ive just come home from knee club at physio dept and hoped for at least 90 deg bend but only got 85. I feel so very frustrated as there were older folks than me who had a better bend, I'm doing my exercises and am moving around a lot, but the back of my knee is still quite swollen and seems to be impeding my bend. I'm icing and elevating 3 times a day, should I be doing more? It all just makes me feel so low and disappointed in myself, I feel like I'm letting myself down somehow
hI chris,im there tomorrow so will let you know how i get on....im almost 4 weeks now and still at the 85/ 90 bend,i keep pushing it more during the exercises but i seem to have hit a wall,im moving well and up and down stairs ect..To tell the truth im dreading tomorrow because of what they may say...keep your chin up,some of us take a bit longer to get there,also when i was in hospital i was told that older people tend to recover ect better than us younger ones...xx
Please don't let it get you down Chris! We all get there in the end, some sooner, some later. You have a lot of time to get more bend in your knee. You can still keep getting bend for up to a year. It's still early days for you. Don't judge yourself by others. You are NOT letting yourself down xx
Please don't be hard on yourself - everyone is different. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. You sound as though you are doing everything right. Keep doing what you're doing and the bend will come eventually. 😉
Age really has nothing to do with the ease of bend. It probably does with stamina and balance. The big factor is how much damage was done during surgery and the condition of the patient prior to surgery. You just have to take what you are given and work with it. I would almost be you are trying to hurry with your excercises instead of trying to slow down streatch and hold each rep. You may be a little more toned than an older person which means it may take a little longer h etting over certain humps in the process. Try this before your next appointment. The day before drink extra water slowly all day long. Take a pain pill q/2 to 1 j our before the session. Slow down every part of every move. See if you don't see a little more give. It may be small but at this point, small is significant. Once this starts you'll s See it continue as long as you follow the same proceedure. Du to my history a n d situation my Dr wants me at a 90 naturally with no real push (due to the number of times they have had to open the knee I have a rather wide and long incision and he doesnt want it to tear and6 risk infection again). My last day in a rehab center a week ago last Saturday it was 62. One week of really basic use at home it was 75 and I my guess when hpome health PT com es6 today I'll be at 80. The thing is I'm doing everything 1st the speed of a turtle with a hernia. Keep out up.....but slow down the speed and hydrate
Please DO NOT get down on yourself for FIVE DEGREES OF BEND!!!
We have all dealt with LOTS of trauma to our tissues, and each of us is an individual who is MUCH MORE than just a set of NUMBERS of degrees of bend or straightening!!!
I, for one REFUSE to be defined by those numbers! Nobody lives in my body but ME! NOBODY but YOU lives in YOUR body but YOU!
I am just four weeks out from surgery and am learning as I go along, but I CAN tell you that a POSITIVE, CONFIDENT attitude will take you farther than any amount of bend number or degrees of straightening!
Swelling alters EVERYTHING when it comes to achieving the numbers the PTs are hell-bent to dwell on. They are all about the numbers because they are a MEASUREMENT, a way of EVALUATING progress. There are MANY OTHER WAYS of EVALUATING progress, too.
Here are my personal ones that I wrote down and shared with my PT:
1) Compression bandages bring down my swelling if I wear them from late evening to morning. My swelling has been much lessctge last FOUR DAYS thanks to this.
2) I walk using my CANE when my legs feel tight. This helps me incorporate a lot of my exercises throughout the day.
3) I can now lift my leg from a standing OR seated position without assistance and without pain. That is NEW this week!
4) I often forget it is time to take pain meds because my overall pain is much less.
5) I polished my toenails which gave me incentive to KEEP DOING stretches given to me as exercises. Exercises HELPED ME achivecmy toenail polishing goal!
6) I no longer need help getting in and out of bed.
7) I have never complained about working hard to get this knee thing accomplished!
8) I have remained POSITIVE, focusing on each and every accomplishment because I KNOW how important each little accomplishment really is.
9) I have remembered to thank God for helping me to do my best in each moment.
10) I graduated from walker to cane this week and am feeling more in balance.
Hi Chris, a lot of good advise in the responses to your note. I know 100% what you're talking about. I, too, am at 5 wks and seem to have tostart over every session to get 90 degrees...we work for 20 minutes with traction and at the end achieve the 90 (yesterday I think he might have got me to 91) .... this morning couldn't do more than 85 again...and so it goes. I try to stay positive and do notice small positive changes in the knee...like it seems to be gradually "thawing"...meaning I seem to be less numb around the knee cap and lower quad. This seems to be a good thing as I have more feeling in the quad which has been an issue with strength. I lifted the ever-lovin' foot on the weekend for the first time! At least I feel some small forward progress.. I still seem to hold my breath everyday evaluating..is this better than yesterday? Or can I bend it more or can I do stairs today....really a roller coaster ride. Sending you good thoughts
im listening to you i must say you are a very wise man im 11mths post revision and my bend is 90-95 at most today i was doing my bend while lying down on my tummy on the bed and i was pulling strap to bend and i just said to my self relax and breath and when i breathed out i pulled it abit more so i felt maybe im tightening everything up by not relaxing enough ive read a few times you talk alot about water how much water should i be drinking ? as i would like to give myself every chance to get it right today my calf feels very tight its like a cramp but its not if you know what i mean it tightens when i walk and really un comfortable . i will start doing my excersises much slower in future what you said makes alot of sense thank you
He is..I said we need to start calling him "oldsmartguy"
I don't set a goal for water I just start the intake as soon S I'm up on the morning with my blood pressure meds and vitamins and Continue throughout e very meal. I limit myself to one cup of coffee or soft drink daily as they will pull fluids off rapidly. Its just a matter of being conscious it needs to be done and stop and drink. My wife has never been a big water drinker S it's something that isn't part of her nature. Parkinson's disease has make a difference. As the body slows down all the muscles contract and movement becomes more difficult and even the thought process is affected and digestion all but stops. When she gets with hydration, everything picks up considerably but with the understanding she has an incurable neurological disease that will worsen.
I know your pain I think your doing great 85 at 5 weeks is great. Everybody heels at a different pace. I'm at 90 in 12 weeks and I believe My doc going MUA me I've got appointment on the 30th. Your doing great your keep up the work your doing and you'll be fine.
You always manage to make me feel better about how im doing,i continually beat myself up about only 85/90 degree bend at 4 weeks post op..you are a inspiration to us all.
Thanks Lou, I so identify with your posts as we are at a similar stage of recovery,I hope all goes well for you tomorrow, let me know how you get on. Good luck x
ah thanks, I didn't realise bend could improve up to a year, sometimes I think I try to run before I can walk, I have too high expectations of myself
thank you for your encouragement, sometimes an opinion from others puts everything into perspective 😉
I didn't know it until I spoke to physio at 12 weeks when I as worried and was told you can increase bend in the first year.
I feel the same each morning,the leg/knee is as stiff as a board and difficult to bend,and these past few days im only getting 85 and its driving me nuts and i get angry with myself,then i calm down and say to myself that im still only 4 weeks post op..so im not doing so bad,can now finally manage to lift the leg with no help,which made my day,all we can do is exercise,drink plenty and keep up the fight...everyone on this page is so amazing,and i dont know what i would of done without it x
I will do hunni,im there at 1.40 for an hour...so will post when i get home xx
Wow!!!! You are a very wise guy that's for sure, I will take your advice and slow down my exercises and hydrate, maybe I have tried to rush them thinking the more I do the better when really slowing them down is more beneficial. When will I ever learn!!!! Thank you for your wisdom and the time you give on this forum .
hi Cheryl, your so right , I really need to give myself a good talking too. I'm going to set myself some simple realistic goals to benefit me mentally , as my thinking is way off beam. Thank you and take care