Tkr

First I don't think it is the therapist's job to tell you what your pain level is--supposed to be the other way around, at least on all PT applications I have seen. People are different in their perception/toleration of pain and it could be that you are feeling put upon mentally to adhere to someone elses' idea of where you should be (Subconsciously.).  As far as I am concerned I did a lot of passive exercises (Flexing and releasing muscles involved in surgery which seemed to put me ahead of their projections.). Even when they diagnosed that my lateral knee musces were not with the program (Don't you hate when you can't think of the word?) or comatose and they had me dragging weights sideways down the hall, I kept telling them it wasn't enough--far too easy.  Sorry you are having these expectations forced on you. Maybe you can work on the movements for improving flexion at hom and increase your own confidence.  Don't let them tell you where you are when you KNOW where you stand

Make sure you are doing every part of the process very slowly. Before you start your walk get well hydrated.......when you walk take a decent length stride, hit the heel 1st, then the toe, and bend as far as you can. This will look funny to others and feel strange to you but who cares, you are trying to heal. If you feel a little unsteady, by all means use a cane. I used to go to the grocery store to buy just a few items but used the cart as my balancing tool. Again.....slow and steady keeping your posture. Be sure and ice as soon as possible after walking.

Firstly my heart goes out to you Mkhp. I can totally relate to any discomfort (let's be honest, PAIN) that anyone who has been through with their TKR. I too with my 2nd TKR, my left knee, done 3/8/16 (the 1st TKR having been 1/22/16), have endured a lot of pain during PT. Unlike PT on the right knee, PT on the left turned out to be very challanging. I had a different physical therapist during my 2nd round of PT. I was doing my excerises at home, but through what I felt was a lack of communication, a slight bend was still in my knee that needed to be worked out. It was not broight to my attention until the therapist I was working with went on maternity leave and my PT from my first surgery became my left knee PT. He took new measurements and relayed the information to me that I would need to concentrate my efforts on straightening the slight bend in my left knee. X-rays at my 6-week doctor's appointment also confirmed the bend in my knee . I was very frustrated at the fact that I was not told that I needed to concentrate my efforts on straightening. I did not even know was a 5-3% bend. Had I been told that it was something that I needed to work on, I certainly would have. I found out in the 6th week after my surgery about the bend. And in that time, it was evident that my knee was healing, but in the wrong way.So now , like you Mkhp, I'm dealing with the painful physical therapy in order to change and straighten muscles and ligaments that have already begun to heal in the wrong way. All because in my opinion, I was not informed about this slight bend in the first place. I know that this last bit of intense, sometimes unbearable pain has pushed me to the brink of being able to tolerate anymore agony that both of these surgeries have entailed.

Who I really feel bad for is my family who has to deal with me being in pain... anything but fun!

As of now I'm in week 7, still in pain as I do extra straightening exercises to rectify the problem.

Mkhp, this is not an easy surgery to physically rehab from . And I know that some of the exercises and stretches that the physical therapist may have you do can be uncomfortable as well as painful. But ultimately you are in control of how much discomfort you can take. If I could advise anyone in their PT care I would advise to have good communication with your physical therapist about everything, your pain tolerance during PT treatment, as well as your progress and areas of your care that you need to work on outside of your sessions.

I hope this helps.

Good health & God Bless

P.S. Just read a couple of the replies to your post and wanted to say that I so agree with the advice given here! I would also add that I still use my Walker in our hallways (we live in an apartment/condominium complex), even now to perfect heel-toe form in walking and strengthen the quads when standing around the house (I really give them a good squeeze). This helps with straightening then needs too.

The physical therapist that went on maternity leave didn't like the fact that I was still using my Walker but I still found it beneficial in really being able to free yourself in concentrating on your walking form. Again this helped me but you have to do what's comfortable for you. Best wishes and good healing.

Sorry about the typo... straightening the knees too.

I too have the same fear. Pt hurts. I don't care what anyone says. When I left the surgical center yesterday the nurse told me I shouldn't be afraid of the pain! I know what she means but I've been having pain for 5 1/2 weeks. I did well at pt yesterday. Woke at 2 am when the injected novacaine wore off. Ouch. This morning my knee is very swollen. Dr said this would happen. I'm going to pt 5 days/wk for 2 weeks. Knowing I have to work through this is a little unsettling. But I think of how far I got yesterday and I no it's in me. Good luck to you. We have to do what we can do and then push a little further. Oh and make sure your pain meds are on board for pt. Doesn't keep the pain away but it does help.

I'm also at 5 weeks post op. Part of my problem with bending was the amount of swelling. My therapist said that I wasn't raising my foot high enough. Just after two days of raising my foot above my heart ( 4x day), the swelling is noticeably reduced. My ROM has increased by about 4 degrees. Not a lot but I'll take it. My walking also became more natural. I've had aggressive PTs before and the outcome wasn't good. Talk to her and see if you can come to an agreement or get a new one.