KNEE REPLACEMENT

keep up with your icing and exercise,, you maybe doing too much

You're halfway through the typical one year recovery period. Some people do it faster, others later...everyone is different. It's not unusual to still have some manageable pain (need some OTC NSAIDS or acetaminophen from time to time...but not longer than 10 days straight) at six months. The pain gradually goes away as well as any remaining stiffness and swelling. Some of that stiffness may even last to 18 months.

The best thing you can do is keep working on your ROM to get it to zero degrees straight and better than +120 bent. This will help long-term. You also should be in the middle of rebuilding all the dead muscles that have withered since the surgery. Biking is a good warm-up and walking helps to increase your endurance. PS: Get a pedometer to count your steps every day. Time and distance are irrelevant; it's the STEPS that put the load on the knee. Going beyond what the knee can do at any given time will absolutely result in swelling. The pedometer's software will allow you to graph your progress over time and inform you of your limit if the knee swells. (Had my "balloon knee" at 5 weeks; got to 11,000 steps a day by 8 months.)

However, the muscle rebuild is the big gun here. Getting all your strength back is critical to walking correctly, regaining your balance and eventually doing stairs alternately again like you used to. Also, the weakened muscles put extra strain on the new knee or cause pain elsewhere as your body unconsciously shifts your weight to avoid more pain. These should help...

Other Pain

Muscle Rebuild

Time, work and patience are your tools. Use them wisely, get rid of your expectations, treat yourself well. You will recover and put all of this behind you. I'm almost at 4 years post-op and doing just fine...you will too.

All sounds pretty normal. I'm 10 months in and my knee gets stiff and swells still if I overdo more than my knee likes. I get the pain on the outside too. It's the Iliotibial band. It shortens because of our crooked legs. My surgeon said it would probably be 18 months before it settled down. You can google stretches to help. I'm back doing all the things I want to do: dancing, pilates, keep fit, having a few issues walking longer than 30 minutes, but that's my back and nothing to do with the knee. I'm having the other done in January and hoping 2 straight legs will sort the back out.

Good luck with the rest of your recovery.

THANX SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR REPLIES...I'M HANGING IN THERE

hi x im also 6 mths post op x i still get loads of pain and stiffness x i had aspiration a week ago query infection x no growth on sample but they say it could still be infection so not sure until i see my consultant whats next x i see him friday

Hi

Do not get despondent. It took me up to 10 months of hard work at the gym 3 times a week before i felt comfortable. i can assure the pain will get easier but keep doing the excercises every day and take pain killers when needed. You should be off then soon.

I slept on my back for the first 7 months with a pillow under my knee for support.

I found laying on my good side with my new knee slightly bent more aching than laying on my new knee . As i was not bending my new knee at all. I was ok after about 8 months laying with my new knee bent.

I am now 20 months post op and manage to play Tennis indoors with the Evergreens 2 times a week and played competitive matches last season at my Tennis club

I do excercises every day to keep my knee mobile and only take the odd Ibuprofen if my knee starts to ache

I do know my limitations and realise i will never get full bend ever on my knee, but i can live with that as i am very active.

Never give up and keep excercising and you will achieve goals you have set yourself

Good Luck

Howard x