knee replacement

[Curry16]

my husband had a complete knee replacement on Thursday evening 4 days in and he's struggling quite a bit getting up the stairs, he's on painrelief but his knee is fairly swollen and bruised which is limiting his movement has anyone else had experience like this

[Madlegs1]

That sounds quite normal.

Why on earth is he climbing the stairs?

My wife has had both knees done, separately, and we put her bed downstairs with a commode beside the bed. That has worked well.

The pain is bad for a few weeks. It is absolutely necessary to take the painkillers,so as to be able to do the exercises and accept the massages.

Walking with the crutches/ Zimmer is good also. Just don't overdo any of these.

It takes about 6 to 8 weeks to just feel one is ok, and a few months to feel " better"

Good luck.

[Curry16 in reply to Madlegs1]

Thank you made us feel more reassured the physio at hospital told him to use the stairs I did think it was a bit extreme

[Curry16 in reply to Madlegs1]

He also had to climb 8 Stairs at the hospital before they would discharge him

[Madlegs1 in reply to Curry16]

Yes-- I should clarify that walking up stairs is part of the rehab.

I got the idea that your man was having to go upstairs all day long !!!😝🙄

My bad!😎

He'll be grand!

[Suzie42]

This is quite normal. My husband has had both knees replaced and for the first couple of weeks it was really hard going. He must elevate it while sitting down and ice is a must, it takes some pain away, but also takes down the swelling. My husband used his crutches up and down the stairs and physio said it helps also with recovery.The 2nd knee replacement he had done in February was more painful than the first. But he stayed on painkillers for longer. He took Tramadol which are excellent. Exercising the knee plays a massive part in recovery and needs to be done regularly. My husband has been pain free since May. So early days for your husband. Let us know how he gets on.

[Curry16 in reply to Suzie42]

Thank you

[Curry16 in reply to Suzie42]

Can I ask another question , he's concerned he's mot doing enough because we are on day 5 and he still can't straighten the leg due to swelling and pain in the knee on exercises not sure if this is normal or should he be more mobile Thanks

[Suzie42 in reply to Curry16]

Did your husband come with printed physio exercises. There are ones to do for straightening the leg, but it takes a couple of months at least to fully straighten. Keep him persevering daily with the exercises and he must put ice on the knee. Usually he will go for physio between 4 and 6 weeks after. They monitor the straightening of the leg. It's very early days for him. Wish him well for me

[Curry16 in reply to Suzie42]

Thank you

[Trenholm]

Swelling is common and adds to the pain. Keep the leg elevated and use ice packs to reduce the swelling and pain.

[Cat33]

Hello Curry16 Please tell your husband to take the stairs very very easily it's only 4 days It took me months to be able to walk up the stairs normally Sorry that's not doom and gloom he will recover soon but the stairs are a real strain so tell him not to worry about them he will be able to do them but not yet

His physio will help him to do them too

I had my knee replacement in December my surgeon told me it takes 3 months to recover and he was spot on

That's not to say he won't be able to go back to work sooner or anything but at the moment he must take things easy it's such a brutal operation but as the days go by he will see lots of improvement

[Curry16 in reply to Cat33]

How many days do you think before ge sees improvement

[Cat33 in reply to Curry16]

He will see improvement each day I promise I remember the physio trying to get me to lift my leg in the air when I was in hospital and it just wouldn't move I was at home on the 7th day and all of a sudden I could do it As long as he keeps doing his exercises follows all the advice given lots of ice and keep the pain killers up he will be fine

Its hard to give a time as we are all different just don't rush it or put deadlines on it he will get there

Wishing him all the very very best x

[Mitch48]

I had my first knee total knee replacement & patella last year aged 51. Swelling is a huge part of the recovery of the knee & it is severe and can spread up the thigh and to the lower leg too. If you are curious about the surgery, there are plenty of videos on YouTube & you’ll understand why the pain your husband is in can be hard to control at first & why the swelling is as it is! Using stairs every day, even numerous times are SO important, the knee has got to be exercised, so that your husband will recover as quickly as possible, get maximum benefit from surgery & be able to achieve the 120 degree bending of the joint. I’m used to knee surgeries & big ones, I’ve had 9 now, having had a congenital defect of maltracking knee caps which caused lots & lots of pain from a young age (10 years old), early onset arthritis in my 20’s and warranted all the surgeries with numerous procedures in each. The pain from the TKR took a lot of managing from the hospital doctors as I’m on 11 medications, including Morphine & Fentanyl patches, etc, for cervical & lumbar spinal injuries, have constant severe chronic pain (nerve pain etc) & have had numerous spinal surgeries too. I’ve been told by my surgeon & physio that patients who do not partake fully in getting their new knee joint working well, undertaking all the exercises given & walk every day as outlined then these patients can struggle to regain anywhere like normal movement in their joint, many have had to have repeated surgery on that knee.

Often this is from the fear of pain when moving the joint/leg during exercise or not doing the physio exercises fully or at all!

I found it challenging going up & down stairs & I’m used to a much worse type of pain than from this surgery/recovery but I worked hard at all my exercises & was off of crutches inside & outside of the house in only 3-4 weeks. I was determined to be the best I could be with this new joint as mine has to last longer than most’s with me being considerably younger than most patients are when having the surgery. I’m having a Tibial Tubercule Osteotomy next on my left leg (dominant) to enable the least damaged part of the knee cap, which is not fully bone on bone wearing yet to wear against the shin/femur and extend the need for another TKR & patella quite so soon.

Hard work & determination along with lots of support will enable your husband to overcome his pain & recover as solidly as possible. Avoiding exercises & stairs will set him back. Contact the staff at hospital where he had surgery, such as the physios or Arthroplasty nurses to assist, should you need to.

Good luck!

Kind Regards,

Mitch

[110201]

Hi, my husband had both his replaced 3/4 years ago. He was recommended to try the Game Ready machine to aid healing after his first by a colleague. These are often used by top athletes/sportsmen. It made a vast difference to the recovery time and far less painful second time around. I believe it cost him around £250 for a month and he says it’s the best money he’s ever spent! I’ll add a link for you and best wishes for your recovery xgamereadyhire.com.au/

[Hidden]

Only 4 says in, sounds totally normal to me. Pain and swelling for at least 4-5 weeks or longer. Stairs are good exercise but presumably he was shown how to do it in the hospital before they discharged him. Crutch in one hand, stair rail in the other.... good leg first going up and the opposite coming down....only one step at a time, not leg over leg.The most important thing after knee replacement is to do the exercises as prescribed and control the pain with pain relief.

[katieoxo60]

Yes it sounds par for the course , I used a camping toilet downstairs so only needed to go upstairs once a day for bed. They prefer you to have a bed downstairs in the first two weeks , but don't generallly offer help with this. I had two zimmers one at top of stairs and one downstairs supplied by Physio plus crutches and a commode at the side of my bed supplied by local OT. I do live alone and am classed as disabled mobility wise. So I had an assessment of need before the operation. I have just finished another Physio course because of pain but I have had a broken foot while recovering too , so you never know what might happen. My motto is be prepared. Every best wish to hubby for a speedy good recovery , but do take care and beware of bladder infections during recovery.