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Knee replacement

Posted , 10 users are following.

lisa11951
lisa11951

Hi guys, well it's April 28th and I'm home.  I was sent home 2 days ago and it's been horrendous I was in less pain in hospital than I am now.  Why do they not send you home with Gabapentin as well because this is the only drug I was on in hospital that I'm not on now and the pain is much worse.  I had a different physio who although tough was nice but the exercises they expect you to do are horrendous she managed to get me to an 89 degree bend but getting there was worse than childbirth I couldn't believe the pain and was in tears.  Since I've got home I've been walking as much as I can which isn't a problem but the bending and lifting exercises are agony and there is no way I'm getting the bend and lift that she got in hospital in fact i can hardly lift my leg without support.  I'm worried that I'm going to seize up because I can't do the exercises properly. I've been icing it and that's helped and take painkillers before I start but have any of you got any ideas to make the exercises less painful.  I know I'm probably expecting a lot from myself but it's my mums funeral in 3 weeks and I want to be more mobile for that.

Thank you for your kind words of support.

0 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

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  • chris00938
    chris00938 lisa11951

    Posted

    Lisa, what date was your op?
    • lisa11951
      lisa11951 chris00938

      Posted

      My op was 20th April, maybe my expectations are too high.

      Thanks

    • chris00938
      chris00938 lisa11951

      Posted

      Oh Lisa, it is such early days for you still.  (Sorry I'd forgotten when it was).  Just give it time and week by week you'll see and feel an improvement.  Just concentrate on the sliding for the bend exercise, and straightening your leg and rest and ice and elevate and take painkillers if you need them.  The time does pass quickly and you'll see a light at the end of the tunnel soon.  It is all worth it, I promise!

  • amanda1827h
    amanda1827h lisa11951

    Posted

    Hi Lisa,Poor you.You've had a major operation, & your body is also under stress with the passing of your Mother.(sorry) Try and rest as much as you can,yes do the tasks that the phsyio has advised but take it slowly. Regards Amanda

  • Mamadoks_D
    Mamadoks_D lisa11951

    Posted

    I got crazy bending in hospital but they told me the drugs new to your system helped with that.  I'm three weeks out at 90 and my PT says I'm going good, keeping the back of the knee stretched and loose is just as important. If you were at risk of seizing they would be telling you. You will be fine,  the end of my first week I was in the same mental place. A lot is just that mental! Take pain killers 30mins before your PT comes helps too.   I take gabapentin but it's not a painkiller, it does however help you sleep. I take it for neurological issues.  Your regular doctor can give you that, it's safe with most pain meds.   Just keep a good mind set and keep pushing through. Ask them to show you when to breath in or out during each exercise...it does make a difference. 

     

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 Mamadoks_D

      Posted

      Yes, breathing to relax and also breathing out when working my quads helped me a lot, I can testify to that!
  • jenny80029
    jenny80029 lisa11951

    Posted

    I found the exercises hard but just do the best you can. I did very little walking for the first month and saved my energy for exercising as I had so little energy. You might be trying to do too much? Are you using crutches or a crutch for support?
  • clive45466
    clive45466 lisa11951

    Posted

    Hi Lisa

    It will get better but unfortunately most really suffer for 6 weeks or more.

    I can only tell you I did walk but did not do very much exercise to start with as there was too much pain.

    I can reccommend the AIRcast ice bucket and knee wrap for icing your knee, google it.

    I also found really hot baths gave me some pain relief, I am in the UK, the pain medicines prescribed was Codeine, which made me sick so I did not take them.

    You can read on this forum, no sleep and the nights are worse, sharing your pain does help.

    If your exercise pain does not stop in 40 minutes, your knee is not healed enough.

    We are all different I hope you find something that will give you a little relief.

    Good healing

     

    • lisa11951
      lisa11951 clive45466

      Posted

      Hi Clive, when you say you didnt exercise as much for the first few weeks did that have a negative effect on your eventual recovery?

      Thanks

    • clive45466
      clive45466 lisa11951

      Posted

      Hi Lisa

      That's a good question as I said I did some straightening and bending in a daily hot bath ( 3 x for the first couple of weeks)

      My straightening is good around zero, as good as my other leg. The bend I guess is around 115 to 120, still working on this. However it was not much better for 20 years. I can ride a bike do stairs and walk normally. Not any pain now when I play golf and need to start more exercise so I can ski again next January. My knee still gets stiff after either being on my feet all day at work or doing exercise after nearly 10 months.

      I wonder if this will ever go away.!

      Good healing

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 lisa11951

      Posted

      I was mainly resting for the first two weeks. I did my attempts at heel slides, I couldn't do a straight leg lift or the short arcs, I did nowhere near three times a day of ten repetitions which i thought i should be doing. I felt quite a failure but didn't have enough energy to do more. Things are just fine though. So it didnt do me any harm. it

    • lisa11951
      lisa11951 jenny80029

      Posted

      Hi Jenny, thanks thats really reassuring to know that you are doing well now and yet you couldnt do much for the first couple of weeks. I managed to do a few leg lifts yesterday which i was really pleased about.

      Take care

      Lisa

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 lisa11951

      Posted

      That's amazing!😊 well done! Don't worry if your ability fluctuates, as the more tired the quads get the harder it is!

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX lisa11951

    Posted

    Forget about how mobile you will be in 3 weeks.  You need to do PT and your ROM exercises...period.  The focus is on YOU not anyone else or any social expectation.  Heel slides!!!

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-heel-slide-exercises-526213

    That's it for now.  Major strengthening comes a lot later.  As far as pain goes...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/staying-ahead-of-the-pain-563395

    The meds are CRITICAL right now.  NEVER miss a dose!!!  Overall, you have just begun a very long journey...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499

    This will test you in many different ways: heart, mind, body and soul.  

    "Never give up.  Never surrender." - Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      PS: Gabapentin will likely put 20 pounds on you in a month.  Consider doing without it.  Hydrocodone with acetaminophen (Vicoden, Norco) or Oxycodone with acetaminophen (Percocet) with a muscle relaxer like Flexeril could help a lot.  The Gabapentin (Neurontin) is for nerve pain.  Handle that with a topical anti-inflammatory like Voltaren Gel (RX in the US).  Gabapentin and Lyrica are the nerve meds but I do not like the side effects.  Make good med choices.

       

    • judy17487
      judy17487 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Hey Chico

      i was taking massive doses of Gabapentin after back surgery.  Helped a lot with leg pain.  Didn't know that it puts weight on.  I was horrified, so I didn't take any after TKR.  I do Percocet and Mobic mostly.  Today I took a muscle relaxer bc I fell on Monday and landed on both knees.  Knee now feels tight.  Saw Ortho Dr next day.  No X-rays.  He said I was doing good and discharged me.  Going to see different Ortho for "good" knee this week.  

      Bottom line:  Healing doesn't use the same clock and calendar that we do.  I did PT for 5 months, 2 X a week.  Helped, but no miracles 

       

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX judy17487

      Posted

      It's different for everyone...

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-recovery-bell-curve--563756

      You won't know where you fell under the bell curve until you are completely recovered.  People expect to be at a certain place at a certain time and compare themselves to others.  Old Jedi Mind Trick...only leads to depression and frustration.  Be Zen: "I'll be better when I'm better."

      I fear falling on my knees...really do.  Glad I live in Texas where there is zero ice and snow.  No idea what it would be like back in New Jersey.  I now avoid walking across grass because you can't see the holes!  Hope you're OK.  

      I will NOT use Gabapentin because of the weight issue and Lyrica does nothing for me.  Just had an LLIF a month ago for severe L2/L3 stenosis which I got 8 months into the knee rehab.  Put all of that on hold until the spine surgery.  Because they screw around with the nerve roots, the result is 4-8 weeks of PURE NERVE PAIN down the front of your thighs. Without the nerve drugs, I resorted to a single T-3 (acetaminophen and codeine) at night to take the edge off plus Aspercreme with 4% Lidocaine topically plus virtually continuous heating pads.  Gotta really rub it in a lot to affect the nerves.  Since it's not a muscle problem, other drugs and ointments just don't work.

      Almost done...need neurosurgeon clearance to restart the post-TKR exercise program.  A lot to deal with when things like this overlap...

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