Updates from Suzie Andrade

If you’re caring for someone after knee replacement surgery and Day 3 or 4 suddenly feels worse instead of better, take a breath, friend.This is one of the most Googled moments in week one recovery.“Why is pain worse on Day 3 after knee replacement?”“Did we do something wrong?”“Is this normal?”I recently saw a caregiver share that they had done everything right. R.I.C.E. Ice machine. Medication schedule. Logging every dose. Then Day 3 hit hard. Evening pain climbed to a 9 or 10. Nothing seemed to touch it.

I don’t know about you, but for me, getting into bed, moving onto my left side and hugging my little pillow is my ideal sleep position.So, imagine my surprise when I had my knee replaced and was confined to sleeping on my back. If I could get into bed at all. For the better part of two months.One sleepless night, instead of just sitting in frustration, I started coming up with ideas on what I could do. It was very easy to look at what I couldn’t do and sit there. But I didn’t want to stay in that place and in that energy. So, I started looking at what I could do.What I started doing was telling myself, I’m learning.Because I really liked slipping into that position of self-pity. And that absolutely did nothing for my energy. So, every time I felt myself starting down 

Two topics everyone talks about after knee replacement are extension and range of motion. Y'all often hear these questions: “Did you get to 120 yet?”“What’s your flexion?”I do believe that they are both equally important. I don't think one overwrites the other. This blog is gonna focus on only extension.Getting your leg completely straight. That's the goal.With my first knee replacement, extension came back quickly. About three weeks in, I had it. By six weeks my range of motion was sitting at 120 and things felt balanced.My second knee? That had a totally different personality.

I had a distinct advantage going through my second knee replacement that I didn’t have with my first. And it had everything to do with my physical therapist.First, let me begin by saying that for my first knee replacement, I left physical therapy up to chance. I actually fared quite well because my physical therapist was very informative. What I didn’t know at the time was that physical therapists are trained at the same level as medical doctors. The main difference is that they don’t go through a medical residency, but their training is extensive.When I had questions, I asked him. And he explained things in the level of detail I needed to understand. That turned out to be a Godsend.So, for knee number two, I did it the exact same way. I went to the same physical therapy clinic because I already knew it. However, my original physical therapist was no longer there, so I worked with whoever was available. It was still a very nice clinic, and the people were friendly.

Week 1 Knee Replacement Recovery Is About Safety and AcclimationMy biggest suggestion for Week 1 after knee replacement surgery is to understand that this week is all about getting acclimated to your new knee and learning how to manage it, along with your assistive devices, safely.This is something you don’t see in any medical paperwork sent home.Because we’re taught to prep, prep, prep. Buy the toilet risers. Buy the assistive devices. Buy the ice machines. All the things.But really, it comes down to simple mechanics we do every single day.

There are a couple things I really want you to know about swelling after knee replacement. Out of all the questions that land in my messages, comments and groups, one comes up over and over again.“Is it normal to still be this stiff?”And what I learned through my first knee replacement is this: yes, it can be stiff for a while. And “a while” is completely relative.It depends on you.How active you are or how sedentary you are?

Five mindset shifts that helped me move out of fear and into controlHow can we not have fear of the unknown through our knee replacements, right?It’s so crazy, because I caught myself constantly telling myself how scared I was of my knee replacement. And it wasn’t until I stopped saying I’m scared and started identifying what it was that scared me so much that I could get curious about why it was bothering me.This was a process. It took me a while to slow down enough to really identify what I was most afraid of. What I noticed was that if I just kept telling myself, I’m scared, I’m scared, the fear kept coming back. Over and over.

If you’re here because it’s the middle of the night and sleep feels impossible after your knee replacement, you’re not doing anything wrong. This is one of the most common and frustrating parts of recovery, and it’s rarely talked about in a way that actually helps.Why You Can’t Sleep After Knee Replacement SurgeryBy far the biggest complaint outside of pain that I hear after a knee replacement is the inability to sleep. I had this myself for the first six weeks after my first knee replacement. The only way it seemed that I would sleep is directly after taking my pain dosage.I would also find myself dozing throughout the day, and I often wondered if that’s what kept me from sleeping at night. But it didn’t really matter because at some point either the nerve zinging or the deep ache would get me to get out of bed for my first knee replacement.

Let me take you back to 2020 for a minute.I’m not here to reopen that whole chapter of history. I’m just giving you context, because at that point in my life I had one knee that was about eight months old and a hip that was barely two months post-op.So yes, I was very aware of my body.Anytime you go through joint replacement, you’re told about a couple of risks right out of the gate. Infections and blood clots. Those two tend to stick in your mind. And when the world started talking nonstop about illness, I found myself doing what a lot of people do when they’re unsure. I started searching online.

One of the biggest surprises for me after my knee replacement was the fatigue.Sure, there was pain.Yes, there was stiffness.But the fatigue? That one caught me completely off guard.I don’t know why I wasn’t prepared for it, but that bone-deep tiredness that hits after doing something that feels like nothing was not on my radar at all. Taking a shower was the first wake-up call. I’d wash my hair, dry it, and immediately want to sit down.