Rehab after total knee replacement surgery

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Other people do little to exercise after surgery outside of the P/T provided.  I decided eary on to take the approach of non-weight bearing exercise like swimming and bike riding.  At right about 6 months I needed to go back to the gym. My muscles were loosing definition, I was week and I started doing the same exercises on weight machines and moderate weights like I did before I had the surgery.  No improving.  Still swelling, soreness, weakness, and the knee locks up. Others prefer no exercise to stress the joint . I find the more I do that I am more confident but suffer greatly when I stopp. So Wbat I try to do is find a comfort zone.  I bike ride to loosen up but soon after I am right back to where I began. Stiff and swollen. I'm frustrated because I know I need to exercise to get better. Others say not to overdo and do as little as possible but do ordinary things.Results seem to be mixed. So I am going to do what my body tells me to do to see if not doing anything quiets things down so I can enjoy ordinary life without too much discomfort.  So far it is not working. After sleep I feel better but soon after I am worse than before. Any thoughts on this approach?

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi

    Do you still have heat in your knee?

    Are you walking properly?, maybe walk towards a mirror and compare legs.

    I am in the U.K. 9 months on work long days on my feet , still have not really got into exercising yet, waiting for the better weather to get the bike out.

    We are all different and based upon comments in this forum, some are much better healers than others. There does not seem to be any rules with this operation except for a great deal of pain, depression and crying.

    I was told if exercise pain does not go away in 30 to 40 minutes you are not ready for it.

    Hope things settle down for you.

    Good healing

    • Posted

      Hi I have quite serious injury and can only weight bear about 50/60% and have been told that exercise pain can last up to 2 hours, anything past that and you need to step back and reappraise your exercise program
    • Posted

      Also no matter how far along you are if its painful still use meds and ice heat whichever works for you, try not to out think your body
    • Posted

      I am not a .popper. I took 500mg Naproxin last night and feel much better today.  Reason for not taking over the counter drugs on a regular basis is because I believe they may be the root to dimentia and utimately Alzheimers disease. Medical science is not exact. Drug companies are the problem. They try their science to a limited number of the population, get FDA approval to sell it and then make tons of money.  Without long term data on the affects of drugs and virtually free of any responsibility of what drugs do over time. Exercise, rest, and if you have to take a pill.  The knee is the most stressed joint. I know.  I blew out my right one at 15. Torn cartilage and miniscus. The left leg supported me and as a result it wore out too. Striations in the femor and tibia and not aleigned properly.  Tried cortizone and sinvisus. Had to wait 4 months after sinvicus shot wore off before going for surgery.  I was up on my feet 2 hours afterwards. I didn't have the same pain I had which led me to my decision to go for surgery. I was confident I made the right decision.  No more heat from the knee.  Just swelling and stiffness which can be a challenge.  I am determined to go through this without being depressed or despondent. It is what it is.  A major surgery with a long rehabilitation period.  The final analysis is really argumentative and at best life changing.  Like all change, some is good and some you have to live with.  Some days are better. Over time I hope more than before. So what I am telling myself is to be proactive, positive, and deterimined. I only hope all of you going through this experience keep the faith and be patient. Change is good so do what makes you feel better. Over time I think with sites like this the public will be more informed and more willing to accept and respond to the changes without putting themselves through depression or anxiety.

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