← Return to Pain after recent Knee Replacement. What is normal? For how long?

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@ddsack

I'm happy you found something useful in my post. There is another stair exercise that I just hated at first, but it was important in building strength and stability in the knee so that it can take your weight when coming down stairs. Maybe your PT has already got you started on this one.
Standing just one step up from floor level on your TKR foot, turn so you are facing the wall or the railing if you have that. Your TKR foot will be close to the edge of the step, and you will drop your good foot to the floor. You can put both palms on the wall, or hold the railing for stability at first. Dip/bend your TKR knee, and try to tap just the toe of your good foot on the ground below the step before bringing it back up next to your other foot. Do the knee bend 10-15 times. You are putting your whole body weight on your bent knee, just as you would walking down the stairs. You can put a large book or boards on the floor below at first, to make an easier goal to reach with your good toe. You don't need to put the good foot all the way down, just tap the toe. You also do a set of these facing forward looking up the stairs, and then a set facing straight down. These are hard and uncomfortable to do at first, but it gets better, and they are really good for building strength and balance on your TKR leg.
I can only say what worked for me, you may want to check with your PT person to see if they think these would benefit a person in your current phase of recovery. Someone still having a lot of daily knee pain and weakness may not be ready for them. Your PT person is your best guide.

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Replies to "I'm happy you found something useful in my post. There is another stair exercise that I..."

These simple "dip" exercises work the quad of the surgical leg and build strength. I started doing these after I had established range of motion of about 120 degrees, so around 4 weeks post-op. For some people it will take longer. You'll feel it in the patella, and if the pain is sharp, stop. But if the pain if manageable, then these are good exercises and can be done just about anywhere.

Think of recovery in two phases. The first is to get range of motion (ROM) back in your knee and to straighten your leg (extension). There are exercises, like ankle slides, to do this. Once you've reached 120 degrees ROM (or whatever your PT and Dr.recommend), then you can start to strengthen the quads, and these dip exercises are a good way to do that.

Remember, it's likely the surgeon made a small incision in your quad to weaken it enough to pull the patella to the side during surgery. So the quad on your surgical leg will be a little weak, Be patient and good things should happen.

Great advice ddsack, thanks!

Joe

Thank you I pretty sure I can do but I will ask …. It sounds very challenging…. Exactly what I need at this stage in recovery…. Thank you very much