Four weeks post TKR, highly discouraged. Thought I would crush it

Posted by actalking @actalking, Jun 23 8:31am

I’m 61 and have been a competitive athlete my whole life. My world revolves around tennis. I was on five teams but the arthritis became too painful. I was literally having to skip to get to a lob because I could not run. I had tried everything else so TKR was my last resort. I am so discouraged reading about how people aren’t playing tennis anymore. PLEASE is there someone out there who can offer some hope? My recovery has been surprisingly slower and more painful than I ever imagined.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Joint Replacements Support Group.

covidstinks2023 | @covidstinks2023 | Jun 24 8:39am

In reply to @actalking "I just wanted to report that after 27 days, this is the first day I woke..." + (show)

@actalking Prayer works my friend! I will continue to pray for you. This is wonderful! Blessings.....

SusanEllen66 Susan McMichael | @SusanEllen66 | 6 days ago

In reply to @actalking "I just wanted to report that after 27 days, this is the first day I woke..." + (show)

@actalking wonderful! One step, one day at a time!

harrie123 | @harrie123 | 4 days ago

One year out from TKR and still have occasional pain. Didn’t do PT, but did relevant exercises at home. Does my age matter? 83.
I havr a Spinal Cord Stimulator for back pain (WORKS GREAT!) and it has been programmed to cover left knee, so there has been some improvement with that.
Certainly didn’t expect pain at this stage! Helpful comments welcome

steveinarizona | @steveinarizona | 3 days ago

In reply to @harrie123 "One year out from TKR and still have occasional pain. Didn’t do PT, but did relevant..." + (show)

@harrie123
I am an 81 YO male. Four years ago I had my left hip replaced and seven months ago my right knee. I had zero pain after each surgery.
I don't think that age makes much of a difference (other than my objection to general anesthesia but my surgeon does regional anyway). What does matter, IMHO, is the skill and experience of the surgeon.
Other than having a different surgeon the other thing that matters is PT. Despite having no pain, I did need PT. My surgeon's recovery protocol is to essential rest the first two weeks while doing constant icing with periodic compression from the ice machine. He has me commencing PT in the third week. That week my PT measured my ROM at 122 degrees and my extension as essentially flat.
I still did 25 PT sessions at the PT facility. One of the more impactful parts of the process was the massaging of my quad area by the therapist. I don't see how one can meaningfully do that by oneself.
Before my surgery I told my surgeon that I would like to be back on the golf course by the end of the fourth week. He replied that it was an aggressive target but he was up to the challenge.
During my first PT session I was in the middle of the massaging part when I told my therapist of my challenge to my surgeon. My therapist responded "okay" and dug in. Over the next ten minutes while he massaged my quad area we had a meaningful discussion of what it was like for him to be an acolyte of the Marquis de Sade. BUT IT HELPED. On the 27th day after my surgery I was on the golf course.
Why did you not do PT at a facility? Are you in the UK?

harrie123 | @harrie123 | 3 days ago

I had PT prior to knee replacement in the hopes it would relieve some pain. I didn’t understand why because I got worse after the PT, AND THEN THE REPLACEMENT. I just didn’t want to do it again. Bad choice? My issue with the knee is that i now have CRPS. I have had it before so not a surprise, but not wanting to go through that again.
Your recovery is amazing. Good luck on the course! FOUR……

naturelyn | @naturelyn | 3 days ago

In reply to @harrie123 "I had PT prior to knee replacement in the hopes it would relieve some pain. I..." + (show)

@harrie123
I feel for you to be having pain so long after TKR.
I’m 72 and almost 10 weeks out from my second TKR.
In my opinion, several factors can come into play.
1. surgeon’s expertise
2. How active the patient was before surgery(so, how much muscle tone and flexibility she had before surgery)
3. Finding a PT who will work with you on frequency of sessions and NOT being so aggressive to cause great discomfort days after sessions- extremely important, because what you do day after day at home makes all the difference in the end. And if you’re hurting so badly that you can’t do any exercises at home, that is counterproductive. A good PT will also be aware of other issues you may have, like spinal, hip, foot and ankle, etc. and will pay attention to your gait.
4. How well you keep up with exercises at home. Keeping in mind how quickly we are losing muscle mass at our age-😳😣 all other things being equal.
5. Just plain luck!
Going to PT in my mind is important, partly to be sure that you are doing exercises effectively. Just the turn of an ankle can make a difference.
That being said, I canceled all my post surgery appointments with the PT’s associated with my Hospital and found my own independent place. The ones associated with the Hospital just had an agenda that was dictated to them and worried way too much about the extension and flexion numbers. I was much happier and did much better with the independent place.
I hope that you have gone back to the surgeon with your concerns, and I do not think you should give up. Sometimes these things take way way longer than we expect. 💙💜❤️🩷🩷