8 weeks post op TKR , is exhaustion normal still

I felt the same, my TKR was done 4,5 months ago and now I feel, I am slowly coming to myself again, it wasn’t an easy time, lots of pain and emotional coasters as well, keep going, it’s just needs time.

More than two years of surgery
Still have sharp pain in lower part of the kneecap. Looks like nerve got injured or insert size is incorrect
Anyone had this problem

It's been two years since having both knees replaced. I'm 69 y/o now and in the gym every day. I do a lot of cardio, mostly spinning, some rowing. I'm grateful, to say the least.

I've seen people post here about their TKR experiences, and they certainly vary. Post-surgery fatigue though is new to me. At 8 weeks it could just be emotional exhaustion from the physical therapy and rehab. It can take up to one year for the knee to fully heal. That may be causing some fatigue.

As for pain in the lower part of the kneecap - it could be incorrect prostheses size but that would show on an Xray, and the surgeon should always correct that during surgery. I don't think that's it.

Have you been doing exercises on a leg extension machine? On this machine, the legs start at a 90 degree angle and the ankles are underneath two pads. The knees are then extended to work the quadriceps.

My surgeon made it very clear - DO NOT USE A LEG EXTENSION MACHINE, EVER! The reason is that the patella tracks unnaturally when the knee his bent and unbent. If you're doing this, I'd stop.

And the leg extension exercise has no functional use, well unless you walk backwards a lot. A better exercise is simply to extend your legs from a seated position, lock the knee and hold for 30 seconds, give or take. I still do this and squat exercises to strengthen my quads.

Hope you find an answer, and all the best to you. Joe

my second surgeon opinion also said sit it a chair and raise the leg. much better than the leg extension machine that is hard on the patella

I'm glad your second surgeon mentioned that straight leg extensions, sometimes called "quad sets" are a nice way to strengthen the quads with no strain on the patella.

I'm actually surprised gyms have these machines. IMO they do more harm than good. And to add injury to insult, they add nothing to day-to-day functioning.

I was 76 years old when I had the TKR. I was exhausted for a few months after the surgery and lost my appetite for the first time in my life. I lost about 11 or 12 pounds.

I was 71 years old when I had my TKR Feb. 2023. I too lost 15 pounds. Never before lost my appetite for food but I did. I had tried for years to lose weight and was kind of excited about losing this weight which I kept off for about 9 months and then rediscovered my enjoyment of food and have regained about 75% back. In April I broke my femur and so far my appetite hasn't been as affected eventhough my portions are smaller but my weight hasn't changed too much . . .kind of strange.

Katrina, I am 12 weeks out and still very tired, mostly from lack of sleep. I still have pain that is very manageable in the daytime. Getting and staying comfortable to sleep is getting better, but still feel I have a long way to go. My surgeon said it’s normal, so hang in there.

I’m 1week past my 2nd TKR, & I feel as exhausted, weak
& near fainting as I did with my other TKR. 1 year ago. I developed hyponatremia immediately after both surgeries, but surgeons seem to be unaware of it, and disinterested when you tell them you have a problem. I’m in a lot of pain, dropped my hemoglobin from 12.7 to 9.6, and I’m so dizzy/weak I can barely function. My Nephrologist is trying to help me correct my hyponatremia without returning to the hospital.
Apparently, this is a more common problem than realized, but most Orthopedists do not a
recognize it. I doubt that it is a problem you have, because most people don’t have such a severe case. One year after my first TKR I still was not myself.

I am at 14 weeks and now sleeping soundly. It’s a slow process. My knee is still swollen a bit but continue PT now going down to once a week. I understand some have miraculous recoveries. I am not one of them. Hang in there it will get better soon!