Elevating and Icing

[lakelover]

OK here is a dumb question. Since my TKR 8 weeks ago I was elevating with ice by sitting in my recliner with the foot rest up as far as it would go. It seemed to work fine. My leg was not higher than my heart for sure. I just read yesterday that your leg should be higher than your heart. So I have tried this twice and each time my knee ends up feeling much worse! I have ice on while elevating. My knee looks pretty good from the outside but I can feel swelling inside-sometimes more/less than other times.

 

[loggon]

lakelover
I sit in my recliner with my leg on a couple of pillows and ice.
If I ling back the leg is higher than heart but I don't always
ling back. If I don't get the pillows just right under my leg and
knee it will hurt.
My knee always feels stiff when I get up from this but a little
walking helps. But my knee feels stiff most of the time. Does
not hurt just stiff. My Pt said because of the fact it is still
swollen and healing on inside and to expect this up to 6 months
or more.

 

[Max Wallace]

At 8 weeks you are still very early in recovery, keep up the icing and elevating. I too just used my recliner for the elevating and it was not quite high enough but it helped. i also alternated using a heating pad the PT said that using a heatiing pad would increase blood flow and that helped the body to rid itself of the fluid. I used the heating pad just before bed and it did wonders for the pain and helped me sleep longer.

Good luck!

 

[Jamie]

I think what you're feeling (much worse) after elevating above your heart is coincidental. Now that you're progressing in recovery, you may be doing more activity and that can result in increased swelling. It takes quite a while for swelling to go down. Putting your knee above your heart helps that process. If you have increased discomfort, increase your pain meds and/or decrease your activity a little until it gets better.

 

[Josephine]

Possibly, as loggon suggested, you are not getting the support just right under your leg. You need to use a pillow or large cushions and have them pulled right up under your thigh. It needs to be more like this ..

(though possibly not quite so high!)

than this ...

 

[stives]

Nice legs! Who do they belong to? Are they yours, Jo?!!!

 

[lakelover]

OOPS!!! Why don't they tell you these things in the hospital? By the way those legs are mine, Stives-don't know how Jo got them. hahaha

 

[stives]

Ha Ha! I'm sure one, if not both, belong to a man!!! I thought you were a member of the fairer sex?

In fact, I know you are 'cos I saw your nice photo on the social side of this forum only a short time ago!!

Still nice legs, though.

I reckon the top one must be Jo's.

 

[lakelover]

Even a man's leg looks better than mine although I do have less hair. Yes, I am a girl.

 

[stives]

I don't see any TKR scars on those legs. Why does someone want to elevate a non-operated leg? There are some strange folk around!

 

[Josephine]

Well - der - they're models and I would have thought the top one was a girl!

 

[Jamie]

May be a woman, but she has rather large footsies....

 

[Josephine]

True but the legs are very curvacious! Perhaps it's a trannie!

 

[Jamie]

THERE ya go!!! That is the answer for sure. Jo.....we be baaaad.

 

[Judles]

If its a trannie........can only be half right? Or wrong?

 

[Texas]

I want that pillow looks comfy........Guess it would be a specialty store never seen one just around.........hummm

 

[Josephine]

Here tis!

broken link removed: https://www.abledata.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=113583&top=0&productid=174633&trail=0