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Knee surgery

Posted , 7 users are following.

lorraine58772
lorraine58772

i had knee surgery on 12/28/17 as some of you know now. 

My family keeps pushing me to do PT or i’ll get peg leg . I have been doing PT every day since i got my muscle relaxers. I was told to tangle my leg. I did this for 8 min and  when i stood up, the pain was excruciating. Is this normal? I walk 10 min with crutches but have to stop after 10 bc of the pain . Help me! 

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • laurel65763
    laurel65763 lorraine58772

    Posted

    You are very early in your healing. No one except someone who has gone through TKR surgery understands what recovery is like. It's major surgery and it's important to pay attention to your body. Pain should not be excruciating. Read Chico Marx posts, very helpful. Ice, rest, elevate, take pain meds. Speak up for yourself, it took me 12 weeks to learn that lesson the hard way. 

    Best wishes for healing. 

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX lorraine58772

    Posted

    You are one month into a year-long recovery.  Here are some things you can try at home...

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

    The scar tissue has to get broken down...no choice.  Took me 10 weeks of PT @ 2x/week plus the work at home to go from -14 / +84 to -1 / +123.  It's a lot of hard, painful work...that's why you have the meds.  If you're not getting the relief you need, work with your doc to use a different drug, strength and/or schedule.  Ice, elevate, stay on your med schedule.  The drugs have to build up in your blood stream and stay at a therapeutic level...hence the schedule.  The first 90 days are the worst...it does get better...promise...

  • jenny80029
    jenny80029 lorraine58772

    Posted

    What type of knee surgery was it?

    The knee is the biggest weight bearing joint in your body, so anything which happens there is major!

    Sounds like you are doing well with crutches...You are wise to stop when it is painful. Your body tells you when enough is enough.

    It's early days.

    If an exercise is too much there are options, i.e. do it but for less time or alternatively ask your physio to show you a different exercise which is easier but does the same thing. A good physiotherapist will help you and work with you to find appropriate exercises which you can do in reasonable comfort.

    There may be a little pain involved in the process but there is no need for you to suffer excruciating pain, it will only contribute to low mood and unhappiness.

    Communication is the key, the forum is good but let your physiotherapist know what happened so they can alter your exercises to suit you. You are the most important person in all this.

    • mary12001
      mary12001 jenny80029

      Posted

      Hi

      I sympathise with anybody who has undergone surgical operations especially TKR.

      It’s the most painful and immobilising experience, which  I never really expected when I had TKR in the 13th Feb 2016.

      For some bizarre reason I thought I would be recovered in 6 weeks.  Also the surgeon didn’t correct me on this thought before the op. 

      I had it done on NHS Direct in a private hospital 

      My experience there was far from private (more later if you want to be bothered listening)

      Anyway I’ve just undergone another operation to have a button like object inserted between the patella and the prosthetic. I had this op on the 15th January this year at a proper NHS Orthopedic hospital. Why I didn’t go there in the first place is one of my regrets.

      As I struggled to the bus stop this morning I thought I’m back to where I  started from before I had the knee op

    • lorraine58772
      lorraine58772 jenny80029

      Posted

      Jenny,  My knee dislocated for 18 hrs. and after they reset it, they repaired my meniscus. 

      i’m not sure if i injured my knee by tangling my knee yesterday because this morning i had to take a pain pill and relaxer bc my knee was aching, level 10 pain 

  • JayLo247
    JayLo247 lorraine58772

    Posted

    Sorry if I’m being a bit thick here but what is ‘tangling’ the leg or to ‘tangle’ it? I’ve never heard of this before. 

    Regards J

    • lorraine58772
      lorraine58772

      Posted

      i was sitting on a chair and hanging my leg, I can’t bend it, so this is a painful excercise. 

      today, my knee is aching all day

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