Recovering from knee replacement

Agree each experience is different. I am 75 had TKR 4 months ago. I did pre and post op exercises faithfully. I had ROM 0-125 immediately after surgery. I walked with no devices 2 weeks post op. All was well until 6 weeks out. I began to have terrible pain on the lateral side of the knee. PT did everything possible but could not help. Ortho offered Lyrica for pain but basically considered their job done. I was desperately seeking help. Finally I got to a compassionate physical rehabilitation doctor. He used ultrasound and found a badly damaged tendon in my knee. I am now being treated with injections and doing much better.. I have regained a positive outlook. My advice is never give up if you have issues. Skilled Physical Rehab and Pain Medicine doctors have been the answer for me.

Hi kr1 you are doing awesome … just keep moving, as long as you feel good and you are progressing no worries….just remember we are all different some people have knee replaced and are back to there life three weeks later , but for others like myself even after exercising before tkr and doing so much after , things happen … so like I said no worries , you are doing the pool which is awesome … i don’t know if you tried mfr or graston but two very good things to try if you have not helps break up scar tissue… slow and steady … this is a lifetime change after over two years I am still doing a few of main exercises along with new ones everyday. I still do mfr and graston , massage

I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE TKRS ON MY RIGHT KNEE, 5 IN TOTAL, BETWEEN TWO DOCTORS. IT TOOK THE DOCTORS 4 SURGURIES TO FIND OUT I WAS ALERGIC TO THE NICKLE IN THE IMPLANT. FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS I WAS UNDERGOING A SURGERY EVERY SIX MONTHS. THE LASTEST SURGERY HAS A HYPO-ALERGENIC KNEE REPLACEMENT, COATED IN CERAMIC AND PENETRATES FARTHER IN THE BONE. DEFENITELY HURTS MORE THAN THE OTHER SURGERIES. FEELS BETTER, BUT IM BEING TOLD THE RECOVERY WILL BE LONGER. I DONT HOW MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE BY THE NICKLE COURSING THROUGH MY BODY FOR 3 YEARS. ALMOST EVERY IMPLANT HAS A FORM OF NICKLE IN THERE, THE LAST ONE WAS 100% NICKLE. I HOPE THE LEG CAN COME BACK FROM THE SURGERIES, REALLY SKINNY, HARD TO BUILD MUCSLE. BONE FEELS TERRIBLE, UPPER AND LOWER. WORRIED ABOUT INFECTION OR OTHER PROBLEMS. WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS BEEN WHERE IM AT. TALKED MANY TIMES WITH DOCTORS. THEY ALL SAY ITS A TIME THING. HOPE I DONT LOOSE LEG.

I’m 73 and was in similar situation. Had 2nd replacement in November & I’ve managed quite well on my own. I was released from hospital after 5 days. My daughter took a couple days off & stayed with me for a couple days & stayed overnight for about 5 days. I managed quite well after that. Used frozen meals & needed some help for a couple weeks but overall did ok. This last replacement was a harder recovery than the first which was textbook but finally, in January, things started to come together. It sometimes feels like it’s never going to but now, 4 mos later, I hardly think of it. Doing exercises before and after are your saving grace but they’re hard at first. Persevere and you’ll be surprised how well you do in time. Best wishes.

Thanks, kr1, for reminding that everyone's recovery is different. I'm 81, in very good condition (still hiking and backpacking pre-op), did pre-surgery PT, but my recovery has been slow. I'm almost 5 months out, diligent about my PT and making progress but still dealing with post-op nerve issues that were not diagnosed early. Both my surgeon and my fairly new PCP were dismissive of my ongoing complaints about foot and ankle pain. Switching PCPs led to recognition of the nerve issues and to a script for gabapentin. That has made a world of difference but I'm still making up for lost time. I'll be so happy when I'm finally able to go downstairs easily!