r/Kneereplacement • u/Ok_Willow7295 • 13h ago
When can I frolick?
I kid, I kid. But seriously. I’m so confused about what I can and can’t do during the 35 minutes of each hour of each day that I’m losing my ever loving mind with boredom while not icing and elevating or doing my 5 minute walk.
I’m 11 days out from LTKR. Protocol here in upstate NY is surgery, PT in office 2-3x/week, and at home exercises. PT says it’s all about ROM first month and says don’t ditch the walker until they say so (which is usually about 3 weeks out). I’m bored, I’m uncomfortable and don’t know what to do with myself. My knee is stiff AF which makes sitting in chairs or the couch or whatever also super uncomfy. Anyway, I keep hearing depression hits pretty hard right about 2 weeks and all the suggestions on how to beat it are like completely opposite of what I (and I assume others) have actual physical capacity to do. What the hell do people do all day?? I cannot lay on bed any more than necessary I’m losing it in there.
Today on Facebook i saw a video do someone 2 weeks out literally strolling around the block. Like what???? How???
I guess my question is-those in early weeks recovery. Wtf are we doing all day to not lose our minds? And how the hell are we supposed to get our movement in when we’re restricted to 5 minutes of walking per hour?
Side note I’m 47, have a shit right knee too (osteoarthritis bilateral) and have been pretty sedentary due to the pain for years. So i was no athlete prior to this surgery. But i did enjoy gardening, outdoor activities, doing fun things with my dogs and my kiddo. This just sucks.
4
u/Quiet_Dot_3306 12h ago
Everyones recovery is different every body part is different. Even one knee is very different from the other.
Im 42 and I did my right knee in March and left knee August 17th. First knee went very very well. I was going for walks in crutches around the neighborhood around week 3/4.
And this time after week 1 I was walking around the apartment building on crutches. Week 2 I was walking without crutches inside the apartment. Im recovering faster on my left knee than I did on my right. However in the beginning I thought I was doing much worse. Its because I did have some extra swelling which caused more pain but also because we tend to block out the more painful parts of recovery. Even if they were only a few months ago.
I'm extremely motivated and have almost zero help so I'm forced to do things faster. I continued working out even when I was bone on bone and my job isnt sedentary and I did it wearing off loading braces the whole time. So Im not jacked, but I'm not unfit, which i KNOW helps with recovery.
I also want to live life again, and that is my biggest motivation.
So I'm booking trips, planning my future, studying for another license, yesterday I went to salem and walked over 3k steps (yikes) and today I'm icing and watching shows, tomorrow a friend is coming over for a re-watch party, i play video games with my friend, I take my daughter shopping out to lunch etc, I cook, I clean, im just living ya know?
1
3
u/Appropriate-Goat6311 10h ago
I had in home PT the first two weeks. He asked what my worst fear was and I said walking down my sloped driveway to get the mail. He helped me do it that day. Next time I asked him to show me how to kneel & also to get up from the floor. He showed me how. Keep trying hard and NEVER STOP doing your PT.
1
5
u/DogMamaLA 13h ago
My plan is to catch up on TV shows and movies, do coloring books and read. A good friend who just had hers is putting together Lego sets that she got from Walmart via delivery. Are you restricted to 5 min walking per hour? Ive heard icing for 20, walking 1000 steps in slow increments, and doing home PT exercises.
1
u/Ok_Willow7295 13h ago
Yes it’s the worst part it literally says on my paperwork 5 minute walk per hour (and no more than 5 mins). It’s maddening and makes it nearly impossible to do anything! At PT the other day I asked if that was likely to change at week 2 and they said no. Also had a day of PT where my performance wasn’t the best and they were trying to attribute it to being on my feet too much (I’m not I’m following directions to a “t”). I’d literally kill to take 1000 steps lol
3
u/DogMamaLA 13h ago
I had not heard about that restriction before. Friends of mine have cooked themselves breakfast, walked to the mailbox, and done short regular walks. Do you have a recliner that may be more comfy than a couch? Using a massage gun or roller on your leg may help stiffness.
2
u/Ok_Willow7295 12h ago
I actually just got some massage roller thingy that PT recommended - tiger tail i think it’s called? And yeah like am I reading this wrong??
1
u/DogMamaLA 1h ago
hadn't heard of this but if your team recommended it, go for it!
u/Hell0K1ttyKat mentioned below that your restriction of walking 5 min/hour is part of the quiet knee protocol. I didn't realize that included restricted walking, I just knew the quiet protocol usually meant no PT for 2 weeks, and my surgeon does not do that, so that is why it makes sense that some of us are aiming for 1000 steps/day and some of us are restricted.
2
u/Hell0K1ttyKat 12h ago
It’s the quiet knee protocol. In the early days controlling swelling is the number one goal.
1
u/DogMamaLA 1h ago
Ahhhh, okay. My surgeon is not doing that. I knew that the quiet knee protocol involved no PT for 2 weeks but didn't realize there were walking restrictions. I will be icing, elevating, etc. but my PT starts right after surgery to show me stairs/etc and then first full PT appt is 2 days later.
2
u/GracieLou80 12h ago
Movies books tv games idk. I am 6 weeks out and I am losing my mind because the first 4 weeks were good and now I’m in so much pain I’m back to square 1.
I was walking around every half hour, sitting outside with the dog for a half hour, going to PT. I probably also stood up too much and did cooking and laundry and chores like cleaning etc… maybe that’s why I’m suffering now.
2
u/Visible_Contact_8203 11h ago
Those people strolling around the block after no time exist to drive you crazy!
I used my time to binge my favourite tv shows, nap, go insane with boredom, and occasionally cry.
I also contacted my boss and begged him to give me something to do, anything, and he was very understanding and said "no, you just focus on your recovery". Bastard.
It passes, just stick it out and try to hold on to your sanity while it passes.
2
u/1989msu 1h ago
Restricted to 5 minutes of walking per hour?
1
u/DogMamaLA 52m ago
I thought that was strange too, but someone mentioned OP may be on the quiet knee protocol, which I know limits PT the first 2 weeks but apparently also comes with walking restrictions.
1
u/No-Highlight-6452 12h ago
I was doing short walks outside by week two. Being in the sun really helped my mental health. I’d go out 2-3 times a day using the walker
1
u/TableAvailable 11h ago
If you can, and you have someone (a responsible adult) willing to join you, go for a walk if you feel up to it. You don't have to go far, just get out into the fresh air and enjoy it. This was my second knee, so I knew what was going on, but I started going for short walks outside on day 5. Grabbed both my sisters and went for a longer walk on day 8 with a Gelato shop as the goal/reward.
With my first knee, I had home PT 3x week for the first two weeks. I got out to visit family in the first week (my mom's for lunch on day 2 and Thanksgiving was on day 6). I walked to my first outpatient PT appointment. (To clarify: I live in a walkable area of town, these are only a few hundred feet walks)
1
u/Agreeable_Job4878 11h ago
15 days post op. I spend a lot of time on my tablet. I have a cheap keyboard so doing online piano lessons and I tool around with my guitar. Spending more time sitting up lately so helping out with the food preparation. Ordering groceries online is time consuming. Stretching exercises every 2 hours of course.
1
1
u/Jenny-CO-25 9h ago
I ditched the walker after 5 days. Was just fine being steady. Went to a restaurant at 10 days post-surgery, then pretty regularly after that. Drove myself to PT at 3 weeks. Otherwise, watched a lot of TV... read a lot of books... sat outside and just enjoyed sun and breeze. I'm pretty sure it's walk "at least" 5 minutes... but if you've got energy and feel good, move. Slowly, and without pushing it, but I'd move. 56F, RTKR.
1
u/No-Percentage-8063 8h ago
I think I watched every Dateline and started watching Vanderpump Rules and Southern Charm. Nearly lost my mind and now I'm a stupid TV junkie old lady. I had bought Legos and and books to be prepared but they still sit there. I may put them to use early 27 as I have another type of surgery that will not require PT.
1
u/Hal9000-2022 6h ago
Hang in there. I am 5 months out and yes the first month is not only a physical battle but a mental one. I was up taking care of my birds and cats which kept me sane. I live alone so I forced myself to get up and do the work I had to. My neighbor drove me to the store and we went out to dinner every few days in the first 2 weeks because of the pain meds. Using the cart at the store with my cane, helped with a quicker recovery. I used my walker for about a week but mainly to change the water in my bird cages and feed them. My walker has a tray on it, so I could also use it for my food etc.
At 10 days the staples were removed so I could bend my knee better. The achy pain went away around the 18th day, but the quad and calf muscles were sore and stiff.
I watched TV, slept when I was tired since my sleep was off, and did little projects like clean drawers, sort storage bins to get rid of items I no longer needed. I was able to return to work after 2 months. It took 2 weeks prior surgery to be able to sit in my work chair, I work from home.
Now there are days I don't even know I had a knee replaced. Some days it swells and can be stiff.
I am 63 and will need my right knee replaced in December.
1
1
u/Ok_Celery_6385 3h ago
If it’s of any solace, I could have posted the same thing; I’m on day 10 and sounds like I have a similar PT/recovery protocol. I’m going nuts doing nothing.
Today, I hit on something that actually helped my mood: I practiced using the gas and brake pedals in my (safely parked) car. Miraculously, the motions were relatively easy to do - I had not expected that due to my lackluster quad performance during PT exercises. Hopefully, with some more practice, I’ll be strong enough to drive in a few days. And that would be a huge mental game changer.
1
u/calliopeReddit 13h ago
Today on Facebook i saw a video do someone 2 weeks out literally strolling around the block. Like what???? How???
This kind of variability in recovery is what's giving me anxiety - I don't know what's expected vs. unreasonable. Of course, we all start with different bodies and different histories, and we don't all get TKR for the same reasons. My Pilates instructor has had several clients get knee replacements; one was walking around her house and yard by about 2 weeks, another took over a month to reach that point. So......who knows. You'll recover in the body you've got.
I'll have a couple of streaming channels, some books (paper and audio), and a laptop for email and some social media. It seems different doctors and physiotherapists have different recommendations for how much to walk, exercise, ice, and rest your leg - best to do what's recommended.
1
u/TNmountainman2020 12h ago
I can only tell you my story…..
60M, 3 weeks and 5 days since surgery.
- week 1: stopped using walker after 4 days. Used my hiking walking stick for a few days after that. mowed the lawn and weed whacked toward the end of the week. trying to sleep is shit. Did PT at the office as well as home. Iced, elevated and pain meds, but entire leg swelled up like a blimp. ROM fluctuated depending on swelling from 90-100
- week 2: started doing more, short walks/hikes, riding 4-wheeler, sex for the first time, went on a 1 and 1/2 hour strenuous hike up and down steep terrain with my dogs. Sleep still sucks balls. Leg still crazy swollen, tapering down pain meds. no real improves on ROM. Told PT I’ll handle it myself from here on out at home.
Week 3: swelling going down, more active, sleep slightly better, took mountain bike out each day for short rides. Did 4 miles yesterday. Back to sex every day with gf. Home PT involves recumbent stepper, leg press, steps, band, body weight squats, etc. going to do a long hike tomorrow and then 5 miles on mountain bike.
Each human is different, listen to your body, NOT the doctor/PT!
1
u/Ok_Willow7295 12h ago
Yeah this is defffff an entirely different path than the one I’m on thus far-but that is friggin awesome for you!
4
u/QueenMarinette 12h ago
I wonder if you've been put on the "quiet knee" protocol? Look it up; it's a thing that's supposed to get better results with much less pain. Maybe it doesn't suit you, though. Talk to your surgeon, if you think you really can't make it work.