'It will never feellike a normal knee'

I'm interested to know why you can't kneel down . . I can do this, but because everyone says it's a no-go area I don't do it except in extreme need. . Do you say you can't kneel because you know you shouldn't or because it causes pain, or is it that the knee wont bend enough???  I had to clear out old sheets and things stored under the bed yesterday, and did have to kneel to get down on the floor . .doesn't seem to have done any harm, but I am a bit wary of it. . . . 

I don't kneel because I was told it would be uncomfortable and  could cause un-necessary pain.  I haven't tried kneeling so can't confirm or denigh this.  I did have a fall 6 months before my op and landed on both my knees at the bottom of the stairs,(missed the bottom step carrying washing down)  and I did have considerable bruising on my left knee which had been done 7 years before took most of the fall.  I asked about any lasting  damage done when I went for my assessment for the right knee op and the consultant said it was OK looked OK from the xrays on both legs and asked how it felt 6 months down the line and it was OK.

But not risking kneeling, I can manage without.

Yes, in general I agree . . I'm actually quite flexible, and can do most things by bending over, but after a while it gets rather tiring!  I was surprised that kneeling doesn't actually seem to cause me pain . . I have used the sytem sometimes when i want to get to a standing position on a chiar to reach things high up . . .Mind you, there has been a very thick cushion between my knee and the chair!  But mostlty, like you, I am going to avoid it!

To stand on a chair I use a small stool as a step up and this helps that BIG knee bend.

23 weeks . . still not 100 per cent normal . . . but a lot better than it was before!

Hi Denise.  I'm 5 weeks post op and my physio told me the other day that it won't go past 120, not that I shouldn't expect it to! I am only just over 90 bending it on my own but he pushed it to about 110 without it hurting me.

What exercises did you do to get such a good bend?  I'm 49 so want to get as much movement as I possibly can!

 

Hi susan  At five weeks I was only about 85 . .well, atsix weeks, when I had a consultation.  Yesterday (23 weeks!) I actually got to 130 although that was with a lot of pushing, and ice!  120 is what I can get easily but I still think I shall get more gradually.  Inf fact, just recently, I;ve found there is less pain on trying to push the bend further. Before, there was a point just on the inside of the knee, about as big as ten pence piece (Oh . .you may not be in a country with ten pence pieces!!!) about an inch across, then .which really hurt  . . but that seems to be easing now, especially with the ice.  Apart from all the usual exercises. . pushing it back when sitting in a chair, raising it on the bed, I did one other one . .On a VERY soft bed I knelt and gradually sat back until it was as far as I could get.  Have to say that if you were to topple, or lose balance, perhaps it could be dangerous, so I'm not actually recommending it, only saying what I did which seemed to work for me!  And I certainly didn't do that at five weeks!!!  If he pushed you to 110 without pain at five weeks, I should think you will be able to get a very good bend in the future.  At five weeks, beyond 85 was agone to me . . I did actually scream at the physio once it was such a shock!  You are doing well, methinks!!!!

Thank you. IM in the UK so am familiar with 10p's!!

its difficult to know what's good and what's not and how far the bend is etc.  I just want to do the best I can, so I have been doing odd extra things than the physio gives me anyway, more to get more movement and get rid of that horrible tightness.  One problem I have is that I can't sit down with my foot on the floor for long as it gets tingly and feels really odd like it might explode.  And My physio gets the tissue box out when I arrive as I've had more tears with them!!

I'm afraid my foot is still tingly . . .and burns at night . . . as well as the hip.  I think it's a thing called meralgia parsthetica in my case, which apaprently is that the nerve was compressed for too long during the op and has been damaged. think I'm stuck with it permanently probably, as it isn't getting any bettr. . . .

Hi Susan, at only 49 don't limit yourself to what your physio says! I'm 66 and my husband says I'm too stubborn for my own good, but I think in this case, it's a help. You seem to be doing really well, so I wouldn't worry too much, and once that steel band around your knee disappears you won't know yourself. At 5 weeks I was only about 95 I think, even though I wasn't allowed to leave hospital until I'd reached 90! Hydrotherapy has been the answer for me, and I even did 3-4 mths pre-op in preparation. I started post-op hydrotherapy at about 5 weeks, twice a week, and I'm still going. In fact, they'll have to lock the doors if they ever decide I don't need to go anymore. It's so much easier than the excercises my physio gave me on land. The physios at my local hospital hydro pool spent 6 weeks with me until I was ready to go it alone, and now it's up to me as to how hard I work.

Don't expect too much at only 5 weeks, it's really early days for you, and don't push too hard as it can come back to bite you. Trust me, I know! There's a rule at hydrotherapy - if it hurts, stop. You can do a lot more in the warm water (about 34 degrees), and it's surprising how tired you can feel a few hours later. We're only allowed half an hour at a time, but you can do a lot in that time. It would be difficult to explain the various excercises, but I hope you're able to get into your local hydro pool where they'll devise a programme just for you. At least, that's the way it works where I live in Australia. You'll probably need a referral from your GP, and here it costs $4 a time.

If you can't go the hydrotherapy way, let me know and I'll give you the excercises from my land-based physio, who specialises in knees and hips.

Best of luck, Susan, and let me know how you get on.

Denise from Oz

Hi Denise.  I once did hydrotherapy for arthritis but I was in a different area and I don't think we have it here.  I've just googled it in the area and have found Canine Hydrotherapy and Colonic Hydrotherapy and I don't fancy either!!

i would appreciate your land based exercises as I want to get it to the best I possibly can, but at the Same time I don't want to overdo it.  

I told my physio that I had been sitting on my exercise bike and just rocking backwards and forwards - not pushing, just rocking as it seems to help with movement - and he told me off! He told me just to do the three exercises he had given me and then he will tell me next week what I can or can't do!