Good morning,
I'm in week two post TKR and the support socks I've been told I have to wear are driving me to despair.
Someone who also had a tkr a couple of years back said that she knew of a few people who didn't have to wear them.
I'm dreading 6 weeks of it.
Anyone on here decide not to wear them? Or weren't told to wear them?
I wore them for 5 weeks after TKR, hospital advised me to take them off a week early as knee was swelling at the top of socks, I agree not the most comfortable things to wear but it is for our own benifits, personally I'd rather have a few weeks of discomfort rather than get blood clots, good luck
I wore my support stockings up to having the clips removed - 2 weeks post op. I was told I could have taken them off earlier when I had finished taking my blood thinning tablets.
When I removed them my foot swelled up big time so much so I rang the ward for advice. Normal reaction and use ice and elevation to bring swelling down. Now almost 5 weeks post op and my leg is still swollen but gradually becoming more normal!!!
If you can exersise your feet in a up and down motion and round in circles you should be ok i wore mine at night there to stop DVT .
Thanks for your experienced views everyone. It's really helpful to hear others views
For my first TKR three years ago I was told to wear them for six weeks, I managed four, then took them off.
For my second last year I was told I didn't need to wear them at all, same surgeon, same hospital. He had decided that if a patient was reasonably active, they weren't needed.
Opinions seem to vary.
Thanks so much for that information Laura! That's what I was thinking too. I'm 57, so I'm active. May I ask how old you are?
6 weeks on 5 of the 11 surgeries. The other 6 didn't require Ted hose because of the extent and type surgery. This is one of the differences in Dr's and hospitals. They are aggregating but blood clots, which they help prevent, can be deadly. As a medical conservative, I have always been willing to pay the price.
Its just like antibiotics before dental procedures.....some of the more liberal practitioners say its unimportant but for the price of 3 or 4 keflex to help stave off an in infection, I have always said "gimmie the pills".......especially after having staph twice and having to go 4 months immobilized, without a prosthesis and needing twice a day antibiotic infusion for 8 weeks each time. I always go the ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
While in the hospital, the doctor put it on the non surgery leg, when I got home, the therapist took it off on the first day and I never wore them again, she said I didn't need them. I'm still not sure what they were for. Im two months post op and I'm doing ok.
I'm 70, and not very active, but did excercise three times daily.
Thank you Marsha!
Thank you Laura. Hope you're doing well, sounds as if you are 😄
You're welcome!
I wore them for 2 weeks post op. Yes they are terrible, I was glad to get them off. Also gave myself blood thinner shots on my stomach for that time.
Yes thanks, my knees are fine, it's my back that's the problem, compared to that, the knee ops weren't that bad, at least I can walk, which I couldn't do before, so I'm very thankful to my brilliant surgeon. :-)
I was told I only needed them for 10 days, but it may have been two weeks. Six weeks is rediculous. They are to prevent blood clots and that risk passes with time. Google it and see if that isn't the case. You should also be on an aspirin a day.
If a trained surgeon or hospital policy is 6 weeks I would hardly pass this off as ridiculous. Again, for what ever its worth, blood clots are pretty unforgiving. IMO, risking a stroke for a little inconvince and temporary discomfort just isn't debatable. But then again I had a good spend weeks flat on his back wit an elevated leg due to blood clots.
I have had 2 TKRs within 4 mos. of each other. In both cases I had to wear stockings for 30 days and take 2 low dose aspirins for 30 days to prevent clotting. Much better than taking blood thinners in my opinion. I wore the stockings during the day but removed them at night. Good luck on your recovery.
Used them for a few weeks and then tossed them.
I wore them for 12 days and the day I got the staples out I was told I didn't need them anymore.