lovetocookandsew
Former BoneSmart Staff Member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2013
- Messages
- 6,176
- Age
- 70
- Location
- Northern California
- Gender
- Female
- Country
United States
I think one of the hardest parts of this recovery is the patience it takes for recovery. Our heads are ready to get on with life, so we think we should be able to do whatever we want after a very short time. The problem is, our knees are NOT ready for that, and won't be for a long time. Yes, many people are feeling better at around three months post-op, but even though they feel healed and ready to go at that point, their bodies still have quite a bit of healing to do. And you're only just past one month-that's a third of the way to where you'll likely be feeling better, but only 1/12th of the way to where, on average, most of your healing is done.
Some people's knees take even longer to be healed than a year, but the average is around a year. So, my advice to you is to give your knee a break and let the poor thing heal. Stop any excessive activity, and stick with gentle stretches, movements and reasonable amounts of walking. I'd also advise a lot of icing and elevating each day; as long as you use a cloth against your skin you can ice for long periods of time. I iced for an hour or two at a time, then got up and walked around the house, or in my yard, plus did some stretching and gentle movements. As time passed, I walked longer distances, and did more and more daily activities around the house.
Stick with the cane until you can easily walk, with no balance issues, and no limp. It's not a race to see how fast you can give up walking aids; it's a slow and steady balancing act between your knee's readiness to do things and your desire to get on with life. If you try an activity and have pain or swelling, your knee is not ready yet for that activity. Listen to your knee, know that it will let you know when it's okay with different activities, and when it's not. It may also allow an activity one day and the next time rebel, so listening to it is important.
As for the bike, it takes a while to be able to do a full rotation, and for some, they can make a backwards rotation long before a full forward rotation. Skip the bike for now and revisit it at a later date, or just gently rock back and forth for short periods of time.
I never had my ROM measured as I didn't want to worry about numbers. My doctor eyeballed my flex and extension when I would go in for a visit, and that was all we did in regards to any ROM measurement. I think stressing over numbers, instead of just being patient and allowing your knee to heal, is a recipe for disappointment. Between a hand-held device placed on your leg by different people which will result in getting different numbers, and a knee that will be more, or less, swollen day to day depending on a number of factors, the number will constantly change and won't give you a steady indicator of your progress. Instead, look back at where you were previously and where you are in the present at any given time; that will be a much better indicator.
Patience is a virtue, and after this surgery, a necessity. Impatience causes us to do more than our knees are ready for, and will end up stressing you out rather than helping in any way.
Some people's knees take even longer to be healed than a year, but the average is around a year. So, my advice to you is to give your knee a break and let the poor thing heal. Stop any excessive activity, and stick with gentle stretches, movements and reasonable amounts of walking. I'd also advise a lot of icing and elevating each day; as long as you use a cloth against your skin you can ice for long periods of time. I iced for an hour or two at a time, then got up and walked around the house, or in my yard, plus did some stretching and gentle movements. As time passed, I walked longer distances, and did more and more daily activities around the house.
Stick with the cane until you can easily walk, with no balance issues, and no limp. It's not a race to see how fast you can give up walking aids; it's a slow and steady balancing act between your knee's readiness to do things and your desire to get on with life. If you try an activity and have pain or swelling, your knee is not ready yet for that activity. Listen to your knee, know that it will let you know when it's okay with different activities, and when it's not. It may also allow an activity one day and the next time rebel, so listening to it is important.
As for the bike, it takes a while to be able to do a full rotation, and for some, they can make a backwards rotation long before a full forward rotation. Skip the bike for now and revisit it at a later date, or just gently rock back and forth for short periods of time.
I never had my ROM measured as I didn't want to worry about numbers. My doctor eyeballed my flex and extension when I would go in for a visit, and that was all we did in regards to any ROM measurement. I think stressing over numbers, instead of just being patient and allowing your knee to heal, is a recipe for disappointment. Between a hand-held device placed on your leg by different people which will result in getting different numbers, and a knee that will be more, or less, swollen day to day depending on a number of factors, the number will constantly change and won't give you a steady indicator of your progress. Instead, look back at where you were previously and where you are in the present at any given time; that will be a much better indicator.
Patience is a virtue, and after this surgery, a necessity. Impatience causes us to do more than our knees are ready for, and will end up stressing you out rather than helping in any way.
