Here are some things I am experiencing that might be useful for others about to go through this surgery.
- Swelling: I am day 5 post surgery and I am still swollen. It took 4 days for the swelling to go down on my feet and ankles but my knee is still pretty swollen. My knee seems more limiting than my hip.
- They start you on a couple of stretches the day after surgery called quad rocking. They look like they will hurt but they didn’t for me.
- The first day of PT was a bit of manual ROM stuff, stair training (with crutches), and a few exercises to ensure blood is flowing to prevent blood clots.
- My ROM was already at 90° and the therapist didn’t want to push it more than that.
- I thought I would be in a fair amount of pain after that first PT session. To my surprise, I was not.
- As a female, I was worried going to the bathroom would hurt. It really doesn’t. Just go slow sitting back.
- Getting in and out of bed at first was a fairly difficult task to get my leg that high. It is getting easier. I am a back sleeper and have a pillow under my knee as it is more comfortable to have it propped up a bit.
