The amount of bend you "should" be at

Sorry - wish you could edit a previous comment - what I meant about making a knee go totally flat - I'm referring to when you're standing or sitting - not when you're lying flat.  

Absolutely. It just discourages people when they start to focus on a few degrees this way or that. Large (fatter) legs don't bend as far either...the soft tissues limit bend. Once swelling dies down things improve a lot, as long as folk keep the leg moving and don't start inflicting agony on themselves, progress is made with time. On rare occasions certain people may have adhesions within the joint which cause a hard stop to their bend, but this is the exception, not the rule.

Did not realise you are from Oz! Interesting to get a world wide perspective! Well, we seem to have UK, USA, and Australia at least! Anyone from anywhere else?

I had my knee replaced in November last year.  I did get quite worried at one point of the journey as my bend was slow to improved despite hydrotherapy and physio.  Once I reached 90 bend and -8 straightening I finished physio and stopped worrying about the numbers.  I feel great again. Still do my exercises, walk and swim.  I don't think my bend will ever be 120/130 but does it matter - I can do what I need to with no pain just the occasional stiffness.  As for straightening well, my other leg doesn't sit flat to the floor so I'm not really expecting the operated leg to either.  Glad you are doing well - and it's a good tip for anyone - don't get too hung up on numbers, do your exercises and get well everyone. 😊

That is pretty much true, Cheryl. The numbers - the amount of degrees - tells us how much we need to be able to function. In other words, in order to best and most efficiently be able to get in and out of a chair you need at least 100, depending on how tall or how short you are and how tall or short the chair is.

So the numbers can't be dismissed because we know how much we need to get in order for those things to happen.

And if we are working with someone and we measure and only get 75, 80, 85 degrees, we know that getting in and out of a chair - or completing some other task - is going to be very difficult. So it gives us something to shoot for.

Really no different than knowing how much time it takes to get to the airport so you don't miss your flight.

It's like they say, "the numbers don't lie."

Hi Cheryl 

Well done and well said. I have always wondered how I was going to manage to get a big bend on very large thighs, no matter what I do there is always a lot of tissue (read fat here😊 that gets in the way.

i do 30 minutes exercise three times a day so I am doing my very best and now 

I am trying to focus not necessarily on the number but how it relates to my good knee and so far on the table there is just 5cm between them in four weeks. So I've decided to stop beating myself up and be happy with my progress. 

Life looks a little rosier then.