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therapy unavailable after tkr

Posted , 5 users are following.

2young4this
2young4this

at 8 months i am having some concerns that i did not do ample therapy and exercises after my surgery. i live hours away from my surgeon in a third world country, so basically have been doing things on my own. saw him a few times and he saw recent xrays and stated that everything is fine. perhaps i did not understand totally what he was recommending as for not completely fluent in spanish and medical terms non existant. was instructed to continue with things as i used to, including construction as pain and range of movement would allow. went off medication a few weeks ago and take only when in real pain, but i must say that there is pain when i walk. i limp quite a bit. i walk a couple of kms a day though. now the real question.......has my lack of proper therapy exercises greatly affected my recovery?  i read last night about scar tissue preventing being able to extend my leg straight and bending more than 90 degrees. the internet vid gave demonstrations of comparing good and bad legs straight. i was shocked how different they are. i know i was absent on doing the shown exercises, i was just doing standing squats and a lot of stair climbing, but not any stretches to build up my quads or  muscles.i have always rebounded from any sports injury  much faster than anyone. oh, i am 62, but very active. today i have started on new exercizes i located on the net, preforming 5 times a day would be my plan. thanks for any recommendations!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • susan47321
    susan47321 2young4this

    Posted

    Check out out you tube 'lunges' . I do them using my crutches, bad knee forward, good leg behind 3 times a day counting to 10 seconds for each one.

    Try sitting on table chair, plastic bag on foot (makes foot slide better on floor) of bad knee then go forward with bad knee then bring back under the chair, the further you can take back the better the bend.

    I hold onto the back of chair, so I can keep my hip on chair. 2 sets of 15.

    Hope this may help.

    Sue

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX 2young4this

    Posted

    Step 1, step 2 and step 3...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-rom-work-at-home-620053

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/mastering-post-tkr-stairs-552728

    There are lots of exercises for step 1...these are my favorites...#3 is killer.  Next, the muscle rebuild is mandatory as you need to get the strength back in your dead quads, glutes and core to take the pressure off the joint.  It also enables you to walk correctly without any other problems...

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/other-pain-after-a-tkr-641040

    ...plus it helps you regain your balance and gives you the strength to do the stairs work.  The stairs post is controversial in that lots of people were taught the exact opposite. This method worked for me as I was climbing stairs two at a time without holding onto anything at 14 months.  Your choice.  Have fun.

  • jenny61596
    jenny61596 2young4this

    Posted

    I am 7 mths and although I have ample physio if I wanted I did most myself , must say I don’t do any exercises as such any more , just walk , bike etc but I never did them anyway as such , except bending and straightening , and some in pool , my range of movement good and as good as people who did masses of physio so I really think that everyone is different and seeing posts it seems the amount of excercises and physio doesn’t equate with outcome . I used to bend and straighten in bed and lean on my knee to get it flat , but that was up to 8 wks didn’t need to after that. Be guided by what your doctor says and keep trying to get it straight , good luck
  • celticchick
    celticchick 2young4this

    Posted

    Obviously can’t comment as not qualified but I must say ALL the stuff I’ve read before op and people I talked to emphasised how crucial the exercise regime was from day one for quite some time to get full benefit. I believe there can be remedial procedures such as manipulation under anaesthetic which you might want to find out about, if it is too late for therapy / exercise to get you the best results, but I’d say you need a consult. 
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