To exercise or not to exercise following TKR

blueknees

I had a TKR in June last year.

I religiously followed the set exercise regime and suffered lots and lots of pain, swelling/stiffness following every session.

I joined a local gym and started attending there, doing cardio and hydro on a regular basis.

I attended the Physio sessions as per required and also attended three full weeks of therapy at a rehab centre.

All of the above just resulted in more and more pain, did not improve my degree of bend and just made me miserable. It was taking over my life.

Since November I have reduced my exercise to almost nothing and find I can get on with my life. My knee is not so sore now and the bend is increasing.

I still get stiff toward the end of the day but that follows a period of rest after the long day doing normal things.

Recent Physio, recommended by the Pain Clinic, had been just improving my posture, my walking and sitting up straight. I find that walking normally rather than limping is less awkward and less painful. My body was banana shaped when sitting, I now sit up straight.

All of the above has made me very sceptical about the exercise regimes that we are recommended. I note people on here do complain about the pains they still suffer a long time after their operations and just wonder if more rest is better than more exercise?

Why not try it, as it may help?

blueknees

Interesting but is there more or less pain and does the lesser mobility really matter ? (How much less?)

Helenbothknees

I suspect it's very variable and you need to learn to listen to your own body...easier said than done sometimes I know. I exercised A LOT following my bilateral TKR last July and I'm very happy with the results - I swim, go for long walks, do advanced yoga, kneel, and have very good flexibility. I still have some pain, but it feels like healing muscles and ligaments rather than anything in the joint, and yes, I can tell the difference. I'm seeing a physio for a bad back, and she said to expect a year to 18 months before being completely pain free, and I've heard that from loads of other sources too. So for me, the recommendations worked. I can't speak for anyone else.

chookgate

I had a Right TKR in August, and a Left TKR in November. The first one had very little swelling, very little pain (a bit of throbbing), and desperately needed the exercise regime to get range of movement - it took a long while to get it straight, never mind get a decent bend, but mobility was important to me, and following the exercise regime got me there. The second TKR was extremely swollen and bruised, is still swollen now (though nowhere near as much), and it always at least aches. Mobility in it is different from the other one, eg it immediately after surgery went completely straight, but still feels very stiff and weak when bending. It can bend as much as the first one, but not under its own steam. Initially the exercises on the second knee were extremely painful, due I think to muscle weakness and trauma from the surgery, which apparently was more invasive than the first (more bone growths etc particulary at the back of the knee).

I have to admit I haven't been as religious with the exercises with the second one since I've been back at work (since 7 weeks post surgery), and find some days it is better for not having done any stretches/bends, but on others it is better for having done them.

So, yes when I do the exercises with the second tkr I get more pain, but I do get more mobility, and that is more important to me than being pain free.

Do what is best for you, if what you are doing now is giving you improvements, you are obviously doing the right thing.

barry2013

I had my left TKR done in Feb and everything is coming along just fine, I am cycling around 4 miles every other day on my road bike, use an exercise bike at the gym play short mat bowls, starting healthy walks and my GP has put me forward for a free 20 week programme at our local gym, the knee does ache but nothing like the pain before the TKR. But we are all different and I wish you all the best.
Barry.

chookgate

I think there's a fine line between doing enough exercise to get back muscle function and prevent scar tissue forming in the wrong places, and not resting enough to allow the muscles traumatised by surgery time to recover. The trouble is, no one can tell someone else how much IS too much or too little - there are too many variables depending on the level of trauma. It's left to the individual to do the difficult task of trying to do what feels comfortable for them whilst fending off other people "who know best"! It's all made so much harder by the truth that sometimes pain is necessary to get the muscles to work, but sometimes pain is an indication you're doing too much or not doing it right.

If you feel something you're doing (or not doing) is making it worse, stop for a couple of days, and if you feel something you're doing (or not doing) is making it better - keep doing it.

elnafinn

Post op recovery from any operation is very individual. We are given the guidelines and we have to do our best with them. I was indebted to the physios who looked after me in the hospital and the one physio on my return home, after my TKRs. When home, we worked together as a team and I could always call her if not sure about anything. She chided me once when I did not go for a walks in the early days because of the pain. I was grateful she did and made sure that I made the real effort so as to tell her how I had got on the next time we met. It was a great achievement for me and I definitely needed that little push. I exercised two or three times a day after both my TKRs and always had lots of pain for months but it went in the end as I was told it would. I used an abundance of ice, rested and elevated.

Elna x

Helenbothknees

One thing we all need to consider....

I was told the main reason for the emphasis on exercise after a TKR is to prevent scar tissue forming. There is only a short window of time before it forms, and once it's there, you can't get rid of it. So you need to exercise early on to get as much range of motion as possible.

However, when it comes down to strengthening muscles, ligaments etc,there is all the time in the world. So it really doesn't matter that much - damaged ones will eventually heal if you overdo it, while if you don't do enough, you can try harder next month.

At least, that's how I understand it.

wendgro

Just posted on the site about my own exercise plan after my revision. Such a lot of conflicting advice all good though my muscles hadn't been used properly for a couple of years so after revision I am now educating them to work properly I know it' a long slow process. I am very aware of scar tissue forming so it is important to try and stop it before it starts hence the physio so intense so early on after the op I am 7 weeks post op I can only bend 72% I am aiming for the magic 90%