Does anyone have any foolproof ways of straightening the leg after TKR?
I'm 5 week. +4 days and still walking like a chicken!
Bend is good about 120 but straight is stuck @ 10
I've tried all the recommended physio plus a few i made up and I'm still having problems.
i have 6 flights of stairs to get down which is ok (don't like the clicking my knee makes though) and then a hobble along the roa. With cane. I long to walk properly now!
the top of my knee seems to be stopping the knee straightening when standing (that's where the tightness is)
wheni walk the knee is unbearably tight despite icing, heat and massage. Glad for any ideas as i need to get OUT!
I'm 14 weeks post op and I think I've finally got there
i' do done it by laying on my stomach on the bed and dangling my legs from the knee down over the end of the bed.
gravity pulls the leg down and it hurts like hell... I could only do it for a few minutes at first then built it up to 5 mins...I still have to slide off the bed to stand afterwards but I'm walking a lot better now
I also bought a little pedal exerciser from Amazon ....it's not a bike just the pedals they are about £20 and worth every penny you can pedal while watching telly etc...
the journey we take on is far worse than we imagine isn't it and no one else seems to realise just how k involved it all is but it is lovely to get up and down stairs. Stand etc workout pain. Once the tightness goes and i can straighten I'll be happy!
(written with my legs hanging off the bed as advised +putting my good foot on my operative from time to time for added weight!) :D
The exercise that Jean said is awesome for straightening. Also, if you are sitting with your leg extended in front of you, put something on your knee to push it down. I get my puppy to lay down and put his head on my knee. You can also just take your palm of your hand and apply slight pressure. Every little bit helps. I am 2 degrees off from being back to normal and I am 8 weeks out.
I wish you well but my knee was replaced 3 July. I did all the Physio including a 'knee school' hydrotherapy walking pedalling lying on my stomach and finally 3 weeks in plaster fom thigh to knee. Am now 5 weeks down the road again and still having problems but keeping up with daily exercises and visits to the Physio. However a muscle relaxant from the doc has vastly improved the pain, so Christmas is back on! Good luck and keep cheerful.
Wow that's a long journey! I really hope you're coming to the end of it now! I think only the people on here and those others that have had a TKR can truly understand !
I was plagued with muscle spasms above the knee every night but started on magnesium and they are now very mild.
I'm hoping hydro therapy will do the trick. I can walk quite well with a stick now but feel like a chicken because my knee is bent. Lol
Funny enough i should have had my TKR back in July but had to put it off because of a spider bite!
I keep thinking i would be better now if it hadn't been for that.
Assume you're in Oz so you should be getting better weather than we are. Makes the 20 min walk a little less attractive here but at least it's clear and cold. Going to start a specialist Pilates class in January as well.
Haven't tried magnesium but off to the health food shop Asap now I can drive again.
Sympathy over spider bite I had one in Oz, not a good experience!
Spider bite was annoying.. Left me with a slight dent and a swollen ankle that won't go down!
Having been using the lioton gel all after noon and it does help a bit - doesn't feel so stiff and swollen.
But hey every day is something new one way or the other.
Started to get worried about straightening the leg but then I've been doing sort of lunges . Where i step foreward with good leg and bend the knee then keeping my operative leg as straight as possible behind me and my foot flat in the ground i put force against the knee. I think it's actually working. It's a hamstring stretch!
Thanks I'll try our larger pharmacies locally. All the ones I finally found online and eBay are no longer working or unavailable. Could try more sites but so near to Christmas would like to get it soon as our postal service and couriers have gone into meltdown after Black Friday. Love the UK and it's inability to cope with obvious consequences.
it may be the clicking that puts you off , it did me ,untill i went out with my daughter and as we walked we talked and i walked better all because i couldnt feel it , it is still early for you ,dont let it beat you
hi diana -- in plaster? for 3 weeks? OMG, was that to aid the stretch or the bend or something completely different? i have never heard of having to go down this road to recover! i had to have mine manually bent under anesthetic 2 weeks ago as my bend was rubbish at 90 but now have to work even hard to keep up the present bend of 115. it is quite exhausting! good for you for bringing christmas back on the menu. enjoy!!
It was to straighten it as apparently I have extremely tight hamstrings that pinged back whilst having me leg manipulated under anaesthetic so they whacked on the plaster. Extension much better now only 5 degrees instead of 15 but have had to work at getting the bend back to 120. Have just spent 2 hours Christmas shopping so definitely getting there.
By the way the tendon thing is all my own fault as I was quite sporty in my youth - should have played snooker like my brother!
Jean is right the hanging your leg off the bed does hurt but is good for straightening - I am 16+1 now and just about their but I continue to do it twice a day as my knee feels so flipping tight still.
Resting it on a chair in front of you is good too and you can use oven gloves with tins in the pockets to help press the knee down.
Also resting your foot to just up by your ankles on a pile of pillows gives a good stretch.
Good luck, you will get there even if this feels like a never ending journey!
