Posted , 14 users are following.
I am eight months post TKR and I am still trying to bend my knee past 90 degrees.
It was very swollen for about five months and it is only since the swelling went down that I can work on the bend.
I have started going to the gym every day for around thirty minutes.Should I push the knee to bend further even though it feels as though it is fixed at 90.It obviously hurts quite a bit when I force it but otherwise it will stay as it is.
Please could anyone just advise me if this is all right to do. I would love for it to bend as much as my other one.
Thank you.
2 likes, 48 replies
Duckfan saralice
Posted
I'll be interest to see what people say. I'm at 7 weeks and at about 90. Very stiff and swollen and hurts to try and bend more. I'm fixated on this stupid bend and wonder how many others are struggling.
martinarvelo Duckfan
Posted
I think pretty well all of us do struggle. . but the important thing is not to give up . . to do a little every day. Not too much, or it will be counter productive, but the important thing is NOT to leave it until it stops hurting. that just isn't going to work unfortunately. there is a degree of pain involved in achieving the bend for nearly everybody . . .I don't agree with agony, but just up to that "OUCH' point. At seven weeks I was slightly less than you . . now, two years later around 135 . . . and I've been there for about a year i would think. so, slowly and steadlily . . hydrotherapy if at all possible, but it's not essential either!
Duckfan martinarvelo
Posted
I think I pushed to hard a couple of weeks ago. I was determined to get that knee to bend. It hurts in the joint since but the bend is improving. I'm going to just keep on slowly and quit worrying. Everytime I read this site I find something new. Now I'm concerned about becoming dependent on Tramadol.
martinarvelo Duckfan
Posted
Well, it's not easy to come off tramadol if you are taking it for a long time, or if you are very easily affected by drugs like me. I ran out . . and couldn't get a replacement for about four days. those were four very unpleasant days! palpitations, hallucinations, vivid terrifying dreams, stomach cramps, restless leg syndrome etc.etc. . . but once I got more tablets, and was able to cut back gradually, it was OK. the last one at night was hard to stop . . because it was hard to sleep without it. . I was taking it for about six weeks, los dosage . . Saldiar which is a mixture of tramadol and paracetamol. But I am VERY prone to side effects from any sort of medication.
Duckfan martinarvelo
Posted
I'm taking 50mg every 8 hours. I've been on it since Feb 21st. I'm going to try to wean myself off.
ali95530 Duckfan
Posted
Tramadol is an addictive drug and so should be stopped asap. I was on 4 doses daily but stopped taking it at 6 weeks post TKR because it was making me feel very depressed . I've since been told that some doctors prescribe an antidepressant alongside Tramadol. Scarey stuff!
I'm now 9 weeks post op and rarely take any painkillers apart from the odd paracetamol or ibuprofen.
ali95530 Duckfan
Posted
Keep at it, you'll be so pleased you did.
read my reply to Saralice.
martinarvelo ali95530
Posted
It is strange how it affects different people! I was certainly depressed before I was able to get some painkillers, and tramadol really saved me from making a mess of this operation. I had no energy, I felt totally defeated, and i really couldn't give a damn. I seriously thought I would never walk again. then my surgeon finally gave me tramadol, a lot stronger than paracetamol, and almost immediately I began to have more desire to get down to working on my knee. Yes, it still hurt a lot, because it was a low dose . . just about 100 mg a day, together with paracetamol, but it did wonders for me. It was not that easy to give it up. It gave me quite a buzz, which was difficult to do without . .and the side effects were not at all pleasant, but doing it gradually worked in the end. What I think is important is to realise that these strong drugs affect everyone differently . . .
Eizie martinarvelo
Posted
I'm 10 weeks post bilateral TKR. Yes Martinavelo, I agree with your thoughts on Tramadol. Everyone reacts differently. I went from really strong stuff in the IV in the hospital, to home with oxycodone for about 2 weeks, to Tramadol and ibuprofen 600. I was taking 50 mg Tramadol every 6 to 8 hrs and now down to 1/2 of a 50 mg Tramadol at night because sleep is still hard to come by. The ibuprofen works well during the day. I'm very thankful for the Tramadol. And, thankfully I'm not having a hard time lessening the dosage and eventually getting off it completely when sleeping isn't as difficult.
Libralass Duckfan
Posted
I'm 4 months out and still dealing with the bend. Can do 90° on a good day and probably 80° otherwise. I don't lose sight if the fact I don't have the hunched over limp I did prior to surgery. I think in some cases there may be a trade off.
martinarvelo saralice
Posted
Yes, you should definitely try to push and unfortuanately you really should have been doing this from about day 5 after the operaton, regardless of whether it was swollen or not. i think pretty well everybody's knee is swollen after the operation, apart from a very lucky few, but it is pretty important to push through the pain to achieve a decent bend. It would be good to try to get to 120, but at five months past the operation I'm not sure whether you will be able to achieve this. Even with 90, most things are possible . . .
Eizie saralice
Posted
Saralice, as I have mentioned before on this site my PT girl pushed the stretch bend every session. I started at 70 and I'm now at about 110 but with some pain. She tells me to bend at home till it's just about unbearable because they want me at 110 and maybe more with hopefully not as much pain!! I'm now 10 weeks post bilateral knee. I still get swollen a lot by the end of day. And, admittedly, I'm not "regularly" pushing the bend but somehow doing it!! I know from this wonderful forum/site that it's "a long haul"!!!
chrisa306driver saralice
Posted
Duckfan chrisa306driver
Posted
chrisa306driver Duckfan
Posted
chris00938 chrisa306driver
Posted
chrisa306driver chris00938
Posted
chris00938 chrisa306driver
Posted
Eizie chrisa306driver
Posted
Wowzers!!! You are something else!!! I do think you are in the minority. But, I wish I was in that minority with you!!!😳😳😳😳
chrisa306driver Eizie
Posted
chris00938 chrisa306driver
Posted
PHEW!!!! I was doing that as a teen but can't imagine ever BEGINNING to go back there! You are really impressive! Are you training for something? Are you a man or woman?
chrisa306driver chris00938
Posted
Man. Not training for anything. Workout 6-7 days a week. Working out since my 30's
chris00938 chrisa306driver
Posted
Well it's certainly very impressive and an inspiration as to what can be achieved!:-))))))
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