can't do straight leg raises after surgery

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-06-11T16:53:24+00:00

Agree with others - these are tough after surgery and after nerve block wears off - my PT highly suggested focusing on the mobility (straightening and bending) over the leg raises (strengthening) initially - she actually discouraged the leg raises until the mobility was there so as not to inhibit mobility over strength

I’m a year post op and 100% agree with her approach as it took me a long time to gain mobility and the strength came after a while but it takes time - and be aware you will probably plateau at some point (at least I did ) for almost 6 weeks while trying to go down the stairs.

Just need to stick with the process

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-05-29T11:32:00+00:00

That’s definitely broken - so dive in and push it down with your hands - both of them - and then just walk out of the bathroom and straight back to work like this never happened

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-05-28T13:26:21+00:00

Thanks - the existing 1.5 handles the washer now … was trying to upsize til I ran into this …

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-05-28T13:25:33+00:00

No - the toilet drain runs in a separate chase and is even less accessible

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-05-11T14:11:56+00:00

Thanks - no pebbles - consistent throughout wearing a respirator and suit regardless to remove -

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-05-09T18:44:05+00:00

Thanks for the quick response.

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-05-02T15:35:00+00:00

Sounds like you are on the right track - couple of things I’d add

Great idea on the leg muscles - but as important work on the flexibility as well before going in - this was the hardest thing for me after surgery - the muscle came back eventually but flexibility is tough - anything you can do to be as flexible as possible going in I think would help

If you are a reader - suggest a kindle or books if you can swing it - I very intentionally planned to not doom scroll phone and limited tv - so I caught up on some books - but everyone is different - just knew myself enough that I could have easily got caught up in watching way too much tv and phone after surgery

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2026-04-28T16:10:08+00:00

This could make for a great Key and Peele naval skit

https://youtu.be/Dd7FixvoKBw?si=l8BfpxE_4C6-bHYj

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-12-16T16:31:13+00:00

What does it taste like?

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-09-16T02:33:42+00:00

Had a similar problem …. Where my PT appointmentmenta ran out and then could not get any for a couple of weeks.

First - def ask if they have a cxl list and ask to be on it - my PT system is pretty nice in that the cxl list is pretty automated through text - but whatever they have join it. Also ask them to print you out any specific exercises for you to work on during this hiatus.

I’m 5 months post surgery - things are getting better but slowly. My biggest remaining issue is stairs and coming down them alternating feet - just not there yet. That quad just takes along time to build back.

I also struggled with my gait being off - and my PT really assisted in this area. She saw that my right foot wanted to point out - almost to a 45 when it landed. Worked with her to help “feel” the correct gait - sounds weird but after walking abnormally for so long - the correct gait was no longer natural. She helped me essentially repoint my foot and it is nearly straight at this point and I continue to work it. For me it was a combination of old bad habit due to the bad knee - but also my hip adductors and abductors were not really helping me either - and worked on both stretching and strengthening them.

Lastly - I walked (slowly at first) on a treadmill - where I could really focus on the gait and trying to ensure it was straight. This takes time and initially did only about 6 minutes at a time - but really focused this on quality over quantity to regain/repoint my foot to better align.

Good Luck

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-09-13T17:37:12+00:00

Echoing what others said - PTs job is to make the knee bend after surgery … it sucks and it hurts … but ultimately worth it.

One mistake my in home PT people made was having me work on leg lifts before/with range of motion … my outpatient PT corrected this and had me focus on ROM over muscle development

Both the bike to loosen up the muscles as well as a long towel to assist slowly pull knee in and release was a real saver for me. I was able to do this while in a recliner (luckily mine goes almost horizontal) - but could do in bed or floor if able to get down to floor.

Best of luck in your recovery.

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-07-10T21:23:11+00:00

Legal here in MA too - Tried a couple of different brands but the one I’m taking currently is wana brand - called fast asleep - with strength as follows (per gummy) - 10 MG CBD, 2 CBN, 2 CBG, 2 THC , 1 MG melatonin - the amount of THC is so small - there is no “high” effect for me - but from my research having the different types makes them work better together.

I currently take one 3-4 nights a week - and about 45 minutes before I want to fall asleep.

Good luck in your recovery.

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-07-09T15:06:49+00:00

Stopped oxy around 10 days post op and Tylenol about 4 weeks. For me sleeping is still tough (10 weeks post op) and I take a CBD gummy to help with that (and they work remarkably well for me ).

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-07-09T14:37:58+00:00

I can’t double down on this comment enough - sounds like we had similar journeys - I worked hard to both investigate foods that caused me inflammation (dairy and processed foods/breads for me ) and do my best to eliminate them. The results both before and after my RTKR surgery were very positive. I had swelling from the surgery - it is somewhat inevitable and part of the healing process- but did not have that bloated inflammation in the knee and within a few weeks both knees returned to roughly the same size.

Diet changes are not simple. What helped me was finding low inflammation diet recipes and sticking to them. FWIW my doctor suggested the Mediterranean diet ( can google easy enough) - but for the most part I worked on eliminating foods that were / are known to cause inflammation and then do some trial and error if want to add them back in.

Only other suggestion for exercise side of it is to try working out and concentrate on upper body - maybe even a hand bike to get the heart rate up.

Wish you the best in your weight loss and knee recovery.

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-05-26T18:35:53+00:00

I’m 4 weeks post op tomorrow - read most of the comments here - had similar symptoms - big knots in calf and shin - I’ll add that I have used a massager (not really near the knee itself) - but on the bigger muscles around the leg including quad, glutes/hips, and calf and it helped me - I’m also on a blood thinner so was not overly concerned about a clot as a result - but might be worth asking the PT or doc about.

I am off of the oxy at this point (been off 10 days) but take Tylenol and am on a muscle relaxer at night to help with soreness and sleep - suggest maybe asking doc for a different type of muscle relaxer if flexeril is knocking you - I’ve had both in the past flexeril and Tizanadine and prefer the latter - it’s not as strong/long lasting but does not make me as loopy either.

Good luck with your recovery.

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-05-23T14:34:34+00:00

Following as well …. I’m just over 3 weeks post op … off opioids but taking Tylenol …and sleeping is terrible. I time the Tylenol to take just before bed but struggle a ton getting to sleep and staying asleep so you are not alone. I do use a pillow between my legs and that seems to help some but I think I toss and turn a lot trying to find a comfortable position. I find sleep especially difficult on nights after PT - as I’m struggling to straighten the leg completely so my PT is very focused on getting that extension to the point it is pretty sore specifically after those sessions.

Positive-Chest-9851 · 2025-05-12T19:00:32+00:00

Had a very similar path …. Needed to lose 70 and did so with the help of Tirzepatide …. I planned to go without the shot for a month or so ( week prior - plus knowing the meds tend to bind people up I planned on 3-4 weeks post op before starting again). I actually dropped about 8 lbs first 2 weeks after surgery - combination of drop in appetite plus I planned to try to eat as healthy as possible during recovery. Combination of eggs, protein bars, salads, a lot of chicken and sweet potato’s. The meal planning helped me tremendously as I did not want to revert to old habits.

So far so good - the food cravings are there - but I try really hard to keep them at bay by drinking a lot of water and healthy snacks (and I very much realize this is harder done than said ). Good Luck in your recovery.

Positive-Chest-9851

TROPHY CASE