TKR has me wishing I never had it done.
Posted , 10 users are following.
had my TKR done on May 12, 2016. I had at home PT for a week and then started going three day a week. I tried to do at home exercises but just was unable to get much done. After about 13 weeks my PT was stopped due to lack of progress. I was only at about 78 degrees. My surgeon finally agreed to do a MUA, on August 8th this was done. I had four straight days of PT and have just completed another 5 weeks of PT. I still have not been able to get much past the 78 degrees. My PT visit last Friday was unreal as I was manipulated twice by sheer power. I was in such pain and still five days later find it is almost impossible to walk. We (PT & me) are talking about maybe a splint or even another MUA. I can't take the pain of being forced into a knee bend but have no idea what to do next. My PT had all along said progress was normal but now he has changed his tune a little. I know and he knows that yes he can get me to bend but the pain and amount of work to do it are unfair to me. My knee feels like it's locking when I try to stand or rotate my legs while laying in bed. I've also been dealing with some sort of nerve problem since my surgery my leg is hypersensitive which compounds matters.
Any words of encouragement will help but I really need some sound advice as to what to try next.
0 likes, 49 replies
FEATHER58 Papapete
Posted
OK if I didn't know any better I would say I wrote this,don't give up .I was at 70 then 75 then they said I dropped to 65.now back to 74. I have the start of osteoporosis manipulation,I'm 58 years old and can only be out of work for so long.so I can't give up yet my story is the same as yours.I pray in a few more months with swollening going down more sometime we will be ok. I know people that have been manipulated 3 times and still didn't change their rom.So just keep your Spirit up over time I think we'll get better.And I'm sorry some of us are going thew a lot more pain so if you need your pain meds longer take them.. FYI your not alone on this I'll keep u in my prayers. Good luck..
FEATHER58
Posted
Sorry I meant to say I can't have manipulation because I have osteoporosis
pat71856 Papapete
Posted
I was extremely sore for about a week I am at point that any walking, driving and just standing up causes lots of pain and swelling. It is extremely frustrating .
Oldfatguy1 pat71856
Posted
philguud Oldfatguy1
Posted
I'm sitting here waiting on my Therapist now at 1:14pm and your comments just gave me the laugh I needed. Lol. I think you're so funny. They're not going to get me lie on my stomach. ROTF CRACKING UP!
CHICO_MARX philguud
Posted
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/two-guys-with-canes-limp-into-a-bar--534980
pat71856 Oldfatguy1
Posted
Is that procedure really 12 YRS old ? I am in real pain after either standing for over 20 minutes or driving for 20 minutes DO you think I am going to get better or is this how it's going to be?
Oldfatguy1 pat71856
Posted
Sorry I didn't see how long its been since your surgery but I'm thinking you shouldn't be standing that long and yet you say you are driving so you have probably been 6 weeks or longer. Depending on how long you have been post surgery you will improve but its slow. Just keep doing the exercises but never allow your self to be put in pain. Be sure and continue to ice at every chance. Talk to your Dr and discuss the issues plus find a therapist that will listen to you. This is such a long journey you can never tell when another corner will be turned.
Oldfatguy1 pat71856
Posted
Didntbamswer you 1st question. Knee replacement surgery was was started right around the early '70s. Hips may have been before that. My mom had hip surgery in '78 and they were common place by then
pat71856 Oldfatguy1
Posted
Oldfatguy1 pat71856
Posted
Friends and family can b great allies....they can also be huge pains in the a**. My usual advice to people starting through this....don't try to explain anything as far as pain and difficulty because they aren't going to understand a word. Next thing, pay no attention to any of these miracle recoveries as 99% of them are pure bulls***. Stay true to you. Just smile and nod and don't waste your strength. I've been at this so long, had so many surgeries and recoveries and heard so many jokes at my expense I've learned to bite my younger and go on. Last year I had a reoccurring staph and had to have the entire prosthesis removed and replaced by a plastic spacer, immobilized and non weight bearing for 4 months. They had to put in a PICC line and antibiotics infused 2 x's daily for 2 months....then the new appliance installed and rehab. I've been rehabing this time for over a year. All the while, I'm the main caregiver for my wife who has advancing Parkinson's. Last month she fell a broke her hip, necessitating a partial hip replacement and 3 week stay in a rehab facility. Sometimes its just you against the worked and you have to live with knowing that. Good luck and hag in there.
Papapete
Posted
Ok things continue to go down hill. Had my regular PT today after getting my moist heat we did a few sets attempting to bend the knee. Didn't work so we moved onto a few other exercises and then we came back to me on my stomach and trying to bend again. Again didn't work only this time I raised off the table again until I rolled over and had another bend attempt. My PT has just about given up, we even have cancelled some appointments.
pat71856 Papapete
Posted
Oldfatguy1 pat71856
Posted
Way to early to let yourself get caught up in the feeling of failure. Set some realistic bench marks.....13 weeks should be your next assessment then 6 months. Remember...you have had you leg cut off, bones chiseled, drilled, a 4 lb hunk of foreign material crammed in a small space, nerves damaged all of this reattached with thread then you were dragged out of bed the next day and told to walk. Then at 6 weeks you expect to be dancing without pain because a Dr who has never been on the other end of the knife tells you 6 weeks and you'll be back to work. Don't set your goals so high you are afraid anything less is failure. Good Dr's will tell you that you don't own the knee for a year even with the best of results. From an earlier post you made I suspect you are pushing too hard. Take your pain meds because you may still need them. Hydrate....lots of fluid. Don't put yourself into real pain. You are going to hurt/ache....that's normal. Ice.....ice.....ice and rest. Rest is showing weakness....its showing smart. A tired body can't heal. Take a couple of days off..... just do some stretching and leg lifts. Then get back to the exercise. ......and have patience......and as is so often repeated....this isn't a sprint...its a marathon, process that has to be stepped through stage by stage.
pat71856 Oldfatguy1
Posted