Knee & Hip Replacement Community

You're only three weeks out. You have a long, long way to go. It takes up to a year for things to heal in there. You can expect some pain for quite a while. More when you start becoming more active.

Swank,thanks for the information. If you don't mind me asking, how long were you on the high potency pain killers?

I was on them for a couple months. During the later weeks I took them only at night or when I needed them. So I wasn't taking them every few hours. Keep in mind that I had a partial replacement which heals faster than a total replacement. At three weeks I was still in a considerable amount of pain, especially if I was moving around a lot. You're doing fine.

Much thanks again for your response. Mine also, is a partial replacement. I had a lot of arthritis pain prior to the surgery so i am looking forward to the pain subsiding and trying to get back to some sense of a normal life. I have worried a lot about the medicine becoming addictive. I really don't want to have to deal with that also. thanks again

You won't get addicted to your medication unless you abuse it. That is a common misconception. There is a huge, huge difference between addiction and dependence. As long as you're taking it as prescribed and taking it only for pain you don't need to worry about that. Dependence can happen but as you taper off the meds as your pain lessens you don't need to worry about that either. You only need to worry if you start taking the medication to get high.

Good Afternoon As having a recent knee replacement 10/19/09 i can safely tell you that yes after 3 weeks you will still be haveing some sreiuos pain. But hang in there, it is going to get better. Im now 8 weeks away from my knee replacement but still taking some meds but no longer oxycodone. So please know that as you progress you will still have pain to deal with , and yea it will get you at night when you are trying to relax/sleep. I just graduated from the big lazyboy downsatirs, to my bed LOL, but taking tiny steeps will eventually lead to bigger and better steps. Dan

I agree, PGM, that the surgery is terrible and the exercises are painful. I had a TKR Aug 2006, My knee is straight, strong, and a bend as good as my other knee. It took me a really long time to recover. You are fortunate to have good pain management.

My knee was swollen and my ankle and feet were swollen too. My knee felt hot to the touch. The Ortho Surgeon kept telling me that was good because that was the blood rushing to the place that needed to heal. I really doubted him, but I had a good outcome so I am pleased.

Do the exercises in spite of the pain. The exercises will get your leg strong and you will have an excellent bend.

I had knee replacement three weeks ago as well (12/3) and sound a lot like you. My physical therapist says I'm doing great--range of motion is well in advance of what some experience at this point; however, pain at night is the big problem. During the day, I do OK, but I don't know what happens at night. My doctor is conservative with the meds but did tell me to take 2 Oxycodone 10/325 every 4-6 and then back off. When I backed off, the pain at night is really bad--I don't sleep--just toss and turn and wait to take a pill after 4 hours. During the day, my pain level is great. How is your night pain now? Any better?

7 weeks still having a little pain at night. Still take 5/325 before bed and still getting up during the night to take a pill also but otherwise am sleeping pretty well now. One hint, be very careful at therapy when they start you on the lateral exercises. When they pull your knee from the side. I know they are necessary but they can overdo and cause a setback. Work hard on the hamstrings. Seems to be very important to getting back to normal. Pain meds are very good but just remember, withdrawl sucks. I am dealing with that right now as i taper off the meds. Good luck to you mpyatt.....

It takes a long time to heal. Do not worry about the meds. Just continue to exercise like the PT told you to do. It took me a long time to heal after my TKR three years ago.

I had knee replacement in June. Just now I'm off of meds. I took pain meds for about 3-4 months. After that I went to tylenol for arthritis. I also try to stay active by riding a bike at a workout center and recently joined a rehab pool for motion and strengthening. It is also very good to ice your knee every evening. That will help you sleep better. Also, keep your knee as straight as possible while you sleep. Good luck! You should be totally mended after 1 year. Some people feel better after 3-6 months. Keep exercising. That is the key!

I had bilateral total knee replacement (both knees) 9 months ago. (I would NOT recommend this to anyone....EVER!) I was told that I would be good to go at 3 - 6 months. That may happen for SOME people, but NOT FOR ME! I was on narcotics for over 8 months and still use them on rare occassions, usually when I over do. I have other leg issues such as varicose veins and edema in the ankles which complicate healing. I still have problems with getting up from a seated position and my legs still have pain, but not nearly as bad as before. The doctor tells me to "give it a year", as that is the time frame for internal healing. The one thing I can recommend to you is to exercise, even when it hurts to do so. I have a problem with balance call "Proprioception" now (did not have this problem prior to surgery). I cannot walk along the roadside without loosing my balance, so I bought a used treadmill and use it every other day. I also have a Wii Fit and use that on the alternate day. I do leg and strength excercises before going on the treadmill. This helps me so much! I have found that I have MORE pain and over all discomfort when I skip a day or two of working out. It is time consuming, but really worth the time and effort! I also want to mention that I have talked to many people who have had total knee replacements. It seems that those who had a tourniquet used during surgery have the most problems and the longest recovery time. As tuff as it is, just hang in there and take one day at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself if you cannot do what you think you should be doing by a certain time. Everyone is different! Continue to exercise, get plenty of rest and take the meds only/if you really need them. I also use the Tylenol Arthritis. It only takes the edge off for me, but does help a little. Good luck!

I had my TKR done by a surgeon that did not use staples. He sewed the muscles inside then used a surgical glue on the surface. I was given intense PT after the surgery and that was painful but it worked. I was walking with a cane but not well enough to return to work. My job required a lt of walking and heavy lifting. My surgeon told me that by not using staples, it healed much faster than with them. I only used meds for the pain if I really needed them. He told me to use the pain level to gauge how I was tolerating the PT, which I continued at home. I purchased a stationary bike for use before I began walking again. My biggest problem came when I suffered a fall and did some serious damage to the knee. My Worker's Comp carrier didn't want to pay to go back in and do another repair, so I Lived on a combination of pain killers for many months. I am now retired but unable to walk without crutches. I have taken no pain meds for months, just learned to tolerate it and keep going.

My DH was three weeks on hard core meds. He is a tough cookie so don't feel like your are a wimp. As far as the swelling ice ice and more ice. You may also be overdoing it. Cut yourself some slack Babe!!