Double TKR

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Does anyone know about a machine the hospital can put you on to help straighten your knees please x

2

After an MUA they put you on a CPM in recovery.

It can be set at different degrees and you can control it yourself.

3

I was on a cpm machine whilst in hospital. I was the only TKR patient who was given this as mine was a bit more complicated with other added bits in the leg.

It was good at helping the bend but didn't quite straighten it fully. As soon as I stopped the leg reverted to its old position. I'm now at almost 13 weeks facing further surgery. I wish I'd looked at hiring a machine once I'd returned home now to give myself more of a chance.

4

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_passive_motion    Is a link to the info on the machine. I will be 5 weeks on Saturday & still only a bend of 62 degrees so they are looking to see if I can get to use one.

5

Sandra, I've heard various feedback on the CPM. I had a bilateral TKR the end of October and never had any machines. I didn't even have very strong drugs. I have no problems with straightening my knees. In fact, until finding people talking about it here, I didn't know that was a possibility. I normally sit on my bed with my legs out straight in front of me and my laptop on a small table over my knees. Little did I know what a benifit this would be later down the road. My PT also would ball up his fist and place it under the back of my knee (between it and the mattress and have me press into it, lifting my ankles up as I pressed down. I acheived the same stretch on my own with a rolled up towel. Of course, I still did plenty of bending exercises and if I'm watching something on my computer, I push it away and bend my knees up in front of me. From what I understand, the machine is great for keeping your legs moving and from getting stiff, but it's a passive exercise and it's not your muscles doing the work, which is why there fails to be a big difference after you stop using the machine. Hopefully others who know more can share.

6

Thanks for the advise xx

7

Thanks for that x