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TKR Bionic's final op - fingers crossed<

IT's a bit late to tell you now, but for everyone else's sake, I'm going to say that it's a good idea to have a "dry run" before taking a bath.
Try getting into an empty bath while you're still clothed. Sit down and work out how you're going to get out again.

It's much less embarrassing to be rescued while you're dry and fully dressed than when you're naked and wet.

I find that I have to turn over onto my tummy, push up with my hands, and then walk my hands back towards my feet, until I can straighten up again.
 
My bath is quite deep so I had done a dry run which was ok but I hadn't accounted for the bath oil.
It was like a skid patch :-)
Good news is that the bath oil made my skin feel wonderful.
 
Oh my goodness, glad you got out ok. I don't put anything in the water for that reason, too wary of slipping. I rub oil or lotion on my skin whilst it's still slightly damp to get the same effect, maybe try that next time? Glad there were no ill effects, could,have been nasty. Take care.
 
@Bionic I missed your stuck in the bath post. I’m glad you escaped in the end. I haven’t braved the bath yet. I can just see it now, the husband and the kids all in the bathroom laughing because I’m stuck !!
 
@catkin69
They might laugh but its no laughing matter when you think you are stuck.
Husband was trying to help but I thought he was going to do more harm (to both of us) by trying to drag me out.
I managed in the end by myself when he had gone out of the room. It just needed a quiet moment and a few deep breaths.
 
@Bionic I would be sobbing!! I might try this evening but I won’t put anything in it just me and the bath mat!!
 
@catkin69
If you have any shore shoes, you know the ones with rubber soles that you pull on, they give great grip when getting out. Unless you have lots of oil in the water of course :-)
 
Update on today's physio....
OS told me to take some oramorph 30 mins before the exercise. I live an hours drive away so halfway we parked on a garage forecourt while I syringed half a dose of the oramorph out of the bottle. I had a quick look round to make sure I wasn't being watched and then swallowed it straight from the syringe. I felt a bit like a drug addict :loll:
Physio wasn't too hard on me. Gave me some variations in exercise and tips for better walking. She manipulated the knee a bit too. I was rom 75 last Thursday and rom 85 today.

Said my knee can suffer from sensitivity and she agreed with what @Celle has already said, to touch the scar area as much as possible, plus to touch it with different things I.e. rub it with kitchen paper, sponge, towel so that it de-sensitises all the nerves.

Walked out of there without pain and then went shopping for some new clothes.

So all in all a good day.
 
That sounds all very successful. Well done on today. Hopefully things will come on in leaps and bounds now. I hope you bought some lovely outfits. I always have a shopping spree in Padstow and I need one!
 
@Bionic , I was recently reminded that I should take a pain pill before PT, also. I haave been taking it after and only when needed. But I recall my surgeon’s assistant saying to take it before, so I am going to try that tomorrow. Question for you. When your physio measures your flexion rom, is the measurement gathered from you doing a heel slide while lying on your back?
 
@Irish471
The measurement has been taken with me sitting on a bench and pushing the heel as far back as it will go.
Just done some more of those on my own (with husbands help) and I am not sure we are getting it as far.
I have another physio appt tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what it is then,
 
Bionic said:
Just done some more of those on my own (with husbands help) and I am not sure we are getting it as far.
Click to expand...
I take this to mean that your husband is moving your foot back further than you can yourself. I was told to do this also. At not quite 2 weeks post op we spent the weekend with him moving my foot back as far as I could stand it and holding it there until I couldn’t take it. We did this because my PT said my surgeon wanted 95 at my 2 week check up. It was agony.

When I found Bonesmart a few weeks later I learned that this was not a good thing to do. Having someone help move our foot more than we can ourselves does not increase our bend, it increases our swelling and discomfort.

ROM will come on its own, in its own time, as you heal. There truly is no rush or time by which you must regain your ROM. Mine continued to improve after my one year check up, proving that there is no window of opportunity.

You have lots of time. Where you are now is not where you will end up.
 
@Bionic, thank you! I was curious how it's measured in the UK. I do that exercise, too, but I cross my non surgical leg across the ankle of my surgical leg to assist in getting further along I also massage the tight areas. I work at it in 3 sessions each day, icing after each session. By the end of the day, I get to the higher measurements. The physio I see measures with me seated and when doing a heel slide while lying flat. He seems to really care about the heel slide and I always measure poorly with the heel slide. I know everyone says don't stress over the numbers, but it's important to be at a decent bend to be able to get into the car and sit comfortably in various places, etc. Good luck at physio !:yahoo:

@Jockette, it’s definitely not my favorite exercise/stretch, but I do believe for me, it is necessary to work at it a little bit each day. Not aggressively, but gently.
 
Last edited:
Bionic said:
OS told me to take some oramorph 30 mins before the exercise. I live an hours drive away so halfway we parked on a garage forecourt while I syringed half a dose of the oramorph out of the bottle.
Click to expand...

Irish471 said:
@Bionic , I was recently reminded that I should take a pain pill before PT, also. I have been taking it after and only when needed. But I recall my surgeon’s assistant saying to take it before, so I am going to try that tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Oh no! Telling you to take pain medication so you can get through PT is very bad advice. Please don't do it. Make sure your pain meds are on a schedule where you will be covered during PT, but don't take pain meds specially to reduce the pain of PT.

Why? Because pain is a warning sign that what you are doing is too much for your knee at that time. Masking that pain by taking medication may mean that you unwittingly do too much, causing upset and inflammation to your new knee. It's even possible to do damage in extreme cases. We have had someone here who had one of his tendons ruptured during over-ambitious PT.

Bionic said:
The measurement has been taken with me sitting on a bench and pushing the heel as far back as it will go.
Just done some more of those on my own (with husbands help) and I am not sure we are getting it as far.
I have another physio appt tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what it is then,
Click to expand...
Please don't allow anyone to push on your knee to make it bend more. No only is it bad for your knee, but the ROM numbers you get with assistance don't count. It's only the bend that you can get without assistance, by using your own muscles, that counts.

In any case, what's the rush? Don't get caught up in the numbers game.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

And, It's not exercising that gets you your ROM anyway - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.
 
@Bionic I must have the best PT in the UK!! She's happy to see me 3 weekly, told me not to overdo it, measured my flexion quickly ' just for records' + asked to bend my knee but not push or stress. Simply told me to cycle on no resistance bike , walk + massage. Maybe she's been on bonesmart........?!
 
Had a physio session this morning, same person I saw last Thursday. When he came to get me from the waiting room he could see, by the way I was sitting, that there had been some improvement.

He said he doesn't like getting hung up on numbers but takes the ROM mostly because it's what the patients want. Last week, after the session, he measured me at 75 and today was 88.

We were all very happy with that. He didn't measure the extension but said he could tell by the way I was standing that there isn't much wrong with it.

Need to continue with the exercises over the bank holiday and then go back to see his colleague next Tue.

I feel that I have turned a corner :)
 
It's good to read that you're improving!
 
@Bionic Great to hear you feel you've turned a corner!!…. feels great doesn't it!!
 
So glad to see you feeling encouraged.
Hope you have a great weekend, my hippy pal.
 
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