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TKR Im losing my confidence

My therapist always finished up with a massage. It was wonderful and I looked forward to those all week. But if you're knee doesn't like pt, give it what it wants. :heehee: 120 is pretty good though!
 
@Glamg1979 if I had 120 degree bend I would be very satisfied and not doing another moment of PT. that is wonderful!
 
Hello all,

Today I had my 9 week post op check up with the doctor. He estimated my extension at -5 degrees and my ROM at 105. His advice was to continue to do frequent stretches for straightening the leg and to bend the knee, he showed me what to do, basically sitting in a chair and using gravity and my body to execute the stretch. He said it should be an uncomfortable stretch but not hurt. He said my knee would tell me when it was enough. He said he preferred more repetitions of the milder variety than really intense stretches. He said I was doing fine and I should continue going to PT and to use the bike for a few minutes several times a day. This was encouraging since I have been all over the board with either doing too much or doing very little. So I now feel like I, my doc and my physical therapist are all on the same page.

I began driving at 8 weeks and that has given me a new sense of freedom. I am taking Tylenol and ibuprophen during the day and beginning in the early evening I might take 2.5 mg of Norco every 3-4 hours until bedtime which for me is usually around midnight. I still don't sleep that well but am working on that with some mindfulness meditations, etc.

I guess what I want to say is although I am still not thrilled to be this dependent and still in need of much time for healing, I have turned a corner where I no longer feel out of my body and slightly crazy. My emotions have settled down quite a bit. I still cry about every day for about a minute. Mostly just frustrated that I can't do more and frankly I'm a little bored. But the greatest thing is I feel like myself again.

I'm very thankful for this forum and to the members that were so encouraging as I am no longer losing my confidence but gaining it everyday. Also there's nothing like a new puppy to distract you from yourself!
[Bonesmart.org] Im losing my confidence
 
Naomi60 said:
He said my knee would tell me when it was enough. He said he preferred more repetitions of the milder variety than really intense stretches.
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That sounds great---intense does nothing but create more inflammation, swelling, and stiffness--thus creating frustration. Take it to the point of discomfort only, and you will move forward.

Naomi60 said:
I guess what I want to say is although I am still not thrilled to be this dependent and still in need of much time for healing,
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That is true for all of us---we have to come to terms with how slow things move---not only our recovery, but ourselves, too. We also have been very independent folks, and now we realize that we need to depend on others for a while longer than we would like. Stay the course and hang in there; you are doing fine.
 
Why does your OS want you to continue to do straightening exercises for your leg? At -5, you are hyperextended. I was at -4 day of surgery and PT said don't do any straightening exercises because of the hyperextension. Everyone's ROM varies, at almost 5 weeks, my ROM measured at 125 at PT today. My pre-op right knee is at 150ish (heel to butt when sitting).

I have some tightness from the quad tendon and the quads itself that I think is inhibiting ROM since I have minimal swelling. My PT massages it at the end of every session, but I'm booked with my massage therapist to help work out the tightness in those areas to see if that helps. Maybe you can look into a massage therapist if you think that might help? I'm experimenting with my knee since my massage guy does excellent work on my back for tight and sore muscles. It might help with ROM if thats what you are looking for.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
hermitstyle said:
Why does your OS want you to continue to do straightening exercises for your leg? At -5, you are hyperextended.
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My understanding is that when you go beyond full extension---you then go into hyper-extension, which is in the "+" numbers.

My right leg, due to an absence of a ACL for a long time, naturally can hyper-extend, so the PT's always put a "+" in my chart for my right knee. The ATC at the school at which I taught uses "+".

Note--I see that Josephine uses "-" numbers for a hyper-extension. This is interesting.
 
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This confuses me also. My TKR is almost hyper extended, probably from being in an imbolizer for a month.
 
@Naomi60 your puppy is just adorable and it's nice to see your big smile as well. I have also been frustrated by not being recovered enough to do everything I want, even at 14 weeks out! Sometimes I go ahead and do it anyway, but then spend 2 days recovering. Tell us about your new puppy!
 
Celle said:
ROM (range of motion) information

This image is also in the article listed above:
[Bonesmart.org] Im losing my confidence

That makes sense to me - anything short of full extension (i.e. with a bend, no matter how slight) is a + number, while anything more than full extension is a minus number.
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Yes, I indeed saw that---but my PT's used a "+" me, and th ATC at school uses the same terminology.
 
I am two weeks behind you and it is heartening to read your progress. Love your picture with your puppy!
 
Celle said:
That makes sense to me - anything short of full extension (i.e. with a bend, no matter how slight) is a + number, while anything more than full extension is a minus number.
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referee54 said:
Yes, I indeed saw that---but my PT's used a "+" me, and th ATC at school uses the same terminology.
Click to expand...

Perhaps @Josephine would explain about measuring hyperextension better than I can?
 
@Celle I was told the - meant that you were hyperextended and anything + meant there was a bend in the knee so that +1 meant your knee was not yet totally straight ( that would be 0) and +120 would then show how much the knee could bend further. ( I'm a numbers nut and former Math teacher).
 
It's OK. That's what I was taught as well, Marian, @newlybionic .
It's just that so many people do get confused about how we state the extension measurements (some PTs state them differently, too) and I thought we needed some consistency here on BoneSmart. Tim (referee54) and I aren't in disagreement.
 
Hi Naomi - I just finished reading your thread, and you are singing my song. I'm just ahead of you, and I still shed a few tears every now and then. Take heart, you're doing really well. My knee was acting like yours and once I cut down in the exercises it started making progress faster and more importantly, it felt a lot better. It's so easy to overdo the exercises when our PTs and MDs are breathing down our necks, but my flexion went from 100 to 117 in one week after I stopped beating it up everyday. Your pup is adorable, enjoy!
 
Kelpie said:
Oh I'm with you on that one too! I have great days that often end in a blubbering mess! My husband just asked me if I'd remembered to pay off my credit card (I hadn't). I burst into floods of tears! No biggy really, I did it online in 5 minutes. I think it comes with the territory really. We'll get there! Chin up! :console2:
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I burst into tears at least 3 times a week. Mostly frustration.. Add in the holidays and I was quite special last week, haha! Had a meltdown when all of the parking places were taken at the pharmacy... Cause that's a big deal right?! <shaking head>

You are definitely not alone!!! I just know to carry extra Kleenex in my backpack now.


Heather
Left knee, 11/30 TKR
 
Thank you everyone,

Ok, let's clear up the extension question. Based on your comments, it seems I should have said +5. My leg does not fully straighten. My knee still feels tender to the touch to me and I don't like the idea of pushing down on it. I prefer to stretch it using gravity for short periods.

As far as PT goes, I have started warming up my muscles before going in to try to get more benefit from it. The last time I was there, the therapist massaged the back of my leg as I cried and cooed at the same time. It hurt so good. The result was a wave of endorphins lasting a good 2 hours. I was very happy. So now I am all about getting massages and I am considering an accupressurist to work on my hamstrings and the other muscles and ligaments that remain so tight.

Re: Emotions, feeling so dependent, users of this forum - who are we? I have wondered who we are. Are we the over achievers? The ones that gotta know everything, control freaks? I have learned a lot about myself these last few weeks, not all pretty. One thing I know is I'm not a fan of pain and I wouldn't last long in any prisoner of war situation. The other thing I learned is its ok to let go and let other people do for me. This control freak is learning to go with the flow and trust others to do whatever is necessary.

I'm going to take it easy on the knee this week but I am going back into the gym to work on other areas like upper arm and core. I'm also considering swimming a few laps. I'm not a big athlete but my thinking is it will give me something to do and tire me out so I can sleep. I guess it's ok to swim now. Does anyone know if it's advisable to go into a whirlpool?

That little puppy's name is Cody and he's about 12 weeks old. He's a cocker spaniel and I have to say he's pretty adorable although when he is underfoot, I have to really be careful. He tends to shadow me closely and I'm surprised I haven't tripped. My dear husband, who has waited on me hand and foot, is now trying to train Cody. Between me and Cody, he's got his hands full!
 
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