Is it normal for knee to be very stiff and tight. Will this pass?.. They really don't warn you about what to expect after surgery.
yes its normal just make sure your doing your bending exercises they gave you to help stretch out the leg also make sure you sleep on your back and elevate the leg by putting just your heel on the pillow so your knee will be bending downwards stretching it out put an ice pack on it to help ease the pain and swelling. the gave me a home therapist for a week to help stretch out my leg and help teach me how to get around the house then I’m going to out therapy next
Everyone heals differently but you are doing super. This not an easy operation to recover from. Take it easy on yourself as this is a marathon not a sprint. Try to do a little more each day
You’ve just had major surgery. They’ve taken apart your knee and taken a saw to it so it’s no wonder it’s tight and stiff. Ice and elevate toes above nose on 4 pillows for at least 45 minutes for a minimum of 4 times daily to bring down the swelling, which will relieve the tightness and stiffness. Take your painkillers regularly. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep with my foot on a pillow, I slept on my back, but with a pillow lengthwise under my leg and, as I have long legs, another for my feet to rest on.
Remember it’s a year to complete recovery, sometimes longer, and we all recover differently. We all start at the same place, but like a marathon, we don’t all finish at the same time. Be kind to your knee and you’ll get there. Things improved for me at 4 weeks and then I overdid it. Each month has seen improvement with some steps back along the way - it’s not a linear progression by any means.
Thanks lynda49844 have been doing exercises and ice regularly. Just didn’t really have any understanding of how debilitating it is at the start and it feels such an uphill struggle. I’ve always been active and now spending so much time resting is driving me mad!!.. As you say it will take time I’m just having to learn to be patient..
Thanks Karen14697 yes have had good days and bad it’s good to come on here and chat and realise that other people have felt the same as you and that each day is different.
I am about 10 months post TKR, and it took about 4 months for me to sort of forget about the stiffness and tightness. And though I’m doing considerably better, my knee still feels weird - not pain, just not normal. But that said, I’m doing almost everything I want to do without knee pain. I still have some strengthening to do.
P.S. This has required the most extensive period of rehabilitation - and was the most long-lasting pain - of any surgery I’ve ever had. So hang in there; take your pain meds; do your exercises; and don’t be too hard on yourself. :^)
Thanks bradley_3…i suspose I stupidly thought tightness would go once clips came out.. I’m moving around house and doing the stairs and using ice which relieves the stiffness but then I rest and stiffness returns..
AliMarie glad your doing well. It just seems there’s no end in sight but by coming on here I realise I’ve got to play the long game.. and a good day may well be followed by a bad day.. Just feel I was not prepared on what to expect immediately after surgery. Your told you need TKR and that after you will be pain free and more mobile. No mention of how hard the recovery is both physically and mentally.
Yes. I was very disillusioned. My surgeon told me I could return to work in 3 weeks! I made it back to work at six weeks post, but it was rather miserable for a while. I even got a second opinion at 4 mos. post. Will not go back to the original surgeon, but I’ve learned this is definitely a long patch of bad road. I am a school librarian, and we just moved into a new library. My cell phone counted my steps during about two weeks of very busy days - and I averaged walking about 6 miles a day. Good news was that my knee was pain-free. Bad news was that everything else hurt! ;^)
It is normal for the stiffness i will be 16mths from i got tkr we are all different at healing still get some stiffness me still doing the exercise ice as well. It does feel weird n o pain just stiffness. You are doing well. I know they dont tell you anything just u need tkr just a long road to recovery.xx
I’m a care assistant at a day centre for people with learning disabilities, and older people, on my feet all day so won’t be back to work for 12 weeks, which is a long way off. I have a fit bit and at moment I’m managing about 1000 steps a day but am hoping to up it soon but find if I over do it I’m absolutely worn out the following day…
Yes, this is normal. Yes, it will go away imperceptibly month by month. Yes, you will probably feel some residual stiffness even 12-18 months post-op. Yes, the stiffness will absolutely return even years post-op if you do not exercise and keep the knee active.
What? The doc never told you this? Guess what? No doc has ever told this to any one of us either!!! Join the club, Kneebie…
Definitely. Over-doing it can definitely bite you in the behind!
i kno ur struggle. i just had my 3rd surgery on my knee in a year&a half for very thick scar tissue Wednesday!had a tkr in march last year.so I’m back in therapy for 3 more months 
i hope u get some relif soon!
I am 14 days post TKR (right), and can’t believe how much pain I still have. I still have steri-strips covering (disolvable) stitches, so that might account for some stiffness but it’s mostly swelling, tightness above kneecap and pain making it so hard to bend. One session of PT and my leg (knee) blows up, gets rock hard, and is twice as hard to bend the next day! I’ve only got 80 ROM after 2 weeks although extension is fine.
What is most difficult for me is pain management - I was discharged on day 2 with oxycodone (5mg.) and Tylenol, but with a pretty harsh taper schedule so pain has barely been under control this whole time. It’s the constant “pain at rest” that is the surprise for me - apparently I my muscles are spasming. Everyone says “take your pain meds” but Tylenol is not cutting it, and I’ve cut back the oxy so that I only take enough for nighttime, first thing in the a.m. and PT days. I’m now being told this is the last script for oxy they will write (which will give me about one more week of relief unless the pain diminishes considerably soon and I can cut back to just nighttime). I’m hoping I can take a muscle relaxer and/or NSAID after that (they’ve said no up until now) and then hoping that these will do the trick.
Is anyone else having trouble getting the pain meds they need, or is there something out there that everyone else has that I don’t? I don’t think I can keep up PT if it means hours of pain afterward with no relief in sight… BTW mobility is fine (barely using a crutch and can almost climb stairs one after the other), it’s the BENDING that sends me over the edge! One option is to push back on PT (which I’ve already done to some extent) and just manage the pain by limiting how much I’m willing to endure during PT. My exercise sheet actually says “pain should be tolerable”… obviously they haven’t met my PT!!!
Anyone who says that the “pain should be tolerable” obviously has never had a TKR. I was on 10 mg Percocet plus 10 mg Flexeril (muscle relaxer) for a month before I started titrating down. Once you start the PT ROM work, you will need to take something before a session. If it’s an opioid, don’t drive. When done with the oxy, talk the doc into some Tramadol for 30 days. Although still classified as an opioid, it is very mild compared to hydro- or oxy-codone. It’s a “transition” drug to get you down to OTC NSAIDs more gradually.
Your expectation of your level of pain was and still is very unrealistic (“…can’t believe how much pain I still have…”). We ALL did the same thing and ran into the same brick wall. This is the most painful surgery there is and you’ve just begun your typically year-long journey. The first 30 days are hell; the 10-12 weeks of PT are a bit better but not much. Breaking down that scar tissue is a real ^%$$%%^&… I started at -14 / +84 and ended up after 10 weeks of PT at -1 / +123. Got stuck at a -4 plateau for weeks…very frustrating. But it’s gotta be done no matter the cost.
Then comes the months of rebuilding all the musculature that supports the new knee. All those muscles (quads, glutes, core, hip flexors, etc.) have all atrophied by then and you have to work hard to get that strength back. It takes the pressure off the new joint reducing your pain, enables you to walk correctly, regain your balance and eventually do stairs again like a normal person. Time, work and patience are your tools. Expectations will screw up your head…get rid of them and listen to your knee.
Click on my name, then “Discussions” on the right side and then “View All”. I have tons of discussions out there on a lot of topics you might find helpful. Treat yourself well and work hard…then you can dance at your one year ann-knee-versary party!!!
i kno exactly what u mean! my dr.gave me narco 10/325 which worked well & i also have ibuprofen 800 for the swelling.even though when I’m in pt I’m in pain but after the ice& stem&ibuprofen it’s tolerable.hopefully u find what works for u!feel better soon😊
Thank you for such a speedy reply Chico_Marx! I am beginning to realize the error in thinking on this, but am frustrated and a bit resentful that I did not set my expectations and it is the doc(s) who are telling me I shouldn’t need any more “heavy-duty” pain relief. I have no problem being patient and listening to my body, but apparently that’s not “how it’s done” according to those who are supposed to know (my PT/doc). I’m sure you are right that they have never actually HAD a TKR, but really, where do they get off acting like they know??? There must be some folks out there who are sailing through this and giving them their ideas of how it works. I’ll ask my doc about Tramadol, because you are right, I need SOMETHING before PT ROM (which I’ve already been doing for several sessions. I just don’t know how I’m going to get the oxy to last long enough to get to one month… at this point there is no way that I will. Driving is the least of my concerns right now, but once I’m out of oxy that won’t be a barrier. I’ll check out your Discussions and thanks again for letting me know I’m not the only one out there. Although I’m still afraid I’m going to be marooned without pain relief.