Total Knee Replacement

My TKR is 3 weeks ago now and my bending is 123, what is pretty good. I do all my exercises, in the beginning some were very painful, but I did them anyway.
I had and still have some stiffness/ pain at the back of my knee and down to my foot, bruises from the surgery, it’s nearly gone now.

hi adillen,

Some burning is expected, especially when doing PT to bend the knee. Push very slightly past the point where you feel resistance and burning. It should not be a sharp pain.

As for flexion and extension - with flexion, bending the knee, you want to ideally get to 120 degrees, so 90 is better than 80, but also based on where you are in rehab. With extension (straightening the leg), zero degrees is the ideal. Flexion usually starts out around 80 to 90 and increases after that.

Be patient. You should see results fairly soon if you're going to PT and doing the exercises 3x/day at home.

All of my very best wishes to all of you as you recover from knee replacement. I have posted here quite a while ago, but want to encourage you to keep up with in home and outside physical therapy. Unfortunately, for me, I could not take the pain medication that was prescribed. My doctor at the New England Baptist Hospital tried four different medications and I had an allergic reaction to all of them. I was “stuck” only taking Tylenol Extra Strength and my recovery was horrible, painful, and very long. This was three years ago. My TKR is just “okay”…….still can’t kneel down on it or do all of the exercises that I used to do. My other knee (the left one) is not good, but I go to my surgeon every three or four months and get a cortisone shot. It helps! I will never go through another knee replacement again…..I will just “live with it” the way that it is now. Like “heyjoe415 “ recommends, before you have the surgery, get in shape, strenthing your quads. I have to say that I did that, but after the surgery, I was told that those muscles were weak………even after all of the leg strengthening exercises that I did ahead of time!!! However, strengthening those muscles before surgery does help many people and that is very good advice! Waiting for stem cells to be the answer for knees and hips!!!! Best wishes to all who have to have TKR!

90 degrees is better than 80 At the knee joint, most functional activities require up to 120 degrees of knee flexion, rather than the full 135 degrees..copied from google..

physical therapy will help get your range of motion return.. tkrp is no joke, I thought new knee new life...it surely takes time, encouragement, patience and some humor.
good luck

Well said. After a TKR, 120 degrees of flexion is considered good, and is really all that is needed for activities of daily life. A lot of that depends on the patient doing ALL the recommended therapy. It's a drag, most therapy is, but critical in the first few weeks after surgery.

In my opinion, most people who feel their TKRs weren't successful didn't do the required work. Not all, but most. Scar tissue builds quickly unless the knee is worked, and then flexion and even extension may be locked at unacceptable levels. And surgeons don't like to do a second procedure to remove scar tissue. First, it's not terribly effective and second, a patient who doesn't do required therapy the first time is unlikely to do it a second time. And scar tissue can't be stretched or massaged away.

So please, if you're getting a TKR, exercise as you can before the procedure, and even more after the surgery. The outcome can be wonderful if you do the work.

Hello there and I hope your pain is being well managed - mine was brutal for the first two weeks. My flexion is now 150+ and my pain is FINALLY gone. I am 3 ½ months post surgery.
The burning is VERY normal - your nerves are starting to reconnect and that is a good sign. It does go away.

All the best to you - keep us updated. Happy and healthy 2024!

I had both knees replaced four months apart and I have to say that if you push through PT and the pain, you will get to the other side and be fine. I found aqua therapy and then aqua aerobic classes helped tremendously. This is what gave me full extension and very good flexion. So hang in and keep going. I can go up and down stairs easily and no more knee pain. Patience is the key.

I so agree with you - thank you!

Well said. I had the same experience, both knees replaced four months apart. Like you, I worked very hard at prehab and rehab. The post-surgery work is uncomfortable, but you push up to the point where it hurts, and then just a little more. The next day you et farther and the pain eases. Very unlike the bone-on-bone days where pain either is constant or gets worse.

Along with the work, find a good surgeon. I like surgeons in their 30s and 40s, with a solid pedigree from a med school and residency, and a preference for technology like robotic assistants. They will have performed hundreds if not thousands of procedures, and they're your and still eager to learn.

I'm glad your TKRs turned out so well. It was life changing for me.

Well said Cathyanne. Flexion at 150 plus is about as good as it gets. I'm at 130 but that's all I need. I can't sit on my heels but use a yoga block to sit on in yoga.

Pain/burning is the worst in the first week or two, then it starts to get better. That's a joy. And for some, please be patient. Swelling and stiffness in particular can persist for 6 months, maybe more. It truly does take one year for everything to finally settle down. A TKR is a safe but invasive procedure.

Best wishes to all for a healthy and pain-free 2024!