So, I'm 8days post op on my right TKR and am just not getting the bend. Am very, very swollen and badly bruised. Went to see my consultant yesterday and he said don't worry about the bend, it will come, but I know physios are always going on about it, who do I believe. My left TKR was a dream, this one is a nightmare.
Your surgery is still fresh, the swelling and the bruising is expected. The bending is very difficult during the first 2-3 weeks but keep taking your pain meds, do your exercises and you will eventually see progress.....hang in there!
Diane, I had a TKR on my left knee 10 weeks ago. It is going to take some time. I to was very swollen and very bruised. Take your Meds. and ice 2 or 3 times a day. Also elevate as much as possible. It will get better, just have some faith.
Hi Diane, your bend wil be poor as long as your knee is swollen so badly. Once the swelling is under control the bend will get better, so like the others said rest, ice and elevate and the bend will get better. I m 9 months post-op with my left TKR and 11 weeks post-op with my right TKR and my right knee still swells seriously if I do too much. The bend is then up to 15 degrees less but when I elevate, rest and ice it goes down again and the bend is back to normal. Hang in there!
You are very early in this journey........too early to be alarmed about much of anything. Take p as in meds on schedule, drink plenty of water, move the leg as much as you can without putting yourself in pain, ice at every opportuniy, elevate and rest, rest, rest. Do the tightening of the quads, etc. All the rest will start falling in place but slowly. You are an individual and shouldn't be putting your progress u against anyone else's.
Just top and think for a minute....just barely a week ago you had your leg damn near cut into, bone chiseled and drilled, a 2 pound foreign object pounded and cemented in place, a tourniquet wrapped around the leg cutting off blood while nerves, ligaments, and other body parts violated , a tube shoved into your bladder so you can pee then an untold number of stitches hidden deep in the wound and not even discussed. After that you are either stitched, stapled or glued shut. Now EIGHT DAYS LATER you're wondering why the leg isn't being like a chicken wing. Patience is the key and just sch ping the small things with regularity is the beginning steps of this long and at times very painful process. Just hang in there and make 6 weeks your 1st benchmark period. You'll do great just take it slow and steady. This is coming from a guy with 11 surgeries, 5 complete rehab nd 30 rounds of radiation on one leg plus I didn't have youth on my side. I was 65 when all this started and turn 80 in 3 months.
Stay with this group. Everton on here has been through every bit of it. The medical people have only been on the other side of the process.
So good to see that your sense of humour is still intact after all you've been through Oldfatguy! Thinking of you and your wife.
Watch a few videos of the op on youtube , and you will see why it is swollen and bruised and you are still in pain . It takes time to recover and 8 days is no time at all . It will improve with time , please be patient and keep up the physio .
I had same issue with knee not getting straight. Therapists made Med feel it was my fault. You are still very early in game. Don't let them get you down.
8 days ! Do you still have staples in your incision, I did really start the more aggressive PT until staples were out, at about two weeks, I used CPM, Continuous Passive Motion machine first two weeks, I've had both knees done about two years ago, the first one was easier. Took almost a year to really get back to 100%.
Meant to say I "didn't" start PT until staples were out
Yeah, still got staples in, but all I remember when I had the other one was bend, bend, bend. This once is massively bruised and swollen, have been to see surgeon twice since I had it done, and at one point thought they were going to read it me. Start physio at the hospital on Monday and I can just see them saying that I've got no bend at all.
How long ago was your left knee done? I Never had any serious pain with my knees, which most people find hard to believe, you said your left knee was a dream, never heard knee replacement described that way! I had more swelling with second surgery, which was my left, muscles were much tighter, but it loosened up eventually, but it was months, not 8 days. You may just have more bruising and swelling with you second surgery. If you're PT, or physio, is pushing you this early you need to remember it's your knee and your recovery. You are the only one who can feel your knee, don't be afraid to say no, they are not all right all of the time.
Diane my therapist always told if hurts don't do it. Applies to everything except the knee bending for ROM, and the muscle soreness from PT 3 days a week for a year, that's the good pain. You'll be fine, this one just might take a little longer. I was at 100% by a year, at a year and a half my right hip went south in a matter of months, talk about discouraging! I'm at 12 weeks post op RTHR and on my way back.
Left knee was done on 27th May this year, and I exaggerate when I said it was a dream, it hurt like hell, but even then I could get some ROM, with this I just can't.
Is it true that hip surgery not as bad as knee? I am loathe to have any more surgery. My old body cannot tolerate any more insults. I used to wonder when I looked it over people who were all vent and crippled and wondered what happened to them. Now I know
You will be amazed at how soon the brain eliminates the memory pain once its gone and you don't have to live with it. I started with the knee problems at age 65. Within. 2 years I had 5 surgeries and 30 rounds of radiation(75%). Most of that memory of pain was gone but due to the radiation burning up the tissue my knee never regained full elasticity and I walked with a limp. Fast forward 5 1/2 years and had to have an emergency colon resection and a follow up surgery ((both 4 hours) almost died twice and within a few months 90% of that was behind me however; 4 months after that had a spinal decompression because of unbelievable back, hip and leg pain. That was such a relief I had put that pain out if my mind before leaving the hospital 2 days later. Then came the most recent series starting Jan 2013. 6 more nasty surgeries and recovery I never imagined. Revisuon, broken femur, staph infections, removal of prosthesis and 4 months without a knee then going through continual rehabs for close to 4 years now. Do the math and you'll see I'm pushing 80 and still battling pain.......but, believe it or not, it continues to improve, thank God. You can take a lot more than you ever thought ou could nd survive. Hang in there and just keep saying "I can do it" then go have your cry and start all over.