TKR Three weeks post op, so glad I found this forum

[webbie73]

Side sleeper here. Instead of placing a pillow between my knees I would place the pillow along side of my new knee, then I would rollover keeping new knee straight and placing other knee bent over onto the pillow. Worked like a charm.

 

[hawk2go]

I am a absolute side sleeper, can't sleep any other way but I can sleep on either side. I can't remember the exact configuration when I got home (at the hospital I used pillows and held onto the rail to stay on my side) but I know I had a full body pillow behind me and a few pillows for the knees and ankles. I do recall that if I placed 1 or 2 pillows between the knees and didn't also keep the ankles at about the same level there was some pain. I also recall flipping, sometimes head to toe flips, every few hours in the early days.

 

[hbpeyton18]

Wow!! Who would think of that? Does it make your leg sweat? We use Saran Wrap sometimes when we wrap horses legs, never would have made the connection to try it myself :P

I still have my staples in (hoping they come out tomorrow!), so I imagine I need to wait on this until after my incision is closed?


Heather
Left knee, 11/30 TKR

 

[woodsidequeen]

Today I used the Saran Wrap during part of the day. It helped the tightness and the sensitivity and also the rubbing against my pants - it really is a miracle.

 

[woodsidequeen]

Hbpeyton18, it doesn't make you leg sweat. You only wrap as long as the incision. So my incision is 6". Not very much wrapping as all. I wear pajamas, so the pajama bottom covers the Saran Wrap. Bear in mind I only used this last night for the first time and today during the day when I was out and about. I will let you know how I do tonight. The plus to sleeping better was the lack of stiffness when I got up in the morning.

 

[hbpeyton18]

Gotcha! If it can take away the night pain/stiffness I will be the happiest person on this forum


Heather
Left knee, 11/30 TKR

 

[woodsidequeen]

hbpeyton18 so are you going to try it tonight? Let us know the results

 

[hbpeyton18]

Hey Woodside-
I waited- I was getting my staples out today, so wanted to wait and make sure all was good. The PA said I should cover the incision if I'm wrapping it, at least until it closes up a bit more.

Interested to hear opinions in that. And she was intrigued by the idea, and wants me to let her know if it works! I like that she was open to it! So think I'll try it tonight and see how we go!

Thanks!


Heather
Left knee, 11/30 TKR

 

[hbpeyton18]

Hmmm... I normally sleep with the ice machine on, do I skip that if I've Saran wrapped? Or put it on top?




Heather
Left knee, 11/30 TKR

 

[Celle]

The PA said I should cover the incision if I'm wrapping it, at least until it closes up a bit more.

Quite right too, and you shouldn't be putting any cream on your scar until it's completely healed, with no scabs or open areas.

My own feeling is that it's too early for you to be starting the saran wrapping.

 

[hbpeyton18]

Oh for sure Celle- I absolutely wouldn't put any lotion near the incision, believe me.

Thanks so much for chiming in- I was hoping you or Josephine would see my questions about it. PA said week 5 should be safe to wrap w/o covering the incision, so I'll wait a bit.


Heather
Left knee, 11/30 TKR

 

[hawk2go]

Worth the wait, I think. I started wrapping like week 7, I think. I can look back at my thread but that sounds about right. The scar sensitivity is what drove me to try wrapping and that definitely started after everything was tightly closed up.

 

[woodsidequeen]

Can't get better ROM because there is still swelling. This is such a frustrating situation. I am 4 weeks out from TKR. I am driving, walking without a cane, walking without a limp. I feel great during the day, but struggle with restlessness during the night. I follow the Bonesmart mantra. I had 88 ROM last Monday when I started out patient PT (don't know what it will be today when they measure, but don't expect much change). So how can you get 120 ROM with swelling, it seems impossible to get that measurement until ALL swelling has subsided. I am curious to hear your ROM stories and when you finally achieved full range of motion.

 

[Gilina]

Interesting that your doc had you wait 4 weeks before starting PT. Personally, I agree with that, but my experience has been they started PT in the hospital (which had bad aftereffects for me!) and expected me to get to PT the day after I got home from surgery. Your doc sounds smarter about that sort of thing.

If you read the articles here--the BoneSmart mantra--your concerns will be addressed. Someone will be along to post them soon, I suspect. One mantra is--don't let the PTs push your leg and make it swell more! ROM will come gradually as swelling goes down. I have learned a lot on this forum and the folks have been very supportive.

Gilina

 

[woodsidequeen]

No, I had PT begin in the hospital and 2 weeks of PT at home. Then last week I started out-patient. So I have had 4 weeks of PT so far.

 

[jojo9610]

@woodsidequeen we had surgery on the same day. I've had at home PT 3X per week since I've been home and start outpatient PT tomorrow. We have the same ROM. I am walking without a cane, a slight limp and I'm going to drive for the first time to PT tomorrow. At this point it's hard to imagine ever getting to 120 because the knee is so stiff but it's still only 4 weeks. One thing I've learned from reading here, you just have to be patient. This is a long process.

 

[sleepilu]

I am struggling to understand why everyone is so hung up on the ROM statistic? Surely if it feels ok to you, does what you need it to do then what does it matter if it's a few degrees less than textbook?
My knee was happily 90 last week but today after a couple of busier days on my feet it's all swollen up again and no way will it have that ROM. But I just figured it would go back to that and improve in due course? So folks, I may be being blissfully naive or maybe it's that I haven't got a PT breathing down my neck wielding a giant protractor?!

 

[smarttoys]

I personally like range of motion measurements because it's a way for me to gauge my progress. Statistics of where range of motion should be in a certain time frame is meaningless to me. In the long run I just want enough range of motion to be able to do all the things I want to when I'm healed.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

So how can you get 120 ROM with swelling,

you don't. As healing progresses, swelling will ease -- unless you do too much and restimulate it. As swelling eases, ROM will improve. Then, stretching exercises will help it further.

 

[Celle]

The answer is that you can't get 120 until most of the swelling has gone and you're correct - it's wasted effort to try. Especially important is not to let anyone try to force your knee to bend.

I did no PT at all for 4 weeks and didn't attend PT. My ROM has never been measured formally, but it is over 125.