56y.o. female, scheduled for right leg TKR with cystectomy mid August. Preferred activities are powerlifting and cycling. Medial side is bone on bone for a couple years, tri compartment arthritis, cyst over 3 inches long by 1.5 inch diameter, with infiltration into the lateral nerve area of the joint. ROM greatly restricted due to cyst being impinged.
Looking for info from others who have had a TKR. What was helpful, what wasn’t, tips etc.
Have you talked to your physician regarding your goals and timelines post-operative? It is pretty typical now for individuals to be up and walking on the same day as surgery. We tend to advocate for a much more active approach to rehabilitation now which does expedite the return to activity. Initially you will be given a set of exercises to start working on quadriceps strength and range of motion. If your background is in powerlifting, some of these “strength” exercises will likely get easy relatively fast. That being said, if you range of motion is greatly restricted it would not surprise me if you will need some extra work (on your end via an exercise program) to regain full range. I would be very open with your physician and physical therapist that your goal is to return to powerlifting. Often, the rehab stops when people can walk, transfer, and ascend/descend steps but that is nowhere near where you are aiming. You will likely notice a strength deficit side to side in your quadriceps early on. Going down stairs tends to be the last daily activity that feels normal. You need about 110 degrees of flexion to get around on a bike so the early boring range of motion exercises are important to get over that hump. It is common to have some residual anterior knee pain, but this goes away as your strength returns.
All of that is normal for the process. There is a high degree of difference in surgeon preference for things like nerve blocks, mobilizer usage, and assistive devices after surgery. These are good questions to ask your surgeon and PT so you know the expectations specific to them. You also can always reach out to us at the pain and rehab team once you are post op and looking to start training for guidance.
My surgeon knows I lift, and didn’t say I couldn’t lift post TKR, so I’m going to find a way! He was definitely in favor of my return to cycling, and I’m well versed in some of the tricks to assist with restricted rom on the bike. I just need $150 for a pair of crank shorteners!
I’ll probably reach out again here after surgery.
Thank you.