11 days post Total Knee Replacement

Fionabee

Hi, is there anyone out there at a similar stage? I am 52 and was discharged from hospital on day 3 and had 2 visits from the community team who then discharged me. I think things are moving in the right direction, but between now and my 6 wk post op check I'm not due to see anyone. Is this common?I'm not sure how quickly I should increase activity, made a mistake with my first walk outside and went too far (approx 400m) and paid for it afterwards with a painful swollen leg and could barely do exercises, the next day I was fine, which left me wondering if walking does always cause swelling and pain in the early days? In the meantime I'm following the exercise sheet, it doesn't contain any info about walking distances, when I was given it, I wasn't thinking very far ahead.

dreamdaisy

It won't contain info about walking any distances because, in these very early stages, you probably shouldn't be. Surface healing won't have happened let alone the deeper that needs to take place. Your bones have been sawn, chiselled, hammered and you've had the new knee severely manhandled by the surgeons, this all takes its toll on your body. Now it's time for you to play your part in doing the exercises, resting the new joint, in short be a patient patient. I can understand your frustration but your knee took some years to get to the replacement stage and thus it will take time for things to repair themselves after this gross invasion of your knee's privacy. As for the time-lapse before you next see someone that is entirely normal. DD

Helenbothknees

Fiona,

Here, hopefully, is a link to a diary-type thread I started just after having both knees replaced back in July 2012. http://arthritiscareforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=33699&p=455504#p455504
If that link doesn't work, click on Search at the top of this page, search on my name and get all my posts, then look for the thread called "Helen's Bilateral TKR" or something similar. I recorded how things had been for me, almost day by day, after my op. There are posts by other people who had TKRs around the same time, all comparing notes. I think you might find it useful.

I just had a quick read through it, and as far as I can tell, I was doing little besides getting around the house, doing my exercises, and resting, at your early stage. And I was completely and utterly exhausted just about all the time!

I think DD is right and you shouldn't be trying to walk more than you have to just yet, but if you feel able to and your knee doesn't swell up, then it probably won't do any harm. But I may be wrong on that! I think you should ring someone up - I think you said in your pm that you had a phone number - and ask. That's what they're there for. I absolutely plagued people - phoned the physios, asked questions, wanted reassurance. After all, we want to get it right, and they should be telling us what to do.

barbara12

Hello Fiona

I haven't had a knee replacement...but I do remember those that have saying after exercise the knee would swell so then it was ice and rest...it is scarey when the backup goes,do you not have a num for the hospital in case you are worried...I was given one but mine was my hip and suppose it depends on hospitals .....you do seen to be doing really well..x

Helenbothknees

Fiona, I just looked in the book Total Knee Replacement and Rehabilitation that I told you about. There's a chapter on walking and how much to do. It doesn't talk about any particular distance but says to do a bit during the second week post-op, but suggests 2-3 minutes a day and increasing very gradually when you feel able to. But he suggests having a chair at the end of the driveway, for instance, so is clearly talking about very short distances.

Fionabee

Thanks for your comments. I found your link really useful Helen, I wouldn't have found your post op diary otherwise, I don't find the search facility very useful, not sure where I'm going wrong with it. I had found some of your other posts from your profile page.
I think I'm doing ok, I did ring the community team after getting myself into a bit of a lather after going to have my staples taken out. The wound was a bit moist in 2 places, so the nurse only wanted to remove alternate staples, I don't think she was too concerned about it though. I did have to take the hair dryer to the edges of the dry dressing to increase the stickiness, it was lifting by the time I reached home, no way will it last till next Wednesday.
Community nurse said I'm ok to go out for "short" walks and just to increase exercises gradually if I want (a few days ago i increased the "hold" from 5 to 10 seconds, daft on reflection!) she thought I'd reached a good standard.
So for the moment, I think I'm ok but I'm sure I'll think of something else!
Thanks, Fiona.