TKR knee icing

[Back2Life]

Hello! I am new to the site and glad I found it. I am having an RTKR on Jan15 2024. I am seeking information/advice on ways that I can keep ice on the knee. I am considering an ice machine so if anyone has a suggestion on one that has served them well it sure would be welcomed information.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Tgmaine]

Hi there. The hospital had the ice machine on my leg when I woke up and sent it home with me. We froze 6 soda bottles and keep 3 in there all the time along with water. It attaches to a hose and a wrap with Velcro straps. It's not super cold so no freezer burn and works well.

 

[WFD]

Wait and see if the hospital sends you home with one.

If you have to buy one, the Bregg Polar Care Cube is used by many of us It works well and is not too expensive.

 

[Layla]

Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart! Thanks for joining us.
Not long now until your big day next week! I will look forward to following your journey. It looks like you already received some good advice so I will leave you with Best Wishes and some pre-op reading material.
Lots of comfort to you as you await your surgery date!

KNEE PRE-OP ARTICLES
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
stories of amazing knee recoveries

 

[Layla]

Since you're so close to surgery, I will also leave our Recovery Guidelines to look over.
KNEE RECOVERY GUIDELINES

As you begin healing, please keep in mind that each recovery is unique. While the BoneSmart philosophy successfully works for many, there will be exceptions. Between the recommendations found here, your surgeon's recovery protocol and any physical therapy you may engage in, the key is to find what works best for you.

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

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.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
@Back2Life

 

[Tgmaine]

Yes the Bregg cube is the one I have!

 

[Back2Life]

Thank you all for your replies! Next Monday can't come soon enough.

 

[benne68]

Hi @Back2Life! I rented a GameReady icing machine for my first TKR in 2021. I was planning to use the same one this time, but the rental company offered me a newer model that doesn't use any ice!

It's called BioCryo, by ThermX and rather than circulating cold water, it uses an alcohol-water solution in a closed system. Not only do we NOT need to add ice every few hours, this model does a much better job of maintaining the cold temperature, since there is nothing to melt and warm up. It's also smaller. The rental cost is the same as for the GameReady.

 

[EalingGran]

I was given an Aircast Cryocuff by my hospital as part of my package.
It is not one of the fanciest expensive machines that circulates cold water but I found it worked very well for me.
The water in the reservoir stayed cool for about 8 hours when packed with plenty of ice. I would just replace the water jacket as needed and slept resting on the cool water jacket for several months.I found it really relieved the tightness and meant I was able to stop all painkillers after about 4-5 months.

 

[demps]

@EalingGran. The machine sounds nice. I will look into it. How long before the painful tightness eased up.

 

[GLP]

I've used both the Game Ready for shoulder replacement and the Polar Cube for a TKR. The Game Ready was very good, but was a rental unit. The Polar Cube I purchased, and am planning to use it for my revision TKR coming up 1/17. I bought this unit from the doctor's office and it came with a Universal type wrap, not one designed just for the knee. Planning to purchase an XL size wrap designed for the knee, unless I hear something different from the doc's office. Easy to use with frozen water bottles.

 

[MSuki]

I have a polar active ice machine from Amazon. I think I have the larger one, they had 2 sizes when I got mine. My husband put 16 oz water bottles in it morning and night, it stays cold all day/night respectively. It holds 10 water bottles. We keep a set in the freezer and he switches them out. Also has a timer for how long it will stay on or off (multiples of 10 minutes) so you can sleep with it on and it will go off and on all night.

 

[EalingGran]

The machine sounds nice. I will look into it. How long before the painful tightness eased up.

It gradually faded over several months. After a few months I was pain-free during the day but just got slightly tight and sore by evening. I understood that the tight feeling was slight swelling that you could no longer see. There isn't much space in the knee joint and even the slightest swelling is uncomfortable. Ice was the best remedy. Even now at 14 months I occasionally notice very slight tightness after a very busy day ( say 15000 steps or a long day looking after my two year old grandson) but now it disappears with a couple of minutes elevation.