hi all, its me again. 13 weeks post op, can go up and down stairs ok, but coming down, is a bit more harder, lying on my back i can lift my leg up quite straight, also on my back, i can pull my leg back say 3 quarters, exercise bike is ok, going forward and going backwards, after exercising my knee and front and back of my thighs are sore. i should ice more, do you elevate your leg, and how many times a day, and for how long. i have just ordered a gell ice pack, as comments sound good, how many times should you ice and how long, should one put the ice gell onto the bare skin or use a towel under. your comments would be appreciated
peter
Do not, repeat, do not put ice in contact with your bare knee. Twenty minutes max in any hour is the limit for application. This was the advice from a senior Physio nurse. Ice pack yes but under those limits.
Going up and down stairs: pre op when I was having injections in my first (pre op ) knee the Physio told me that coming down stairs is ALWAYS more painfull than climbing the stairs. I’ve tried to figure out the mechanics but failed. It has proved right after my second op. I can go up two stairs at a time even nbut it’s one step at a time coming down, sometimes I do single steps and sometimes I walk with following steps straight down.
I am also 13 weeks post op. I was given a Ice therapy system which I still use. I ice almost every time I am sitting down and often go to sleep with ice on my knee. Ice packs should never be used on bare skin so use a towel.
Yep! Always use a towel. Recently finding that sitting to long e.g. at the dining table causes both knees to stiffen. That applies to the knee operated on, successfully 2 years ago. Anyone else have this discomfort?
Every therapist I have been to all say 15-20 minutes max for ice. I also have the gel packs ( 6 of them ) as long as you have a towel cloth or like me I have a wrap that I put 2 gel packs in and it has velcro straps to hold it in place around my knee and I will leave the pack on till its no longer cold. I will not put ice directly on my knee that will burn the skin if left on too long. As far as how many times my answer as long as I need to it could be 6 x a day it could be less it could be more depends on how your knee feels with the swelling. As far as sitting well my knee is not one to judge yourselves by but as of right now I can only sit for 20-30 minutes with my knee bent before I have to straighten it another thing that hurts if I stretch my leg on the coffee table with just my heel resting on the table that becomes rather painful as well but if your looking for a way to get your leg straight this works well gravity does all the work. I still stink at steps one at a time going up and down.
13 weeks post op...1 week post MUA. buy yourself a CYRO CUFF, the best £40 I have spent...wish I got it after my TKR instead after the MUA...has made a big difference in reducing the swelling of the knee to where I am getting 100 degrees in ROM now where before I was at 78.
Your doing great and well done. I’m 4wks post op and can do the stairs with my stick and also my bend is getting better. Slowly but surely. I can’t lift my leg from lying on my back. What I have found quite easy is.....standing in warm shower and bending knee. Also doing knee squats standing with back against the wall. It’s easier than trying to lie on back bending knee. As for the ice, I’ve got an ice bag from Amazon and you fill it with ice. Sits on your knee and mounds itself into your knee. I actually ice my knee lots of times and use a dish towel over my skin if it starts to feel too cold. Xx
12 weeks tomorrow from my I'm in the same can go upstairs ok it one leg at a time hopefully we will get there
12 weeks tomorrow from my I'm in the same can go upstairs ok it one leg at a time hopefully we will get there
What is a Cyro cuff please can bent my leg to 0 and 120 bent physio told me last week. Still brusin g round my knee cap any help you could give would be helpfull.
Cyro cuff is like the cuff used to take blood pressure. Connected to a container of iced water. Google for images and descriptions. I found it very helpful after my ops.
Hi Peter,
Similar here 5 months post op on left knee. However right knee was exactly the same, but now almost 2 years post op is not a problem.
Re icing I put ice pack in a pillow case, it works well.
Best wishes, take care,
Alan
If the gel is very cold and you put it on bare skin it is likely to sting.
Nice to hear from you again.
How is the sleeping going?
Keep in touch
Sarah
hi sarah, no not sleeping well at all,the 2 nights with the pillow was great, but for some reason its not helping any more. my thighs are hurting more than anything,knee still feels very heavy and tight, i am going to increase icing see if that helps, apart from that i think im doing ok, how are you going?
cheers irish, i am going to increase the icing to 3,4 times a day
you sound as your doing very well just after 4 weeks, i dont know if age has anything to do with it, but i am70. good luck
yes i have something simalar, just have to use it more often, cheers
i will do more icing, swelling went down alot after the op. the size it is now, has remained like that for the past 2 months,doesnt seem to lessen.
yes delboy, same here, sit down, stand up, lie down, just dont know what to do, anyway cheers.
thanks for that matt, i will do more icing, how are you going otherwise, good luck.