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7 weeks following total knee replacement

Posted , 13 users are following.

lynn00032
lynn00032

Only just stated physio yesterday, not sure if I should have started going earlier as she says my knee is so stiff.  I am walking now with one crutch but am really concerned with stiffness of knee, it does not seem to want to bend past a certain point, I should think the bend is only 25  degree, is anyone else having same problem?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • lynn08926
    lynn08926 lynn00032

    Posted

    Can I ask why you have started physio so late?

    Lynn 18 weeks post op

    • lynn00032
      lynn00032 lynn08926

      Posted

      I went for check up with surgeon yesterday & he said now was the time to start physio. Must admit I did think I should have been having it sooner but just did what surgeon recomended as I thought he knew best.

      How much physio did you have before acheiving good bend result?

    • lynn08926
      lynn08926 lynn00032

      Posted

      What part of the UK are you in out of interest?

      Really cannot begin to understand the delay.  My physio started a day or so after my op.  It was painful but vital to get the knee moving.  Have been seeing my physio every week since June either for hydro or gym.  Four weeks ago I began seeing her fortnightly.  Fairly quickly achieved 90 degree bend and, just yesterday, reached 100.

  • carol45436
    carol45436 lynn00032

    Posted

    You certainly should have gone earlier. The primary aim is 90 deg but  I'm sure you'll get there now with physio.
  • jennifer86104
    jennifer86104 lynn00032

    Posted

    Have you been doing exercises at home? I  agree with others, it does seem late to start. Hopefully your bend will begin to improve now. Jen 
  • Unofon
    Unofon lynn00032

    Posted

    Hi

    Im on wk 6 after a TKR knee is still swollen I can manage 105 and still strugling to get beyond  the 4-5 on straightning I started my physio after two weeks and I am in a class of 5-6 of others who have had the same op and the variation of recovery is not the same for everybody  i can manage the stairs and can go on the bus to the pub( lovely)  not in any pain came off the painkillers after 3 weeks but after any exercise i use the cryocool to reduce the swelling keep it up you will get there

  • PollyBB
    PollyBB lynn00032

    Posted

    Sorry to have to agree with all of the other comments. I am a lot further down the line, having had two TKR last year. On both occasions, I started physio whilst in hospital (the day of the op/day after). If you are going to the hospital for physio,I would suggest that you try to get as much as you can - after my first TKR, I went to knee class weekly until I had reached 110 degree bend, then paid to go to hydrotherapy.  After the second one, I started bending my knee whenever  I could.  Then I went to the gym in the physiotherapy dept at the hospital 3 times a week.

    What I'm trying to say is get as much help as you can now, move your leg/knee even when you are sitting still. Don't become despondent, the op will be worth it in the end. :-)

     

  • nikki55182
    nikki55182 lynn00032

    Posted

    Hi Lynn, well you will be glad to know you are not on your own. I am 7 weeks post op and I have just got in from my first physio appointment :-) long story but I had the op in one NHS area but live in another. My knee is so stiff and the bend is not great but with hard work she's confident I will see an improvement if I do the additional exercises she's given me. I said I don't need any one to hold my hand just needed advice and more instructions. Bought myself a mini exercise bike yesterday and she said they are a very good way to build things up. Going to go to hydropool too, have to pay but a small price to pay if it improves things.

    SO Lynn keep your chin up work hard and you and me will catch the others up. Xx

  • britta217
    britta217 lynn00032

    Posted

    hello lynn ... i can only agree with all the others. physio is very important as the knee is very mobile just after the operation and that mobility needs to be kept up. also, if you do not move it, the scars and soft tissue sticks and can cause a complete blockage. believe me, i know, and am paying for it at the moment.

    i was put on lyrica on saturday and 4 days later had 10 extra degrees. in fact i went to my finnish torture lady (physio) last night and she tells me that my bend has improved a couple of degrees even since last night. i cannot praise this medication enough, for me it is the wonder pill. perhaps you cask your gp if you can have it too so it makes getting the bend easier/less painful.

    in order to walk down stairs, drive a car, sit comfortably in a place you need 110 degrees, preferably 120. i don't know how old you are but if, like me, you are young (51), then you want as much "bendage" as possible. the worst case scenario - as it was for me - you may have to have it bent under anasthetic. luckily my meds have kicked in and that procedure has been postponed. i don't want to scare you, just a wee reality check!

  • mary83072
    mary83072 lynn00032

    Posted

    hi Lynn... I didn't have any physio at all either I am 8 weeks on... last week I paid for private physio and he was shocked I had not been given any nhs physio.... I did the exercises they tell you in the discharge leaflets... but I knew I wasn't progressing as well as I should... only gave up one of my crutches a few days ago... It will take time but I'm sure you will get there.... take care 
  • anita78925
    anita78925 lynn00032

    Posted

    hi all !....I LIVE  USA ...BOSTON AREA....I HAD  SURGERY  ON A FRIDAY  ,CAME HOME MONDAY...INTHE HOSPITAL I HAD PHYSICAL THERAPY...THEY DONT LET YOU GO HOME  UNLESS YOU CAN HANDLE STAIRS . BY  8 AM TUESDAY THE THERAPIST WAS AT MY DOOR  ,SHE CAME 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK  . I ALSO HAD A VISITING NURSE TO MONITOR THE INCISION 2X A WEEK ,SHE REMOVED MY STAPLES AT 14 DAYS POST OP  . AFTER DISCHARGE FROM HOME CARE   ,I  HAD PHYSICAL THERAPY 2X A WEEK  . I AM AT 12 WEEKS NOW  AND BOUGHT MY OWN INDOOR EXERCISE BIKE . STILL HAVE BAD DAYS IF I DO TOO MUCH   STILL USE ICING  AND ELEVATION WHEN IT SWELLS OR GETS TOO PAINFUL .THE MAJORITY OF THESE SERVICES ARE COVERED BY OUR INSURANCE  . IT COSTS FAR LESS IN PERSONAL TOLE TO KEEP GOING...PUSH THROUGH  THE PAIN ,THAN TO INCREASE YOUR IMMOBILITY AND BECOME DEPEPENDENT AND DEPRESSED
  • debbie02705
    debbie02705 lynn00032

    Posted

    sorry lynn ,same with me , i had 3 physio sessions with the first and only one with the 2nd , and agree with the others , but now your seeing one all should get sorted , just try to do your exercises at home , i wasnt allowed home till i had a 90 bend ,and to be fair i didnt have a proplem with it , but im always streaching both knees , in fact its a bit of a habbit while i watch telly also i rub oil or cream in all the time in circular movements , you wont lose any thing by trying , fingers crossed x 
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