PTs, PAs etc have been telling me how well I'm doing. But friend who had two done in FL Claims she never heard of anyone not being able to straighten leg immediately after surgery, but I distinctly remember her working to achieve numbers.
I am getting anxious and depressed. Can I be the only person whose knee hasn't straightened out after 6.5 weeks? TY
No not the only one because iv read so many on hear who suffer with the same complaint, 6 and a half weeks for a knee is early days, I have a friend who went in and had manipulation at 15 weeks to get his straight.
Massage the knee ignoring the cap and do your exercises and make sure knee stays warm.
Are you in any pain.
Also like having a baby maybe your friends forgotten how long it took.
Everyone is different. We got a handbookk of exercises just after the operation and one of them was hanging your leg to extend it as much as gravity would allow, 5 minutes at a time, three - five timess a day. Then while working to get the bend further, at some point the extension started to go in reverse for me and I had to refocus on doing the old 5 minutes of extension again. I saw the surgeon at the 3 month mark and he said to keep working that extention because scar tissue would still try to limit it. Sounds like you can;t stop with the exercises for many more months because in reality the knee isn't fully healed till a year mark. All the horror stories I hear on here make me want to stay vigilant.
Friends and family can be great allies. But also be the biggest pains in the a** you can come across. Just tune them out. You'll here everything from playing golf in 3 weeks to training for marathons in a month to driving themselves home from the hospital the afternoon of the surgery. Its all BS. You are you and the only one like you.......just like a set of fingerprints or snowflakes.......one of a kind. More psychological damage than moral support is by big mouths spewing garbage. I've been through 11 surgeries and 5 complete rehabs and only once, the last one did I have a quick straighten........however, I've always been told and truly believe straight is more important than bend as that is the key to eliminating the limp.
You're doing great.....just stay with the program......be sure and make sure you are hydrated well.
One little exercise that helped me the most. Lay across the bed on your stomach with your legs dangling at the knee. Slowly relax and let the knees hang for count of 10 and repeat 5 times. Slowly increase count and reps. You'll feel the soft tissue give and soon you'll find you've picked up a few more degrees. WARNING: you're going to lol like a beached whale the 1st few times you do this ago you might want privacy
Good point Thanks!
Thanks OFG, I have a tendency to forget that I'm healing at my own pace, and negative feedback is dangerous. I have started doing the whale exercises. But will amp up the number of times/day
Thanks and LOL
Couple times a day is plenty. Dont forget that the strained tissue has to have time to rest a little
Good advice, we all want to run, missing out the crawl and walk bits LOL
Only 5 weeks post op and my knee isn't straight.... It's about as bent as it was pre-op! I'm doing my exercises (killing me!) and hoping but my leg is still very swollen... I'm advised that the swelling can take months before swelling complete gone.
Age may be a factor in the race to recovery - the younger you are the more successful it will be! ( I think!)
Seriously? Only 6 1/2 weeks? Took me 10 weeks of PT (starting 3 weeks after surgery) to go from -14 / +84 to -1 / +128...then the gym work... You've just started.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499
Don't compare yourself to ANYONE else. No excuses...do the work. It will all resolve in 6-12 months...maybe longer.
It took me 15 weeks to straightened my leg fully and I am still working on the bend past 90 degrees after 18 weeks. We are all different for the healing process.
Good luck need to ice, hot baths and elevate
Judy,
I had my tkr a year ago. My PT and PA also said I was doing well but it was several months before I could straighten almost completely and two more monthsd to get the last few degrees. I think it is still early for you. I had to wear a 5 pound weight while my leg was straight several times a day. I hated it but it worked! Hang in there.
My leg very sore after PT massages and kneads it. Actually sometimes feels worse. Now I know why
thanks
No you are not the only person whose knee isn't straight at 6.5 weeks. Everyone is different. Though the straightening is more important than the bend, to get so you can walk properly. Just concentrate on what you can do and sooner than later you will be bending and straightening your knee. This operation is a bear of a replacement, worse than any other. Time, patience, and fortitude and you will succeed. Ice is still your friend and massaging the area around the incession and the incession will also help. Use something like Bio oil, coconut oil, vitamin E oil and massage, massage, massage. It will not feel wonderful the first time you do it but keep at it. Maybe your PT can show you how. Good luck, hang in there. We've all been there and managed to get through. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks for encouragement. It is so easy to get down and discouraged and feel like you'll never be the same good luck to you too
my problem is bending my knee I'm at 50 degrees at the moment 8 weeks post op tomorrow i had a trochleoplasty basically had a groove made for my knee to sit properly i have no problem in keeping my leg straight am struggling to do the leg lifts but can do them abit i have been trying to strengthen my thigh muscles my hamstrings are so tight its like they have fallen asleep i am back to see my surgeon next week hope your recovery is speedy its along process with ups and downs but these forums have helped me out loads hope all goes well
"...down and discouraged..." are not...repeat NOT...options for a TKR patient. Yes, it may be normal to feel that way but you have to slap the crap out of your inner child and put your big boy/girl pants on.
Correct...you will never be the same. You now have a two pound cobalt-chromium and plastic mechanical device implanted in your body. What do you expect? No more downhill skiing, singles tennis, or, in my case, playing league hockey. Find something else to occupy your time. How about competitive needlepoint?
Eat healthy, lose weight (if necessary), hydrate all day, take PT very, very seriously, endure the pain, take your meds, do the exercises, don't lie in bed all day, hit the gym to rebuild your quads, do not compare yourself to anyone else.
When you feel like sitting on the "pity pot", get up and go for a walk. The choice is lie to in bed, complain all day, let your muscles atrophy and die ...OR... walk again without pain and lead a normal life. Your option. If you like the latter, then NO EXCUSES...DO THE WORK!!!!
You do realize that 50 years ago we'd all be in wheelchairs for the rest of our lives...right? Be thankful that the technology and ortho skills exist that will allow us to walk again with no limp, no cane and no meds. I, for one, am very grateful.
Yeah, get angry, get pumped, get psyched!!! It's a challenge...overcome it!!! Dig deep and find your core, your balance, your strength. Kick some serious a$$!!!
"Never give up. Never surrender." - Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest
Wow, consider a$$ soundly kicked. Thanks LOL
Now apply some Voltaren Gel...helps with the inflammation of a sound a$$ kicking...
PS: Sorry if that sounded too harsh. I just get concerned when people use some words to describe their horrible "fate". There is no such thing...only challenges that make us stronger. My first wife died of breast cancer at age 34 (our daughter was 5); got divorced from my second after 25 years of marriage; my third wife had brain aneurysm surgery only six months after we were married (saved her life but she'll will never be who she was); my daughter fought her own breast cancer battle three years ago and is cured.
Yet I don't bemoan my "fate". I've loved three gorgeous, strong women, have three successful and caring children (one grandkid), still working in IT at almost 69 and play bass and sing da blues on weekends with my band. Not bad. The Universe gives you opportunities to be a better soul, to be closer to God. Take them...embrace them. Be happy you're alive...others aren't so lucky.