DEL2022Jun-25
junior member
- Joined
- May 26, 2022
- Messages
- 31
Hi,
Surgery for partial knee replacement was May 9 at UCLA. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I didn't know it would be this tough. I had surgery after years of waiting through the covid shut downs. Prior to surgery I took strength and mobility classes to work on gait, upper body and core strength. I also did 8 rounds of Aqua Therapy. The results of it paid off when I needed the core strength right after surgery.
PT started 3 days after surgery (!!!) with gentle stimulation of the muscles surrounding the surgical site. Everything was going well with a constant pattern of icing (Breg Polar Ice Cube), elevation, pain medications, gentle massage, and CBD cream (5000 mg) to the local area. I had good motion, gait and the ability to pick up my foot and move my leg, until this past Monday when the PT hooked up the electrodes to my quads and also asked me to flex and tighten for 15 mins. This was followed by a whole day going to the post-op (1.5 hour drive each way) and other activities that day, when I had limited ability to elevate and ice.
Sigh. I now have a tight band where there was minimal one before, the band is in a consistent spasm. I feel like I've backslid by about a week or so.
On Wednesday, my post op went well, and the surgeon was pleased with my ability to bend my knee and overall condition, though decided to give PT a rest until next week. I'm tapering off the tramadol and am on Tylenol, baby Aspirin, colace and miralax. I can't take NSAIDs due to the havoc they wreak on my kidneys (I have regular labs done).
I won't let the PT do that electrode thing on my quads again.
Anyway, this forum was a godsend. Last night I woke up to ice and was in pain and everything I read regarding the overuse of PT was music to my ears.
I love exercise and hiking, as well as swimming. All of that is on the back burner and I hope I'll be fit enough to return to it all by September. I am working with bands and hand weights to continue upper body strength for now. I fashioned a yoga strap into a sling to rest my leg when I go to PT and sit in a low chair and have to wait.
Surgery for partial knee replacement was May 9 at UCLA. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I didn't know it would be this tough. I had surgery after years of waiting through the covid shut downs. Prior to surgery I took strength and mobility classes to work on gait, upper body and core strength. I also did 8 rounds of Aqua Therapy. The results of it paid off when I needed the core strength right after surgery.
PT started 3 days after surgery (!!!) with gentle stimulation of the muscles surrounding the surgical site. Everything was going well with a constant pattern of icing (Breg Polar Ice Cube), elevation, pain medications, gentle massage, and CBD cream (5000 mg) to the local area. I had good motion, gait and the ability to pick up my foot and move my leg, until this past Monday when the PT hooked up the electrodes to my quads and also asked me to flex and tighten for 15 mins. This was followed by a whole day going to the post-op (1.5 hour drive each way) and other activities that day, when I had limited ability to elevate and ice.
Sigh. I now have a tight band where there was minimal one before, the band is in a consistent spasm. I feel like I've backslid by about a week or so.
On Wednesday, my post op went well, and the surgeon was pleased with my ability to bend my knee and overall condition, though decided to give PT a rest until next week. I'm tapering off the tramadol and am on Tylenol, baby Aspirin, colace and miralax. I can't take NSAIDs due to the havoc they wreak on my kidneys (I have regular labs done).
I won't let the PT do that electrode thing on my quads again.
Anyway, this forum was a godsend. Last night I woke up to ice and was in pain and everything I read regarding the overuse of PT was music to my ears.
I love exercise and hiking, as well as swimming. All of that is on the back burner and I hope I'll be fit enough to return to it all by September. I am working with bands and hand weights to continue upper body strength for now. I fashioned a yoga strap into a sling to rest my leg when I go to PT and sit in a low chair and have to wait.
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