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Episode 84: Five More Things That Can Make Weeks Two Through Six After Knee Replacement Easier (The Tools Patients Tell Me They Were Glad They Had) · The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee Replacement

• 0:00
  And this might sound like a small detail until
• 0:02
  you've watched your cane fall to the floor several
• 0:04
  times in a single day and realized you now have
• 0:08
  to pick it back up. Are you ready to get back
• 0:12
  to what you love after knee replacement? The
• 0:15
  Total Knee Success podcast is your trusted guide
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  with practical tips, evidence -based strategies,
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  and no fluff. It's not personal medical advice,
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  just solid education to help you manage pain,
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  regain mobility, and get back to living the life
• 0:29
  you love. Let's dive in. Welcome back to the
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  Total Knee Success podcast. I'm Michelle. In
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  the last episode, we talked about five things
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  that patients tell me they use the most during
• 0:43
  the first two weeks after knee replacement. Those
• 0:46
  recommendations focused on swelling, comfort,
• 0:49
  and getting through those early days at home.
• 0:51
  We talked about cold therapy, elevation, compression
• 0:54
  socks, supportive shoes, and a leg lifter. Those
• 0:57
  tools support the phase when you're trying to
• 0:59
  stay comfortable, manage swelling, move safely,
• 1:02
  and establish a routine. If you'd like to learn
• 1:05
  more about that list, check out episode 83. By
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  the end of this episode, you'll understand five
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  tools that can help during weeks three through
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  six after knee replacement. When walking, leaving
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  the house, exercising, and daily routines often
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  start expanding. Before we get started, I want
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  to remind you that this podcast is for educational
• 1:25
  purposes only. It's not medical advice. Always
• 1:28
  follow the recommendations of your surgeon, physician,
• 1:31
  and physical therapist because your health history,
• 1:34
  medications, incision care instructions, activity
• 1:37
  guidelines, strength, balance, and healing timeline
• 1:40
  are specific to you. A few weeks after surgery,
• 1:44
  things start to change. You may still have swelling,
• 1:47
  stiffness, and moments where your knee reminds
• 1:49
  you that you had a major surgery not very long
• 1:51
  ago. In fact, you're likely to feel all of those
• 1:55
  still. But life is beginning to expand again.
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  You're walking farther. You may be attending
• 2:00
  more appointments outside your home. You may
• 2:02
  be spending less time sitting in one place and
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  more time figuring out how to return to the daily
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  activities that make life feel more familiar.
• 2:11
  Before we move into the list, I should mention
• 2:13
  that this episode is not sponsored by Hurricane
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  or any of the products we're discussing today.
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  They're simply tools that patients have found
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  helpful and that I've seen come up repeatedly
• 2:22
  over the years. If you would like to see the
• 2:24
  specific list of items I'm talking about, I've
• 2:27
  put together a resource list in the show notes.
• 2:30
  Some of those links may be affiliate links, which
• 2:31
  means the podcast may receive a small commission
• 2:34
  at no additional cost to you if you choose to
• 2:37
  make a purchase. That supports me to continue
• 2:39
  to create the podcast and provide free educational
• 2:42
  resources for the knee replacement community.
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  The first tool on my list for this phase is a
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  cane with a pivoting self -standing base, like
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  a hurricane. I'm not talking about a traditional
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  quad cane with four prongs at the bottom. Those
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  can be bulky and awkward for many people. They
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  really do change your gait, too. What I'm talking
• 3:02
  about is a cane with a pivoting base and a rubber
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  foot or feet. that can stand on its own and move
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  a little more naturally with your walking pattern.
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  One of the milestones people look forward to
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  after knee replacement is beginning the transition
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  away from the walker and to a cane when appropriate
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  and safe for them. For many people that moment
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  represents progress and I would agree with that.
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  At the same time it can feel a little intimidating.
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  Your walker has been providing a significant
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  amount of support and moving away from it can
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  raise questions about balance, confidence, and
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  stability. Check in with your physical therapist
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  to see if transitioning to a cane is right for
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  you. There are many canes available, and you
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  certainly don't need one specific brand. One
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  that patients frequently tell me they like is
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  the hurricane. One reason is that it tends to
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  stand on its own a little more reliably than
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  many of the traditional canes, or the sort of
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  knockoffs. I guess the hurricane was maybe the
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  first one that we started seeing on television.
• 4:01
  And this might sound like a small detail until
• 4:03
  you've watched your cane fall to the floor several
• 4:06
  times in a single day and realized you now have
• 4:09
  to pick it back up. Little frustrations like
• 4:12
  that can add up when you're still rebuilding
• 4:14
  confidence and getting your independence back.
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  The larger point is not the brand itself. The
• 4:19
  larger point is having a cane that feels stable,
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  comfortable, and appropriate for your needs.
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  During this stage, many people are walking more,
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  moving through larger environments, and spending
• 4:28
  less time inside their home. The right cane can
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  provide just enough support to help bridge the
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  gap between the walker and walking without an
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  assistive device. For some patients, a cane can
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  also support the return of a more normal walking
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  pattern. If someone transitions away from the
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  walker before they're ready, they may develop
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  compensation such as limping, hiking their hip,
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  or shortening their step. The right cane can
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  provide support while you work toward a smoother
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  gait pattern as strength and walking tolerance
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  continue to improve. I also think it's important
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  to remember that using a cane is not a sign that
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  you're behind. Patients sometimes view assistive
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  devices like a cane as something they should
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  abandon as quickly as possible. I like to think
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  of them a little differently. A cane is a tool.
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  It's simply a tool. That's it. If the tool allows
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  you to walk more comfortably, move more naturally,
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  and stay active, then it's doing exactly what
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  it's supposed to do. Okay, moving on. The second
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  tool on my list is a car assist handle. This
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  is one of those items that many people have never
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  heard of until someone shows them one. It's a
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  small handle that fits into the door latch area
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  of most vehicles and provides a stable support
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  point when getting in or out of the car. What
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  I like most about this tool is that it's portable.
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  You're not permanently installing anything in
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  your vehicle. You can move it from one car to
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  another, bring it with you when someone else
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  is driving, or use it in a family member's vehicle.
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  As life starts getting busier again and you're
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  attending follow -up appointments, physical therapy
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  visits, family gatherings, or simply running
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  errands, that flexibility can be pretty helpful.
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  Getting in and out of a vehicle requires several
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  things happening at the same time. You're bending,
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  shifting your weight, controlling your surgical
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  leg, and often managing a seat that may be lower
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  than the chairs you've been using at home. Even
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  when walking is improving nicely, vehicle transfers
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  can still feel kind of awkward. Having a stable
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  point of contact available can make those transitions
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  feel more predictable. I hear patients describe
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  it as one of those tools they didn't think they
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  would need until they used it for the first time.
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  As you begin leaving the house more often, you
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  may notice that the challenge is not always the
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  destination. Sometimes the challenge is getting
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  in the car, getting out of the car, walking through
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  the parking lot, entering the building, sitting
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  down, and then doing the whole thing again on
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  the way home. Moving on to the third tool, the
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  third tool on my list is a step tracker or a
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  fitness watch. Unlike a cane or car assist handle,
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  a step tracker does not physically help you move.
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  What it can provide is information. One of the
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  challenges after knee replacement is that progress
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  doesn't always feel obvious. Some days your knee
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  feels stiff, some days it feels better. Some
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  days you feel like you're making tremendous progress
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  and other days you wonder if anything's changing
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  at all. During weeks three through six, walking
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  often becomes a larger part of your plan, and
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  a tracker can help you see what you're actually
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  doing, rather than relying solely on how the
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  day felt. I've had patients tell me they were
• 7:27
  convinced they had done less walking than the
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  week before, only to discover that they had increased
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  their average daily steps. And I've also seen
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  the opposite happen. Someone feels like they're
• 7:37
  doing a lot more, but the tracker shows that
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  activity has stayed fairly steady. Neither situation
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  is good or bad. The value comes from awareness.
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  One reason I like step trackers is that they
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  can shift the conversation away from pain as
• 7:52
  the only measure of progress. Pain levels fluctuate.
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  Swelling fluctuates. Energy levels fluctuate.
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  Those things are important, but they don't always
• 8:01
  tell the whole story. Sometimes being able to
• 8:04
  see that you walked farther this week than you
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  did last week provides a different perspective
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  on your progress. Many fitness washes also track
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  active minutes, heart rate, and activity trends
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  over time, which can be helpful as your walking
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  program expands. That does not mean that you
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  need an expensive smartwatch with every available
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  feature, but please do get one if that's what
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  you'd like. A simple step tracker, though, is
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  often enough. I also don't want step tracking
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  to become another source of pressure. The number
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  is information. It's not a grade. If tracking
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  makes you anxious or encourages you to do more
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  than your body is ready for, it may not be the
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  right tool for you. For many people, though,
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  it provides an objective way to see gradual progress
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  that might otherwise go unnoticed from one day
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  to the next. Onward to the fourth tool. My fourth
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  tool is a stretch -out strap. This may not look
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  like much, but it can become one of the most
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  useful tools in your home exercise program during
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  weeks three through six. A stretch -out strap
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  can be helpful for heel slides, calf stretching,
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  hamstring stretching, and other exercises recommended
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  by your physical therapist or surgeon. It gives
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  you more control than trying to use a towel or
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  bedsheet, and the built -in loops make it easier
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  to position your hands without constantly readjusting
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  your grip. By this point after surgery, range
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  of motion is still an important goal, but the
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  way you work on it often begins to change. During
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  the first week or two, everything can feel intense
• 9:29
  because your knee is swollen, tender, and easily
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  irritated. But by weeks three through six, many
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  people are participating in a more consistent
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  exercise routine, even though stiffness may still
• 9:40
  be part of the day. One of the biggest predictors
• 9:42
  of long -term success is consistency. Progress
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  rarely comes from finding one perfect exercise.
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  It comes from returning to the right exercises
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  over and over again. A stretch -out strap makes
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  many of those exercises easier to perform with
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  good control. And because it's inexpensive, useful,
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  and easy to store, it often becomes something
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  patients continue using long after formal physical
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  therapy has ended. So here's my fifth tool. It's
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  not actually the final one. I have a couple bonus
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  ones. But the fifth tool is a nine -inch Pilates
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  or yoga ball. This is probably the least expensive
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  item on the list today, but it may also be one
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  of the most versatile. A small ball can be incorporated
• 10:24
  in some rehab programs depending on your physical
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  therapist's recommendations. It may be useful
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  for gentle quadricep activation, positioning,
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  adductor exercises, hamstring work, or other
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  strengthening activities as your program progresses.
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  Your physical therapist can show you how to use
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  it in ways that fit your strength, your mobility,
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  your goals, and your stage of healing. I especially
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  like the 9 -inch size because it's practical.
• 10:50
  It's easy to keep next to your exercise area.
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  It stores almost anywhere and it's useful for
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  many different exercises without taking up much
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  space. Sometimes the simplest tools become the
• 11:01
  ones you reach for most often. And before we
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  finish, I want to mention a couple of other items
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  that deserve a brief conversation. The first
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  is a neuromuscular electrical stimulation unit,
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  often called NMES. Some patients continue to
• 11:17
  have difficulty fully activating their quadriceps
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  after knee replacement. And research continues
• 11:22
  to support the use of NMES in appropriate patients
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  when it's combined with an exercise program and
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  used with the correct intensity and dosing. And
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  that last part is important. Simply placing electrodes
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  on your leg is not enough. The settings, electrode
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  placement, timing, and exercise program all influence
• 11:41
  how effective neuromuscular electrical stimulation
• 11:44
  can be. If your physical therapist is recommending
• 11:47
  this for you, and asks you to purchase a unit
• 11:50
  or sends one home with you, it can become an
• 11:52
  excellent addition to your strengthening program.
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  This is one tool where professional guidance
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  really does make a difference. The second honorable
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  mention is a pedal exerciser or pedal bike. This
• 12:04
  is one where you're sitting and you're not actually
• 12:06
  moving on a bicycle. Some physical therapists
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  introduce cycling fairly early, while others
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  prefer to wait until swelling comes down and
• 12:13
  motion improves a little bit more. Cycling can
• 12:16
  also help you improve your motion. If cycling
• 12:19
  becomes part of your program, a pedal exercise
• 12:22
  can be a convenient way to continue working on
• 12:24
  motion and gradually build activity at home.
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  If your therapist has not recommended it yet,
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  there's no need to rush out and buy one. This
• 12:31
  is another example of matching the right tool
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  to the right stage of rehabilitation. If you
• 12:37
  compare today's list with episode 83, you'll
• 12:40
  notice that the focus has shifted. The first
• 12:42
  list centered on managing swelling, staying comfortable,
• 12:45
  and making those first days at home a little
• 12:47
  easier. Today's list is about expanding your
• 12:50
  world again. Walking becomes a larger part of
• 12:52
  your day. You begin leaving the house more often.
• 12:55
  Exercise becomes more consistent. Daily activities
• 12:58
  become a little more familiar. Thank goodness.
• 13:01
  Each of these tools supports that progression
• 13:03
  in a different way. The cane can help some patients
• 13:05
  work toward a smoother walking pattern. The portable
• 13:08
  car assist handle can make vehicle transfers
• 13:11
  easier. wherever you go. A step tracker can help
• 13:14
  you recognize progress that might otherwise be
• 13:17
  easy to overlook. The stretch -out strap supports
• 13:20
  your mobility program and the small Pilates ball
• 13:22
  adds variety and versatility to many home exercises.
• 13:27
  As always, let your surgeon and physical therapist
• 13:28
  guide your timing. A tool is only helpful when
• 13:31
  it matches your stage of healing, your strength,
• 13:34
  your balance, and your individual rehabilitation
• 13:37
  program. If you'd like to see the products we
• 13:39
  discussed today, I've put together an episode
• 13:41
  84 gear list that you can find in the show notes.
• 13:44
  It includes the exact types of products we talked
• 13:47
  about today. So you can compare options and decide
• 13:49
  what fits your needs. Some of those links are
• 13:52
  affiliate links, which means the podcast may
• 13:54
  receive a small commission at no additional cost
• 13:56
  to you if you choose to make a purchase. And
• 13:58
  while you're in the show notes, I also encourage
• 14:00
  you to join the Totally Success Insider Newsletter.
• 14:03
  I share additional education, practical tips,
• 14:06
  research updates, and answers to some common
• 14:09
  questions that sometimes don't fit into a podcast
• 14:11
  episode. It's one more way to help you learn
• 14:14
  more through your knee replacement journey between
• 14:17
  episodes. In our next episode, we're starting
• 14:19
  a brand new four -part series called The Expectations
• 14:23
  Gap. We're going to begin with one of the biggest
• 14:25
  sources of frustration after knee replacement,
• 14:28
  recovery timelines. We'll talk about what some
• 14:31
  people actually get wrong, why comparing yourself
• 14:34
  to a calendar can be misleading, and how to judge
• 14:37
  progress in a way that's much more meaningful.
• 14:41
  Thanks for joining me. I'm Michelle and this
• 14:43
  has been the Total Me Success podcast. This podcast
• 14:49
  is for educational purposes only. Discover more
• 14:53
  at TotalMeSuccess .com and be sure to subscribe
• 14:56
  and share because every step forward takes you
• 14:59
  closer to living the life you love.