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disappointed with the bend!

Posted , 11 users are following.

martinarvelo
martinarvelo

Just received my shiny new goniometer from Amazon, and measured the bend which I had thought was around 120 . . in fact it's only just over 100 frown

so I'll have to be a bit pushier with my knee for the next few weeks. Disappointed!

0 likes, 40 replies

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  • Dotty_Lotty
    Dotty_Lotty martinarvelo

    Posted

    chin up sure you will get there ,how does the goniometer work? do i need one? my op is on monday shall I add one to my "knee kit"? sounds intriguing!
    • susan20089
      susan20089 Dotty_Lotty

      Posted

      They aren't vital to your recovery, you can tell how muchbend you have yourself.  Numbers don't really matter in my opinion.  
    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo Dotty_Lotty

      Posted

      Right, I shouldn't have mentioned  Amazon which is why my original post was moderated!  Not really necessary to have a goniometer, but I just like silly things . .it was only 6.50 plus postage!  It is two pieces of transparent plastic, like a ruler, with a circular piece at the junction . . you place one piece along the thigh, and the other down the calf, and in the circular piece you get the reading in degrees . . .difficult to be absolutely certain you've got it right . . .
    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo Dotty_Lotty

      Posted

      OH and good luck for next Monday!  Hope it all goes according to plan. '

       

    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo susan20089

      Posted

      Totally agree. . not a necessary little gadget, but quite interesting!  I have enough bend to go up and down stairs, can actually kneel although I;ve only tried it on my very soft mattress . . and don't intend to be scrubbing any floors anyway! and I think really I can do whatever I want to do with the bend Ive got. . .but I'll push for a bit more.  And I really want to get it straight, which I feel is more important . . . . 
    • sarcee50
      sarcee50 martinarvelo

      Posted

      Physio lady decided to do what I can only describe as a CPR motion above my knee...she said this will get it straight haha
    • susan20089
      susan20089 martinarvelo

      Posted

      I never had a problem with straightening, surgeon told me he gave me a completely straight leg now as I walked on bent one for years.  He spent a lot of time going this and I was in theatre for longer than usual.  As for bend, I thought you had a window of three months and then it won't bend snynp more.  Speaking to physio yesterday and this is not true.  Bend can be increasing all the time and she told me to not worry about it.   She knew someone three years down the line that still increased the bend in their knee.  This is promising!
    • sarah87162
      sarah87162 susan20089

      Posted

      .I was told whatever bend you did not get after 2 months you were not going to get. For me that was completely untrue. Maybe they just say that to try and motivate you.

      I was a lot better at striaghtening than bending.

    • susan20089
      susan20089 sarah87162

      Posted

      I hope it is true Sarah, no matter what I do can't seem to increase it without a lot of pain.
    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo susan20089

      Posted

      I think my mistake was using the hospital bed that bends under the knee at the beginning. . so much more comfortable. . but not a good idea long term!  It seems more difficult to get it straight than to increase the bend. . but I'm working hard on it!.  glad to hear that one can keep increasing the bend. . .I'd like to get to 120 or 125 . . . but my perfectly good knee is only at 135 according to the goniometer . . if I'm reading it right. . . 
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 sarah87162

      Posted

      What a strange prognosis when you consider the swelling isn't completely gone at 2 months. Makes you wonder about some of the training in communications some of thses professionals get. I don't remember the exact numbers but I was still gaining bend several months after the surgery. Age may have some bearing on what you can expect and when to expect it but never have I run into anyone that had the two month marker established
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 martinarvelo

    Posted

    Send it back and tell them to replace it with one that isn't broken. Keep pushing.....now that you have visual motivation you'll get there.
    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Hah!  Yes, I think it has given me more motivation!  It's definitely improved over the last week, so I'm going to keep hard at it!  Hope you are doing well . . Your trips to the hospital for the antibiotic infusions are going to be a nuisance. . is it far?  Hope not!
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 martinarvelo

      Posted

      I'm still in a rehab facility trying to buil strength for the next go round when they put in the new prosthesis. Its a nice 34 bed private room, one level place with both occupational and physical therapy gyms. I have decided to do the infusions at home instead of going to the outpatient when I leave here
    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Does that mean you have to pay for it? I remember you mentioned that. . I did the blood thinning drugs myself at home because it was too much trouble to be going out when I could hardly walk! ridiculous price though, 132 euros for ten . . . but your treatment is a lot more!  However, worth it  if it saves you a lot of unnecessary trauma!
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 martinarvelo

      Posted

      Medicare covers everything if I drag myself out to the local hospital where they have to admit me each time (twice a day), use a room for 2 hrs and pay staff to hook me up. If I do it at home where the drugs, tubing and pump are delivered and I hook up everything myself, I have to pay $60 USD a day out of pocket. Right now, with my leg in the immobilizer, I would have to wrestle with a walker and walk nearly a block, depending on parking conditions twice a day, 8 a.m. &8 p.m. After arguing with myself about my strength and stamina I decided I better bite the bullet and go the expensive route up front which in the long run will be cheaper if I fall and hurt myself or make myself sicker by exerting that much energy

      The hospital is only 10 min from my house but that doesn't help with the other parts of the equation.

      It looks like I'll probably be in the rehab unit close to another week and that is completely funded by medicare.

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