It’s been 9 weeks since my surgery and I am beginning to sense that my new knee is my good knee! It used to be that my left knee was my good knee and my right was my bad knee, so don’t you know it that I replaced the right knee. Just after 2 months out, my new knee is becoming my “good knee” and my formerly good knee is becoming my “bad knee.” Crazy huh? Well that is rapid recovery after total knee replacement (TKR). They call TKR a super surgery! I had physical therapy the day of my surgery. You heard that right! The same day I had surgery, they had me up and walking and the next day they had me walking up and down stairs! It was truly remarkable.
There was plenty of icing too! The swelling was just what you’d imagine! The fact that he swelling takes 3 – 6 months to resolve itself was the true surprise! Consequently, the icing continued well after the 4 days in the hospital. Indeed the icing continued for weeks with concomitant nose of above toes 3 times a day for 20 minutes a pop! Having someone to drag the ice to me and prop me up was key in my recovery!
I had a few weeks of in home physical therapy and then had someone drive me to therapy for a few weeks, until I could drive on my own.
All of the therapy basically hurts. They hurt you to help you along. Trust me it’s not for the faint of heart! But it is doable! The more you push the flexion and extension, the greater the range of movement you’ll have in the end. At first, it doesn’t feel like anything is going to budge. You are just stuck at a plateau and seems like you’ve ruined yourself! Then all of a sudden your efforts pay off and you get movement! You move forward a little, and then a little more, and then even a little more! Altogether it makes a big difference. I will never forget when I could finally bend my leg in bed with my knee up and my foot flat. That was a moment. Never felt quite so satisfied with a simple positional difference in bed.
I’ll tell you I really didn’t sleep well until around the 8th week. I just couldn’t figure out what to do with my legs. It was rough! But I got through it!
Have you been putting off a surgery? What stops you dead in your tracks every time you think of the surgery? Is there anyone you need to consult? Remember the decision is yours! Just be sure it’s an informed decision! Do you have a trusted partner or friend who you might be able to confide in to discuss this topic and help you move forward in your process? If not, maybe you can discuss it with someone who had the surgery who might be able to share some insights that you might not be privie to. Just remember try not to be an island! Bouncing ideas off others often helps you to make good decisions!
All my best!
Lisa J Lafave, PhD, MBA, ACC, BCC
CEO & Founder of Coaching Rocks, LLC
The Wellness Coach form Building Better Bodies Rocks
A Single Mom By Choice Raising Surrogacy Twin Boys
Written in My Little Brick in University Heights, Ohio
Leap Into Action!