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5wks post TKR bend

Posted , 12 users are following.

chrishappy
chrishappy

ive just come home from knee club at physio dept and hoped for at least 90 deg bend but only got 85. I feel so very frustrated as there were older folks than me who had a better bend, I'm doing my exercises and am moving around a lot, but the back of my knee is still quite swollen and seems to be impeding my bend. I'm icing and elevating 3 times a day, should I be doing more? It all just makes me feel so low and disappointed in myself, I feel like I'm letting myself down somehow 

 

2 likes, 49 replies

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  • lou1982
    lou1982 chrishappy

    Posted

    hI chris,im there tomorrow so will let you know how i get on....im almost 4 weeks now and still at the 85/ 90 bend,i keep pushing it more during the exercises but i seem to have hit a wall,im moving well and up and down stairs ect..To tell the truth im dreading tomorrow because of what they may say...keep your chin up,some of us take a bit longer to get there,also when i was in hospital i was told that older people tend to recover ect better than us younger ones...xx
    • chrishappy
      chrishappy lou1982

      Posted

      Thanks Lou, I so identify with your posts as we are at a similar stage of recovery,I hope all goes well for you tomorrow, let me know how you get on. Good luck x
    • lou1982
      lou1982 chrishappy

      Posted

      I will do hunni,im there at 1.40 for an hour...so will post when i get home xx
  • susan20089
    susan20089 chrishappy

    Posted

    Please don't let it get you down Chris!   We all get there in the end, some sooner, some later.  You have a lot of time to get more bend in your knee.   You can still keep getting bend for up to a year.   It's still early days for you.   Don't judge yourself by others.  You are NOT letting yourself down xx
    • chrishappy
      chrishappy susan20089

      Posted

      ah thanks, I didn't realise bend could improve up to a year, sometimes I think I try to run before I can walk, I have too high expectations of myself
    • susan20089
      susan20089 chrishappy

      Posted

      I didn't know it until I spoke to physio at 12 weeks when I as worried and was told you can increase bend in the first year.   
  • Clarkey1962
    Clarkey1962 chrishappy

    Posted

    Please don't be hard on yourself - everyone is different. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. You sound as though you are doing everything right. Keep doing what you're doing and the bend will come eventually. 😉
    • chrishappy
      chrishappy Clarkey1962

      Posted

      thank you for your encouragement, sometimes an opinion from others puts everything into perspective 😉
    • Clarkey1962
      Clarkey1962 chrishappy

      Posted

      Everyone is different but we all seem to have similar problems at some stage. I'm now nearly 6 months post op and things are beginning to get better. Not a 100% yet but a lot better than I was a couple of months ago. Be patient and don't be hard in yourself if u feel down, miserable and even tearful because we've all been there. Just try and do the best u can and set yourself small goals that you know you can achieve. Once you reach one goal you'll feel epic!!!
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 chrishappy

    Posted

    Age really has nothing to do with the ease of bend. It probably does with stamina and balance. The big factor is how much damage was done during surgery and the condition of the patient prior to surgery. You just have to take what you are given and work with it. I would almost be you are trying to hurry with your excercises instead of trying to slow down streatch and hold each rep. You may be a little more toned than an older person which means it may take a little longer h etting over certain humps in the process. Try this before your next appointment. The day before drink extra water slowly all day long. Take a pain pill q/2 to 1 j our before the session. Slow down every part of every move. See if you don't see a little more give. It may be small but at this point, small is significant. Once this starts you'll s See it continue as long as you follow the same proceedure. Du to my history a n d situation my Dr wants me at a 90 naturally with no real push (due to the number of times they have had to open the knee I have a rather wide and long incision and he doesnt want it to tear and6 risk infection again). My last day in a rehab center a week ago last Saturday it was 62. One week of really basic use at home it was 75 and I my guess when hpome health PT com es6 today I'll be at 80. The thing is I'm doing everything 1st the speed of a turtle with a hernia. Keep out up.....but slow down the speed and hydrate
    • irish_linda
      irish_linda Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      im listening to you i must say you are a very wise man im 11mths post revision and my bend is 90-95 at most    today i was doing my bend while lying down on my tummy on the bed and i was pulling strap to bend and i just said to my self relax and breath and when i breathed out i pulled it abit more so i felt maybe im tightening everything up by not relaxing enough ive read a few times you talk alot about water how much water should i be drinking ? as i would like to give myself every chance to get it right today my calf feels very tight its like a cramp but its not if you know what i mean it tightens when i walk and really un comfortable .      i will start doing my excersises much slower in future what you said makes alot of sense thank you
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 irish_linda

      Posted

      I don't set a goal for water I just start the intake as soon S I'm up on the morning with my blood pressure meds and vitamins and Continue throughout e very meal. I limit myself to one cup of coffee or soft drink daily as they will pull fluids off rapidly. Its just a matter of being conscious it needs to be done and stop and drink. My wife has never been a big water drinker S it's something that isn't part of her nature. Parkinson's disease has make a difference. As the body slows down all the muscles contract and movement becomes more difficult and even the thought process is affected and digestion all but stops. When she gets with hydration, everything picks up considerably but with the understanding she has an incurable neurological disease that will worsen.
    • lou1982
      lou1982 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      You always manage to make me feel better about how im doing,i continually beat myself up about only 85/90 degree bend at 4 weeks post op..you are a inspiration to us all.
    • chrishappy
      chrishappy Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Wow!!!! You are a very wise guy that's for sure, I will take your advice and slow down my exercises and hydrate, maybe I have tried to rush them thinking the more I do the better when really slowing them down is more beneficial. When will I ever learn!!!! Thank you for your wisdom and the time you give on this forum .
    • irish_linda
      irish_linda Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      ok i can do that as i like water i usually have it with a slice of lemon and a straw so that shouldnt be a problem but the coffee !!! i might have 2 of those a day but we irish are big big tea drinkers id have at least 4-5 maybe 6 a day so that has to stop !!! il start first thing in the morning and cut down big time on my tea and coffee and upt the water and improve my hydration
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 irish_linda

      Posted

      I used to have 2-3 BIG cups every morning but during rehab down to one and not every morning at that. Never liked tea but would have a cup with Chinese good as a matter of principle. Never have seen my Irish friends here drink tea, just beer, but maybe that's just the crowd I run with
    • irish_linda
      irish_linda Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      ha ha !! yes we do partake in the drink i myself loved my saturday night out and a few drinks in the local bar i must say its the most popular activity for  our social life but since the new knees im not liking the mornings after drink and tablets dont mix well  . id say the irish you know would pobably tell you it is the tea . it has to be either barrys tea or lyons tea no other brand tastes the same
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 irish_linda

      Posted

      I started feeling the effects of the alcohol and pain pills after my 1st surgeries in 2002 and slowed down my consumption until the pain came back on 2012 and with all that's happened since then I rarely touch

      The stuff. My wife was never more than a social drinker (carry one around with her all evening and leave part of it when we went home) but since she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease she never touches even a glass of wine). Our son hot married in California last Mont and we had to stay home and watch it on bloodstream, then the reception was at a winery a d they hooked up Skype so we could talk to family live. When our son a nd new D-I-L came on I opened a bottle of wine I had been keeping for the occasion so we could toast the new bride and groom. After it was all over and we were getting ready for bed, I dumped most of her's and a little of mine. Age and poor health just don't blend well with alcohol, even a good bottle of wine.

    • irish_linda
      irish_linda Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      i agree with you since ive had my 3 major surgeries and one miner in the last 3yrs ive missed 7 weddings we probably could have went to 4 of them in   between surgeries but we didnt go because of drink we being irish the weddings here are very much around drink especialy with friends and even if we went they wouldnt understand why i dont want to drink  there answer is "sure a few would not hurt you"  so better to avoid even if it means im unsoicable
    • donna4434
      donna4434 irish_linda

      Posted

      I had a couple of glasses of wine on the weekend and you'd have thought I'd had two bottles...this abstinence is hard on the tolerance..but you feel better and stay more hydrated off it smile
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