Flexibility and Range of Motion after TKR

Hello @brenda65. I'd like to add my welcome along with @artscaping who has come in to share some of her own experiences which I hope you find helpful.

You will notice that I have moved your post into an existing discussion by another member who also was experiencing some of your same concerns. I hope you and @4russcoll might also be able to connect to compare notes on your knee replacements.

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Good evening @brenda65 and before we explore your TKR recovery let me welcome you to Connect. It just so happens that I had my second TKR in August. I am 79 years old. When you speak about physical therapy are you at an Orthopedic facility? Are you also using ice and elevating your knee above your heart? I just re-read some medical research and it does indicate that the surgery is perhaps the best way to handle osteoarthritis in the knee. However.....stiffness is one of the post surgery situations that was mentioned as problematic.

This surgery and the recovery was amazingly easy for me to deal with for a couple of reasons. #1, I started pre-op exercises a month before the surgery. #2. I had robotic same day surgery. That went very well and was much more accurate and was also minimally less invasive than the regular surgery.

So what are you thinking of doing now? You are O.K. with the post surgery exercises......walking, stretching, practicing balance and other recommended movements. Have you ever heard of Myofascial Release Therapy? After my PT session I went directly to my MFR therapist so that she could eliminate residual pain and compression. The result was that I had less pain and more movement. My ROM was 137 degrees and I had "0" extension. I had no problem driving and was able to handle stairs in a few weeks. I know that some recovery periods can take 12-18 mos. I feel so blessed to have been able to move more quickly.

What has your surgeon shared with you about your situation? Has he mentioned the possibility of scar tissue build up?

If you could tell me more about your sleep patterns and any other post surgery symptoms, I will be here to help you.

Chris

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It will be 12 weeks this week since my surgery. If I exercise too much I can't even hardly bend my knee... I am 56 years old, a woman, and had knee replacement surgery because of osteoarthritis. I am having the worst time ever. My physical therapy goes well and the next day I am so stiff. I can only bend on my own to 90°.

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Thank you for the advice John. I found the video very helpful.
At home have been doing some short sessions on exercise “bike” (set of pedals on floor), knee glide, step stretch, walking and dangling leg w 4 pound weight to bend knee.
Most progress fm Outpatient PT has come from using heat + hamstring weight machine to alternate weighted flexing and hamstring curls.
Restarting daily Outpatient PT for next 2 weeks.
Swelling and bruising was a problem earlier but has largely abated. Dr prescribed prednisone to further reduce and encouraged continued use of tramadol and/or oxycodone to assist w PT.

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Hi @4russcoll, today's my 7th week after RTKR and apart from the dreaded "get up from bed" super tight band feeling around the knee and minor swelling, the knee has been pain free, stable, and much stronger than before. I now have pretty good ROM on the knee, though quite a ways from being able to do a yoga "baby's pose" ... but I'm slowly working my way there.

Here's something I do nightly in bed right before turning in ... which you might consider - on my back, I raise my right (surgical) leg straight up (perpendicular with my body) and then slowly lower the lower leg into a bend - just letting gravity work its magic. I use my left arm to guide the lower leg gradually down, letting gravity do the work. At some point the knee'd come to a near standstill but gravity will continue to exert its force and the knee will start to hurt due to the bend. I'd use my left arm to continue to prop the lower leg up at that position and I'd try to hold it for a minute (not always possible), getting the knee used to the deeper bend ... then gradually straighten the leg up. Straightening the leg up always cause an interesting sensation as the blood from the lower leg rush downward. After a few seconds of the leg up, I'd repeat the gravity bend. After a few repetitions, I'd call it a night.

Good luck with rehab!

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Hello Brenda. I was mentioned by Amanda and will share my experience.
TKR left knee April 2021 that I consider highly successful. 9 months out: occasional minor soreness, mostly after exercise + some continued tightness that I attribute mostly to continued healing. A year is not an under estimate.
Flexibility 110 +. I really haven’t bothered measuring lately but whatever the “number” good enough for me.
I had flexibility problems until post-op swelling finally reduced at about 6 weeks. A course of prednisone helped a lot.
I found icing several times a day and elevation- particularly after exercise - critical for first 3 months to control pain and swelling.
I am not a PT but exercise followed by being non-functional due to pain and stiffness? Could be doing too much too soon?
Hope you are able to figure out what works best for you.

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Hi @4russcoll, today's my 7th week after RTKR and apart from the dreaded "get up from bed" super tight band feeling around the knee and minor swelling, the knee has been pain free, stable, and much stronger than before. I now have pretty good ROM on the knee, though quite a ways from being able to do a yoga "baby's pose" ... but I'm slowly working my way there.

Here's something I do nightly in bed right before turning in ... which you might consider - on my back, I raise my right (surgical) leg straight up (perpendicular with my body) and then slowly lower the lower leg into a bend - just letting gravity work its magic. I use my left arm to guide the lower leg gradually down, letting gravity do the work. At some point the knee'd come to a near standstill but gravity will continue to exert its force and the knee will start to hurt due to the bend. I'd use my left arm to continue to prop the lower leg up at that position and I'd try to hold it for a minute (not always possible), getting the knee used to the deeper bend ... then gradually straighten the leg up. Straightening the leg up always cause an interesting sensation as the blood from the lower leg rush downward. After a few seconds of the leg up, I'd repeat the gravity bend. After a few repetitions, I'd call it a night.

Good luck with rehab!

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@glidefloss : I think your exercise sounds great. Anything that can get the knee used to more flex is helpful. Around the same time after TKR that you are in right now I also invented a wrinkle on the standard heel slides that seemed to speed up flexibility: at the last heel slide of the series I would pause at the fully bent position, gently lift the TKR leg, point my toes, and put the ball of the foot where the heel was. Then very slowly lower the foot to rest flat an floor and just hold for 30 to 60 seconds. The tension or mild pain will subside, and the knee will get to know the tighter bend.
As far as child’s pose is concerned, I never got there. Almost. Official last flex measurement was 135 degrees, but perhaps my butt is too small to make that work for a full “touchdown”?

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