TKR appreciate only 6 days but getting anxious

Hello Steve,

Sounds like you are progressing very well indeed.

I had my TKR in July and the one thing have learned is recovery isn't linear. Some days are good, some days not so good. But all in all the operation has improved my mobility and I am mostly pain free. I still have some swelling on days when I have been on my feet too long, or stiffness when I have been sat too long. But all in all its better than before.

Keep your chin up, maintain the exercises and refer back to the post op team if you have any concerns.

Good Luck

Carol

Hya!

I can't believe they sent you home with no walking aids?!?!?! Usually you get a walking frame and crutches for you to progress to after a few days. In fact I dont think your supposed to walk without some sort of aid for a good week!! It could be that you've over done things because of this. Your knee will naturally swell if overworked which will prevent flexion and muscle recovery. Did they show you how to use a dressing gown tie to help lift your leg until you can do it your self? I know it took me about a week to get back the ability to lift my leg myself. It will help to practice your bending with a plastic bag under your foot to help it slide more easily. Also, it'll help the swelling if you spend time with your leg elevated so that its higher than your hip.

Keep icing and elevating and I'd certainly query your backwards steps with your physio team. Keep at the exercises as they really do help and good luck!!!

When you think about it the swelling, which is normal, encroaches on the joints movement so restricting the amount of r.o.m..

After my first TKR my foot was purple because they straighted my leg and i was now walking on different parts of my foot. it did go away fairly quickly. With my recent revision i was 6 days in the hospital and when i got home i didnt need any walking assistance around the house. i just used my cane when i went out.

Everything seems normal. Any question of "when" is unanswerable since we all heal at different rates. In Zen terms: "It will be healed when it is healed." Period.

Any concerns or anxiousness you may be feeling is all caused by your expectations. Get rid of them. There will be advances, setbacks and plateaus...all are part of the typical one-year recovery. You can't get a +120 bend because of all the swelling. Then the scar tissue starts to form. That has to be broken down by your PT plus home exercises. The same with 0-degrees straight. I went from -14 / +84 to -1 / +123 in 12 weeks. Takes time and work.

You can't lift your leg because all those muscles have been impacted. As you start to get your ROM back, you will begin strengthening exercises for quads, glutes and core. That alone is usually many months of work. Gotta be determined to get back to normal. Only the muscle rebuild will get you back to climbing stairs like a normal person.

Click my name, Discussions, See All. I have about 30 topics out there that should be of some help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! Nobody is prepared for the brutality of this op, the pain afterwards and the time it takes to get all your functionality back. I've been on here 3 1/2 years and I can count on one hand the number of people who beat this thing in 6 weeks. I guess that makes the rest of us "normal".

Remember: No expectations. Be good to yourself. Listen to the knee. Time, work and patience are your tools.

The more your knee swells, the less likely it is to bend. Think of a hosepipe full of water. Are you sitting with your leg elevated toes above nose? At 6 days you shouldn't be doing too much, the more you do the more it's likely to swell. Rest with regular short intervals walking round for 5-10 minutes and doing your exercises is enough, As for leg lifts, I couldn't do then to begin with. I used a therapy band (a belt would work) to lift my leg and tried to hold it up before using the band to lower it. Gradually I reduced the tension in the band until I could lower and lift the leg without it.

Patience is the name of the game here and we all run out if it at times. Good luck!

Hi Steve , i am 8 weeks in now. I dont understand why you were allowed to leave hospital without crutches, i stopped using the crutches after 3 weeks which was classed as quick. everyone has swelling which the ice packs does help control. i was a week in before I could lift my leg , all find now. Have you seen the doctor about the full leg swelling and bruising or ring the hospital , they are always there to talk you through any problems. its very early days for you and everyone heals at different levels. hang in there it will get better. dont forget to do the exercises they are a must in your healing stages....