Need to use a brace to straighten!!!

Posted , 9 users are following.

So, I just got back from my 6 week check up and my range of motion bend is 116 and straight is +8 or +6.

So, now someone is coming to fit a brace on my leg to help it straighten and I am supposed to wear it 6 hours a day! Yeah RIGHT! I can't even stand a weight on my leg now for more than 2 minutes. I am so tired and feel so discouraged. I'm crying like a big baby thinking of having to wear a brace and be in more pain! So sick of all of this!!!! Doctor says he wants it at +0 in 6 weeks. This is way too much.

😞

0 likes, 21 replies

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  • Posted

    A couple exercises that might help without a lot of pain. Lay across the bed on your stomach with your lower leg hanging off. Let gravity pull your leg down. Do this in small stages starting with a 5 count and working up to a ten count. Do a set of 3 reps relaXing between each set.

    The next one: Lay flat on your back with the head elevated by a pillow. Roll a towel and place it under your ankle so you foot is 2 or 3 inches off the bed. Slowly tighten all the quad muscles while pushing downward using the leg muscles. Hold for count of 10, repeat 10 times do a set of 3. You can start with smaller numbers and work up every couple of days.

    You will find these gently stretching the muscles while straightening the leg. Go slow and steady.

    • Posted

      Thank you. I will do these more often. Right now, even. But, I am tempted to say "no" to doing a brace during the night for 6 hours. It seems so far over the top. Really. Frustrated. Sad.

    • Posted

      Had to have one for 4 months 24/7 due to infection. They don't use the old heavy steel things anymore. They can get a little warm but 6 hours goes pretty quick. Where are you located? In in the central part of the US

    • Posted

      Good ole' Central California. Where, today, it's 102 degrees. 😆

    • Posted

      I have a son that works out of Stockton. Travels no cal and all of t h e Pac n.w.
  • Posted

    No, it's not...it's totally normal.  I went from -14 / +84 to -1 / +123 after TEN WEEKS of PT.  It takes time and work.  I was still -5 at my 6-week alignment check.  You're dead-on schedule.  And you're tired because all the energy in your body is being directed at healing your knee.  I was sleeping 12-14 hours a day...NORMAL.  We don't get discouraged...we OWN our recoveries and kick serious a$$!!!  You are right there with us!!!

    • Posted

      Yes, good reminder. I made most progress around ten weeks..six weeks is so early!
  • Posted

    There are no set milestones for recovery from TKR .We are all different , one will have more bend and straight than others . Two people having TKR on the same day with the same surgeon may have totaly different results . Don't compare your recovery with others recovery . Do as much physio as you can , but don't over do it , question your physio and doctor if you have problems . Six weeks is early and it will get better .

  • Posted

    My sister came out of hospital with a brace set to max 90 degrees. They cut a ligament and she wore it 8 weeks 24 hours a day because she could not walk to the toilet without the support of the brace. There are many horror stories and then there is one day when all is bright. Look forward to that day. All the days you are healing can be used to get healthier, eat right, lose excess weight, inform yourself. I empathise but you need to get fit and research your own recovery. Own it and one day in the future you will post here and the awful part will be a memory. x
  • Posted

    What's he going to do, repossess the prosthesis? My guess, this guy didn't tell you this was a process that can't be avoided. 6 weeks is the 1st benchmark and shouldn't be the deciding factor of your total recovery. Generally, a year is the guideline for owning the knee instead of it owning you. Patience and work are the key. SLOW and steady is they key.

    The 1st time I went through it my therapist told me that rehabilitation was a 15/85 proposition. 15% was his and 85% mine. Since then I've gone through 4 more rehab and more surgeries than I care to think about. (My problem started with a rare tumor and was exacerbated by a couple staph infections). That's when I was forced to wear the brace round the clock. If its the brace I am thinking about its one from a company by the name of Hanger. They are adjusted by a professional to give to the required bend and support for the entire leg. They are held in place by easy to use Velcro and are very lightweight when you consider the job the are designed to do. At 1st blush they look cumbersome and hot but actually they are lighter weight and much cooler than you could imagine. Hang in there...it'll be worth it. Just make sure to stay with the program

  • Posted

    Hi - I am 8 months post TKR and after acquiring 120 on the bend my knee went back to 100. This happened while I continued with PT. I had 50 sessions. Now I am wearing a brace called DynaSplint. I have 2 one I wear for 3 x a day for a hour at a time - this one is for the bend. The other one is for the leg extension - I wear while I sleep for 2 hours. I was wearing for 5 hours. Now it was decreased. My problem is more with the bend and not the flexion. However, you are only 6 weeks post TKR. You still have time to do your excercise, go to PT and work on the flexion. You have gotten good advice from the group. However, you need to decide what is best for you. But is too early - you could work on your knee. Everyone heals at a different pace. If you follow the forum there are a lot of people that heal wonderfully compare to others that have some type of problem. Most of us that have had problems is usually with ROM or the flexion. However, there are a lot of people with a bundle of experience. Godd luck - let us know how you are doing. J-21370

  • Posted

    Corection - I meant to say at the end of the msg that my problem is with the flexion and not the straightening. I apologize for the mistake.
  • Posted

    Thank you, Everyone. For taking time to reply to my worries. Your comments help me feel more peaceful. I'm just going to keep on doing what I can. Take it day by day. Be patient. Try to get more sleep and stop thinking about my knee every waking moment. I need to remind myself how blessed I am.

    • Posted

      One day you will look back on this & cry ..... with relief it's over!!

      I have no advice for you other than keep up with your exercises, they will pay off in the end.

      Just try to see the good in the little things. Give yourself the odd treat & keep your sense of humour. I do feel for you.

      Keep your chin up, it (rehab) won't last for ever.

      Let us know how you are getting along.

      Marilyn 🤗🤗🤗🤗

      XX

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