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How much stiffness do you have?

Posted , 8 users are following.

Milla2017
Milla2017

Know stiffness and lots of it seem to part of the package. I feel stiff for the most part of the day these days I do 3 exercises every hour besides my daily home excercises.

To clarify- this stiffness is the knee feeling like a block of wood. Not to be confused with the "band" on the top part of the kneecap or the IT band stiffness (stiffness that runs from the side of the thigh down to the shin).

Waking up with stiffness is a given.

0 likes, 30 replies

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  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 Milla2017

    Posted

    Hi Milla!

    My stiffness varies greatly throughout the day, with various weather conditions, with my level of movement or if I have a day of not moving around, walking, or working outside.

    Also, some nights I manage to get five or six straight hours of sleep. Those mornings are often rougher for the first 10-15 minutes or so. I must not move much during those "longer" nights of sleep.

    I haven't been able to figure out any foods that contribute to stiffness and/ or bouts of aches and stiffness.

    Generally I do better on warm days, sunny/ clear days, days when I keep moving, and days when I am busy doing interesting things that distract me from pain and stiffness.

    Ibuprofen helps.

    I hope you will have more "not-so-stiff" days!😄

    • Milla2017
      Milla2017 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Thanks Cheryl. We had a cold rainy day here in SoCal and I know now it is not a myth. It affected my leg.

      I have even contemplated getting up at night to do excercises so it's not so bad upon waking up. More movement helped the last 2 days but unfortunately I walked a little too much yesterday and I am paying for it today. I have started using my pedometer app on my phone so I can track my walking exactly and find out how much is enough and what is too much!

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 Milla2017

      Posted

      Try STRETCHING and FLEXING your legs while you are laying in bed. I do this if I awaken throughout the night. It helps get me comfortable enough to drift back to sleep.

      Just MOVING helps. You can walk around and do some stretches at night. Doing too many exercises MAY just WAKE YOU UP! If it DOES, go clean a drawer, do dishes, sort mail. I did those things to distract me early on. I figured if I wasn't going to SLEEP, at least I could get something accomplished!😁

    • Milla2017
      Milla2017 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Cheryl thanks I will try it.

      Usually if I am up at night My sister (in South Africa) talks to me on messenger as it is her daytime. She has helped me through many tough nights.

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 Milla2017

      Posted

      That's GREAT that you have your sister to message at night! Support is really helpful, and nights can be challenging!

  • clive45466
    clive45466 Milla2017

    Posted

    Hi

    It's a fine line PT between pain and motion of the knee.

    Except for straightening and a little bending I only did this in a hot bath for the first 6 weeks.

    The PT I had was more of a conversation and massage, test of balance and a coffee.

    At 6 weeks I started seeing a sports PT, he did much more.

    Was on my feet a lot from 6 weeks onwards, could not wait for the hot bath each day ( after my op 4 days later I sometimes was in the bath 3 times a day.

    9 months on the bend is only around 120, but it's been like this for 40 years. Generally all good with the knee, can ride a bike , at work be on my feet for up to 12 hours.

    So it does get better for most.

    Good healing

    The other thing they never tell you is kneeling might be uncomfortable for ever.

    • Milla2017
      Milla2017 clive45466

      Posted

      Clive thanks for your reply. Right know just the thought of kneeling makes me break out in cold sweat. Lol

      Somehow my knee doesn't respond to heat. Most of the time it takes painful exercise and stretching to get rid of it. I also had a lot of stiffness before the surgery. One day at a time...

    • chris00938
      chris00938 clive45466

      Posted

      Kneeling??????  What's that??????  I literally haven't been able to do that for over 10 years LOL!  Won't miss that!  To be honest, I was told that kneeling wouldn't be ideal after the knee op and I think unless you do it carefully you can damage the knee (or please tell me if I'm wrong on that?) but I can happily manage without.  It's stairs that will be my challenge once it's all healed and the other knee is done because I've not done those for 10 years either!

    • marilyn10235
      marilyn10235 chris00938

      Posted

      Kneeling no! But you will do stairs, you have good bend so stairs will be a doddle. Just take it easy, if you can straighten too you will be fine. Did the hospital physios not have you doing stairs before discharge from hospital? If you are in a bungalow perhaps not. I was told had to do stairs before they would discharge me! But it's easy so don't worry too much, just do it slowly with someone there with you. My husband used to go before me coming down, after

    • chris00938
      chris00938 marilyn10235

      Posted

      Because we live in a bungalow with just a small front door step and back door step and one to the utility room they said I didn't need to do stairs.  But the other knee is so bad that even when this knee is good I won't be able to.  I did notice today that I came up the front door step with the operated knee first because I wasn't thinking about it LOL!  So that was a good sign.  I will use those steps to work on then:-)))))  My plan had been to ask physio when they were signing me out on the next knee though:-)))  My son is SO looking forward to me doing stairs to see upstairs in his new house!

  • lyn32416
    lyn32416 Milla2017

    Posted

    Stiff at post op 12 months. When I get up in the morning and after prolonged sits. Be patient.
    • j21370
      j21370 lyn32416

      Posted

      Lyn - do you still have pain in your knee after 12 months and can your bend your knee. What is your range. I wonder if mine eill ever get better. J21370
    • lyn32416
      lyn32416 j21370

      Posted

      Hi. I have pain in my right knee. I have an effusion. My left knee is close to perfect, but stiff still. Stiffness is when I sit and get up or after rest. My Ortho Specialist says all perfectly good. My right can be treated with cortisone he says. I travel a fair bit and I am away now. I could not walk far the first day after flight and then yesterday I walked 5 kilometres pain free. I do not know what to expect from day to day. A good day is like winning the lottery. Good luck!
    • lyn32416
      lyn32416

      Posted

      Sorry, forgot to add my range of movement is textbook perfect says Ortho spec. And Physio. They say I am expecting too much. No one told me it would take a year out of my life. Now, I just try to do as much as I used to and forget about what I cannot. I miss running and boxing. But life changes. Gotta accept that.
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