TKR knee strengthening

numike

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Long story short Medicare is going to cover 80% of three physical therapy sessions my surgeon has ordered
However my medicaid will NOT cover the 20% copay
Than I got to thinking why go into therapy? Surely the good people on bonesmart have the basically the same videos/handouts I would have gotten from the therapy
Thank You for reading this and assisting me
 
I think it's up to you. You can find a lot of exercises videos for knee replacement on YouTube as well.

Personally I like physical therapy because they can guide me through the exercise and tell me if I'm doing something wrong or if my form is wrong. But I also do exercises on my own at home on top of PT.
 
Oh I would like to go but I am in the peasant class of persons and paying 20% could/will mean using powdered milk instead of 2% milk for that month of therapy
 
We have members who have not gone to formal PT following surgery and they’ve done very well.

If you want to do post-op exercises, these are the only ones you need:
Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it
Heel slides and how to do them properly

Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.
 
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@numike Jockette is spot on! We have many members who do not go to PT yet recover just fine. If you are wanting to do strength training this isn't the time anyway. The simple exercises in the links we left you will help you regain range of motion.

Please keep us updated!
 
If you are wanting to do strength training this isn't the time anyway Could you elaborate on that a bit? Why is it not and when is the time? thank you
 
Knee replacement recovery is totally different from a sports injury. An awful lot of work is done on the knee during the operation. Therefore the recovery is slower as all the internal layers need to heal at their own pace. By doing PT too soon this will just cause more swelling, this in turn causes more pain and the bend will be harder to achieve.
The BoneSmart approach has been proven by many people, myself included, this is my 2nd replacement, this time I did no PT until 1 month after surgery my ROM on my right knee with no pushing on my part is now at 132 degrees, on my first surgery having started PT after 2 weeks, my ROM at 1 month had barely hit 110 degrees, the reason was swelling.
I have just started PT purely to practice walking correctly as I tend to walk stiffly & with a limp, this I want to correct, my therapist is gentle, no pushing or forcing at any time.
Once your knee is fully healed and all swelling gone then you can think about strength training, you yourself will know when you are ready as everyone heals at their own pace, as I discovered no two knees are similar.
 
Numike,

There are many different kinds of strengthening exercises and most do NOT require a gym, weight machines, etc.. Attached are 6 exercises that I did before and after my LTKR that focus on strengthening your quads. In addition, you can add standing hamstring curls and standing marching.

Some amount of quad and hamstring strength is quite important for the ROM exercises. Strong quads will help you reach your extension goals and strong hamstrings will help you with heel slides. These are also helpful when you start going up and down stairs "normally."

Each of us face different post-op challenges based on our fitness going into the surgery and our goals afterward. You need to find the program that works best for you - most times it is a trial and error process.

Good Luck.
 

Attachments

  • knee-exercises-before-total-knee-surgery.pdf
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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR MOST SAGE ADVICE!
 
When you come out of TKR, your knee will be traumatised. You should consider that healing and training are different.
 
@numike .... are you saying that your surgeon is only allowing 3 therapy sessions for you AFTER surgery? Or was he advising you to do these sessions before your surgery?

Our staff has correctly advised you not to push the strengthening exercises following surgery. This is not the time to worry about gaining back muscle strength, as your body is still healing and tissues are very tender at this stage. All that is really required is to keep your knee mobile (gentle bends and stretches throughout the day and walking around at home inside for 5 minutes or so every couple of hours). For an explanation of what happens in the healing process, please take a look at the Post Op Care link in the blue toolbar at the top of the page. You'll see why it's normally a good idea not to stress out your tissues as they are trying to heal.

However, if your surgeon was suggesting you do some strength exercises BEFORE your surgery, that's a different matter. The stronger you can go into surgery, the better. Many people are in a lot of pain with their bad joints and cannot do lower limb exercises. If you can, strengthening your quads will be helpful. But you shouldn't do any exercises before your surgery that cause you pain. You want to avoid going into surgery with an inflamed joint if at all possible.

So, if you cannot work on quad strength prior to surgery, it is helpful to do strengthening exercises for your upper body so that you can more easily use your walking aids and maneuver yourself around in those early recovery weeks.
 
the three therapy sessions are scheduled BEFORE my July 8th knee replacement
 
ok so I am going to start strengthening my knee muscles quad and upper body
well BEFORE my surgery?
Im poor and alone what exercises do you all recommend?
Thank You
 
@numike below is the link of suggested pre- surgery exercises.

 
@numike - I did all of the exercises in the article before my second TKR and have to say the upper body strengthening was invaluable. I used my arms, shoulders and core quite a bit in those early weeks to manage movements in the bed, chair, shower, stairs and even using my walking devices (walker then cane).
 
If you have 3 pre-op therapy sessions they will likely show you some good exercises to do at home.
 
If the surgeon is saying that they are going to be able to go home directly from the hospital they should ask to be connected with a social worker from the hospital. Medicare financially incentivizes the hospital to make sure that they don’t have any complications within 30 days. The social worker will be able to recommend a competent home care company.
Just in case, it would not be a bad idea for them to also familiarize themselves with the nursing homes in the area. If there are complications the hospital is likely to push for discharge to a nursing home for them to rehab before headed home.
 
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Hi @numike, if you are interested in being able to make use of gym equipment, look into the silver Sneakers program. It is available through medicare and it pays the membership fee at participating gyms. I'm not sure if it is nationwide but I think it is.

I use the YMCA because at least in my area the clientele varies and I don't feel out of place.
 
Hi @Claire56 , @numike , Silver Sneakers program is fantastic! No additional cost outlay. In my case, I converted my longtime gym membership from my individual account to the Silver Sneakers one and no longer have to pay any annual dues. I also signed up with another gym nearby and it's the same thing - no membership fees. In our area alone, there are close to a dozen different gyms (including the Y) that accept Silver Sneakers.

I'm in Colorado, south of Denver.
 

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