Hello from Switzerland! I am new to this forum but am desperately looking for answers to my dilemma and there seems to be a great support network here. I had a complete knee replacement 18 days ago and my knee feels like a block of wood which is stopping me from getting the required degrees of "bendage". On the machine I can get up to 80° without cheating :-) and on my own about 70°. My doctors are not happy with me at all and are threatening to put me back on the operating table to bend the knee under anasthesia. When I first heard that, I nearly passed out. They reckon if you cannot bend it at least 90° in the first 3 weeks, it will never get right. I don't know who to believe as my therapists all tell me not to go down that rather drastic route. Does anybody have experience with this? Or any tips on how to make the muscles relax? Am rubbing in all kinds of potions from Tiger Balm to Deep Heat ...
By the sounds of things, the docs in the UK don't put their patients under as much pressure as here. And you all get well anyway so I am wondering if I should just ignore them? Though I do understand their argument that I am too young (51) not to be able to bend my knee at 120°. Perhaps I just need more time?
Help!!
I'm in the UK and 3 weeks post Op...I went to PT and only reach 70% bend. and they were quite happy with that...hopefully the next time I go it may have improved as I've been doing the exercises.....
Jean
I'm in the US and here there seems to be a more moderate approach. Having been through the grand opening 3x's in 10 yrs I have seen more emphasis on the straight than the bend. All the docs and therapists pushed hard for O on the flat but I've never been past 117° on the bend. Icing and motion are paramount to success. Are you medicating for pain an hour before therapy and exercise. This will sometimes relieve the agnst of moving. I'm sure everyone uses the same routines but sitting on a high bed or bench and hooking my good leg over the bad, gently pulling back as far as I could and then holding for 10....repeating 12-15 times was the best streach I could get. Stay with it
That manual manipulation always brought sweat to my brow. Good luck and keep us advised
Hi Brittany
This manual bending is something I am terrified of!
I am five weeks post op tomorrow (and 49 years old) and can only bend about 60 / 70. My physio is a little concerned about this and she contacted my surgeon to bring my review appointment forward; I am seeing my surgeon on 6th October. Am working hard to bend it but cannot say I am progressing much.
From reading the various comments on this really useful forum I am trying to stay calm as everyone's story is so different yet similar if you know what I mean and everyone seems to be getting there sooner or later.
How awful for you to be under this threat, bless you; I still cannot understand how it is possible to get a brilliant bend whilst a knee is swollen tight and stiff ??!!! But clearly some are managing!
Keep: trying for the bend, taking pain killers, icing, elevating and moving generally.
Will let you know what many physio says this week and what my surgeon suggests to me when I see him a week today.
Al the best, Tracey
Sorry Britta I am set up for predictive text hence the Brittany and not Britta!
Is it pain that is stopping u bending? My first 2 weeks were far too painful for me to even try to do the pushing to bend further that was required of me. The aGP put me on a medication called Lyrica which is for nerve damage/ trauma and it made all the difference. If its not pain and just stiffness then just keep doing a bit each day and I'm sure it will improve. Each knee is different. I have just had my second knee 2 weeks ago and I am doing at 2 weeks what I was doing at 4/5 weeks with the other. As far as scary doctors go, tell them they are scaring you and that you'll find someone more sympathetic to your individual needs , in fact do so 
Is it pain that is stopping u bending? My first 2 weeks were far too painful for me to even try to do the pushing to bend further that was required of me. The aGP put me on a medication called Lyrica which is for nerve damage/ trauma and it made all the difference. If its not pain and just stiffness then just keep doing a bit each day and I'm sure it will improve. Each knee is different. I have just had my second knee 2 weeks ago and I am doing at 2 weeks what I was doing at 4/5 weeks with the other. As far as scary doctors go, tell them they are scaring you and that you'll find someone more sympathetic to your individual needs , in fact do so
I'm in Australia btw. This forum sure gets around and how great is that!
Hi Britney,I had TKR 10 months ago and only have 90 degree bend! However,the reason for this is that my body has grown new bone over the join between the top of my tibia and the bottom of the metal plate . I can walk ok but bending more than 90 impossible. I would say go for the manipulation if recommended so you have every opportunity to get back to "normal".
It seems all hospitals are different in milton Keynes , I had to bend 90 before we could leave hospital , so within 3 days !! I struggled to do it and it really hurt . I have done well since , so maybe that early bending is the key . I would go for the manipulation if it is needed ASAP and get the knee moving . I am sure you will get there . Keep at it and good luck
I had to reach 90 before I could leave hospital, it may be a Uk thing, but I can't do it now. I am just off for my first physio since leaving hospital and am not looking forward to being made to do that bend. It hurts more than anything. My surgeon seemed more concerned about my flat and I feel fine with that. Clips out tomorrow so my first two weeks will then be complete.
Hello
i'm in UK too and 3 weeks post Op I spent 9 days in hospital due to my whole leg being badly bruised and plus I needed blood.
but I didn't reach the 90% bend only 60 I had my first physio last week and reached 70 they didn't hurt me at all they were very gentle but Tomorrow's Pysio may be a lot tougher... I'm not looking forward to it as my knee still bruised and swollen despite constant icing.
i didn't have any clips in mine just one continuous stick that just needed the ends snipping off and it will devolve .
good luck
Jean
Amazing how they are all different. Even in the same countries.
good for you! as long as it gets better, that's all that counts. fingers crossed for improvement at your next therapy appointment!
interesting! the straight and not the bend, huh? this varied greatly, anywhere from two fingers to completely flat while i was in rehab. yeah, i got a 10 day rehab which was great but i now wonder if they pushed me enough. have made HUGE progress since i have come home on saturday. though not on the bend :-( we can rent the knee bending machines here in switzerland and mine is being delivered today. yay! plus i have set up massage appointments, physio and kinesiology as the thought of the manual manipulation makes me want to heave.
will keep you posted on progress and if i discover anything miraculous.
all my bits crossed for you for your next appointment! i was in rehab for 10 days and patients 20 years older were hopping onto the stretching machine and calmly saying "oh, please set it for 105 degrees!" or when we were walking in a group through the gardens, they were speeding past me. utterly depressing. but you are so right, each story is different and so each development is too.
i just understand the benefit of this bending under anasthesia. if a muscle is super blocked (that's all it is), how does bending it with force help is unblock? and the pain afterwards? i shudder to think.
in switzerland they make sure you feel no major pain but unfortunately i had pretty hefty reactions to the next level of opiates (?). my whole system just collapsed. the pain is not too bad at all, it is just the incredible pressure around the knee when bending.
as you say, we will all get there!
i know, gloria, i find that fascinating! just because you have had one bad experience does not mean the second knee will react the same way. in rehab i met lots of people who were on their second knee and told me it was like night and day. I even met a lady who had BOTH KNEES done at once. I felt sick to my stomach when she told us. and even for her, one knee was fine and the other was blocked like mine.
it is "just" stiffness. but a stiffness that hurts. i am wondering if they cannot just give me a muscle relaxant into the knee. then i would be off to the races! anything is better than the manual bending looming over me 
hmm, my doc knows he scares the living daylight out of me. he bent my knee to 90° the evening after the operation (major pain) so the next day i burst into tears when he walked in. drama drama!!
of course you are so right, nicky. my head tells me that. but my emotions are screaming at me NOOOOOOOOOOOOO loud and clear. i am giving it an intense week with therapies every day and the stretching machine on the couch plus a huge dose of determination and hopefully all will be well. fingers crossed.
so what is the solution for you?
i got it to 90° at the hospital too, pam. and a couple of times in rehab but then i realized i was cheating, i.e. ever so slightly moving my hip to avoid the last stretch and so my back started hurting! plus we reduced the medication so all in all i went back down to 75/80°. you are absolutely spot on, bending it early is key. my doc kept telling me that as tears were streaming down my face and he was telling me to breathe as if i were giving birth. seriously??
have made huge progress since being back home so will be interested to see how i do on the machine this afternoon after it is delivered.