After knee replacement surgery

Hi there .... you said "MGH" .....You wouldn't by any chance mean Montgomery General Hospital Medstar would you? That's where I had my knee done in Olney, MD.
abby

@amberpep, No, I am in New England and for us in New England MGH is Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. It just never occurred to me that there might be other MGHs! I live in NH and so many people up here assume that the big city hospitals like MGH are cold and uncaring but I have found just the opposite. They have been positively wonderful there. If I lived closer I would go there for my PCP too, but during the day the commute can take two hours with traffic. As it is I go there for my Barrett's Esophagus, and I go to a doctor at a "partner hospital" for ortho.

JK

My knee replacement was 2 months ago. WARNING to anyone who considers themselves "Super Woman". I have been doing PT for one and a half hours twice a day. Than riding the stationary bike 20 min. a day. I put 3 pd. weights on my ankles for my open chain exercises. NOT GOOD. I do ice three times a day. I am in a lot of pain morning to though out the night and my knee is very swollen. I refuse to take pain killer so I moan and scream with my PT. My ROM is at 140 but it is coming at a cost. As of today I am dropping the weights and decreasing the PT. Is any one else in this much pain after 2 months?

I am sorry but I don't understand why you would assume more is better. Pain is the body's way of telling you to knock it off. Please don't be offended, but do have other compulsive tendencies? What you are doing is harming yourself.

You know by now that you have been overdoing it. Not surprised you have so much pain. Don't know why you need to get past 120 degrees. I never did and never noticed any range of motion problems. Hope your pain subsides with your slowing down the exercise. A three pound weight was definately used too soon. Give yourself a break and get a new PT.

I have had a full replacement and partial. Yes it is a tough operation (partial not bad) and it took me a year to get OK. So be compassionate with yourself...my wife also had but did much better than me...women are stronger. It sound like u may be doing too much PT...the rest cycle is just as important as the PT. In my case I did PT only three times.The initial therapist was good but than the handed me off to a kid who was not good...there is tremendous demand and little supply. But since I am a yogi I went back to my practice with extra attention given to me by the instructor.But just don't do as I did as there are many types of yoga and good/bad teachers.I recommend one yoga posture to help with the swelling and healing,"legs up the wall". You can find how to do on the net. Also my doctor didn't recommend a lot of PT...Mayo doctor...just movement Again be compassionate with yourself and perhaps less PT.Things will get better...I have had my total for over 10 years and do everything but run. I take dance and Zumba 5 to 6 days a week.I also have a personal trailer for strength training which includes exercises to build up the muscles around the knees.But I have been fortunate to have an excellent trainer...be aware there are many who can do more harm than good.If interested check with your local Y.

I just read your post again and for sure you are doing too much PT.Who told u to use ankle weights...makes no sense to me. The bike (stationary) should be your primary tool. Start with a height that is comfortable and gradually or weeks lower it as the bend in your knee increases.And don't PUSH gears..keep the gears low so there is very little resistance and gradually increase. I understand your moxie but you are trying to hard! Forget the no pain no gain therory,it's wrong and unless you are a kid you must rest...I would say workout and rest the next day...just walk.

@larie Actually I was not in that much pain but I did not attempt to do nearly as much as you have been doing. I was able to get around pretty well but I have never regained the range of motion and that knee still hurts if I have to kneel on it or anything like that. I can't help but wonder if mine would be better now if I had done all the things you are dong. 140 is phenomenal for ROM, mine never made it quite to 120. The PT I was working with would take hold of it and forcibly bend it to the point where I literally screamed. Then when she got to that point she would say my ROM was 118 or 119. If it is being forced like that then I do not think it really is MY ROM.

I am way overdue to have my other knee replaced, it was scheduled in 2014 but low platelets due to cirrhosis caused that to not happen. Thank to all of my pool exercising, bike exercising and other the knee to be replaced is a lot better than it used to be, but it still needs replacement. I hope to have that done in the fall. I am just waiting until my daughter finds a place for her wedding and sets a date. The doctor wants to do the replacement before addressing a possible revision of the knee which is more painful than that one. He is not the doctor who did my other one.
JK

Hi...@larie. 140!!!!!!!! I bet you didn't even that much before the surgery. I say that because i was at 132 within several weeks of the surgery, but I was on the passive motion machine while in the hospital 3 days before they discharged me. Because I lived alone, I went to a nursing home for about......maybe two weeks. I got there on a Friday and he measured me then and I was already up to 110. But I was having some calf pain, so they ordered a sonogram on Monday and said not to do anything over the weekend until they were sure there was no clot. Tuesday I went back to therapy and jokingly I said how much did I lose laying in bed for 4 days. Now I was up to 123!!!!!!. Within a week I was up to 132 with essentially NO further attempts to increase it more. As far as I could tell, I ended up with the same ROM as I had before surgery and when the knee was still without any problems. I wonder why they don't measure one's ROM before they do the surgery!!!!!!!!?????? Then that could be a good goal to shoot for without asking the leg to stretch its muscles beyond what is your current "normal". I am now in PT for a different problem and one day my current DPT measured it just for curiosity. Now it is above 132, but I forget the exact number. @gailfaith.

Hello my name is Flor I hada knee replacement on 2012and I never used wieght on my leg . My all therapy was sitting on a chair and walking. And my knee is incredible. Hope you can find the exercises that help you. The pain was gone in 2 months. Much luck