Knee Prep

[Celle]

I think we have to think in terms of pre-med before activity, PT, ADL's, followed by elevation, ice, and rest.

It's a good idea to make sure that your pain relief medication will cover your activities, but it's a mistake to take the meds just before PT, so that you can get through PT. If you do that, you could well be masking the pain that is a warning sign you are trying to do too much in PT.

Pain is a warning sign that you need to back off what you are doing. Exercises you can do later may not be appropriate at your particular stage of recovery.

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

 

[Smurph]

Upon further reflection you’re so right Celle. You don’t want the medication to mask PT’s effect and cause injury. I stant corrected. Thanks for speaking up.

 

[SusieShoes]

When I thought about it, the “let’s drug you up so we can, if necessary, inflict even more pain on you” approach to healing felt a bit off. I much preferred the “you’re hurting, so lets work with that” school of PT.

I found the sweet spot to be timing my PT sessions and/or my med schedule, so I would come home from PT and take my pain meds. That way I could just settle in, elevate, ice, and enjoy the relaxation as the meds kicked in. Taking pain meds before PT meant coming home two hours (or more) into my pain med, with aggravated knees, and just having okay, not good, pain relief.

 

[Smurph]

So right SusieShoes, Thanks.