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After knee replacement surgery
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Oct 27, 2021 | Replies (618)Comment receiving replies
Sorry to hear your going thru this! I had a tkr on my right knee 7 weeks ago and sounds like i went through what your going through. I was so swollen i could only get 60° of flexion. I laid on my back with my leg elevated for 3-4 hours at a time with ice 20 minutes every hour. The swelling did end up going down. I was still super tight and ended up getting a manipulation at 5 weeks. I could only get to 90° with the therapist pushing on it. It has been 2 weeks since the procedure, tonight at therapy i was at 123° by myself. Still a bit swollen and tight. As for sleep, i feel lucky to get a solid 4 hours at a time. Not sure what happens at night, but my knee just starts throbbing. I can't wait to get a solid night sleep! Good luck!
Replies to "Sorry to hear your going thru this! I had a tkr on my right knee 7..."
Hi @brianbat - Welcome to Connect! And I'm so sorry you had to go through the original surgery AND an MUA. But it sounds as if you are doing great now. At 7 weeks, I think 123 flexion is terrific! I had a TKR 10 weeks ago and I totally understand your thoughts on sleeping. I'm sleeping well now - w/o pain meds, but I can truthfully say that the last pain med I gave up was the one I took before bed. It was easier for me to do PT without meds as opposed to sleeping without them. Are you still doing physical therapy? I wonder if your therapist could recommend any sleep aids?
@brianbat Nighttime is the worst. After a short amount of time, with both TKRs, I only took medication before bed. I think as you lay there idle, the pain is more evident or something.
123° flex is great, particularly if you still have swelling. I wish I could get to that number with my last TKR but I don't think I will bother having a lysis, I can function fine at 115°.
JK
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I'm 13 weeks out and just started sleeping completely through the night a couple of weeks ago. When I wake up at 4-ish or whenever, I take an 800 mg Ibuprofen and that allows me to go back to sleep. If CBDs are legal in your state, I found a CBD cream that works well during those sleepless periods when the scar lights up at night. Voltaren gel (prescription) also works very well as a topical anti-inflammatory. Hang in there!