120 Degrees

It's degrees of flexion (the bending of a joint) we're talking here, not the weather.  Specifically, the target post-op flexion Trish is struggling to achieve in her knees.  To clarify, if leg is totally straight, it's at zero degrees; if upper and lower leg are at right angles to each other, it's 90 degrees.  So, 120 degrees is going well beyond the right angle.

The motion machine described in my prior post was initially set at 65 degrees when T was in the hospital.  The machine is adjustable and the instructions are to increase the flexion angle 5 degrees per day.  The machine that has replaced me in our bed at home (temporarily, I hope) is now set at 90 degrees.  So, 25 degrees done so far, 30 degrees yet to be done.

The action of the machine stretches the muscles and tendons and other leg stuff, getting and keeping everything as flexible as possible, keeping things from 'freezing up.'  Since T's legs weren't exercised much after her knee blew out last May, the tissues now need to be restretched and tuned in to the new 120-degree reality.  

She had her 2nd therapy session yesterday, in a pool designed for that purpose.  She liked the pool approach a lot, much better than the Chamber of Horrors - that room with the same body building machines and devices you find in modern fitness clubs.  The pool thing is only for a few sessions though; soon she'll have to return to the Chamber to serve out the remainder of her 6-week sentence.

She experiences a lot of pain occasionally, especially towards the end of pain medication periods.  To be expected: the surgery was only 8 days ago and there's still a lot of healing to do.  But, every day sees a bit of improvement in her mobility and the ability to do the normal things of everyday life.  She's coming along nicely in my view.  Depending on when she took her last pain pill, Trish may or may not agree with that view.