Why Ice Behind Knee After Foot Surgery

Swelling After Knee Replacement

While some swelling is normal even up until 6 months post-surgery, swelling may also occur as a result of serious complications such as deep vein thrombosis or prosthetic joint infection.

Arthritis of the knee joint is the most common indication for replacement surgery. During replacement surgery, the surgeon gives an incision in front of the knee and cuts/separates tissues to reach the diseased knee joint. During the entire surgery, the patient remains under either general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia.

X-ray showing a total knee replacement.

The surgeon further proceeds to cut and remove the diseased ends of the thigh bone and the shin bone. The removed ends are replaced with metal alloy and plastic parts. The prosthetic joint functions to recreate the motion and alignment of the natural joint.

Swelling and pain are the most common complaints after knee replacement. The swelling is normal and is usually moderate to severe in the first week but gradually decreases for the next weeks and months. Mild swelling may persist normally as long as six months post-surgery.

The swelling persists even after the skin incision heals as the tissues in the body take a long time to get back to their condition before the surgery. The patients may complain of swelling around their knees, below or above their knees. The swelling may get worse at the end of the day with activity.

The Biggest Mistake People Make After Knee Meniscus Surgery

Did you have any meniscus surgery in the past and youre still dealing with pain, swelling and possibly even losing motion in your knee? Well, this is not normal. But youre also not alone. This happens way more often than I like to admit. And the good news is that it can be helped without another surgery. If youre watching this video today, and youre considering having a meniscus surgery for your knee, then youll want to listen closely so that you dont make this mistake after you have your meniscus surgery.

And if youve already had your meniscus surgery, then you know what to do so that youre not getting more swelling, pain and not losing motion than that knee and youre staying out of the surgeons office, so you dont have to go back again for another knee surgery.

My name is Dr. David Middaugh. And Im a specialist physical therapist El Paso manual physical therapy. And this channel is dedicated to helping people stay healthy, active and mobile. while avoiding unnecessary surgery, injections, and medications. Please subscribe to this channel and turn on your notifications so that you dont miss a single video with great tips and advice that we put out every single week. So lets get to it.

Dos And Donts After Knee Surgery

After knee surgery, youll likely encounter challenges and pain on your path to recovery. While it may seem difficult, remember that what happens after your surgery is just as important as the surgery itself.

Here are some dos and donts to help you recover:

If you experience problems during recovery, call your doctor immediately for proper healing and to prevent further health issues.

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Those Whove Had A Hip Replacement

For hip replacement recipients, you will want to elevate your leg slightly and lay with your surgery side up to ice. This reduces swelling and will likely be a more comfortable position.

• Once elevated, ice you 15-20 minutes at a time.
• Wrap ice in a tea towel, t-shirt, or thin cloth. DO NOT apply directly to skin.
• Repeat icing at least 3-4 times a day. If you think you would benefit from icing more frequently, ask your doctor if this is a good idea.

Tip: Remember, icing to reduce pain and speed up recovery is apart of a triple approach : pain medication, elevation and icing. Doing all 3 will keep pain down and allow you to recover safely, with a lessened chance of complications due to excessive swelling, bruising or inflammation.

Why Is Elevating The Legs So Important

You often hear surgeons discuss proper foot elevation as the single-most important thing you can do after surgery. Why? Simply put, elevating the lower extremities reduces trauma to the treated area, which can in turn help you heal better and faster. According to the experts, keeping the foot elevated can bring a slew of benefits ranging from minimizing pain and swelling to preventing potentially life-threatening blood clots.

One of the main reasons why doctors emphasize foot elevation is because it can significantly reduce your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis . This condition occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the legs. DVT is dangerous because, if left untreated, the blood clot could break off and travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. When such complications occur, your bloods oxygen levels drop, which can damage the lungs and even cause heart failure. Leg elevation, coupled with compression socks, can keep blood flowing to help prevent DVT.

Youll want to do everything you can after surgery to minimize lymphedema , including keeping the legs elevated for a prolonged period of time and staying off your feet as much as possible. While some swelling is normal following any surgery, its important that you reduce swelling to promote comfort and encourage proper healing. Keeping the legs elevated will prevent any fluid from becoming stagnant, which causes pain and swelling, so its definitely worth the extra effort to get it right.

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The First 24 Hours After Your Bunion Surgery:

• Discuss your post-operative instructions and recovery with your surgeon.

  Do not drive a car or operate any machinery that requires your full concentration.

• Do not drink any alcohol or take any recreational drugs.
• Eat light meals and avoid greasy or spicy foods.
• Have someone stay with you and help you with your daily activities.
• Limit your activity to only performing essential duties.
• Do not sign any legal papers or make any major decisions.

Can You Ice Too Much After Foot Surgery

While the anesthesia block is in place after surgery, you may not feel ice that has been placed directly onto your skin, which can lead to frostbite. Whenever you apply ice, make sure that there are dressings in between the ice and your foot or ankle. Do not remove your dressing unless specifically instructed to do so.

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How To Ice Knee After Replacement

Knee replacement surgery is an intense, invasive procedure. It requires a big incision, and the surgeon will surgically remove bone and cartilage. He digs around in the knee to take out the bad tissue and then replaces the tissue with an artificial knee.

So icing your knee after knee replacement is critical to healing.

Many people will either rent, borrow, or buy an ice machine.

This machine has a sleeve that wraps around the knee. A tube stretches from the sleeve to an ice machine. The machine then pumps iced water through the tube and into the sleeve, keeping the ice water circulating so the knee is both compressed and iced at the same time.

Because you have the barrier of the sleeve, the question regarding how long to ice knee injuries no longer applies as much. You can keep the machine on your leg for a longer duration than if you had just a basic ice pack.

You will have to wear a knee brace for at least six weeks after you get your knee replaced. Even as you wear a brace, you will want to ice your knee. Compress, elevate, and ice that knee exactly like your doctor tells you to.

Once you have an ice machine like this in the house, you will find you can use it in multiple ways. You can use it when treating arthritis pain in your knee or shoulder.

Swelling Behind The Knee

Reviewed by: KPE Medical Review Board

There are a number of different causes of swelling behind the knee.

The most common is a Bakers Cyst where there is inflammation of the popliteal bursa at the back of the knee.

Sometimes there is back of knee swelling and pain, other times there is a lump behind the knee but no pain associated with it. It might be that only one knee is swollen, or there may be swelling behind both knees.

Most times when the back of the knee is swollen, it can be treated with a combination of rest, regular ice, compression bandages, exercises and physical therapy, but some case may require knee surgery.

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Pain Behind Knee After Total Knee Replacemnet

Wicca1971

I had total knee replacement in my right knee almost 10 weeks ago. It’s been a roller coaster ride and I had to have knee manipulation done last week to that knee because it wasn’t bending enough. Now I am experiencing a new pain that is making me very nervous and is making my pt difficult to do. I am getting a sharp pain behind my knee on the inner part of the knee. Its so bad that I can’t straighten my leg fully because it feels like something is going to snap. My physical therapist said I pulled something in the back of the knee because I’m not walking properly which is putting strain on the back of the knee. After pt it felt a bit better because they worked on the muscle behind the knee but it prevented me from having a good pt session as far as bending my knee. I woke up this morning and the knee felt fine until I went on my indoor bike and hurt the back of the knee again. I couldn’t do anything for the rest of the day because it was so painful. It hurt to walk, to sit, to straighten my leg, and to bend it, Has anyone experienced this and if so, how did you get through it?

0 likes, 6 replies

My Bruising After Surgery

After surgery, I was surprised by the pain and bruising in my thigh and around my incision. It doesnt look great in the days after surgery however the body is resilient and it heals quickly.

Why did I experience bruising in my thigh if the surgery was on my knee?

After surgery, I was promptly reminded by my care team that I had a tourniquet on my thigh during surgery. Tourniquets are applied to the upper thigh and are extremely tight. Their purpose is to cut off circulation, which reduces the amount of lost blood during surgery. It also allows a surgeon to work more effectively.

I was told by my medical team that the pain and bruising in the thigh area is normal.

I also experienced bruising around my incision, which I expected.

I did not have any bruising below my knee. However, I have seen several pictures on the internet of folks who had extensive bruising on their calf, ankle, and their foot.

Dont be surprised to find bruising in areas other than your knee!

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How To Reduce Swelling After Foot Surgery

Swelling and inflammation are your bodys natural responses to injury.

However, too much swelling and inflammation can slow healing, cause additional pain during recovery, and make it difficult to move. Learning how to reduce swelling after foot surgery will help you recover faster and get back to full mobility more quickly.

Following your doctors post-op procedures and adhering to these five simple tips on how to reduce swelling after foot surgery can help you recover and get back to everyday life faster.

How Long Should I Place Ice On My Knee

According to Therapeutic Modalities Cryotherapy is usually applied for 20 to 30 minutes for maximum cooling of both superficial and deep tissues.

In many physical therapy clinics the common recommendation is 10-minutes of sustained application.

A couple considerations to determine the length of time ice is placed on your post surgical knee include:

1.) How cold is the ice pack?

2.) Are you placing a piece of cloth or other covering between the ice and your skin?

3.) Are you applying ice to a part of the body with a thicker fatty tissue layer?

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How Does It Work

So how does Ice Treatment work? With an injury, swelling accumulates in the affected area which causes two problems.

Firstly, there are chemicals in the fluid that aggravate and irritate the nerves fibres causing pain. Secondly, the pressure from the swelling causes pain and limits the amount of movement that the joint can perform e.g. how much you can bend and straighten the knee.

Ice treatment can help in two ways. Firstly, the cold from the ice has an analgesic effect which reduces pain. Secondly, it helps to reduce the amount of bleeding into the joint and soft tissues thus reducing swelling and any associated muscle spasms.

Cryotherapy treatment is therefore an important and effective treatment for soft tissue injuries such as a knee sprain or muscle tear.

Should You Be Concerned About Bruising After Knee Surgery

There are many things for you to be concerned about besides bruising after TKR surgery. Above and beyond bruising, Id pay close attention to the following:

• Pain management
• Range of motion
• Reducing swelling

Pain management and beginning your physical therapy should be at the top of your list.

The pain from my tourniquet took a few days to go away. The bruising eventually went away after 10 to 14 days.

Managing swelling could really help to reduce the appearance of bruising. In the early days after knee replacement surgery, I iced my knee to reduce swelling. I also elevated my leg to reduce the pooling of fluid in my leg .

Movement, although uncomfortable in the first few days after surgery, is a good way to increase circulation in your body and can help reduce bruising.

No matter what, your knee replacement surgery will result in at least some bruising. Depending on the individual, there may even be extensive bruising.

Understand that although bruising is unsightly, it is part of the healing process.

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When Does Your Surgeon Next See You After Surgery

While every foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon has different instructions, you will usually return to the office between one and three weeks after surgery for your first post-surgical visit. You should call your surgeon’s office to schedule this appointment if it was not scheduled before surgery. If you have any concerns following your surgery, contact your surgeon’s office.

Tips For A Speedy Recovery From Your Ankle Surgery

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• Tips for a Speedy Recovery from your Ankle Surgery

Generally, any incident that results in a severe fracture of the ankle will require some form of surgery to correct. The ankle is a complex joint made up of three bones, interconnected with 4 major ligaments, making each ankle surgery unique. Because of this complex nature, ankles need ample time to recover. Most patients are able to return to their normal daily activities in 3 to 4 months after surgery. There are a few things you can do to promote a full, efficient recovery.

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When Does A Partial Acl Tear Require Surgery

Treatment of an ACL tear is most dependent on how much knee instability is caused by the injury. Therefore, there is no critical cutoff in terms of how much of the ACL is torn. Most surgeons base a decision on how much instability the injury has caused. If the knee is unstable, then surgery is recommended.

Chow Down But Only On Healthy Foods

Your body needs energy to heal, and a lot of it. Energy comes in the form of calories, so its important to maintain a healthy diet. In addition to energy, you also need a good balance of nutrients, so stock up on fruits, veggies, and lean proteins. Protein deficiency may make it more difficult for your body to build and heal tendons and bones.3 The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advises that most people need at least 0.35 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day.4

Hydration is also important during your recovery, so be sure to drink plenty of water.5

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