Miserable from TKR: What can I do to get better?

I had TKR done in 2013 at Mayo by just the greatest and most confident doctor I had ever been to. He told me straight out that this is probably the hardest surgery you will ever have bar none. He was honest outspoken and I had trust in him right away. They had exercises that I could do at home on my own. I never had PT. I know how hard this is but just remember why you did the surgery and all the things you want to do in life once you recover and you will. Your focus has to be on getting exercises done with a mission of recovery. You can do this so many already have.

Don’t despair. This is a very painful procedure. I hated the first couple of weeks, everything hurt including my head and back. It felt never-ending. I am eight weeks post OP TKR Right side and just starting to feel like myself. The pain is less, the stiffness remains but that’s normal, PT is painful, but ice and take an OTC before and after and it will be manageable. I know it seems hard to believe but It does get better.

Oh! I’m so very sorry. Pain for that long and sleeplessness will make you feel like you’re going crazy. The most important part right now is 1- that the surgeon believes the surgery was successful. If there’s nothing wrong physically that you need to address besides all the inputs of rehab then that’s good. Number 2-you need to get some sleep. Please talk to your doctor about how you can do that. Either a sleeping medication or tea or meditation or some thing but I know that if you cannot sleep you cannot heal. sleep is critical to the recovery process. Number 3- I’ve had many hip surgeries 30+, some foot surgeries hand surgeries and I will tell you that my two knee replacements as of six years ago were the most painful. I couldn’t believe it because it’s such a common surgery. And I felt like my knees were on fire for two weeks. Ice was critical. Ice on your knees as often as possible. But I will tell you that six months after that surgery I refer to my knees as the best joints that I have. They don’t impact anything I do. They are pure joy, pure painless joy it is 100% worth getting your knees replaced. You will get there it’s gonna take a little bit more time, take it in order. Make sure the knees are structurally correct make sure you find out how you can sleep ask your doctor about that, and then understand that in a few months you’re gonna look at your knees and you’re gonna want to kiss them because they will change your life in a positive way. But you’ve got a put in a lot of hard work and it will hurt sometimes. So mitigate everything else around you and focus on your knees healing

I too can sympathize with your story. It is exactly the same as my own. I am now nearly 4 weeks post surgery. I have been off the opioids for a week and a half but still have issues with swelling pain and sleeping though all are significantly less than they were during the first few weeks. Getting sleep has been a challenge but I am finally able to sleep on my side as well as on my back. I’m getting more and better sleep each week.

As I’m sure you have heard or read the physical therapy is by far the most important part of your recovery. Do what they say during your sessions and more importantly every day at home. I have learned there is a very fine line at therapy. Do not push yourself to the point that it is painful but do push yourself to where it is uncomfortable. A good therapist should not push you into pain and if that is the case I would recommend switching and finding someone else.

Although my range of motion is not that great yet it has been proved consistently and I have graduated from a walker to a cane and have started driving again. Just these small freedoms bring light at the end of the tunnel. Like you, I also began to wonder why I got the surgery. However I am starting to believe that this will work out well for me in the end.

If you are able I recommend getting out of the house and being with friends or having them over to your house. I feel getting out of the house even just for a car ride and conversation improved my mood immensely. And being able to drive and be slightly independent was a major boost to morale.

This has turned out to be a long journey so far and I am resigned to the fact that it still has a ways to go. Hang in there!! You are literally on the edge of turning the first of many corners on your way to full recovery. Be well.

@tracy70: One more thing I wanted to mention: it would be super helpful if you had access to an indoor pool. At the 5 week mark I joined a small, local, senior fitness center with a pool, and the person in charge mapped out a knee rehab program to be done in the water. Basically targeting the same muscles, and same movements, but it is soooooo much less painful to do this in the pool. Of course, depending on where you live, you may not want to risk an indoor crowd. The pool I used is part of a retirement community, so there are strict protocols, very high standards regarding sanitizing, limits to the # of persons allowed in at any one time, and you have to disclose your vaccination status. Not a problem for me.........

@tracy70: I know how you feel - the first 2-3 weeks after the surgery are rough. As others have said, keep icing the knee, and do the PT. Pain is different for each person, as is their tolerance. My pain was pretty intense, but after 3 previous (different) orthopedic surgeries requiring months of rehab I’ve learned to tolerate it better.
Don’t worry about being able to get your leg straightened out. Some people can do it within days, it took me almost 5 months to get the last, final, degree. I found that the bend/flex is more important for everyday purposes.

@tracy70 Hello, I'd like to validate the excellent advice and suggestions that appear in this discussion thread. It looks like you posted 5 days ago so I estimate you are two weeks post-surgery for TKR? Is that correct?

I haven't had a TNR but I did have rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder 12 years ago. In that time I'm sure surgical procedures and rehab has changed but I recall what I was told many times. These smaller joints (knees fall into these categories) are more painful and require more healing time and PT/Rehab than larger joints such as hips. We all have our own pain perceptions and I hope you feel heard by your medical providers when you tell them what your pain level is. Has your surgical team checked in with you since your surgery? What do they say about your pain? Here is something I've been told many times in PT. You have to move every day even if it hurts. The more you stay in one place the stiffer the joint will be and that in turn will make the recovery and rehab more difficult for you. Were you given exercises to do after surgery? I had a total hip replacement two years ago and came home with exercises. I didn't like doing them and sometimes they hurt but I did them anyway.

I hope you will check back in with us @tracy70 and let us know how you are doing.

Helen

I have been given a lot of great advice and suggestions. Tuesday Oct 5 is 3 weeks since my surgery. The doctor is being great when I tell him about my pain. The first week and a half, was rough moving around. PT does come to my house, 2x a week. I’m actually going to be starting outpatient PT on Wednesday. I get up and walk around my house with the walker several times a day. I am still icing it throughout the day. Doing most anything exhaust me because I’m not sleeping well. Thank you for responding.

Thank you for reaching out to me. My doctor told me I would be in a lot of pain. I just didn’t realize how much. Yes this is the most painful surgery to go through. Not getting sleep is driving me crazy. I am really hoping once I start outpatient pt, I will start seeing a difference.

@labbadia1 I don’t want to come across as ornery, but while pool exercises may not do much for the flex or straightening of the knee, it does help with everything else. And no, my PT guy may have GENTLY pushed on my knee, or bent it, but never with any kind of force, causing pain. The heel slides, towel-roll push-downs etc. will get results all by themselves. A stationary bike helps with the knee bend as well. I ended up with about 135 degrees of flex after 12 weeks, and - finally - with zero extension after about. 5 months. I’m sure JK will echo the caution regarding overly enthusiastic therapists who force the issue.
My knee replacement came 11 months after a knee repair surgery, torn meniscus, loose cartilage floating under and around the knee cap, with disappointing results. Not sure if that had anything to do with my slow progress of getting the leg perfectly straight. The last 3 degrees took forever!