TKR Patience not my virtue

[SusieShoes]

Confession time: I too ordered a goniometer from Amazon. Like you, I was curious about whether I'd gained any ROM at all. All the functional things were really good, but... Anyway, I found it a challenge to use on my own. How was I to measure my joint?

Sitting on the throne yielded one number. Stair lunges yielded a different number. Sitting on the bed yet a third number. I could not measure myself when lying down in bed (my arms are not that long) which is what the literature recommended. Finally I enlisted Mr. Shoes to do it for me. Success!

Thanks to the goniometer, I now know that my flexion will be more or less depending on the weather, time of day, amount of salt in the food I ate the night before, before or after exercise, and before or after elevation. On the plus side... my flexion has definitely improved. Have fun with yours!

 

[Polkadot]

I agree with @SusieShoes--measuring is definitely difficult on your own! I've used the goniometer app on my phone with success--at least when my DH does it. @Canada35, numbers are a lure, but the things you can do show you''re coming along!

 

[kmak81230]

As a seasoned goniometer user (what's an obsessive person in recovery to do when their PT will not measure) I can attest that the numbers are quite variable depending on many things like the ones @SusieShoes mentioned. Because my self esteem is wrapped up in my ROM I tend to measure when I feel really bendy and not stiff. I can do it myself in certain positions and get a pretty good reading on a certain machine that shall not be named.

 

[Jockette]

I have no interest in owning an object I can’t pronounce or spell!

Since our rom will vary even within the same day, I find it mind boggling that PT’s are so obsessed with it and and approve or disapprove of every little number of degree, and then we feel obsessed about it, too. If we drew it out on paper how much space would there be between the degrees.

I am putting thoughts about rom on the shelf and am just going to get on with life. My knee actually felt weird and hurt this morning, for no other reason than that it wanted to. I told it to shut up and that it was fine.

So far so good!

 

[Canada35]

@Jockette I totally agree with you and all the others. I am not at all concerned about the numbers. I have been only concerned with function. This is a total curiosity thing and I am sure my numbers will vary just as they have for @SusieShoes and @kmak81230
I also tried the app on my phone @Polkadot. It's fun just trying to figure out how it works ( or if it works lol)
The PT that came to my home for 8 weeks measured every visit and I told her at that time I didn't care what the numbers said. I just wanted to be able to do what I wanted to do! I think they gage their own success rates by the numbers

 

[Polkadot]

Hey, @Jockette, I wonder if we were telling our knees to shut up this morning at about the same time?

@Canada35, I'm with @kmak81230. Measuring is best done when you feel really "bendy!" I've been struggling with flexion lately and don't have a PT any more to measure me, so I've been avoiding the measuring. Why stress yourself out more? That said, you have slowly and steadily been amassing some great milestones and evidence that you are improving. So we will all be thrilled to know what you find out when you get the goniometer.

 

[Polkadot]

@Canada35, I tried the phone goniometer on various furniture angles, and it was very accurate. The accuracy on one's leg is improved if the phone is pressed down firmly when measuring the thigh angle. The soft tissues distort the measurement a bit otherwise. At least, that's my husband's terribly scientific observation.

 

[jaschembra]

I will add my 2 cents... my OS said my extension was good because it was functional. Well, I say, functional yet with pain. So, after returning to PT and working on extension - as it gets closer to zero - my pain gets less, especially while standing. Sometimes I like it when a PT person has some good ideas.
I have a G... too. I can't do extension alone, but I get a pretty good read on flex. lol

 

[phrog]

It never occurred to me before to get a goniometer, but after reading your thread this morning, @Canada35 , I am starting to think it would be grand to know. My OS just eye balled my ROM at my appointment on Friday last week and pronounced it great - which, of course, is great - but since I am still hurting this week from weak muscles, I am thinking it would be (shall I say?) knee-affirming to have numerical proof that something with this knee is exceptionally good. I think I might just get the phone ap though. Can you Smarties tell me what it is called? Thanks.

 

[Celle]

Don't get too wrapped up in the numbers game. You can tell when your knee is bending better, without buying equipment you will only use for a short time. In any case, it is all too easy to make small adjustments to the position of the goniometer, when you're measuring your own ROM - that can result in variations in the numbers.

What you can do with your knee is far more important than ROM numbers.

 

[Thesoutherncook]

I agree with @Celle ! It's all about quality of life.
(I don't even like to get on a scale. Just whether I can button my pants is enough measurement for me! )

 

[Canada35]

I agree with you all. It is all about function but I am doing the measuring for fun and for curiosity

 

[Polkadot]

@Canada35, as an artist, I love tools and gadgets! Once you are done with the goniometer, you can always put it into your "kit" of things you will lend to friends facing a TKR/THR: you know, the sock-putter-on-er, the grabber-reacher, the trusty cane, etc. They will thank you, and you will have had your curiosity satisfied.

 

[Canada35]

Got my goniometer today finally from Amazon. Had fun with it measuring this angle and that. Best measurement I could get in any position was 110 which is exactly where I thought I was based on the things I can and can't yet do. No surprises!
Will tuck it away and try measuring again in a month and a month after that and so on. Just to see if there is any progress by the numbers.
I am making progress by function because I can now go down most every staircase foot over foot which I could not do a month ago. Then it was a sometimes thing and depended on the staircase.
I have my 6 month appointment with my OS on Thursday. Will report back after that.

 

[sistersinhim]

Yay! Foot over foot is a huge accomplishment! You go, girl! I was unable to do that for over 20 years and I remember how thrilled I was when I was finally able to do it! Keep up that good work!

I also bought a goniometer from Amazon and still every so often measure my bend. Some days are more bend than others, even now! But, it's only by small amounts.

 

[Canada35]

Thanks @sistersinhim! I'm not expecting huge changes by the numbers but it is great to have changes by function.

 

[Dizzy]

So happy that I found this forum! I 've been feeling like such a baby and a complainer because I still have a good amount of pain when standing up from sitting and walking for any amount of time. But reading all these threads tells me that my experience is right on track (14 weeks) with everyone else.
OS is happy with my ROM (110) and so am I. PT was determined to get me to 120 but I wasn't there to begin with. Everyone is different.
I, too, am very impatient even though I have been told many times that healing takes a long time so I'm trying to be satisfied with my progress.
Again, thank you so much for this forum. I feel like I've just met many new friends.

 

[Canada35]

@Dizzy you have come to a welcoming place where you will find many friends who will support you along your journey.
I will ask @Celle to start a thread for you so she can post a lot of great articles for you to read. Even though you have been through the worst, there will still be questions you may have and you may want to document your own circumstances with other posts.

 

[Dizzy]

Thank you SO much for the great welcome, Canada35!

 

[Celle]

@Dizzy - I have copied your post, above, into your own recovery thread. It's nice to know that you feel we've been a help to you. Thank you.

@Canada35 - Thank you for supporting Dizzy. She does have a recovery thread, so I've copied her kind post into her thread as well.