Hi.I'm really disappointed with NHS after care.I have had no actual physical phisio.when leaving hospital they gave me a book called, your new knee handbook and sent me on my way.I return 2 weeks later phisio check my knee to see if it could bend to 90deg.under force it did .he said carry on with what I'm doing and said he didn't need to see me again.5 weeks later I seen the consultant. They were running late by 70 minutes i led on the bed he ask to bend my leg .when he saw how little I could bend it he said if I didn't try harder the scaring will heal and I'll be stuck with it.I said it was to painful .his advise more painkillers and booked another appointment with phisio.then said he will see me in 1 year.the appointment was about ten minutes he never checked my walking or how straight my leg was .I feel they wash there hands of you.has anyone had similar experience
6 weeks post op.
Horrible treatment. In the USA??? You need PT! Yikes.
Cheers Karen. The only phisio is what I do on my own.I have looked on the Internet this has helped me .I'm 6 weeks post op.I can walk with out sticks and can bend my knee to 90deg when sitting phisio is painful but I keep pushing I'm on stronger Meds now but if I had proper phisio they can push you harder.
I didn't get any PT here in tenerife either. . .unless I was prepared to drive 90 kms. to the hospital every day, and 90 home . . so apart from two or three sessions with a private physio who showed me the necessary exercises, i did it myself. it does need perseverance daily . .without any excuses . . and in spite of the pain. yes, there IS pain, except for a very few people who are fortunate. However, I was NOT prepared to accept the sort of agony the physio wanted, wich actually brought me to scream level, so dismissed her and carried on, always up to the point where you think OMG that hurts, but never beyond what you can stand. . . It does become a full time job, pushing the knee back, when seated watching tv . .practising walking straight without a limp and placing the foot properly on the ground after months or maybe years of strange walking due to the problem which led us to a TKR . . but it's worth it in the end. Yes, you certainly need good pain medication, which I didn't get, so insist on that! It prorbably is true that the scarring can stop the bend, or the extension, but it isn't likely to happen overnight, and if you keep on with the exercises, you should be OK. However, it is not OK to think . .ah I'll leave it till it stops hurting. then it definitely WI LL be too late.
Hi patch,
My experiences were similar to yours but only up to a point. I had a partial knee replacement on 6 Nov 2015. I was 'done' as an NHS patient in a private hospital. The private healthcare hospital game me a booklet similar to the one you describe which - among other things - gave me photos of the various exercises which I had to do daily. BUT hospital policy was that I had to get a 90 degree bend before I left hospital. I either had continuous PT care in the three days in hospital or there was some degree of supervision. I had disolving type staples as stitches and had my dressing removed on 19 November 2015. I returned to hospital for a PT review on 24 November 2015 and saw my surgeon on 29 December. I was then permitted to come off crutches and drive my manual car again and return to work driving a bus on 26 January 2016. no problems at all. Pain and frustration along the way yes.
However, I did do one thing that the NHS never ever told me about - only my sports injury massage therapist - that was as soon as the dressing was removed and I was cleared of any infection in the incision line I had 7 weeks of massage of the incision line and surrounding area, this was to prevent scar tissue forming. I also went onto Youtube and checked out short videos to do in addition to what the hospital PT booklet said to do and I devoted all day every day at home to doing all these exercises.
John
Job done, no problems.
Eu também não tive acompanhamento pós-cirúrgico pelo NHS. Parece ser uma loteria dependendo de onde você mora - algumas pessoas recebem muito acompanhamento pós-cirúrgico e outras nenhum. Tive minha operação em um hospital particular pago pelo NHS, fui dispensado após 4 dias com apenas paracetamol e uma folha de exercícios e me disseram que receberia um convite para fisioterapia pelo hospital local do NHS. O que realmente recebi foi uma ligação de uma Fisioterapeuta Comunitária após três semanas, dizendo que eu não tinha direito à fisioterapia no hospital, pois havia feito uma cirurgia eletiva. Ela me fez 4 visitas em casa nas próximas 6 semanas, apenas verificando o progresso e me dando alguns novos exercícios para fazer. Ela foi muito simpática, mas claramente sobrecarregada, pois era a única fisioterapeuta comunitária, trabalhando meio período com uma grande área para cobrir. Vi o consultor aos 12 semanas, que apenas me observou andar pelo corredor, mediu meu ROM em 0/110 e disse que não queria me ver novamente. Desde então, estou por minha conta.
Felizmente, agora consegui superar tudo. Não sei qual é minha flexão final, mas melhorou muito desde então. Um pouco mais de apoio e encorajamento certamente teriam ajudado a aliviar os problemas e preocupações que todos enfrentamos durante nossas recuperações.
Experiência semelhante com o NHS. Tenho 50 anos, osso sobre osso em ambos os joelhos e fiz o esquerdo em abril. Tive fisioterapia na comunidade, mas eles só me avaliaram e me deram exercícios, nunca realmente fizeram fisioterapia comigo. Fui informado que a fisioterapia na academia tinha uma lista de espera, então coloquei meu nome e começo quando estou com 11 semanas. Tentei o meu melhor em casa e com a inspiração das pessoas aqui, mas com 9 semanas andando com manca e uma bengala do lado de fora. A fisioterapeuta me disse que, com 3 semanas, eu não parecia alguém com 3 semanas e me chamou de chorão quando eu comecei a chorar. Vi o consultor na semana passada, que ficou feliz com 90 graus, mas disse que queria a perna mais reta. Ele vai me ver com 12 semanas, pois tive uma infecção em um buraco de sutura, mas depois disso ele disse que não quer me ver até 6 meses. Sou professor e não tenho certeza de como vou trabalhar, então estou marcando fisioterapia particular esta semana, pois sinto que tenho uma perna rígida com pouca flexão. Faço minha própria fisioterapia 3 vezes por dia e gelo e elevo. É triste, pois é óbvio que o NHS está tão sobrecarregado. Todos estão fazendo o seu melhor. As enfermeiras no setor estavam infelizes, porém, e muitas vezes esqueceram os remédios e até minha comida um dia. Eu nem consegui pegar os remédios específicos de que precisava e meu marido teve que consegui-los. Meu joelho está longe de estar pronto para ser deixado sozinho pelos profissionais. Tenho que fazer o segundo e é assustador. Rezando para que o primeiro melhore.
Love the OMG It hurts point! Remember that well. And that is the point to go to, but no further! 😀😁😂
I was discharged from NHS hospital after 3 days with crutches and a leaflet of exercises. Told them I lived alone and was scared and physio said "you'll be fine". If it hadn't been for my parents (both in their 70s) I don't know what I'd have done. I am 5 months post op, had 5 phsyio sessions: 3 with physio who watched me do each exercise from leaflet then measured bend then stopped sessions til saw consultant again as knee not bending enough. Consultant booked me in for manipulation and on bending machine for 24 hours in hospital. Physio on ward was surprised at lack of physio and even more when discovered had been seen by physio who did not specialis in knees. Was then assigned a 'knee' physio. Have seen them twice and big difference in bend and straightening leg. This forum has been a godsend with advice and support. Have had 2 questionnaires to complete and asked if the person who devised it had either been throuexpectgh TKR or knew someone who had. The questions and expectations confound me - I even asked if they were having a laugh when at 4 weeks was asked if I had managed to get supermarket with a trolley! Good luck and ask questions of hospital staff and you GP.
I would be lying IN the trolley at four weeks, but certainly not pushing it,!
😀😁😂😃😄😅
Oh my what an experience. I've had lots of knee surgery not a knee replacement but I had micro fracture's and the surgeon said my physio would be harder than if it had been replaced. He told me to get a micro skate board, sit up right on chair and just move the knee forwards and backwards. I gave my skate board to a friend with TKR who was not happy with physio, she said it was the best thing ever. Only cost about £9 from sports direct and as its little you don't mind it hanging around. Good luck
Hi patch. Yep, the NHS in Australia is not great either. I was left unwashed, for 5 days. No mention of a sponge bath or getting up assisted for a shower. I asked for a bowl to clean my teeth and the spitting water stayed on my bench for 24 hours until I asked for someone to empty it. I was discharged with only paper prescriptions on a 4 day Easter weekend without hope of having scripts filled. Had to call paramedics as I was climbing walls with pain. I complained to Health Care Complaints here. They said they all had up to 160 complaints each piled up on their desks. As for physio I was given 4 visits at my insistence. The medical folks are very busy and money is scarce. Be proactive, informed and make YouTube your friend. We really need to take total responsibility for our recoveries. You were let down by a system which is overstretched. Push yourself as much as possible and remember drugs are your friends during the first month's of recovery. x
Absolutely disgusting! I have just had my PKR done as an NHS patient but at a private hospital due to them missing the waiting lists. The physio and surgeon insisted that full physio started the week I left hospital as the private one was an hour and a half away they said go to the NHS physio - its self referral here - called, was advised 4 weeks for a call from physio who would decide if I needed to see them then a further 4 weeks wait to see one if they deemed it necessary - I was so disillusioned contacted the private hospital and am going to have physio there despite the long commute- the attitude of our NHS sorry to say in my experience has been abysmal from start to finish I had been fobbed off since 2014 that I didn't need a new knee and had been in agony all this time - I know they are short of money but all I wanted was honesty - sorry to say it like it is but I feel after all the ruined years I have had due to their negligence I owe them nothing
Thankyou for your replies.
Thankyou for your replies.