metalheart44

There are lots of different protocols for surgery and for PT. In my experience with about 6 PTs, they have very different approaches about how to rehab a knee after replacement surgery. Some reject the whole idea that pain is part of th rehab process and others embrace the idea that pain is inevitable. Early on where you are now, I had significant pain for my first knee and very little for my second knee. However, I kept to a regular schedule of pain meds and especially before PT sessions. I may have mentioned the circulating cold/water ice machine before, but using that regularly with elevation helped to keep swelling under control and that improved range of motion. I found an unused drawer slide in my garage, used double-seed tape to attach it to a thin piece of plywood and whenever I was sitting I put my foot on the slide and just moved it back and forth. Kind of like a CPM (continuous passive motion) machine that has gone out of favor in some place, but keeping it in motion did seem to help.

My surgeon used staples and after a week or so those came out and that was a non-event. And, sleeping in the hospital was next to impossible with the blood pressure and other checks they did every 3-4 hours. Then, once you get home the sleep issue does not go away for awhile because it is just hard to find a comfortable position. I kept my leg elevated in bed and it just took awhile to get more than a few hours sleep at night. So, sleep when you can and eventually you get back to a normal pattern.

I am sure you are ready to go home or to the rehab facility and maybe today is the day?
Here is what my leg looked like the day after surgery....