Breaching 90 degrees

[keithp]

Hello again
This site has been very helpful to me and I'd like to thank you all.

I am almost at 6 weeks and recovery has been great. I am walking almost with no limp and the pain is getting less and less each day.
My Dr. removed all restrictions at 4 weeks but I have still been very conservative.

I had a question regarding bending and/or pulling my leg towards my chest; although I have been given the OK to do this I find it very painful to bring my knee into my chest. The pain is in the from of my hip joint where my thigh meets my upper body. It's almost like something will snap or break if I try and pull it in any further. Is this something I should try and do gradually or is it OK to go past the pain and if I do is there any risk?

Is this normal from others' experience? If so how did you overcome it? Am I supposed to get back the full range? I have heard of other people never able to bring the knee right in towards the chest.

Thanks for any feedback.

[obxpelican]

Keith,

Glad to hear that you are doing so well..... that said, don't worry about pulling your knees up really far.  Be conservative it's still very possible to dislocate your hip if you get too crazy stretching the wrong way, me I would ask for a script to go to a PT to be shown safe stretches, maybe even another visit to your doctors office and have their assistant go over excercises.

Stretching should always be done slowly (time wise) and without any jerking motions --- over time you will gain ROM without even doing anything, you stretching is a plus.

Listen to your doctor and don't worry about being conservative, it's not a race, remember the race between the hare and the turtle?  The turtle also outlives hares by many years.


Chuck

Hello again
This site has been very helpful to me and I'd like to thank you all.

I am almost at 6 weeks and recovery has been great. I am walking almost with no limp and the pain is getting less and less each day.
My Dr. removed all restrictions at 4 weeks but I have still been very conservative.

I had a question regarding bending and/or pulling my leg towards my chest; although I have been given the OK to do this I find it very painful to bring my knee into my chest. The pain is in the from of my hip joint where my thigh meets my upper body. It's almost like something will snap or break if I try and pull it in any further. Is this something I should try and do gradually or is it OK to go past the pain and if I do is there any risk?

Is this normal from others' experience? If so how did you overcome it? Am I supposed to get back the full range? I have heard of other people never able to bring the knee right in towards the chest.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Pat Walter]

Hi Keith

Glad to hear you are doing well.  I would just take it easy with your activities at this point even though you have been given the green light to move ahead.  Anytime things are not working easily and without pain - your body is telling your something.  Especially so early in your recovery.  It takes time for the body to heal and you don't want to try to make it do something it is clearly telling you it doesn't want to do yet.  It will come with time.  Be gentle for now.  One resurfacing patient did a very hard jerk of the knee to his chest quite a few months post op and ended up having a dislocation which was very painful.  That is the only one I have heard of when someone was trying to get their knee to their chest.

Everything will heal with time.  Patience is your friend.  Better to be conservative and have a good outcome. 

Good Luck.

Pat