Re: RTKR, I need ROM advice

[Guest guest]

Dave

6 weeks is not long enough to judge your progress......continue with PT 3X a week with a good therapist, and after the 3 months is up....see how you are.....I gained over 10 more degrees of bend just by getting into the pool and "bicycling" my legs in the deep end for about an hour....while sitting down, bend your knee to the point of some pain and try to hold it there for a few seconds....do this over and over while you are sitting down watching TV....and continue to ice, ice, ice!

Delaware

[Guest guest]

Hi Dave

To start with let me say I have NOT had knee surgery.

However because of my work, and reading this list for a couple of years here

are some suggestions.

1 Medication before doing the rom exercises

2 Ice after to reduce swelling and pain

3 try gently placing the foot on the chair while you face away from it.

You might need to bend your torso forward to get it up to the chair at

first. Then relax with it there. When you have relaxed move your torso

straighter. keep bending your knee gently.

This method is one that people at my centre have used. another chair in

front of you is good for security. After a while you may be able to bend

your other knee to get a bit more stretch.

Another way that a client gained more stretch was to sit on a chair and use

the other foot to gently push her foot back. she used to do this most of

the time she was sitting. Not pushing too hard, just enough to get some

stretch.

good luck with it.

Aussie Margaret

RTHR 1990 revised 2004

RTKR, I need ROM advice

| Hi to everyone/anyone

| I'm a 64 yr old male and I'm six weeks out from a RTKR. My wife hooked me

up with this

| website so I could get feed back from other people who are recovering from

TKR surgery.

| (also I think, to keep out of her hair.) Anyway about my surgery, I got

walking ROM back

| in about a week and was pretty much walking around the house pain free in

3 weeks. I

| retired the cane that has been a part of me for at least the last 5 years,

4 weeks after

| surgery. For those things I am grateful.

| Anyway I could use some advice, I'm having the devil's own time getting my

right knee to

| bend backwards to a full 90 degrees. As I said, I can walk OK but when I

bend the knee

| beyond a normal walking position it hurts enough to make me stop an say OH

DARN or

| somthing to that effect.

| I was taught and am using a large assortment of exercises to regain

strength and ROM.

| The exercise I was taught and that I am doing to increase the backward ROM

is just

| standing and lifting the right foot back & up toward the buttocks. For the

last 2 weeks my

| attempts to increase the backward ROM are stuck at the same point " a

little less than 90

| degrees. " Attempts to increase ROM cause swelling & pain in the knee

joint to the point I

| lose a few degrees ROM and have to discontinue the exercise until the pain

& swelling

| subside. When I am able to resume exercises I find my ROM right back to

" a little less the

| 90 degrees. "

| So, do I just stick with the existing program or back off and do less for

a longer peroid of

| time or just power on? (Sorry, don't say power on. I already tried that..

OUCH) So am I

| expecting too much too soon or does anyone out there in cyberspace know

something

| else that I should be doing?

|

| Short of taking up skydiving or bullriding I am open to sugestions.

| Dave

| Salem, OR

|

|

|

|

[Guest guest]

Are you in Physical therapy? It sounds to me like you might need

manipulation. I would call your surgeon. I think your rom is not

progressing as fast as it should be.

On Jan 3, 2007, at 11:21 AM, dlatley wrote:

> Hi to everyone/anyone

> I'm a 64 yr old male and I'm six weeks out from a RTKR. My wife

> hooked me up with this

> website so I could get feed back from other people who are recovering

> from TKR surgery.

> (also I think, to keep out of her hair.) Anyway about my surgery, I

> got walking ROM back

> in about a week and was pretty much walking around the house pain

> free in 3 weeks. I

> retired the cane that has been a part of me for at least the last 5

> years, 4 weeks after

> surgery. For those things I am grateful.

> Anyway I could use some advice, I'm having the devil's own time

> getting my right knee to

> bend backwards to a full 90 degrees. As I said, I can walk OK but

> when I bend the knee

> beyond a normal walking position it hurts enough to make me stop an

> say OH DARN or

> somthing to that effect.

> I was taught and am using a large assortment of exercises to regain

> strength and ROM.

> The exercise I was taught and that I am doing to increase the

> backward ROM is just

> standing and lifting the right foot back & up toward the buttocks.

> For the last 2 weeks my

> attempts to increase the backward ROM are stuck at the same point " a

> little less than 90

> degrees. " Attempts to increase ROM cause swelling & pain in the knee

> joint to the point I

> lose a few degrees ROM and have to discontinue the exercise until the

> pain & swelling

> subside. When I am able to resume exercises I find my ROM right back

> to " a little less the

> 90 degrees. "

> So, do I just stick with the existing program or back off and do less

> for a longer peroid of

> time or just power on? (Sorry, don't say power on. I already tried

> that.. OUCH) So am I

> expecting too much too soon or does anyone out there in cyberspace

> know something

> else that I should be doing?

>

> Short of taking up skydiving or bullriding I am open to sugestions.

> Dave

> Salem, OR

>

>

" If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed. "

[Guest guest]

Dave:

You are a week or two ahead of me. And I had the left leg TKR

instead. All of Margaret's suggestion are right on. Here is a

stretching/bending exercise I found helpful. Sit in a chair normally.

Your right foot should be resting on the floor with you thigh resting

on the chair. If the chair is to short put a rolled up towel under

your thigh so it is supported. Now slide forward until it starts to

hurt, push forward just a little more and hold it for a count of 10.

Make sure your butt is not lifting off the seat. You may do this

uncontinuously because of the pain in the knee. Slide back and lift

you right let out as straight as you can. And down to the same place

you were before to start over with the bend part.

You may want to start with 5 instead of 10 sets at first. You should

feel heat on your knee after these exercises. It you think it is a

lot then ice it down right away. You did not mention anything about

your extension that has been the hardest for me. I was at 15 degrees

two weeks ago am now at 2-3 but those last couple of degrees are

harder that the other 10. My bend is 105 degrees.

Hope this helps.

Don

[Guest guest]

Dave,

You could discuss a MUA with your surgeon. That is a manipulation

under anesthesia. They put you to sleep and then break loose the

scar tissue to increase ROM. You need to keep it moving after that

or it will tend to loose it again.

My own recovery from a revision to replace the original parts which

never did work well has not gone well. My PT says it will take me 6

months to get swelling and pain to get better.

PT also said if muscles are weak you are going to swell and too much

walking before those muscles are built up is not a good idea.

Perhaps your muscles also need rebuilding?

Al Welch

>

> Hi to everyone/anyone

> I'm a 64 yr old male and I'm six weeks out from a RTKR. My wife

hooked me up with this

> website so I could get feed back from other people who are

recovering from TKR surgery.

> (also I think, to keep out of her hair.) Anyway about my surgery,

I got walking ROM back

> in about a week and was pretty much walking around the house pain

free in 3 weeks. I

> retired the cane that has been a part of me for at least the last 5

years, 4 weeks after

> surgery. For those things I am grateful.

> Anyway I could use some advice, I'm having the devil's own time

getting my right knee to

> bend backwards to a full 90 degrees. As I said, I can walk OK but

when I bend the knee

> beyond a normal walking position it hurts enough to make me stop an

say OH DARN or

> somthing to that effect.

> I was taught and am using a large assortment of exercises to regain

strength and ROM.

> The exercise I was taught and that I am doing to increase the

backward ROM is just

> standing and lifting the right foot back & up toward the buttocks.

For the last 2 weeks my

> attempts to increase the backward ROM are stuck at the same

point " a little less than 90

> degrees. " Attempts to increase ROM cause swelling & pain in the

knee joint to the point I

> lose a few degrees ROM and have to discontinue the exercise until

the pain & swelling

> subside. When I am able to resume exercises I find my ROM right

back to " a little less the

> 90 degrees. "

> So, do I just stick with the existing program or back off and do

less for a longer peroid of

> time or just power on? (Sorry, don't say power on. I already tried

that.. OUCH) So am I

> expecting too much too soon or does anyone out there in cyberspace

know something

> else that I should be doing?

>

> Short of taking up skydiving or bullriding I am open to sugestions.

> Dave

> Salem, OR

>

[Guest guest]

Dave,

I did not have a knee replacement but I've had to work on regaining knee mobility from the prosthesis used for a couple of my hip replacements and also for when my tibial plateau was crushed when I was hit by a car. Things that really helped my mobility were the gentle pushing w/ your other food to increase the stretch gradually and one of the things the PT did was put me on an exercise bike. At first I was told to just go back and forth gradually flexing the knee more until I could lift the foot over the top. It wasn't a straight shot. There were a couple of days I couldn't get over the top even though I'd done it a couple of other times. Barometric pressure (fronts moving through) really affect me.

Pat

....I gained over 10 more degrees of bend just by getting into the pool and "bicycling" my legs in the deep end for about an hour