Using a Walker After Knee Replacement Knee to Know Ep. 198 Check us out online at kneereplacementtherapists.com Check out our FREE support group at / jrtgroup
You say your goal is to get patients off a walker in just 2 weeks at most? Why do I read and hear from other sources (actual Orthopedic Doctors) that say for a Hip or Total Knee Replacement Surgery you can expect to take at least 4 weeks of using a walker. They want you to be safe and be practicing better gait with a walker than with a Cane or Crutches. In a TKR Surgery your Quadriceps is cut in order to safely get to the knee components to perform the surgery. When the Quadriceps is cut it only has about 60% of its previous strength until it fully heals.
There is definitely some variability in the duration as there are many factors that play a role in how long a walker is needed, but this is just a generalization that for most patients by 2 weeks we’re looking at making that transition. However, I do also state in the video that some people will take longer and that’s perfectly ok. I agree safety and good gait pattern are very important.
Hello I'm still in the hospital I have a question. I had total knee replacement on left leg on Monday, July 17th when using the Walker do I put the surgical knee first and the other leg to follow or the other way around?
Typically you want to start with your surgical leg first. This will be less important as your walking pattern becomes more natural and your steps more continuous.
I've been through 10 months of problems with my tkr, so I've been using a walker for much of that time. I've found I have trouble walking with good posture because my hands hurt so much. I've tried using towels rolled on the handes but that doesn't seem to help. Is there anything else I can do to help this?
An alternative is to try a platform walker where your forearms actually rest up on platforms. This helps disperse the weight through your arms and shoulders and not into the hands. One downside is these walkers tend to be bulky and cumbersome.
How can you stay close to the walker, if knee is painful & weak, some upper extremity support is needed? Continuous stepping is impossible, is it not? Thanks.
The walker will still provide upper extremity support if you are standing close to it as you walk. You want to avoid developing bad habits by leaning too far forward onto the walker. Continuous stepping is not impossible although it may seem that way due to pain, stiffness, and range of motion deficits. With time and practice you will hopefully see more and more improvements with your walking and mobility.
@@cynthiajohnson2870 standing "close to" your walker is different than standing directly over the walker and pushing straight down with arms. If you require that extent of weight bearing through your arms then yes, it would not be possible to perform continuous steps. One can still stand "close to" the walker and apply a vertical force and a horizontal downward (off-loading) force with the arms to help them walk after surgery and perform continuous steps as I do in the video...and this is much more effective than the person who is bent forward with their arms out straight and the walker 2-3 feet in front of their body, which is ineffective and what we want to avoid. Hope this clarifies what I was trying to convey in the video. Thank you for your question!
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Having my knee replaced on Thursday, so this is really helpful. Thanks!
You are very welcome! Best wishes with your upcoming surgery!
Super easy idea. Thanks a ton. ❣
You're welcome, thank you for watching!
Very helpful- thanks!
You're welcome!
Some more eqipments needed ater knee replacement. Please share .I'm newto to channel. 🙏🌺❣
I think you may find this video helpful... czcams.com/video/l6RIyYDLK74/video.html
I'm have double replacements in 2 weeks hip hip horray.
Best wishes to you with your surgery and rehab and recovery after!
You say your goal is to get patients off a walker in just 2 weeks at most? Why do I read and hear from other sources (actual Orthopedic Doctors) that say for a Hip or Total Knee Replacement Surgery you can expect to take at least 4 weeks of using a walker. They want you to be safe and be practicing better gait with a walker than with a Cane or Crutches. In a TKR Surgery your Quadriceps is cut in order to safely get to the knee components to perform the surgery. When the Quadriceps is cut it only has about 60% of its previous strength until it fully heals.
There is definitely some variability in the duration as there are many factors that play a role in how long a walker is needed, but this is just a generalization that for most patients by 2 weeks we’re looking at making that transition. However, I do also state in the video that some people will take longer and that’s perfectly ok. I agree safety and good gait pattern are very important.
Some says use your bad leg
Thank you for watching. Can you please clarify your comment/question?
Hello I'm still in the hospital I have a question. I had total knee replacement on left leg on Monday, July 17th when using the Walker do I put the surgical knee first and the other leg to follow or the other way around?
Typically you want to start with your surgical leg first. This will be less important as your walking pattern becomes more natural and your steps more continuous.
I've been through 10 months of problems with my tkr, so I've been using a walker for much of that time. I've found I have trouble walking with good posture because my hands hurt so much. I've tried using towels rolled on the handes but that doesn't seem to help. Is there anything else I can do to help this?
An alternative is to try a platform walker where your forearms actually rest up on platforms. This helps disperse the weight through your arms and shoulders and not into the hands. One downside is these walkers tend to be bulky and cumbersome.
How do I get up and down with this walker
Are you asking how to get up and down from a chair? or are you asking about stairs? or something else?
How can you stay close to the walker, if knee is painful & weak, some upper extremity support is needed? Continuous stepping is impossible, is it not? Thanks.
The walker will still provide upper extremity support if you are standing close to it as you walk. You want to avoid developing bad habits by leaning too far forward onto the walker. Continuous stepping is not impossible although it may seem that way due to pain, stiffness, and range of motion deficits. With time and practice you will hopefully see more and more improvements with your walking and mobility.
@@KneeReplacementTherapists no, you can not push straight down and walk, continuous steps, FWW. UE forces are necessarily angled.
@@cynthiajohnson2870 standing "close to" your walker is different than standing directly over the walker and pushing straight down with arms. If you require that extent of weight bearing through your arms then yes, it would not be possible to perform continuous steps. One can still stand "close to" the walker and apply a vertical force and a horizontal downward (off-loading) force with the arms to help them walk after surgery and perform continuous steps as I do in the video...and this is much more effective than the person who is bent forward with their arms out straight and the walker 2-3 feet in front of their body, which is ineffective and what we want to avoid. Hope this clarifies what I was trying to convey in the video. Thank you for your question!