Mario Said:

Tell me about your total knee replacement ...?

We Answered:

I rehab them all day!! you have a LOT of hard work ahead of you, the sooner the better!! (esp for the next 3 months);; the first 3 days (sorry) are from hell!! the first 3 wks ya go thru the stages of understanding your good pains vs bad pains, your eating ability will diminish d/t the anesthesia, pain meds & weakness from surgery; your sleep will suffer once you get home cuz the pain meds change;; you SHOULD have home care when you finally get home;; you will spend the majority of the day working this knee & each day gets easier but the first 3 wks are a little jumbled because you are learning a lot about what you need to do & how to function with this surgery;; the BEST piece of advice I can give you is to exercise BEFORE you have surgery...so start now..ask your doc for a list of basic exercises for your condition..do them regularly (or use the one's already given to you when you had rehab initially for this knee of your's);; the other BEST piece of advice I can give you is to TRY YOUR BEST to not guard or 'overprotect' the knee..something you are probably so used to doing d/t the pain you've been experiencing..treat it like the other leg & you should be fine;; the only thing you have to worry about is pivotting on this leg while it's healing;; again, DON'T overprotect cuz that leads into most of your symptoms increasing;; purchase a flexible gel cold pack for your knee if you do not have one already..they stay flexible in spite of the fact you put them in the freezer;; & have someone that you can ask to help with food shopping, sweeping & vaccuuming, & light household chores for @ least the 2months...KEEP BENDING the knee & STAND ON BOTH LEGS no matter how it feels when you stand still...btw, it's not all bad cuz you WILL have a new knee when this is all done;; & make sure that your pain meds are effective, call the doc if ya need help with this...good luck..work hard!! it's definitely worth it!! about 5 wks you should be feeling just about ready to get moving like ya used to when ya had a 'good knee'..again, good luck!! keep bending, keep standing!!

Shirley Said:

I have a question about knee replacement.?

We Answered:

Hi Skyler.

I'm sorry that you're in so much pain. I've had CRPS (the more common name for RND/RSD...whatever other name you want to call it) for 11 years now and mine is in both arms, legs back, chest and I have stomach and heart problems connected to it too, so I know only too well where you are coming from. I've also had it since I was 14 - mine started with knee surgery. Unfortunately knee replacement isn't going to take your nerve pain away - unless a substantial amount of your knee pain is due to something like osteoarthritis (which at your age is unlikely) in all likelihood, it would probably make things worse for you because CRPS is actually a problem with the brain and the central nervous system, even though we feel the pain in our arms, legs or wherever is affected.

If you don't mind me asking - have you got a good pain management team who know about CRPS (i.e. a pain management doctor, a physio, perhaps a psychologist as well)? What medications are you on, and what other treatments have you tried? Have you been trialled on any of the anti-depressants or anti-convulsants used for CRPS? Have your doctors suggested or done sympathetic nerve blocks, or a ketamine infusion. Have you had tests done to rule out other conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (especially since you've mentioned all your joints aching).

Anyway, I wish you all the best. If you've got any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to email me.

Christine Said:

how long does it take after knee replacement surgery for someone to be up and about?

We Answered:

Most people are off the walker and onto a cane within 2-3 weeks. It usually takes another 4-6 weeks after that to walk well without the cane. Moderate to severe pain is still common for the first month. Yet, dependency on narcotics should decrease over a period of about 8 weeks. It usually isn't until the third month that people start to feel remarkably better: sleeping well, off pain meds, walking well without a cane, restored energy.

At this point, he should be up an walking around as tolerated by pain and swelling. Walking too much (ie, walking around a store or the mall) at this point could make his knee quite swollen.

There's probably no further need for the CPM machine anymore...but best to discuss with the surgeon.

Marion Said:

Range of Motion after Knee Replacement?

We Answered:

Expected range of motion after total knee replacement is 115-125 degrees...most do not return normal (which is between 130-140 depending on the size of your leg).

However, if you are not there yet, discuss with your surgeon use of a JAS splint. It is a progressive static splint that is designed to increase your rage of motion by holding it in a flexed position (or straight if you need to work on extension)...you turn the crank every 5 minutes to increase the flexion. This is worn for a half hour twice a day.

We use this as an adjunct to PT when people are having difficulty regaining range of motion.

Here's a link:
http://www.jointactivesystems.com/