Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi,
I just want to thank you so much for the encouragement everyone through this difficult time struggling to reach benchmarks set by PT. I am going to keep trying and get braver in therapy but this is HARD for me. Your comments are a constant reminder to remain calm and carry on 
1 like, 26 replies
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davidjk22 robin15577
Posted
Plenty of exercise at home really helps . Take your pain medication regularly , to control your pain . Use ice and moisturise your scar area . Physiotherapists are supposed to encourage their patients , not bully them . Keep up with your recovery and you will get there in the end . You have many years of pain free knee to look forward to . Its 19½ and 17½ years since my TKRs and I have had no problems with them .
robin15577 davidjk22
Posted
i am going to try going to the gym and using an exercise bike to see if that will help me with range of motion since I struggle with heel slides I seem to be plateaued I will still practice them BUT I feel I need something else to get me to do more. I hope this is good idea
louise_48509 robin15577
Posted
I'm feeling exactly the same as you. I feel I need to do something to get over this plateau. I'm 5 weeks 2 days. I keep putting my foot up to climb the stairs properly then put it down again. But, we need to think of the end result. I personally can't wait for that day 😀
CHICO_MARX louise_48509
Posted
Plateaus are the worst because you don't know when they will end. All you can do is keep going. Setbacks are easy. You know you overdid it so you ice, elevate, rest and resume gradually.
Stairs are in your more distant future. First, you have to rebuild your atrophied quads, glutes and core...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527
...and then master stairs...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/mastering-post-tkr-stairs-552728
All of this takes months, not days or weeks. Once I got past a year, I was able to climb stairs alternately without holding onto anything. Need the strength to do that. At 19-months, I can do stairs two at a time...no problem. Time, work and patience...
davidjk22 louise_48509
Posted
You will get there in the end , if you do the work . You don't get anything for free with TKR recovery . It takes time , patience , hard work and determination to get there . This is a great place to come to , we have all either been through it or are going through it . The lucky ones like myself who have been through recovery can tell you how great it is to be pain free for so many years (19½ for me ) . Something to look forward to . In years to come please come here and advise others going through recovery .
louise_48509 CHICO_MARX
Posted
I'm seeing my gp on Tuesday next week to ask if they can refer me for physio. I just feel stuck and can't bend as much as I'd like because of a pain on the outside of my knee. Thanks Chico 😀
louise_48509 davidjk22
Posted
I can't wait, it's great hearing everyone's success stories and how they got there 😀
CHICO_MARX louise_48509
Posted
"...can't bend as much as I'd like..." is completely irrelevant. You will bend your knee as much as you can at the present time. Next week it will be more, and then more the week after that. Forget expectations, forget measurements. No excuses, do the work. The pain has nothing to do with it either. We all experience it...we all endure it. You will too. BE STRONG!!! We're here...
Sue360 robin15577
Posted
Hi Robin. This forum has been a life line for me. Being 56 and relatively young for a TKR , I have constantly followed others experiences and have learnt so much. At about 7 weeks I experienced a very down time but this forum and it's wonderful participants kept me on track.
Good luck and keep on here. Sue
robin15577 Sue360
Posted
It has been a lifeline for me too. I am just a year older than you. Thank you for your input so much I need all the support I can get at this point in my recovery.
Best wishes to you!
jenny80029 robin15577
Posted
😊 it is lovely to hear your appreciation, and a pleasure to help you!
CHICO_MARX robin15577
Posted
Benchmarks are general guidelines that do NOT apply to everyone. You know that we're all different and heal at our own pace. However, you have to work at it and not back off the exercises. Gotta do them at home: heel slides and squats!!! Be your own PT. Does it hurt? Yeah...that's what it takes to break down the scar tissue. Better to have some pain now than to walk with a limp and a cane the rest of your life.
Get tough, get angry!!! No excuses, do the work!!! The worst person you let down is yourself so don't let that happen. You will find a strength you never knew you had!!! Remember...
"Anger is more useful than despair." - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
robin15577 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thanks this is good! I will be more cooperative tomorrow as I do want scar tissue broken down 😬😬😬 it won’t kill me I just need to be tough and it only hurts for a quick second really and then it backs off. I will continue on more bravely I just have to I guess no choice lol
CHICO_MARX robin15577
Posted
Meds before PT...ice and elevate after. Remember the chest-waxing scene from The 40-Year-Old Virgin with Steve Carell? Just scream "Kelly Clarkson!!!" and "Richard Nixon!!!" Easy...
robin15577 CHICO_MARX
Posted
davidjk22 CHICO_MARX
Posted
I found heel slides very helpful . I did them on a spare shelf and marked my progress on it with a marker pen . I had the marks from my first TKR still on it , and could compare the difference between each knee . Used a different colour pen for each knee , and the results for each knee was different . As we have said no two TKRs are the same . My surgeon said in the recovery room "I've done my work , now it's time for you to do the hard work , it's pointless having the op if you aren't prepared to put in the work to recover". Probably the best advise I was given . I found it easy to exercise at home .
CHICO_MARX robin15577
Posted
CHICO_MARX davidjk22
Posted
Absolutely true. You don't go through a TKR recovery laying around and expect it to get better all by itself. This is a tough and long recovery...hard work, time and patience...
davidjk22 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Hope you get at least 30 years from your new knee , and hope I'm here to hear about it .
robin15577 CHICO_MARX
Posted
CHICO_MARX robin15577
Posted
You can check on the "drugs dot" website for interactions but I don't think you will find any. Both are anti-inflammatories. I've used Voltaren for years especially for bursitis and I'm on all sorts of meds. Voltaren is the second best on the planet behind only the very special green "Lotion" I get from my son in Colorado...by special mail... Yes, it's just called "Lotion"...FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
robin15577 CHICO_MARX
Posted
So Should I just then let PT move the leg to get the measurement when I can only go so far on my own even though it hurts & the pain can be quick and then it’s over
robin15577 CHICO_MARX
Posted
CHICO_MARX robin15577
Posted
The PT part of this experience lasts a very short time compared to the full year of recovery. Yeah, it hurts. So what? There's a pill for that. It's something we all have to endure and get past. Once you have your full 0 / +120 ROM, you will not regret it. Just get past it...the memory of the pain fades pretty quickly...well, kind of quickly...maybe...
robin15577 CHICO_MARX
Posted
CHICO_MARX robin15577
Posted
There's no "freaking out"...just isn't. You're stronger than that but just don't realize it...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-strong-594566
There's also no having to meet someone else's expectations of you. That's just wrong. Do what you have to do to get past this...it will be over...when it's time to be over. No one gets to set that date. It happens when it happens.