I’ve talked about this in other posts, but I’ll put it here since this seems post-op focused.
I’m 23 months out from a TKR on my right knee. It took two months to get my knee to a 90 degree bend, though my doc said it should take two weeks. After six months of PT, my knee could bend at 120 degrees and straighten to 10 degrees. OK numbers, but not as good as they’d like. It did continue to improve after PT, but my knee still doesn’t fully straighten. Getting up and down on the floor is awkward and painful.
My at-home PTs were meh. I should have raised a stink but I was in a lot of pain and on meds, and I just didn’t have the mental energy to protest. H was helpful with logistical stuff, but is not a caregiver. I knew this going in based on prior serious medical experiences. My outpatient PT came highly recommended by several friends who had also had joint replacements. But again, I wish she would have pushed me more – but I have so many other medical issues that noone wants to be the one that does something damaging. Rehab goes better for me when I have external motivators. Now armed with that self-knowledge, I’ll be more assertive about what works for me.
Post-op, I was in the hospital 2.5 days (not typical, esp during Covid, but my medical history…). I slept in a recliner for five weeks, which in retrospect, was not a great decision. My leg managed to stay somewhat bent all night. OTOH, I couldn’t sleep in a bed for those five weeks, and when I finally could, it took so many pillows to get me arranged that H had to sleep in the basement for months. (I move around a lot in my sleep. Sleeping is a challenge in the best circumstances.)
We have a split level. I had a toileting chair in the living room (main level) until I could make it upstairs. Had a toilet riser with handrails that H installed on our regular toilet and once I could climb stairs (two weeks after) I was doing stairs unless H was asleep. We have three showers, but the only shower with a 3" step was on the bottom level, so I used that and a shower seat for a couple months until I could bend my leg enough to get into the tub shower I usually use.
It became utterly apparent during this convalescence that our house is not set up for aging in place.
I was back on my sewing machine using my new knee after two weeks, driving at about 4 weeks after I was off all narcotics. I was less worried about driving than getting in and out of the car solo. We started short walks outdoors a month out.
I use a walking stick on uneven surfaces and when my back or leg feels weak. My knee has ongoing achiness going down both sides of the knee in the area where I had previous meniscus surgery. The doc almost had me go in for manipulation under anesthesia to break up scar tissue.
Spinal stenosis and a prior L1 compression fracture have affected my gait at least as much as the knee replacement. My peroneal brexis tendon tore on my left foot this past summer and I need surgery to repair it. That’s because I’m a Weeble (“Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down”). The foot ortho (that’s a different doc) told me after the tendon tear that the exercises needed to straighten a leg after knee replacement tend to wreak havoc with the lower back, and by extension one’s gait). With 4-6 weeks of non-weight bearing and months of PT afterward that surgery, I am in denial and haven’t had the procedure yet. My options for movement post-op are crutches or a knee scooter. My hands, shoulders and neck are getting trashed because it’s hard to get out of chairs. Post-op movement will make them worse.
If you remember the song “The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone’s connected to the backbone…” IT’S TRUE. Orthopedic practices have specialist doctors for each part, though, and while I went to this practice because they were FABULOUS at dealing with my long list of meds and other serious medical concerns, I have four different doctors there, and we haven’t even gotten to my shoulders or neck yet. The ortho docs tend to stay in their own lane and don’t tread on their colleagues’ turf. I need them to coordinate.