Become an Insider

Diane's Knee Quest finally the real deal

Status
Not open for further replies.
Either stop doing the heel slides, or only do them to the point of discomfort. Don't use anything to pull your leg.

Don't overdo the pool exercises. Just do enough to make sure you're using your muscles. You'll need to have some upper body strength post op as well.
 
I only did the heel slides until I felt I had a good stretch, not to the point of pain. I used the strap because it made it easier for me in the beginning when my bend wasn't very good. As I got better I didn't need to use it, but you shouldn't use it if it causes pain.
 
@Gigi32 where were you feeling the stretch. Almost as soon as I start the slide, I feel pain in my knee & I feel like a popping sound/feel. I guess it's gonna be a fine line between wanting to prepare myself, but not hurting myself in the process
 
I could feel it in the front of my knee and along the outer side. I did not have any popping in my knee before surgery. You may not be able to do much before surgery as far as improving your flexion because there may be something keeping your knee from being able to bend. If it hurts, don't do it!
 
dianehelen said:
Almost as soon as I start the slide, I feel pain in my knee & I feel like a popping sound/feel. I guess it's gonna be a fine line between wanting to prepare myself, but not hurting myself in the process
Click to expand...
Heel slides with a knee that is bone on bone are never going to be successful. You may have some bony spurs as well - all of which is going to make this exercise very painful. Just bend your knee enough to keep it as flexible as is possible right now. It's really the muscles and tendons that you are trying to keep in good shape.

Please don't go overboard and exercise like crazy. You don't want to irritate your knee and make it more inflamed than it already is.
We do have this article that suggests some appropriate pre-op exercises:
Exercises for pre-TKR surgery patients
 
@Celle Thank you for your wisdom & reality check.I really wont over do it. Just want to be a little proactive. The pool exercises I did yesterday were very gentle and im not sore from it today, but do feel like I worked some muscle groups that needed it. Today is my regular mile swim day. I swim slow and gentle too. The mile takes me 1.5 hours.

Interesting, on the heel slides, the image & instruction on the page you sent the link for were different from the one my OS have me. On the link it shows the foot flat, on the one from my OS, has the heel on the bed but the foot pointing up. Wonder why?

Hmm bony spurs huh. That does sound painful.

Thanks again for your help
 
There's no reason to do any exercises that are hurting your knee right now. Why cause yourself any more pain then you have now? I would suggest (IMO) concentrate on upper body strength. You'll need your arms to help move yourself around after surgery. I found that's where I have lost the most muscle strength after my two TKRs. I have been trying to regain arm strength and also some core muscle strength that I've lost. My lower body is doing well because I started to do better after increasing activity post op. I've found it difficult to swim because of no arm strength. I'm not sorry I had the two surgeries and I now actually don't fear to have the third one done if I need to. My anxiety going into the revision was a 50 on a scale of 1-10! But all is well now and I'm on my way back to a happy knee after 43 years of pain there.
 
My arm and upper body strength are actually very good. Between my 3 miles a week swimming, and for years I have been using my arms and upper body to assist picking up my massive self, from chairs, and seats in general because of my failed knees. Also I have a set of 3 pound hand weights that I will sit and just raise and lower sometimes just sitting. I would recommend getting a set, if you want to slowly and gradually get some arm strength. They are cheap and amazon can bring them right to your door.

WoW 50 on a scale of 1-10 huh? Sounds like ME ;)

I agree, I wont do anything to hurt my knee or knees now or ever. Im just trying to be a little proactive.

Ok just home from my swim day, and need to get some food and water into me
 
uva55 said:
@dianehelen have you tried the Tylenol arthritis formula yet? I was wondering if it had helped you at all?
Click to expand...

No I have not I should just go ahead and order it. I have bottles of extra str and pm tylenol, so I just felt too cheap to invest in more tylenol. But I guess what the heck at this point huh? Having a decent day painwize, as on swim days I take my 800mg ibu and 100mg tramadol.
 
Ok @uva55 Thanks for the reminder. Ordered, and it's free from my Amazon ebook settlement windfall :-)

I'll have it Tuesday.
 
@dianehelen I can't take Ibuprofen because I take anti inflamatory meds for my back and knee problems, and regular extra strength Tylenol doesn't help me much, but I found that the arthritis formula helped me pre surgery, my dad had a total shoulder replacement in January,and he was on percocet only one day and only took the arthritis formula for pain after that, he never had swelling or had to ice, that's when I decided to have my surgery, I figured if he can do it so can I, well I guess not all joint replacements are the same, the joke was on me, lol
 
@dianehelen oh yeah girl, I have degenerative disc disease, for which I just finished a series of 3 epidural injections in March, and thankfully my back had not bothered me since tkr surgery...we know how to have fun don't we? Haha
 
darn, my friend :-(. So sorry. This old stuff sucks, doesnt it. Glad you are not feeling too bad. But ughh degenerate disc disease.
 
@dianehelen that's why they couldn't do spinal/epidural anesthesia, they tried six times (very unpleasant) and could not get it, I finally told them to stop and they did general. My OS was very upset with anesthesiologist, he said he should have stopped after the 2nd try.
 
Wow. I'm having just the general, my dr never even mentioned spinal. I've had a bunch of GA surgeries over the last few years, and it's never fun, but with the right anesthesiologist, they can mitigate the rough ride. Usually they use Versed, and it's helps.
 
Hi Diane, You had asked about the pain pump that was installed in my upper leg, and I neglected to answer your questions in my post-surgery fog. My OS did talk to me about this pre-surgery. He said he's used these for the last 2 years, and he's convinced it's been very beneficial for his TKR patients. I don't know the kind of drug, but I believe he said it was an analgesic. The anesthesiologist put it in before my surgery. I was awake, he numbed the area, and I didn't feel a thing. It delivers pain relief directly into the knee, and it automatically gave me a continuous slow drip. Then if I felt I needed a boost, I had a button to push. When he described this to me pre-surgery, I thought it sounded gross. I was wrong! It was wonderful. Even if this isn't routine for your doctor, it may be worth a talk with the anesthesiologist.

The other thing I would ask if I was headed into a TKR is how the skin will be closed. I can't imagine why staples would be used, since they're apparently painful to remove. I feel so sorry when I hear how people are tormented with the staple removal on top of all the other assaults to the knee. Glue is great! Plus, you can shower immediately, and the wound is pretty much sealed off. Underneath are dissolving stitches. Seems like the way to go to me!

Sara
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 2,634 (members: 0, guests: 2,634)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom