Monday somewhat funday? Today was physio day. I’m finding myself really looking forward to my physio appointments. Knee replacement recovery is hard, and the appointments are painful, but my physio is really great and pushes me just enough to ensure progress and always leaves me with tips and homework for advancing when I leave. I definitely would NOT be making the progress that I am without her help.
When we measured my bend today I was at 45 degrees. There was no way my knee was going any further than that. There was just too much medial pain. I talked to the physio about this and she said that I am very pain limited and the medial pain I am feeling is not necessarily normal for knee recovery (not abnormal, but there is definitely something going on with the tendon which is stopping my progress). This actually made me feel MORE optimistic rather than less. Both the physio and I feel that I could definitely push the bend a lot more if it weren’t for this one specific, localized pain. So if I can get that pain under control I should be able to make a lot of progress.
I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow so she can check my incision healing and do a general check up (look for potential clots, assess my range of motion, etc.) and Sarah suggested I ask about getting a prescription strength topical anti-inflammatory (like voltarin). The oral painkillers don’t touch this particular pain (and I find I don’t need them at all for general pain anymore) so something more targeted may help. Hopefully my doctor agrees and gives me a prescription!
My leg swelling is still significant but that is normal for this stage in the healing process. I am able to elevate my leg for longer periods of time which helps a lot. When I first started elevating I could only stand to have it up for 5 minutes (and that was hard!) now I can go for 25-30 no problem. So progress there! That along with icing should help drop that swelling more quickly.
Weekend fun - the good, the bad and the ugly:
This weekend I had my first non-medical related outing since the surgery!! I went to a “pop-up plant store” (in an open lot) and bought some annuals for the flower boxes on my deck. It was exciting to be out and about and fun to be doing something that wasn’t related to my knee or recovery. I still need to PLANT the plants, but that will likely be a project for tomorrow. Getting out of the house and mobile goes in the “good” category for sure!
On to the bad… I seem to have pulled a muscle in my upper arm/shoulder. When I get onto the couch (where I am sleeping so it is set up as a bed) I put my arms behind me to support myself while I scootch back with my leg out in front of me. While doing this I clearly over extended and now have a pulled muscle which is causing me some problems/pain. Unfortunately, I can’t rest the arm either because I need it to move back when I sit down, and for holding my walker when I am doing “mindful” (heel/toe) walking. It’s just another fun part of the recovery process!
And then the ugly… Because knee replacement surgery involves moving leg muscles out of the way so that the surgeon can access the joint, the quads are generally quite unhappy/tight and non-functional for a few weeks afterwards. From what I understand from others the quads start to “wake up” 2-3 weeks post-op. I am right in that 2 1/2 week spot and mine have started to wake up! This is generally a good thing, except that twice they did an involuntary twitch while I was sleeping causing my knee to bend more than it’s used to causing me to wake up with a shout of pain! Definitely not fun. That isn’t the MOST ugly though…my most ugly moment was when I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I made my way back to bed in a half asleep state and without thinking sat down without extending my leg at all. My leg bent to almost 90 degrees and MAN did it hurt. I may have woken up all of the negihbours with that one! It was a sharp, hot pain for about 5 minutes but then it did settle and I was able to resume sleeping.
The positive with the ugly weekend moments is that it showed that my knee CAN bend much more – it just won’t because I am blocked by pain. So get the pain under control and I SHOULD see some really good progress with range of motion – I can only hope!!
Next up is my GP appointment tomorrow. There I will find out if all is well with my incision, if my legs are clot free and what my next steps are. Fingers crossed she will have a solution for my localized pain! More to come on that.
Progress milestones to date:
Knee bend: 45 degrees
Leg lift: Can lift my right leg when lying on my back approximately 6 inches unassisted
Walking: I can walk short distances without my walker and can stand for as long as I need to unassisted
Sitting: I can use my raised toilet seat more comfortably because I can get on it without pain levels
Pain: I am completely off pain meds with the exception of pre-physio pain management
Getting up and down: I can get myself on and off the couch unassisted (it’s difficult to get back on but I can do it!)
