14 weeks post TKR - bad weekend.
Just when I thought things were starting to look better my knee decide to think otherwise.
For no apparent reason, not done anything out of the ordinary, my knee felt like a lead weight. Had the tight band and ached like mad again. Woke me one night with very sharp stinging pain over my scar which felt felt really tight so massaged to try and ease the tight skin feeling.
Happy with my ROM (145/150) but not with much else still. Still swollen and hot ... does this feeling ever get better better or do i have to accept this as part of my new knee?
I'm still wishing I'd never had this horrendous op 😤
I know this is long haul but it's now driving me mad. Can't sit for too long, can't stand for too long so not sure what I can do now ... so frustrating 😥
Ali , I do sympathise with you big time. I'm 15 weeks and like you I seem to be getting on ok ish , then I have a few really bad nights. Was awake all last night with tight burning sensation. It doesn't seem to make much difference if I rest more or go out & about. We are told it is a 6 month recovery & I guess we are still only half way there. It's got to get better , it WILL get better, we have to keep strong , rest & exercise what we feel comfortable with , & yes it's TIME. This forum is great , we seem to hold each other up. Folk really have been amazing & I thank all for keeping me going.we'l get there Ali , keep your chin up. Keep strong,
Thanks Eileen, this really is a battle I never dreamt would be so long and hard.
Almost half way there ... fingers crossed and then only half way there to anything anywhere near 'normality' whatever that may be 😏x
I didn't have any idea it would be anything like this either,Ali . I doubt if we had much choice of opting out, as if it's bone on bone , for whatever reason , it would only deteriorate . We'll get there. Take care x
Oh Ali - your ROM is amazing!!!!! But I'm so sorry to hear about the swelling and pain!!! Could it be pushing the ROM further than it's meant to go???? (Looking up online it LOOKED as though 120 was what physios hoped for, or 135 was about max) but I might be totally up the wrong path there! I hope it's better soon anyway!!!!
Well congrats on your ROM you must have worked hard for that! It's very early days for you yet...In.my experience pain is a moveable feast because the trauma creates numbness in the muscles and sinews which has recovered slowly. So each step of the way has introduced a new experience and I am a year away from my op. My advice would be to ice your knee more often, I had a dedicated bag of peas for the front of my knee and a gel pad for the back, I always had a towel between me and the ice packs and sat with my knee raised with them in place for as long as I could manage, I also used iboprufen gel for bad days, I know there is controversy surrounding iboprufen these days so you better check with your GP about this. I have used arnica cream rub twice a day too and all of this has brought some relief. I think the 6 months to recover is optimistic, maybe recovery from the operation but definitely not the joint replacement itself, I was told at least a year and maybe two. When you consider the trauma to the muscles and sinews it makes sense that this would be so. I think it sounds like you are doing really well, have you been offered any physio? I would suggest you ask about this if not, the physiotherapists are the people who know most about the reocovery time as they are dealing with lots of different people all the time. But I would say you are doing well and this is just a blip which the icing should really help sort out and as for the sleep problems I would recommend speaking to your GP re painkillers as sleep is you best pal when it comes to healing. Hang on in there I'm sure it will get better, can you remember the pain you were in to agree to the operation!! Good luck
Oh wow Ali, your rom is phenomenal. Very well done there.
Just a shame you're in such an awful place right now.
TKR recovery does seem to be a bit of a mish mash! We all have very different stories, all variations on the same theme! I'm lucky that, although I still have the band (but not too bad), my rom is barely 120 & that's on a good day!! But I haven't had the pain. I count my blessings, as hearing others' stories, some (yourself inc) have not been so easy.
I don't think anyone can predict the outcome when we have this surgery, why do some people have it easy & some not, Chico's bell curve.?!
Not helpful when you are the one suffering!
The only consolation is the arthritis pain is gone & eventually (I hope) the operation pain will go too. Keep your chin up, now your rom is there you really are on the home strait. It's maintenance now & strength.
Give yourself a (mental) pat on the back.
As they say, all things must pass, let's hope this stage passes quickly!
Look to the future, it's becoming within your grasp now, a future without arthritis!
Good luck
Marilyn
XX
Swelling ALWAYS indicates that you pushed the knee too far...always. Back off. I have never heard of a 150 ROM after a replacement. That may be waaaay too much. Talk to your doc.
On the tough days, this could help...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-and-ptsd-569521
We're all in this together...
Hmmm I was measured by my physio at 10 weeks and I was 140. My consultant said my knee was capable of 135 so to try for this. He said because I'm very flexible I could achieve a very good ROM as my other knee is way more than that. I was a rower and maybe this has something to do with my good flexibility so I pushed for more, maybe my knee is suffering now 😏
Ali, I've only heard, looking online a few days ago, that knees go to 135, so I do wonder if that might be the problem. When I read that it made me decide to not to push for more than that, purely because I was worried about the knee, but I don't know if I'm being over cautious. My main concern is still that it will over extend when I'm walking - going past the straight point, but I don't know if I'm worrying about nothing there. Has your knee shown any signs of going too far when you straighten it? I hope your knee is better soon though - I'd just take it easy and go back to ice and elevation for a few days.
I've got my second follow up appointment to see my consultant next Thursday so hopefully he'll be able to throw some light on it but my physio said to go for whatever my body can achieve having seen what my other knee is capable of.
Fingers crossed all is ok as I've not been in pain getting to this ROM
That does sound as though the bend to that degree should be fine then Ali. Maybe you just pulled something or twisted something. It sounds like it's not the ROM causing it:-)))) I wonder if all knees will go further than the 135 then?????? This isn't something that they even mentioned at my hospital, so don't know! When I see the surgeon next week for the other one, I will ask though.
I've just been reading up on it and it does say 135 with a few degrees either way. I know there's another lady on the forum also from the UK who has achieved a 140 ROM but earlier than myself ... she said she's very flexible too.
Not sure if age has anything to do with it aswell as activity pre op. I've just had my 58th Birthday and rowed 4/5 times a week until the last 18 months.
What I was wondering and have NO idea about is do all knees do the same bend, or do they differ? If you push it too far, does the knee suffer (the artificial bit) or the bone/ligament/muscle around it? It's very difficult - there is a huge void in the information we could really do with. I don't even know the name of my knee (oh that's just made me laugh LOL!).
Oh Chris you've just given me the best laugh I've had ALL day!! 😂
You can call your knee anything you like, call it frank, short for frankenknee!!
Sorry I've come over all silly now!
I know exactly what you mean, I don't know what the name of my prosthesis is either!
So that's 2 franks then??
XX
My husband reckons when both are done they'll be 'Denise' - de knees:-)))))
Yes, challenging it certainly is. But it is STILL early days. Wait for the one year mark before you pass your verdict. It goes against the grain especially for the achievement orientated, but the knees the boss. I have been feeling frustrated by the small amount of activity I can do, but it helped me to think this: The surgeon has done their work, but as far as your knee goes, the surgery still continues... It's all still happening in knee land! It is tough, but we can only trail behind the process. Doing what we can. But we cannot speed it up. Hope you feel brighter soon.
Ali,
I can bend right 150+/full extension-yes, i can get heel to 1"shy of butt cheek! Left just under that/full extension. I found each new layer /degree i passed was another band of scar tissue to break. Was warmer n more swollen on left. Lymph tissue plays some role in swelling. I accomplished this thru longer stretching and a GREAT PT. I can squat into an 8" height camp chair but need help up r/t left knee. Despite this, i had pain on inner left leg. See my post on bone spurs! I have a GREAT doc.
The days i made the breakthru to next degree, ALWAYS made me not sleep well for at least two nights. I stretched at night, leg over bed to help. I use the heat-not ice- of the covers NOT a heating pad- and that has improved my flexibilty.
Dont despair! I am one week short of 6 months. I expect a least 6 more months. The ONLY thing i expect is to do the work EVERY day with one day off of stretching only. I can walk 2miles in 45min then bike peddler for60min wo aches and pains.
My original numbness on left leg was size of a football- now it size of baseball! Doc told me can take 2,TWO,years to regenerate all the nerves.
I'm cheering you on!
AuntE G
:D