Wellness

[hckynutjohn]

@chiclet and others,

Way too many patients, and their care givers, seem to misunderstand, post surgery/illness Rehab.

Rehabilitation Classes/Sessions are to instruct the patient on "how/when" and how often to use those methods to help all types of recoveries. The Rehab Sessions themselves are only a small part of any type of Rehabilitation, for any body part.

Rehabilitation is to continue at home, not just at an hour or so Rehab Session. It isn't somewhere written the Rehabilitation is "done only at a Rehab Center". Quite the opposite, most should be done in the home environment.

Anyone that thinks Rehabilitation is a 2 or 3 day a week activity? It would be wise to expect a possible much longer route to "Total Recovery", in some circumstances, such as TKR? There is a limited amount of time to regain full extension and close to the full degree(°) of angle of bend at the knee joint.

My Ortho friend explained that to my wife, Pre and Post TKR. The joint, after so many weeks, will reach a point where it will be almost frozen at the maximum level produced post surgery via Rehabilitation. If so, another type of invasive procedure is needed to improve those extension and flex bend degrees of angle bend at the knee joint.

As usual I could make this more specifically detailed but will refrain myself. Anyone that thinks post TKR Rehabilitation means "only at the Rehab Center"? Good luck at a full and shorter term recovery!

hckynut 

[vsm]

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

@vsm 

"I've been delaying TKRs for years"!  Why? 

My wife was the same. When we talked about it my question was always something like this. "You know you are bone on bone, and also that this condition will not change. You are now ** years old and healthy. Do you think this surgery will be better when you are ** plus 10, and maybe not as healthy"?

For those that don't mind having limitations on their mobility, along with being almost constantly in pain? Hey, it's your body! I personally want to get whatever source is causing me to be less mobile, and in pain, fixed yesterday. But that's just me,

hckynut 

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Fortunately, I'm not in constant pain, thanks to making sure I keep my weight down and exercise/strengthen the muscles around the knees.  With a 95-year-old mother to care for, I don't have the luxury of taking myself out of commission for knee surgery.

[chlema]

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

@chiclet and others,

Way too many patients, and their care givers, seem to misunderstand, post surgery/illness Rehab.

Rehabilitation Classes/Sessions are to instruct the patient on "how/when" and how often to use those methods to help all types of recoveries. The Rehab Sessions themselves are only a small part of any type of Rehabilitation, for any body part.

Rehabilitation is to continue at home, not just at an hour or so Rehab Session. It isn't somewhere written the Rehabilitation is "done only at a Rehab Center". Quite the opposite, most should be done in the home environment.

Anyone that thinks Rehabilitation is a 2 or 3 day a week activity? It would be wise to expect a possible much longer route to "Total Recovery", in some circumstances, such as TKR? There is a limited amount of time to regain full extension and close to the full degree(°) of angle of bend at the knee joint.

My Ortho friend explained that to my wife, Pre and Post TKR. The joint, after so many weeks, will reach a point where it will be almost frozen at the maximum level produced post surgery via Rehabilitation. If so, another type of invasive procedure is needed to improve those extension and flex bend degrees of angle bend at the knee joint.

As usual I could make this more specifically detailed but will refrain myself. Anyone that thinks post TKR Rehabilitation means "only at the Rehab Center"? Good luck at a full and shorter term recovery!

hckynut 

@hckynutjohn Right on re rehab.  With my first TKR (and my second) I went to rehab 3x a week.  However, before leaving the hospital I was given a booklet on the exercises I would have to do 3 (or 4) times a day and let me tell you they were a challenge to do in the beginning, although each week showed great progress, enough so that the rehab people decided to cut my sessions short after a month.  Still I kept on doing exercises at home.  I was 79 at the time and now 3 years later I still ask myself why I waited so long.

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[Q4u]

I have two extremely bad knees that between them have had five surgeries and have been wearing braces for years.  I just bought two of the best braces I have ever worn.  Check out AmRelieve on line.  It's not the panacia they claim it to be, but they are indeed better than anything I have ever worn.  They are also expensive but they run specials all the time and offer (for  $5.00 more) a replacement if they wear out.   So far I'm holding out on knee replacements having lived through both my husband's knee replacements last year.   I've worn these braces every day since I purchased them and sing high praises..... 

[hckynutjohn]

@vsm 

I understand what you said in your reply to my post. Didn't ever look at this as a "luxury", but many others do. Could tell you a whole lot of stories I know from good friends/friends, even family members.

Some of their reasons were different than yours, a few exactly the same, except they chose to use "time" not the word "luxury". A few involved the spine, others hips and yes, knees. Will tell you just 1 of those many stories.

One good friend used "time" he said he didn't have, not "luxury". He ran his own business and had to be there every day, according to him. His too was a knee "that could wait". Then a strange thing happened. Going about his daily business 1 day his knee "locked" on him, and at an inopportune time.

Strangely and suddenly "time" changed on him. He not only tore a ligament in his knee, he also shattered a hip. "Time found him"! He spent 3 days in the hospital and was unable to work for weeks.

That's the real world I have, and in which I still live. To me it's a "luxury" for a person to pick their own time. For others?

hckynut 

[hckynutjohn]

@Q4u 

"Having lived through both my husband's knee replacements last year"!  I don't follow the connection. My wife had her TKR over a year ago, but!  Other than helping her for a couple weeks, it had no bearing on me. I went to all but 1 of her 4 week/3 day Rehab Sessions.

This had absolutely nothing to do with me. At the time I was dealing with a(my decision) broken rib and nose. My problems didn't effect her, nor did her Rehab effect me, why would they?

Have no idea what your 5 knee surgeries were, or why. What I do know is this. If my friend, the Knee/Hip Only, Orthopedic Doctor had a patient he knew needed a TKR? He would not keep repairing knees multiple times. 

Still don't get the connection from my wife's TKR to a decision I make for my own body! Like many unknowns, will leave it as another one.

hckynut 

[chiclet]

It has been 5 weeks yesterday since surgery and he did not go to rehab today per Dr. since he is doing second leg TKR next month.  They made him do the same rehab on the other bad knee (bone on bone) and that is what was hurting him the most. He tried to explain it to the PT but they just ignored him.  Instead we went out to eat and he pressure washed driveway all afternoon.  He has decided to go to a different rehab place for the next knee.  I think what bothers both of us about PT  is that they have so many patients and they put you on a machine or whatever and tell you to do so many reps. You finish what you are supposed to do and then you either redo them over and over or sit and wait for them to get done with others and get back to you. I went a few times when I had elbow surgery and quit because it was costing me 33.00 a session after insurance and I spent probably 15 minutes of the hour doing therapy and the rest waiting for the PT and talking to others.  It seemed more like a social hour for most of the seniors.  The last time I went to PT for my elbow they bent my elbow and strapped it to my chest.  I was in so much pain and was begging them to undo the strap at little.  You know when pain is from normal stretching and pulling but that was not.  That was my last visit and I did all kind of excerise at home and used a weight and I healed myself.  I had painful TMJ and guess what..they sent me to PT.  What I did there I could have easily done at home after one visit if they had printed me out a sheet of exercises.  When I had crystal loose in my ear canal my doctor said she could send me to PT to learn how to get them back where they belong.  I told her I could watch a video on you tube and figure it out which I did and it took a few attempts and a few days but it worked.  I believe in PT and it is very necessary but I also believe it is a money grabber and a lot of people are there that don't need to be.  I live in a senior community in Florida and not one person I have talked to about TKR (including my husband) did any of the exercises at home.  

[hckynutjohn]

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@chiclet wrote:

It has been 5 weeks yesterday since surgery and he did not go to rehab today per Dr. since he is doing second leg TKR next month.  They made him do the same rehab on the other bad knee (bone on bone) and that is what was hurting him the most. He tried to explain it to the PT but they just ignored him. 

Instead we went out to eat and he pressure washed driveway all afternoon.  He has decided to go to a different rehab place for the next knee.  I think what bothers both of us about PT  is that they have so many patients and they put you on a machine or whatever and tell you to do so many reps. You finish what you are supposed to do and then you either redo them over and over or sit and wait for them to get done with others and get back to you.

I went a few times when I had elbow surgery and quit because it was costing me 33.00 a session after insurance and I spent probably 15 minutes of the hour doing therapy and the rest waiting for the PT and talking to others.  It seemed more like a social hour for most of the seniors.  The last time I went to PT for my elbow they bent my elbow and strapped it to my chest. 

I was in so much pain and was begging them to undo the strap at little.  You know when pain is from normal stretching and pulling but that was not.  That was my last visit and I did all kind of excerise at home and used a weight and I healed myself. 

I had painful TMJ and guess what..they sent me to PT.  What I did there I could have easily done at home after one visit if they had printed me out a sheet of exercises. 

When I had crystal loose in my ear canal my doctor said she could send me to PT to learn how to get them back where they belong.  I told her I could watch a video on you tube and figure it out which I did and it took a few attempts and a few days but it worked. 

I believe in PT and it is very necessary but I also believe it is a money grabber and a lot of people are there that don't need to be.  I live in a senior community in Florida and not one person I have talked to about TKR (including my husband) did any of the exercises at home.  

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[chlema]

@chiclet My PT was connected to my hospital.  They had a one on one format so that my PT person was there solely for me, stayed with me all the time and recorded what I could do or what I needed more work with.  The sessions were all covered by Medicare and my supplement insurance.  I believe this and the work I did at home was a huge factor in my rapid recovery.       

[shoesnbags]

@chiclet 

After my TKR the first physical therapy place I went to was exactly as you described.  So after a week I changed PT places and the second place was one-on-one with a therapist.  Huge difference!! I was so glad that I was proactive, because the difference in care was amazing. Insurance company paid the same, no matter which place I chose.  I was on private insurance back then - too young for Medicare.

But I did my part as well.  I exercised three times a day at home and pushed myself to do better every time, even though it was painful.  That was 14 years ago, and that knee still works great.  I feel sorry for all of those folks you know who didn't do their exercises at home.  They were just short-changing themselves in terms of overall ourcome.