Water exercises, more info needed

[Mimi]

I hear ya Sandy, that is me too. :secretaea: I came to "like" the pool after years of pool therapy prior to surgery. It was the only time I got relief from pain.

After my TKR, I welcomed the pool exercise and it has been great for me. I still would never go near a pool to swim, just the pool walking and exercise!

 

[skigirl]

Sandy--ice is frozen water.

I also do not love water, but I do two days of exercises in the water. I have red hair and my skin is shockingly white--after a long swim I look like an albino whale!! Kelly

 

[ladyfleur]

Well I have been for my first pool session with my PT(she is great, she goes that extra mile for me).
I was hoisted in to the pool no problem at all, I wore Acqua Guard Latex socks(like those worn by those who have verrucas) they are non slip and I found them great.
I had a full 30 min physiothrapy session and it was remarkable. I thought i may be sore following it, because I found it so easy to do, but my PT watched that I didnt overdo it, and I cannot tell you how much better I feel this week.
I am going again next Monday and really looking forward to it.
My ROM have definately improved. Thankyou all for your comments and support.
Good Luck to you all battling this recovery. Stick with this web site it is a life saver.

 

[Ronvictor]

I love the water..especially the Ocean but have only been in the pool since my "event". Lots of marching , stretching and finially I swim about 10 laps.

 

[Dmgkag]

I hope we can keep this thread going so the "newbies"can see it and get into the pool or jacuzzi as soon as their surgeons give the ok. A lot of PT and OS professionals don't even mention it. If you have found exercising in the pool to be beneficial to your TKR, keep the stories coming. If you are new to pool exercise, please tell of your experiences. Everyone in the pool! Getting there is the hard part..once you are there, you won't want to leave.

 

[vegasmomof3]

Im going in the pool tomorrow for the 1st time. My YMCA has a therapy pool, jacuzzi and pool. Im gonna start with the jacuzzi and do the exercises in the TKR & Rehabilitation book by Brugioni. I've made copies of the water section so I don't ruin my book. lol. They also have classes but not on the weekend and during the weekday classes don't start til 8am. I have to get to the Y by 6am and gone by 7:45am so I will do this on my own.

Margie

 

[bottomshollow]

Well, Margie, if anyone can get this done---it's you! Enjoy yourself!

 

[Dmgkag]

Marge, way to go! You are getting up early but it will pay off. After all we go through with the surgery, getting into warm water and being weightless is wonderful. I also took exercises from that book. I believe the author recommends getting in the water and letting knee warm up for 5 min.before starting the exercises. Experiment, add other exercises that you have learned and develop your own routine. The most beneficial one for me is trying to slowly kick myself in the rear. Gently bend the knee to the point of resistance and hold. This is very similar to what my PT did while I was sitting on the edge of the table. The difference is : the muscles are warmed up, you control the amount of pressure you put on as you gently bend your knee. Do this 3 or 4 times .Don't worry about progress, it will come naturally..all you have to do is get there. Enjoy

 

[Josephine]

Do you have shares in a jacuzzi business? :th_heehee:

 

[jerseychick]

:th_heehee:

 

[Janet2012]

Here's a question. How difficult will it be to actually be able to get into a women's swimsuit after Btkr, and when might I be able to manage this manuever?

 

[skigirl]

Janet, you can buy those swimsuits at Costco I think they are calledSpeedo. They are covering and have lots of sizes. I found two of them that fit just fine and still left something to the imagination!!

I have to tell you a funny story. ONe night I was in the therapy pool and these two 11 year old idiiots came into the pool and had a great deal of fun jumping into the pool as close to me as they could get. They were both pre pubescent and not exactly svelte!! Then a woman and her sister walked into the pool--they were wearing bikinis and both of them were 8 or 9 months pregnant. The day of the idiots came running in---here Johnny you will have to come to this pool now. Their eyes were so bugged out by then they could hardly move--so I helped them along toward the door, here little boys, let me help you out. I turned to the two ladies and said, you two can swim with me any night!! Kelly

 

[Janet2012]

Lol! Eyes would be bugging out if I wore a bikini as well! What I meant by getting into a suit is literally bending my knee to get my foot into the leghole and shimmying it up. It's all so snug rather than being lax like pants. Maybe it won't be difficult, but as I stepped into it today I wondered how I would ever manage it at say a month after surgery or so.

 

[Skeeta]

I started hydrotherapy at three weeks after surgery, PT put a waterproof bandage over my knee, have to say it's the best exercise I have been doing, the pool is so warm and I'm getting much more bend in my knee in the water than in gym. Im doing all the exercises I do in gym, squats, lunges, marching, bending knee back towards bottom etc. Last session she had me doing the cycling exercises and says that she will soon start adding leg weights. I really look forward to these sessions now as they are so much easier and I'm getting much better results. Have to say though that I was really tired after my first session, I think you are working harder than you realise because it's such a nice relaxing environment.

 

[skigirl]

Exactly skeeta and it is important to pace yourself that first time because it is easy to overdo.

Janet, here is how I get into my suit:

I put the suit on the floor with the right leg hole showing. I get my right leg through the hole and then start pulling it up. I can pick up my other leg and put it in (my bum is sitting on a high stool) and then at the end, I just shimmy into it. Reverse the process so that the right foot comes out last after swimming.

Luckily for me a lot of old people use the "therapy" pool, so I fit right in. Last summer I saw some teenagers come into the room, look at us and leave as they said, Ewhhhhhh. Exactly what I would have said at their age!! We were all happy they stayed out too!!

There is something magical in that water--I can do so much more. I have a flotation belt and can bicycle my legs around the pool two or three times --or do you exercises in the pool too. It is a relief to feel more liquid myself and know that I can bend more easily. Remember we grew in water--it is a somewhat natural environment. K

 

[Janet2012]

This might take some more practice if I'm having both at once! I'm having a hard time finding a therapy pool on my side of town. Right now, I'm just going to the lap pool at the local college and walking, but they are closing after next week for four months for renovations. Darn.

 

[vegasmomof3]

First day in spa and therapy pool at my YMCA. The lifeguard was watching me in the spa with my papers I copied from my Brugioni book, lol. I was doing the hamstring stretch and he came over and asked if I was OK, lol. I explained to him what I was doing and he said that was awesome. Then I headed to the therapy pool and started with the pool exercises. There is also another pool (Lap Pool) that has a walking lane and is deeper. I think I will try that one next time because I am tall and want deeper water. The lifeguards were very helpful and showed me where the water belts and other equipment is. I must say I got quite a good workout. I wasn't too sure about the pool therapy but it really feels great. When I was walking backwards I realized I really haven't done that in years. Definitely need to work on balance. All in all I will continue with the pool therapy.
Once I get my routine down it will be great to not have to stop and read. Have a nice day all.

Margie

 

[PattyT]

Lol! Eyes would be bugging out if I wore a bikini as well! What I meant by getting into a suit is literally bending my knee to get my foot into the leghole and shimmying it up. It's all so snug rather than being lax like pants. Maybe it won't be difficult, but as I stepped into it today I wondered how I would ever manage it at say a month after surgery or so.

Hi Janet - any reason why you couldn't wear shorts instead until your recovery was a little more advanced? Nice to see another Michigander here btw Will be praying for your upcoming surgeries!

 

[bottomshollow]

What I meant by getting into a suit is literally bending my knee to get my foot into the leghole and shimmying it up. /QUOTE]

Well, Janet, I suspect that you'll figure out how to get your undies on:th_heehee:---and if you can do that, you should be able to get into a bathing suit by the time you're ready for it.

It's amazing how we can figure these things out after surgery when we have to.:wink1:

 

[Janet2012]

Technically, I could go commando (isn't that what the guys call it?) but I dare not go skinny dipping. Maybe I'll just live in moo-moos for a few months!:yes 4: