I am 7 weeds post TKR and after the first four weeks began to feel that I was seeing some improvement. I have been able to do without my sticks both in the house and outside, providing I didn't overdo it. Saw my consultant last week and he was delighted when he met me and I walked the corridor to his consultant room with him without any aids. I still have a certain amount of stiffness, but really felt I was getting there until my second physio session yesterday and now feel nearly as bad as I did at the beginning of this journey. My leg bend is 100o which I was happy with, but I now have a pain when I move in the soft area either side at the front of my knee and hurts in particular when walking as I straighten my knee. It has also caused me a disturbed night just as I was starting to get back into some sort of sleeping pattern. My question is, is this something that is part of this journey or is it a result of the physio making me stiffen up and will settle down again. I would be grateful for any comments.
Doric1
Hi
It should settle down, but I have to stress that (in my opinion) straightening the knee is the most important thing...as it's very difficult to walk comfortably when you can't (which is the position I am in with my second TKR...8 months now). I have always suffered with pain below the kneecap and it does make it very hard to do anything.
You are at an early stage, so I am sure that yours will calm down again in a couple of days :-). Try not to worry to much.
Patsy
The recovery process from a TKR is a long journey and seems to be a series of ups and downs! I'm now seven months post op and although
my knee has improved vastly and I can do most things, if I over do it I still "pay for it"! This week I've had some very nasty pains in my thigh muscles and inner calf and I was on the point of contacting the medical world when it all subsided! Generally as long as I don't think that I've got an infection, I've taken things a bit easy, waited a few days and the problem has disappeared. In conclusion I'm very glad that I had the replacement as I was in agony every day and couldn't walk for more than ten minutes!
It certainly sounds as though your physio session is the cause of your latest discomfort, especially as it is only your 2nd session(?) If you keep up with your excercises and have more regular physio, then you will definitely not suffer so much in the future. Also, on the days you have physio it's not such a good idea to do your normal excercises as well, as at 7 weeks you can easily overdo it. The others are right - try not to worry and rest - it should soon settle down. But for now, gentle excercise and patience.
Best of luck
Denise from Oz
Hi
everyday is a journey, I wake up some days so positive, others so tearful and negative, every twinge, pull and pain frightens me, not for the pain but I really want a doctor in the cupboard that tells me you are alright "this is normal". I think we are all frightened really of the end result, if we can tell ourselves stay calm, do what we are told, we will get there, and we will look back and find ourselves saying the same to someone else on this forum ,
chin up, breath and carry on.
Sue x
I am 6 weeks post operation tomorrow and like you don't use any crutches in the house. I thought I was doing great until a few
days ago and the pain came back with a vengeance. All round my knee I am getting like electric shocks . I am hoping to go out
for the first time driving tomorrow. Only going local but that
should be interesting. I see the consultant Monday.All my
conversation revolves around this blumming knee and I
need to be doing other thingsx
Thankyou for your reply Patsyrose, I sincerely hope you are right as I seem to have come down to earth with a bump after I had been doing so well and just beginning to do 'normal things' like have a short walk instead of using my mobility scooter. As you say early days maybe, so today I am just icing and resting as much as I can.
Doric1
Thanks Glenda for your words of advice, I guess I may have been too complacent and wasn't prepared for the setback. I have had a very easy day today and keeping my fingers crossed that things will get a little better again after the weekend.
Doric1
Hi Denise, I am sure the physio session was the cause of it. After my discharge from hospital I saw a lady physiotherapist once a week for the first two weeks, but did very little physio other than being assessed for knee bend on the stairs and leg straightening sitting on a bed with a weight around my ankle. In between the sessions I did these exercises at home. I did quite well and she was happy with my progress and suggested that I might like to join a physiotherapy class which took place once a week at the hospital. Wanting to give myself every opportunity, I agreed and had my first session last week which was ok, but yesterday the male physio seemed to push me to excessive limits (that is what I felt) I just felt totally weak and exhausted and have been no good since. Later on in the day I could feel myself really stiffening up and that is when this pain started at either side of my knee which bothered me all night. It has eased a little now whilst I am resting, but when I walk and my leg pulls back to put the right foot forward this is when it really digs in. Also if I try and elevate my leg it hurts so far until I can get it past the pain barrier. I wasn't like that before physio so I am hoping like the good people on this forum suggest, that it will right itself in a few days. May I take the liberty which part of OZ you are from, as we have a lot of family out in New South Wales.
Kind regards,
Doric1
Hi Susan, thankyou for your interest and you have nailed it exactly - I just want a doctor in the cupboard telling me that this is 'normal' that is exactly how I feel in at the moment and so grateful for your encouragement and everyone elses. Again thank you so much.
Thanks for replying Joan and sorry to learn that you too have had a slight set back, but so hope that it has resolved itself enough for you to get back driving. At the minute the whole topic of conversation is revolving around my knee as well and I am sure I am becoming a bore!! If it doesn't settle down again over the next few days, I think I will be having second thoughts about physio next week, we'll see !!
Good luck
Doric1
Hi Doric, Have you been massaging your knee? I am now 10 weeks bilateral. I got to 6 weeks & decided I was doing so well. driving etc. So decided it was time to go back home where I live by myself, (had been living with my son & lovely family). Unfortunately, because I felt so good, I did too much. Have now realised if I want to be able to be more independent, I need to balance out chores/exercise with rest. Massaging, particularly first thing in the morning loosens things up, helps desensitise the area & also helps prevent adhesions/scar tissue. If I miss a massage, I pay for it. We are looking at a 6 - 1 for the rest of the body, so we can look at it as a health programme.
Should have said we are looking at 6 - 12 mths full recovery.
Hello Sandra,
Thanks for your sound advice and yes I have been massaging my knee but not at any particular time - usually when I am resting but I must admit rather hit and missy. It makes very good sense what you say, so i think I will start on that regime tomorrow straight after my shower and see how I go. I am sure the physio caused the problem as I was doing fine. I am now having reservations about going back on Thursday and wonder if I should just continue with the exercise regime I had been doing on my own, as agreeing to join the class was purely a voluntary thing as I wanted to give myself the best chance, Never mind will decide between now and then but again thank you for your help. Doric1
Hi Doric, I'm lucky enough to live in Blackheath in the beautiful Blue Mountains of NSW. Are any of your family nearby? We're a couple of hours west of Sydney, which was where we lived (on the north shore) before moving up here 22 years ago. We don't miss Sydney one bit, as the weather here is far more like that in the UK. My husband's from Dorset and my mother was from Yorkshire (which I love), actually I love most of the UK! Whereabouts are you?
Reading your post to me reminded me of a conversation I had with my surgeon when I was about 8 - 9 weeks post op. I'd been to hydrotherapy one morning and had then done my usual excercises in the afternoon. The next day when walking the dog, I had the most awful pain just above the knee. I literally saw stars, and had to shuffle back to the car, as the pain kept coming in waves. I'd not felt anything like that before or since. Anyway, I'll stop rambling - the surgeon told me that I'd overdone the excercises, and when my physio tries to push me too hard, I should listen to my body and refuse to do anything which worries me. He stressed that I'm the best person to know what's best for me, and to trust my gut feelings. By the way, the problem was that I'd put too much pressure on the large ligament above the patella, which was cut lengthways during the op and takes ages to heal (the ligament, not the patella).
Because I seemed to have a fast recovery, I kept ignoring THE KNEE in my effort to be normal. More fool me. So, Doric, rest up and, as my GP keeps telling me, be kind to yourself. By the way, have you tried hydrotherapy? It's the best excercise for tkr's, because the heated water relaxes your muscles, and the physio's there insist that "If it hurts, then stop!". I'm hooked on it.
All the best
Denise from Oz
Good Morning Denise,
I know exactly what beautiful part of the world you are from. I live in County Durham in the UK and in 1986 my husband's uncle gave us the most wonderful holiday out there in Australia when we celebrated our Silver Wedding. He was owner of one of the largest catering concerns in N.S.W so being his own boss, he was able to take time off to take us all over, and one of the first places he took us to was Katoomba in the beautiful Blue Mountains - we stayed a few days at Echo Point. I remember taking a walk to Leura Falls I think it was and I had never seen so many stars in the sky - it was here that we saw Halley's Comet after we had looked for it for months in England. We were based at Lake McQuarrie which was where our uncle lived and which I think is about a couple of hours drive north of Sydney, other family live in and around the Newcastle and Hunter Valley areas and another cousin in Leeton. We fell in love with Australia and were given the chance to emigrate, but at the time it wasn't right for us, but we certainly left our hearts there and have had many regrets since.
As a matter of fact I have not tried Hydrotherapy and it sounds so wonderful that I am going to make some enquiries as to where it is available in this area. I am also seriously considering asking for a change of physiotherapist, I feel as though I am unable to have any confidence in him and that can't be good. He just doesn't seem to want to answer questions or address problems but tells us just to keep going - how can you when it hurts so much? The situation that you described finding yourself in is very similar and I feel sure I have overdone it'
Anyway again thank you very much for your advice.
All the best,
Doric