Post TKR

You can use ice cubes in a bag from a suoermarket, make your own, use a bag of frozen peas or a cold drink can! But the first is best. In hospital they threw lots of ice cubes into a pillowcase. Hold it firmly but not aggressively on the swollen parts and on the painful areas. No longer than 15 minutes really - do not put ice directly on skin make sure it is in a bag or a cloth. I made some small bags using food freezer bags too. You can also use cold patches from chemist or instant ice packs if going out. I was advised not to use freeze spray or anything like that with chemicals in. It really was a important to do after exercise and at night when swelling goes up. I still do it once a day at 20 weeks. i stopped too soon and when I bothered to do it again it was worth it. Get into a routine and do it in a proactive rather than reactive way every few hours at first.

Hi Margaret.  I bought some gel ice packs from ebay beforehand - I bought four large rectangle ones. And 2 bags of cheap peas decanted into slightly larger freezer bags so they spread about a little.  I use either the peas in a pillowcase or 2 of the gel packs side by side wrapped in a tea towel.  At first I would do probably 10 minutes every hour or so, now at almost 4 weeks I do about 10 to 15 mins every 3 hours but definitely 3 or 4 minutes before exercise and 10 mins after.  

With having the different ones, there is always something frozen enough - at first the peas were most comfortable as the gel packs felt hard and heavy.

Good luck!

Thanks folks - I knew some of you would help me out. Bless you. 

lol its quite easy I bought medical ice packs from amazon or the chemist and it just means applying the ice packs as often as you can to relieve the swelling and pain but be aware that ice can burn so I put a muslin cloth over my knee before applying my ice pack. There a god send the relief from them is phenomenal! !!!!!!

forgot to say margaret the packs I use are GEL so they are soft and pliable and you dont need to freeze them I just keep mine in the fridge!!!!!

thanks Andrea - all good tips. 

The tens unit is fine. I use one a lot after the wound heals. Icing is done so many ways. Some by the item called a cyrocuff others j just use ice in a plastic bag. I bought one of the blue quick freeze bags that stay soft and are pliable so they can be m o lded around the leg. Whatever method, the ice bag should never come in contact with the skin. It should have a cloth of some sort between the plastic and leg otherwise you can get a nasty burn.

I was given an ice bag from the hospital, still use it.  Don't forget to put a towel under the ice pack, not the ice pack straight onto your skin as it can give you an ice burn.

Not having been prepared when I first got home I used a bag of frozen peas, but once I could get someone to the chemist, i bought those soft gel packs which you put in the freezer . . Being soft, it adapts nicely to the shape of the knee, not the hard blocks they provided in the hospital!  Looking back, I probably didn't use them enough . . 

 

Dear Margaret

If anyone can give u advice. Believe me it is me.

If u have read my story u will understand.

First after 3 TKR in past 18 months. Here in all Florida hospitals they send u home with this cooler box and attached is a knee wrap which send cool flow to knee 24 hours first few days.

After for swelling it is not good to place ice on knee directly.

It can cause a freezer burn.

No joking

And not for more then 20 min at time

I shall be having 4th surgery within next 4 weeks