Posted , 6 users are following.
i had staples removed today but thought my knee wouldnt b so stiff but its still toght x feels like its aching all day x pain killers coming to an end now so just gonna take paracetomol from tomorrow x hope i can get through my first physio next tuesday
0 likes, 5 replies
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Pepperpot68 Wrightingtonmz
Posted
I'm now nearly 5 weeks post op. I to thought having my staples out would ease the tightness but alas no.. My knee is still very stiff and tight like a elastic band has been wrapped round it. My knee feels heavy in bed and I struggle to get any sleep. I'm afraid we are on a long road of recovery and we need to be patient.
I only came home with aspirin, oramorph and paracetamol I found if I took the paracetamol regularly throughout the day it helped with the pain quiet well. Only take them now when needed.. The oramorph helped me to sleep and also when I need to travel so I can get in/out car without pain.. My own G. P prescribed me another bottle but I haven't needed it! Hope the Physio goes well.
CHICO_MARX Wrightingtonmz
Posted
..."thought my knee wouldn't b so stiff..." Question: Where did you get a silly notion like that? Oh, yeah...they're called "unrealistic expectations"!!!
You are soooo not alone. We ALL had these same beliefs and then ran into the brick wall of reality. For the stiffness issue (also called: tightness, a "band-like" feeling, a "tourniquet feeling", etc.), don't expect that to be virtually totally gone until 12-18 months post op. And that will take a lot of work: a. getting your ROM back (first 3 months); b. rebuilding all the atrophied supporting musculature (next 9 months); and then c. keeping the knee active and loose (rest of your life). Inactivity = stiff knee, even years later.
Once you get past 6 months (appx.), the stiffness will subside so gradually that it cannot be measured. One day, your knee will feel stiff and you won't be able to remember the last time it felt like that. It's really imperceptible...it just goes away...IF you've done all the work and then keep the knee active.
jenny61596 Wrightingtonmz
Posted
Get more painkillers if you need them , I had them for about seven weeks
bradley_33200 Wrightingtonmz
Posted
its gonna be stiff until you start doing your therapy also you can call your surgeon for refills they should be able to send the scripts over to your pharmacist
ptliveguy Wrightingtonmz
Posted
Staples out = now the knee will have some room to breathe! Even with the pain fluctuations, you'll have more capability to get back to some of your normal activities and that will start to lead to a few "ah-ha!" moments where you'll be able to do things with "different" pain as you recover, and in a month or two, that "different" type of pain will turn into minimal to no pain during those activities!