I am 2.5 weeks post surgery,how much should i be doing how much should i be resting, i am still in 8 zapain, 6 in
buprofen amd 10mil oramorph daily. Pain bad at night. I manage 1 to 1.5 of physio full sets daily. Im walking to and from nathroom about ten times a day, up and down stairs twice daily. I walk arounf the lounge two or three imes a day, im cleaning bathroom, doing dishwasher. My ankle in tkr side is enormous and so painfulm ive iced, elevetated. Am i doing too much , not enough please advise..m
Your knee is recovering from major surgery. If you're having that much pain and swelling you are doing too much! I spent the first two weeks mostly in bed due to post op complications, walked a couple times daily and a couple exercises a day. I am 9 months post LTKR now and do a fraction of what you're doing now. I am 67 and in the group of people who need 12-18 months to recover. A neighbor was walking with a cane two weeks post knee replacement with little pain. Pay attention to your body, and good luck!
Thank you Laurel, thevgisoitak gave lots of guidance pre op but not a lot for post op
At 2.5 weeks I was just about doing a few exercises but they were very painful. I could not do any stairs, still can’t properly at 5 months! You must rest, ice & elevate, I had bad bruising and swelling around my ankle around 3 weeks. Stay on pain meds until you start healing more. I am back to work part time but still struggling with bend, going to see surgeon again today. Good luck with your healing process.
Thank you Sharon. I’m bk at work on phased return in w weeks, which will be 4 weeks post op, mentally I’m looking forward to it; physically I’m dreading it. Not because I can’t get around as I can; just the swelling and then due to this the pain . Wishing you a speedy recovery
Hi there!
I would definitely say you’re doing too much at such a short post op interval. Listen to your body, I think it’s telling you to rest, ice and elevate. My Consultant advised me that I should be off work from 8-10 weeks post op. I chose to have a 6 week sick note then took 1 week holiday and spread another week’s holiday over 2 weeks, so did half days to phase myself back in. I also bought a foot stool for under my desk so that I could keep the leg elevated whilst st work. I’m 15 weeks post op now and apart from discomfort when I turn over st night I woukd day my new knee is fantastic and I’m looking forward to getting the other one done so that I can get back to hiking and getting out and about with my dogs again.
Best wishes J
You sound like you are doing very well for only 2.5 weeks post op but with the pressure to return to work after 4 weeks, you may be pushing yourself too hard which can set you back. The most important thing is to keep your knee joint moving to avoid scar tissue forming. The problem with your ankle is probably due to the bone realignment which in turn affects the ankle joint. I had my leg straightened with TKR and my ankle became very painful to walk on for a while (though not swollen) but improved after a couple of days rest.
Be kind to yourself and best of luck with your recovery.