When does the pain end or lighten up after total knee replacement?

@danettef Hey There! Bless you. I'm 3.5 months out from TKR. I still battle some of the things you mention.

I cannot do 3 days of something vigorous (for me!) and then go to PT or I will pay for it and it will take me another week to get back to where I was. I took this week off from PT as I had a lot on my plate. I do my exercises at home daily. I am still not sleeping through the night and still battling fatigue from the TKR.

I reached all of my goals last week with 123 on bend and 0 of straightening, stretches, exercises & riding the bike backwards and forwards. I was elated, BUT, it set me back. I am stiffer this week, more inflammation and more aching. I am also finding, the heat & humidity play a role in my knee and weather changes too. I am icing my knee and still elevating my knee. It's important to keep moving, but, not to over do. There is a balance of doing that when you have a good day!

Don't compare yourself to others. Some folks can drive at 2 weeks....I was just able to drive last week.

I have been told this is not a sprint....it's a marathon. I've been told by several who have had this that the 1 year mark is the golden moment. My advice, if you have Fibromyalgia and bilateral arthritis like I do or other pre-existing issues that cause pain, beware of a flare up when you do your PT if you go at it gung ho.

Talk to them about your symptoms and pain level when you walk in and tell them to go easy if it's a hard day. My PT respects my requests and I am most grateful.

Standing is probably the most painful thing that I do. This is not aching, it's painful to stand for a long time and prepare meals. I do it in sessions.

I am a slow healer....always have been. Am I better than I was before surgery? Yes. Post-Op surgery is a different pain and stiffness, but it gets better. You are still early into this.

Knee replacement is major surgery. Your body is healing and it takes time....I have had to learn to be patient with myself.

Praying for you right now. Be patient with yourself (I'm preaching to the choir!). We will both get there! Blessings & Prayers for you.

@covidstinks2023 Do you remember the old Cosco kitchen step stool? In the 1950's it seemed like every home had one!
My Mom used one in the kitchen for a year after knee replacement before it got sent back to the basement. Before the days of joint replacement, my Grandma could have not have done all of her cooking, canning and baking without hers. I remember her sitting with bowls of tomatoes in her lap, peeling and directing us.

Maybe you need something like it?

PS It did triple duty, also serving as a seat at the table for the youngest kid, and as a safe way to climb to the top of the old cupboards or to change a light bulb.

@danettef I'm sorry you still hurt, and I have said this so often I should record it. If your doctor told you "recovery takes 6-8 weeks" they meant "the wound will heal and you can begin work on getting back to normal." Two very different things.

Your body has had a major assault! At this point the surgical damage has barely healed, the nerves, muscles and tendons are still trying to recover, the implants and bones are still in the phase of getting to know each other. On top of that the PT is pushing you to do more to regain strength and flexibility.

So, you will hurt, but it will gradually ease. Keep ahead of the pain - ice after PT, in the evening, whenever the hurt comes. Use Tylenol or ibuprofen. Elevate that leg often when you sit. If it swells, have the PT show you how to do lymphedema.

Gradually, you will notice less discomfort, and soon you will go for a time without noticing your new knee.

Be patient with yourself.

@danettef Hey There! Bless you. I'm 3.5 months out from TKR. I still battle some of the things you mention.

I cannot do 3 days of something vigorous (for me!) and then go to PT or I will pay for it and it will take me another week to get back to where I was. I took this week off from PT as I had a lot on my plate. I do my exercises at home daily. I am still not sleeping through the night and still battling fatigue from the TKR.

I reached all of my goals last week with 123 on bend and 0 of straightening, stretches, exercises & riding the bike backwards and forwards. I was elated, BUT, it set me back. I am stiffer this week, more inflammation and more aching. I am also finding, the heat & humidity play a role in my knee and weather changes too. I am icing my knee and still elevating my knee. It's important to keep moving, but, not to over do. There is a balance of doing that when you have a good day!

Don't compare yourself to others. Some folks can drive at 2 weeks....I was just able to drive last week.

I have been told this is not a sprint....it's a marathon. I've been told by several who have had this that the 1 year mark is the golden moment. My advice, if you have Fibromyalgia and bilateral arthritis like I do or other pre-existing issues that cause pain, beware of a flare up when you do your PT if you go at it gung ho.

Talk to them about your symptoms and pain level when you walk in and tell them to go easy if it's a hard day. My PT respects my requests and I am most grateful.

Standing is probably the most painful thing that I do. This is not aching, it's painful to stand for a long time and prepare meals. I do it in sessions.

I am a slow healer....always have been. Am I better than I was before surgery? Yes. Post-Op surgery is a different pain and stiffness, but it gets better. You are still early into this.

Knee replacement is major surgery. Your body is healing and it takes time....I have had to learn to be patient with myself.

Praying for you right now. Be patient with yourself (I'm preaching to the choir!). We will both get there! Blessings & Prayers for you.

A TKR is a very traumatic event. One's skin is cut open and the tibia and femur are cut to remove arthritic elements and to allow the implant to replace the cut bones. If the surgeon used a tourniquet, that can cause pain for a number of weeks. If your surgery was traditional, the surgeon also cut the tendon and muscle and had to sew them back up at the end of the procedure. More trauma.

That is why some surgeons have changed recovery procedures to rest the first few weeks while icing to help the inflammation to subside. Then start PT. My surgeon had me resting the first two weeks before starting PT at the PT facility. Similar to the new Quiet Knee Protocol from the Hospital for Special Surgery.

@covidstinks2023 thank you for your prayers. I am active and it is making me slow down and I have a hard time not being able to move like I feel I should. I am hoping you feel 100 percent soon!

I still have interior knee pain on my right knee after total knee replacement 8.5 weeks ago. The back of my knee keeps getting tight and sore. I am in physical therapy and following what I am told to do but I feel defeated that it still hurts and I still have tightness.

@covidstinks2023 Do you remember the old Cosco kitchen step stool? In the 1950's it seemed like every home had one!
My Mom used one in the kitchen for a year after knee replacement before it got sent back to the basement. Before the days of joint replacement, my Grandma could have not have done all of her cooking, canning and baking without hers. I remember her sitting with bowls of tomatoes in her lap, peeling and directing us.

Maybe you need something like it?

PS It did triple duty, also serving as a seat at the table for the youngest kid, and as a safe way to climb to the top of the old cupboards or to change a light bulb.

@sueinmn oooh, I want one! And in that green color. 😍
We had a red one growing up.

I still have interior knee pain on my right knee after total knee replacement 8.5 weeks ago. The back of my knee keeps getting tight and sore. I am in physical therapy and following what I am told to do but I feel defeated that it still hurts and I still have tightness.