about ROM yet! 2 weeks is just the very beginning of a very long recovery. You just need to keep trying your best. Take meds regularly, rest, and ice. You will be alright. It does get better. Don't worry yourself. I am 8 months post op and still doing exercises. Hate heel slides but sneak them in every week. Also, do gym which at your point would be too much. Practice walking and straightening too. Straightening important so you don't end up limping. It all comes in time and everyone is different. Truly, this recovery is a marathon. It's long. Be patient with yourself. Best wishes and welcome to this forum. I would have been lost without the lovely helpful people on here! 😘

Two weeks!! Way too early to be worrying about your flexion. take your pain meds regularly if you're still getting too much pain get stronger ones. Do your range of movement exercises, ice and elevate afterwards and sleep when you can. Trust me this takes a long time to recover from. I'm 7 months post op and my flexion continues to improve. I have literally just done 20 minutes on my racer on a turbo trainer, squats, knee slides, and straight leg lifts, finished off with stretches and I'm now icing and elevating my knee while I check through this forum. You will get through this but it does take time unfortunately. You need to stay positive and put the work in x

I’ve got to say that two weeks is barely the beginning. I think everything Your experiencing is normal. Let PT do their job and you’ll be fine. 

OMG, you were not asleep during the procedure!!!!!!   I am in the States and I was given a spinal block AND knock out drugs.   I would be traumatized.   You are tough! 

But as other have said 2 weeks is early in the game.  I am 14 weeks post TKR...what is your ROM?  Here in the States they release you from the hospital as long as you have a bend of 90 (don't remember goal for the extension).  My PT folks and the doctor were not worried about my bend until the 12 week mark where I still didn't have 0/120 which is the goal.  (I had -5/100)  So at that point I had a manipulation under anesthesia where they broke up the scar tissue that had formed around the new knee and now I am at 0/120.   But don't worry, it is not common for people to grow that much scar tissue, I just happen to be one of those "lucky" people.  (I also was part of the 1% that developed an allergy to what they used to close the incision)  

So give yourself a break, sit with ice and elevate that leg above your heart and read or watch TV.  Relax, this is going to be long road to recovery.  

The anesthesia was not the kind where they give you a breathing tube.  It was basically the same drugs they give you when you get a colonoscopy.  So once I was awake I was fine!   It was the same drug they used with the spinal block when I had the TKR....I was out and then I wasn't with none of the problems that you have with anesthesia with the breathing tube.  

Two weeks and you're "worried"?  If you were 10 weeks with a 70 ROM, then I'd be worried.  You just have to do your PT 2X/week plus the home exercises and give it time.  This is NOT a linear recovery.  There will be advances, setbacks and plateaus...all normal.  Took me 10 weeks of work to go from -14 / +84 to -1 / +123.  Time and work.  Here are some extras...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-rom-work-at-home-620053

And post this on your fridge...

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-reality-of-a-tkr-recovery-in-one-picture-626038

This is a year long recovery.  Accept it...own it...  Oh...and don't forget your oars for the boat section...