Physical Therapy (PT): How long? Where did you do it?

I’m one month after tkr and the pt is intense. I come home in lots of pain, laying on those tables has messed up my neck a lot also. I’m there 90 plus minutes. The 5 pound weight on leg is hard. I was able to use bike today got all the way around. Is more pain normal? I’m really feeling down about the process!

@katclub, you may notice that I moved your discussion and combined it with a discussion titled, "Physical Therapy (PT): How long? Where did you do it?" I did this so you could join the other members discussing their PT experiences post TKR. If you are replying be email, click VIEW & REPLY so you can see where your post is now located and so that you can read through some of the other posts already made by members. In my own experience, one month is still pretty recent. It took me a great while. Everyone is different in how they recover and the speed at which they progress. How is your range-of-motion coming along?

Thank you for this inf!
My ROM was 126 this week, I did some stretching today and plan on talking to the pt too!

JK: I am really glad that you, too, hate the gym. I used to go to different type gyms for on and off perhaps 7 years, and I had a big smile on my face every time I got out of there. As one of my PT’s said: he never came out of the gym, regretting to have gone. But liking to go is something else altogether!

@katclub, a flexion of 126 at one month is pretty good from what I remember and understand. I had a horrid recovery due to scar tissue that needed two manipulations. It took me a good 12-18 months to get to my final ROM which is now somewhere around 0-105. I would have liked to get to that 120-130 range, but the scar tissue was just so aggressive that I was not able to push through any further. I had mine in 2006, so it has been a while, but I do remember the pain subsiding at a steady pace. My experience was a bit different though because of the manipulations post replacement. The pain was far more intense awaking from those manipulations that it was from the actual replacement. I've learned a lot from all of the members in this thread about just how different we all are in our recovery.

I have what I'm hoping is not too dumb of a question. How do you know what your range of motion is after a TKR and working on rehab? It's fairly easy for me to figure out 0 degrees and 90 degrees and then interpolate something more or less than that. Is there a gauge? Right now I can bend my knee to what I think is around 120+ degrees based on something between 90 degrees and another 45 degrees from their. Psst...I'm all in on guestimates but was wondering how others figure out what their flexion is.

Happy Friday - John

I never measured on my own. I just went off of what the PT people were telling me when they used their little measuring tool (goniometer?). Admittedly, it never felt too accurate but had to be close, right?

Thanks Justin @JustinMcClanahan! -- I didn't know the term/name but figured there was a tool out there. Saw one on Amazon for <$7 but may look into this one if I want to know.

Medigauge Electronic Digital Goniometer for Orthopaedics, Orthopedics, Chiropractic, Sports Medicine, Animal Science, Occupational Therapy OT, Physical Therapy PT, Research by Medigauge
-- https://amzn.to/2E2fa2u

Hi @johnbishop - both of my physical therapists (in-home and outpatient) measured my ROM with a special little tool on our first appointment and our last. They put it in my chart. I bet if you ask for your records you will see it there. I think it is one of the metrics they use to measure progress.

Hi @debbraw, My next appointment with the surgeon and team is July 15th when I go in for an MRI and then a follow up exam. I'm guessing I may see that special little tool. I don't have any therapy related charts. I saw two different therapists the day after the surgery before I was released. One in the morning that went over what they wanted me to do at home for the recovery and one late morning to go through going up and down stairs and walking to make sure I was OK to be release into the wild ☺ I did tell them I was rehabbing at home and spend most of my time in the lower level - 14 steps up and down which I actually think helped me along with my recovery.

Argh...now it's time to take the compression socks off. This little piggy went to market...this little piggy - well he just needs to let go of the blank sock.

Another first for me today. Got on and off the lawn tractor multiple times without the cane and walked around picking up sticks from the winter storms while I was mowing the yard for the first time. Have a great weekend!