Hi I'm 56 and had a knee replacement on August 10th. That makes it 4 weeks post op. My flexion is good. I have no problem with my exercises.
I am just in so much pain. I have tried backing off on my pain meds (narcotics) but there is just no way. I can't sleep at night and feel like a zombie at times during the day. At this rate I'll never be able to drive.
Anyone else having this issue with pain? I do ice frequently too.
My biggest worry is that I will never be able to get off these narcotics.
So sorry to hear that. I'm 5 weeks yesterday, and I still am taking pain meds (Vicodin), but am gradually weaning myself from them. I've ct the dosage to more than half during the day, but that's because my exercises have gone so well (118 and -1), and most of the pain I feel during the day is from tightness in the knee and a deep pain in the middle of the knee, beneath the knee cap. I still take some pain meds at night because the pain will keep me awake.
If you trust him or her, I would ask your surgeon when you should start cutting back. I believe that if you can't exercise or sleep without them because of the pain, then keep taking them. If pain keps you from doing things that will lead to progress and your recovery, I'd suggest you stay on them, especially at only 4 weeks. You've got to sleep and exercise to get better.
Do you elevate much? I try to ice and elevate as much as possible because they help reduce swelling, which means I can do my exercises better.
Too early - you will know when time is right. It's really important to keep pain under control as you won't sleep and will get tired, even depressed and frustrated. Pain varies and so does recovery depending on many factors. I'd say wait another month and then see how you are you could drop strong ones and take paracetamol in daytime and just keep strong ones for nights. I was 56 when I had mine and really suffered. It's 18 months now and it's great 99 per cent of time but even now I self help and take the odd painkiller if it swells up or scar tissue is tender. Good luck
Hey - hang in there! My first 4 weeks were awful. I was in such pain, depressed and miserable! But at 5 weeks and 1 day I woke up and no pain! Don't get me wrong I still had some pain but nothing like before. I switched to Advil and kept up with pt and exercising and now at 8 weeks I have my rom and stretch and am relatively pain free except when I get out of the car or stand up from a chair. Walking is fine and I'm working on stairs now. I take the Advil 2 or 3 times a day. When I awake in the morning I'm very stiff and sore when I first wake up - but it goes away quickly . I have spent time in the pool which I think speeded up my recovery as well . Keep up with pt, exercises and meds as long as u need them - everyone is different - I'm 69 and am pretty active so you should be fine! Best wishes keep posting !
Barb
The hospital told me on discharge sun 4th i would probably be takingthe tablets for around six to eight weeks but not in the same dosage i spoke to my GP today and he advised after three weeks start to reduce the dose gradually do yourself a huge favour and stop stressing about driving it wont help you do the exercises methodically every day listen to others on this site im sure everyone wil help good luck
Hi I was certainly still in a lot of pain at 4 wks. Im 56 and now 9 wks after TKR and still have pain at night though Im only on Meloxicam and sometimes Paracetomol.You really will feel better its very early days
Thank you, I've heard 5 weeks may be the magic week with less pain. You give me hope.
Thanks Caroline, I'm going to keep taking my meds and hope it gets better. So great to hear how your doing at 18 months.
Great to hear Barn, thanks for the encouragement.
Barb
Thanks Johnny, I'm going to just keep going and hopefully next week will be the turn around for me.
Thank you Rose for the encouragement.
Yes let me know Lailoni we can all get there im sure .
I can completely relate to how you are feeling. I am only 5 days ahead of you (TKR 8/5) and I am continuing to have pain even though I'm moving well and have good flexion/extension. I am 53 y/o and also had a good deal of pain prior to surgery. I have found that regular icing and elevating helps, along with stretching and walking to help work out the stiffness. Is your pain in your knee or the surrounding areas? While I ice my knee I also use heat on the surrounding muscles to help loosen them up. It feels wonderful. I am not driving yet either, mostly because of the pain meds. I have been supplementing in between pain meds with ibuprofen, which has helped me spread the pain meds out further. Have you ever tried Advil PM for sleep? I know everyone says hang on and sometimes it's hard to do. Hopefully the worst is behind us but it's still going to take some time. Are you super active during the day or do you pace yourself? I always wonder how much activity others are doing throughout the day as I cannot tell if being active helps or hurts. Hopefully your PT and surgeon can give you good feedback and reassure you that you are right where you should be regarding progress. Good luck!
i made the mistake of not taking narcotics, of following pain
i have learned too late you must stay ahead of your pain, take the narcotics- it is only for a couple of weeks- let your body heal- then you can deal decrease meds
it is not even a month!
This week seemed to be a truning point for me. The key seemed to be reducing inflamation, which allows me to stretch more with less pain. I find that with less pain, I can force the stretches more because I can tell that the pain it produces is the scar tissue and not a remnant of the surgery. So I press harder, knowing that the pain really will help produce the gain.
I'm sure you're far within the range of normalcy, if there is such a thing with TKR, so give yourself a break regarding the pain meds. They're important.
I've had virtually no pain but have less than 90 deg range of movement. Crazy how different we all are isn't it!
Just think - you could have no flexion but still have pain - I envy your lack of pain - my mother was the same and also regained her bend - you're right all different but all sharing experiences that others may find helpful
You are too close to surgery to be trying to eliminate pain meds. Just step back a for a day and start again. As of right now, take meds on schedule. Increase your fluids and ice. When you restart excercise, start slowly and don't push yourself into pain......you're going to hurt......that's normal......but no pain. This is a process and you can't avoid certain steps or you body will rebel. Ice any time you are hurting and rest. The body cannot heal when its tired and dehydrated. There are no badges or medals given for quick knee rehab because there is no quick knee rehab. Slow and steady...........good luck. Stay with the group as everyone here has been through this at least once
That is nasty. I feel for you. Perhaps start using some paracetamol between the narctotics. I am 10 days out and 63. I cannot take any oral pain meds other than Paracetemol and so was set up with that and Voltaren suppositories. Had the usual spinal block nd intravenous Tramadol while in hospital. My pain is manageable as long as I keep a tight record of what I take and when so I don't get my levels too low. It certainly is a journey but I am playing the long game and hope to be great in one year. My OT advised to take the exercise slowly just doing the basics till the trauma has worked out of the flesh as opposed to the surgeon who at day 3 said I could now walk a kilometre safely !!!! Ice and elevate frequently.
If I was in your situation I would be getting a re-assessment of the knee just to make sure something odd has not happened.
Mind you I am in a state of paranoia still.
I look forward to hearing your progress. Take care. Jenni.