Good morning, I’m a 54 year old female and had a double knee replacement a year ago. I was a competitive volleyball player until 38 and had been an athlete my whole life. I’ve had brain surgery and heart surgery and nothing compared to having TKR’s.
I was used to being able to do everything physically well until this. Very frustrating to see little old ladies kick my ass in PT. You’re not supposed to compare, but I did. Some have a much easier time with scar tissue build up than others. I got to a point where my body instinctively told me that traditional PT wasn’t right for me. For me, the pain was too much. Icing was invaluable as well as a CMT machine. Many Dr’s no longer believe in continuous motion machines, but I think it helped me tremendously.
Looking back I would have used less narcotics. I slept all the time even though I was in a rehab hospital for 3 weeks post surgery. I’d sleep in between the 3 times a day PT sessions. Even dangling my legs more off the bed would have helped. I also would have used the Incumbent bike earlier and more often. I’m now using it more-I can see how moving closer and closer allows me to be in control of increasing my bend.
I switched to lymphatic massage and a Type of PT where they don’t touch you. Instead they encourage you to move with your own bodies resistance. Made me feel more in control, and I was able to push harder. Recently, I tried two unconventional therapies in addition to my electric massager to try to alleviate my nerve pain that I experience at night. One is myofascial release and the other is Acupuncture. I’m in shock but this combination seems to be miraculous for me. I would love to have more bend (I’m at around 115-120) but reducing the pain is life changing.
Most do amazingly well with replacements. Know that everyone is very different and try and find what works for you.