Help please with leg extension
Posted , 11 users are following.
I am nearly nine weeks post TKR. I have been going to knee gym with physios at local hospital. Last Tuesday they gave me an assessment before going for check up with surgeon on Friday and bend was 117 but extension -3. The OT discharged me saying if surgeon was not happy she would reinstate me to group.
At hospital on Friday surgeon delighted with bend but not happy with extension which he says will give me a lot of trouble later if I do not get down to 100. I think this is because I have spinal stenosis and he is trying to give me the best possible result. Phoned local hospital who have changed their minds and will not reinstate me because she thinks he is being unreasonable. She says their surgeons would have accepted. She says go it alone and then she will review in a fortnight.
I am not very happy about this because I have to be careful because of my spine. Have been doing the lying on the bed exercise pressing backs of legs into mattress which I have in fact been doing since well before op. Surgeon told me to press down on area above knee with both hands till it hurts. He demonstrated and it did hurt! But I discover I cannot get that sort of pressure because of arthritis in hands, or perhaps more scarily I am pressing wrong bit. Last night my leg was very, very painful and I got no sleep at all so am unsure of my exercise. I have also tried lying on tummy on bed with knee and lower leg hanging over edge.
Has anyone any good suggestions.
Angela
1 like, 21 replies
Django angela52217
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chrishappy angela52217
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deborah90838 angela52217
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Best of luck with your continued recovery.
irish_linda angela52217
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terri59470 angela52217
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I'm also struggling to get my 2nd knee straight, the last time it was measured it was about -4 and the physios seemed to happy with that (they discharged me!!) But I can feel it's not right. I do an exercise similar to Irish Kinds - I put my foot up on a chair or stool in front of me and then I drape an oven glove (the kind with 2 gloves joined together by a band of fabric) with a tin of baked beans in each glove! Same principle as the bag of sugar, but no balancing involved. As the exercise gets easier, you can replace the cans of beans with bottles of water - or anything that will fit into the gloves and gives you the weight you need.
I also lie on the bed, and put my foot up on several cushions - but I put a long strip of wood underneath the length of my leg so the mattress isn't doing the hard work! It HURTS but it's effective. Try one or two minutes to start with and build up from there.
Good luck with getting straight, I know how hard it is!!
irish_linda terri59470
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Oldfatguy1 angela52217
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When you walk.....go slow, very slow. With each stride, step out as far as you can, touch down with your heel, then your toe, then bend as far as you can. You'll look a little goofy but the point is you are doing it right. Be sure and hydrate. Plenty of water all day. Dehydrated soft tissue will not streatch properly like hydrated. This will go slowly so don't be discouraged
john44470 angela52217
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Oldfatguy1 john44470
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john44470 Oldfatguy1
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Thanks for your two comments and advice. Yeah, I'm understanding what you say but I had not included anything that might have led to the problem. WhatI did get when typing the text, Hi Oldfatguy,
Thanks for your two comments and advice. Yeah, I'm understanding what you say but I had not included anything that might have led to the problem. WhatI did get when typing the text, and it kept appearing was - the phrase "inspect element".
That to me is computer and/or programming speak and so I think the moderators should investigate with their IT department. (There it did it again with the word investigate, took me 4 attempts to type it and then that phrase popped up).and it kept appearing was - the phrase "inspect element".
That to me is computer and/or programming speak and so I think the moderators should investigate with their IT department. (There it did it again with the word investigate, took me 4 attempts to type it and then that phrase popped up). Either that or I've a problem with Win 10 which I've just put on my laptop. I'll use the envelope tonight and see how it goes, haven't time now as have to leave for work. This is now the 2nd try at sending this. Useless!
Oldfatguy1 john44470
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john44470 angela52217
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Oldfatguy1 john44470
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angela52217
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Terri what did your surgeon say about the -4?
Angela
terri59470 angela52217
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When I saw my Surgeon I was just under 6 weeks Post Op, and struggling with superficial skin infections on my wound, but all in all he seemed pretty well pleased at that early stage. It was mostly as the weeks passed by that I started to worry that things werent moving.
Since this big discussion about inadequate straightening (and, to be fair, inadequate information/forewarning about it from the health professionals!), Ive started doing a few things diligently. I wont let myself get out of bed until Ive done my morning exercises (this is on both legs) Straight Leg Lifts x 20, Inner Quad Lifts x 20, Leg Slides x 20, and then I lift one knee at a time towards my chest, and when its as far as I can get it I clasp my hands around the knee and gently pull it closer towards me(I dont know what this is called, but it flipping well hurts!). After all that its a relief to get out of bed! And I am VERY strict with myself - a couple of times the Postman has interrupted me, but Ive made myself go back and finish them off!
Throughout the day I have a set of static exercise pedals set up, and if the TV is on and theres a programme Im watching, I use the Advert breaks as a timer, pedalling until the programme restarts. I also have an Ottoman (Thanks Cheryl, it works great!) and I use that for passive extention BUT.....I set a timer on my phone, 2 minutes at a time. By the time the first 2 mins is up, if its too painful then stop. I was surprised how quickly I saw an improvement when doing this, and can now manage 5 x 2 minutes (the air is usually pretty blue during the final 2 minutes though ) Ive found that breaking it down like that really makes it less daunting as Ive always really REALLY hated that one!
If the TV isnt on, but the radio is, when a song comes on with a good beat then Ill do step-ups for the duration of the song.
Im sure that my house sounds like a bit of a funny-farm, but Ive been at this lark for so long now, including pre op exercises its been a full year, and Im really jaded by it all, so Ive had to rethink things and come up with little mechanisms to "trick" my mind into thinking that Im doing something new and fun!
Ive also returned to the Physio/OT group - not the structured Knee Group, but the sessions called Next Step. Have you been going to these at all (Im just wondering if we've been there at the same time and not realised! Im going every Tueday at the moment, and its good as I can use the Sci Fit, Leg Press etc which massively helps with strengthening.
Well if youve made it and managed to read this far, you deserve a medal!
Let me know how youre getting on, and Ill talk again soon xx
angela52217 terri59470
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However, if it is that group stick your head in to say hello in the waiting room tomorrow. I get there about 1.45 pm - traffic and parking - and I think your group comes out about 1.55 presumably to clear way for knee group. I sit near the door and have dark hair and will be wearing dreadful bright flowered trousers - only thing I have that gives them easy access to knee. Otherwise I will see you in a fortnight.
Angela
terri59470 angela52217
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How did you get on today? Well, I hope!
I braved going into the City centre when I left the hospital, had a good walk round, first time in months I've been anywhere on my own apart from Physio, Doctors or my daily walk in the village! Made me feel more human, just pottering around the shops. Can feel it now through, I'm really tired. But hopefully that will lead to a good night's sleep, so its all good!
See you in a couple of weeks, same time same place!
angela52217 terri59470
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It went really well. I liked the physio very much - very friendly and thorough. She actually gave me an hour not the half hour booked and it felt really good to have my back assessed so thoroughly. She also gave me a lot of hints on my back to ease the pain of the neurogenic claudication. She also thought my leg was doing well. She agrees I can join the group and wants to reassess back and leg mid April.
So see you a week on Tuesday. Your trip to town seems to have done you good. We are going over to Chester tomorrow to an exhibition there. I will have to do quite a lot of walking. Tossing up at the moment whether to use wheelchair or stick/stool. Trouble is I can only walk about 50 yards with my back problem before pain up in the 8-9 level and I have to stop and rest and go on like that.