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Miserable from TKR: What can I do to get better?
I had a right TKR 2 weeks ago. I have been miserable. I was in severe pain for 1 1/2 weeks. I am still in pain. I have a lot of stiffness. I have burning in my knee. I am depressed. I can’t sleep. I have taken more medicine in the past 2 weeks then I have in my entire life. I have been having pt at home. I start outpatient pt next week. My lower leg/knee hurts so bad when sitting. I cannot straighten my leg all the way out. When laying down, there is a gap between the bed and the back of my knee. I try to do the exercises that pt told me to do. But it hurts so bad. I wish I would have not had this surgery done!
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I can relate. I'm in my 9th week. Now my foot is so sore, I cannot practice walking. BTW how are you now?
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1 ReactionTracy,
You are still VERY early in your recovery. Recovery can effectively take up to a year, with progress coming very, very gradually, week by week, month by month. I'm 2-1/2 months and 3-1/2 months past my two TKRs and I'm still having lots of pain and stiffness in both knees. However, I have been improving. I can walk without a cane, walk up and down stairs, drive a car, and continue working as a carpenter and doing everyday activities. Hang in there, be patient and hopeful, and remain disciplined with your physical therapy. Best wishes to you.
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4 ReactionsHow are you at 1 year out, may I ask?
Tracy,
I too experienced a lot of pain after my TKR. During the weeks immediately following surgery, my knee was stiff and sore during the daytime and it was hard to do the PT exercises. At night the pain was so intense it woke me up. I remember lying in bed at 3 a.m. with tears streaming down my face, counting the minutes until I was allowed to take more pain medicine. Keep in mind--everyone's recovery experience is different, so don't compare yourself to others or what you read on the internet. Some people are lucky enough to have minimal pain after knee replacement, but there are many of us who suffered during those first weeks. There was a turning point for me at about 4 weeks out. The pain became less intense and I began to make progress with bending my knee. Keep doing the PT and taking pain meds. Don't give up! If you do not feel any improvement after 4 weeks, go back and see your surgeon!
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2 ReactionsI am at 7 months and still have numbness and soreness. My flexibility has been at 115 for months and stopped improving as my PT released me due to no improvement. My goal is playing tennis, losing hope at this point.
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1 ReactionHi ....At 9 weeks....if it were not for foot soreness, I could walk with cane. But I can't. I'd love to be able to help my wife as she has lots of issues. Good forum this
115 is still pretty good, the goal for most TKRs is 120. Can you play pickle ball instead? I get that it's not tennis. I used to be a marathoner and really miss it. But both TKRs went great and now I'm a 68 y/o gym rat!
Joe
Hi Tracy, I had TKR surgery two years and two months ago. When I read what you wrote, I could totally identify with all that you are going through! Like you, I was in agony! I couldn’t sleep and was up all night just crying with the pain. They had given me a couple of different pain meds, but the first one did nothing for the pain, the second one made me very nauseous and with the third one, I broke out in a rash. So……..they told me to take Tylenol, Extra Strength, and that is all that I could have. It was absolutely *brutal* because the Tylenol didn’t even touch the pain!!! I got very depressed (had never had depression in my life!), lost my appetite and lost about 20 lbs because I just could not eat anything. This was for my right knee. The surgeon told me that it takes a full two years to completely recover. It has been more than two years now, and I will say that it is much better, but still vulnerable. I can’t kneel down or do certain exercises that I used to do. My left knee has “severe osteoarthritis “ according to a recent MRI, but I am *never* going to have that surgery again!!! I just went to the ortho dr a few days ago and got a cortisone shot to that knee. He told me that I can probably just continue to do that (the shot) because I told him that I could *never* go through something like that again. He did tell me that it is one of the roughest surgeries to go through. Know that I am thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers for a good recovery in time. I have had three or four surgeries, plus two babies, in my lifetime, and honestly, that pain was *nothing* compared to that knee surgery!!! Time will heal it, but it just takes a lot of patience with that pain!!! All of my best to you.
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2 ReactionsHa! I read pickleball and made the sign of the cross. A pet peeve of mine. But thanks anyway.
I feared as much. It would be like someone suggesting I run in the shallow end of a pool.
Well, I do hope you can get back to tennis. 115 is a pretty good ROM. But only you know how you feel.
Be well.
Joe