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Still worried about my range of movement

Posted , 6 users are following.

Snoozy69
Snoozy69

I know I've asked about range of movement before but I am quite worried about it. I hit the 6 week mark yesterday and I see my consultant next Wednesday. ive been doing my exercises religiously even managing to pedal on a static bike for 15 minutes a comfortable range of movement will be 90 degrees but it's been stuck at this for 3 weeks now. I've tried to push myself with the stretches when I think I've improved I just seem to be back to square one the next day. I get like a tight band across my knee cap it's not painful just tight. I would just like to know if anyone else has experienced this. 

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • ronnie41565
    ronnie41565 Snoozy69

    Posted

            I am at 11 weeks tkr on right knee. Your doing better the static bike I average 9 minutes at resistance level 8.

    Yes I still get the tightness in the knee if I stand too long. My knee bend is little bit better than it was at 6 weeks. Don't worry about your knee bend it will get better. And you are through the worst part of this.

    I still have little sit backs too especially if I walk or stand to far. I sure pay for it for couple of days

     

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 ronnie41565

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. I just feel that any progress I get during the day has gone by the following morning, and being stuck at 90 degrees flexion I wonder if it will ever improve. This tightness across my knee cap is fairly new so I'm wondering if I'm just pushing it too far. All I want is some kind of reward for the hard work I'm putting in. 

      I'm dreading seeing the consultant next week in case he suggests MUA 😢

    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 Snoozy69

      Posted

      Very unlikely to suggest that in UK at six weeks post op with 90 degrees, in my unprofessional opinion based on reading around...

      Keep us posted!

    • sharonc67
      sharonc67 Snoozy69

      Posted

      I went to see the consultant on Monday, I’m 7 weeks post TKR and I was at 85 degrees last measured.  I was scared what he would say too but it was fine, he was happy with my progress. He did mention MUA but said that would be a last resort in the future if nothing gained. Please don’t worry, I’m sure it will be fine! Best Wishes.
  • lyn32416
    lyn32416 Snoozy69

    Posted

    Try pedalling backwards. Also try lying in bed. Bend knee up. Also try sliding foot on tiles whilst seated. Slide foot as far back as you can. My ROM was 115 recently. Took 2 years but now feeling fabulous. Recover is slow but consistent for many. Good luck.
    • jenny80029
      jenny80029 lyn32416

      Posted

      Feeling fabulous, and free! 😁😃 yes, so true, time it takes is very individual, but with patience and persistence it comes!

      Have you kicked anyone with your new kneed leg yet? I keep thinking about it!

    • lyn32416
      lyn32416 jenny80029

      Posted

      Both knees done together Mar 2016. Plenty deserve a kick, mainly medical staff, but don't wanna end up in jail. xx

  • jenny80029
    jenny80029 Snoozy69

    Posted

    Tight band normal. You are doing fine! You may find that your brain gets more anxious and seeks out things to get worried about. It is good to be aware of this, I don't know why it is, maybe just the result of the TKR experience! You are seeing consultant soon, so that will be helpful. It is a long process, and takes time.

  • Snoozy69
    Snoozy69

    Posted

    Thanks for the replies everyone but has anyone progressed over the day to find that progression has gone overnight? This is what is ticking me off more than anything. It's hard work doing the stretching exercises and then to find the next day you have made no progress over a 3 week period is quite soul destroying. I just want a sign of some permanent progression 😢 On a positive note I can now walk without a stick and pain isn't as bad 😃

    • sharonc67
      sharonc67 Snoozy69

      Posted

      Same for me, doing exercises regularly during day, pretty good bend by afternoon/evening then following morning back to stiff leg with little bend!  Very frustrating. I feel that I need to exercise more to keep the bend.  Seem to be stuck at 90 ish at the moment, but haven’t managed a static bike, I was told I had to have a better bend for that.  Well done if you have. I’ll keep plodding on. 
  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX Snoozy69

    Posted

    1. Please stop the worrying.  Counterproductive.  Give up all expectations and timetables. This takes a year.

    2. You cannot...repeat, CANNOT...push a knee...EVER!!! "Don't do dat" - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

    3. TKR recovery is NOT...repeat, NOT...a linear process. Advances, setbacks and plateaus.  You will endure them all.  See the attached picture of your expectations vs. reality.

    4. "Tight band" feeling is normal.  Will decrease over time...can last 12-18 months.

    5. Get all this crap out of your head.  Relax, do the work, give it time, stay strong.

     

    • Snoozy69
      Snoozy69 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Ha ha love the picture but yes you're right. I thought if I do everything that I've been told to do that would be me in the top picture funnily enough on a bike. I think I now realise in reality it will be the bottom picture. 

      Thanks for your reply. Just need a slap and be told to get a grip X 

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Snoozy69

      Posted

      After 10 days in the hospital and a rehab joint in 2009 for a hip replacement, I spent 5 hours a day, six days a week in a therapy pool, PT and a gym.  Pushed that hip to the max for a complete rehab in SIX WEEKS!!!  Thought it would be the same for the knee.  Right.  I got completely blindsided by the length and difficulty of the recovery because you cannot push a knee like you can a hip.  It just swells and sets you back.  You will hear so many people reference this as a marathon and not a sprint.  Totally correct.

      It will not improve because of your expectations or force of will.  It just doesn't work that way.  I'm almost 20 months post-op...I didn't start feeling really comfortable until the 10-12 month timeframe.  Even now, there's still stiffness sometimes and the clunking...but very little.  The only issue is the nerve tingling when I kneel on it.  So I use foam inside the house and tactical knee pads outside.  Some veterans of this say even that will improve over the years.  Nerves are the last things to heal.

      My ROM was -14 / +84 when I started PT 3 weeks post-op and then -1 / +123 10 weeks later when I finished PT.  Now it's about 0 / +133.  IT JUST TAKES TIME!!!  Relax...it's a journey, not a race.

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