total knee replacement

What a difference 2 weeks can make! Pain much less now. Perhaps too much pre-holiday cooking, cleaning, shopping, baking and decorating. Had even started to creep into my hip on the same side. Calmed down now.
Questions: does the crunchy feeling and sound in the knee ever lessen? I know it’s here to stay, but hoping that when some joint fluid regenerates it might become better? With a BMI of 21 there’s no padding on the outside, and obviously nothing lubricating on the inside yet.
Also: how intense and how long do average TKR patients (no complications with scar tissue etc.) keep up their exercise routine? I have exercise fatigue. After arthro surgery October 2017 I kept up exercising for almost 8 months with no improvement. After 2018 September TKR PT told me at discharge that as long as I keep the major muscles strong (squats, lunges, bridges, step-ups, and do heel slides and quad sets), he leaves it up to me what I want to work on. Current routine is 15 minutes of back and knee exercises, followed by either a very brisk 30 minute walk, or, alternately, another 10 to 15 minutes of knee exercises in a pool, ending with a quarter mile swim. Most days another mini exercise session mid afternoon. Some days adding 15 minutes on recumbent bike or treadmill. Weather permitting, 1 1/2 hours of fairly strenous yard work 3 days/week in addition.
Compared to many posts on this and related sites I seem to be on the very low end. However, I definitely have at least 130 degree flexion and generally function pretty well. I did notice that the work is not done when I lugged a 2 gallon pump sprayer upslope over uneven ground to spray weeds, but that’s not something I’d do every day anyway.

What a difference 2 weeks can make! Pain much less now. Perhaps too much pre-holiday cooking, cleaning, shopping, baking and decorating. Had even started to creep into my hip on the same side. Calmed down now.
Questions: does the crunchy feeling and sound in the knee ever lessen? I know it’s here to stay, but hoping that when some joint fluid regenerates it might become better? With a BMI of 21 there’s no padding on the outside, and obviously nothing lubricating on the inside yet.
Also: how intense and how long do average TKR patients (no complications with scar tissue etc.) keep up their exercise routine? I have exercise fatigue. After arthro surgery October 2017 I kept up exercising for almost 8 months with no improvement. After 2018 September TKR PT told me at discharge that as long as I keep the major muscles strong (squats, lunges, bridges, step-ups, and do heel slides and quad sets), he leaves it up to me what I want to work on. Current routine is 15 minutes of back and knee exercises, followed by either a very brisk 30 minute walk, or, alternately, another 10 to 15 minutes of knee exercises in a pool, ending with a quarter mile swim. Most days another mini exercise session mid afternoon. Some days adding 15 minutes on recumbent bike or treadmill. Weather permitting, 1 1/2 hours of fairly strenous yard work 3 days/week in addition.
Compared to many posts on this and related sites I seem to be on the very low end. However, I definitely have at least 130 degree flexion and generally function pretty well. I did notice that the work is not done when I lugged a 2 gallon pump sprayer upslope over uneven ground to spray weeds, but that’s not something I’d do every day anyway.

@ellerbracke - My ortho surgeon told me in advance that many people have that crunchy noise and that it diminishes but may not go away completely. Thankfully, I didn't have it. But I think you could expect some diminishment. As to exercise, after 12 weeks, I was back to my normal routine of exercise. It think you can back off. You are doing great. Also, congratulations on your 130 degree flexion. You are a rockstar! Is the pain still in you hip some? Every now in then when I overtire myself, I have some hip discomfort. I personally believe it's because I shift my body to ease the pressure on my knee and therefore stress the hip. Good luck!

Debbra: you are lucky that your knee never had the crunch issue. It is pretty annoying! One of my Sciatica stretches involves lying on the floor, bending the left (good) knee at a 45 degree angle, resting the right (TKR) ankle on said knee and pulling the bent right knee diagonally toward my left shoulder (to stretch the tendons and muscles on the outside of the right hip). It takes as second for the tendon?muscle? of the right knee to audibly slide across the patella before I can do that motion. The noise I don’t care about, the crunch/click feeling I very much dislike! And yes, hip still acts up quite a bit, and I agree with your reason for that.

I had mine 2 months ago, still painful

I am one year out from a total knee revision. Pain is still present and no better than before I had the revision although the tibial portion of my original TKR had become debonded so my knee was very unstable before the revision. It is more stable now, but I am plagued by chronic pain

I still have pain sometimes 5 or 6 when I come down stairs. No pain walking riding recumbent bike lifting or doing weight machines. Stairs hurt every day sometimes better sometimes worse. I have an apt. with ortho on Feb 4th. going to ask for x-rays to make sure nothing is loose. Have good flex and straightening everything went fine in pt just can't shake the pain on stairs. Still a little swollen and warm at times.I know they say it can take up to a year for full recovery.

@jimk849 I think stairs are one of the last things that feel good. It took a long time for me to be able to walk up and down stairs without holding the rail, and at times, for instance when I am particularly tired, I still feel a bit unsteady. When you go up or down a stairway all of your weight is on one leg then the other, so it does make sense. How long ago was your knee replacement? I am sure this will gradually get better with time.
JK

6 months ago. I should have stated that sorry.