They probably didn't medicate her because they wanted her to figure
out she still does have some pain.

Its probably because she has meds that she hasn't been feeling
the pain.

Donna

no I think that she did not know that she needed to request the pain med before therapy and that she really felt it when they bended her leg back that she touched her butt with her heel. then she felt severe pain.
She is going to request pain meds prior to therapy tomorrow. she is doing so well. am very proud of her.
bizi

when my friend did his knee surgery & rehab, neither pain meds alone nor anti-inflammatory meds were allowed before therapy. he asked to have them but was told NO, and was told WHY NOT:

1. the levels of pain / inflammation were used as therapeutic guides as to what the body could reasonably deal with at that time. movements were done gradually so as to be able to STOP in case anything began to cause excessive pain (see 2.)

2. In case of an increase in pain movements were NOT pushed to severe/intolerable pain requiring medication. The therapy was personalized and graduated to suit the needs and tolerance of the pt in that regard. (MarySue would NOT have been made to touch her butt with her heel if that caused her pain that would require meds! )

Now, i cannot remember what kind of surgery my friend had i just know he messed up his knee bad and surgery was not "optional" - his knee was totally KO after the fall but i don't know if he had full a replacement. So maybe for replacements rehab is different. I just can't help thinking though, that artificial parts per se do not hurt. It is still our own tendons that hurt, where they new stuff is attached! So i don't understand why the philosophy applied in my friend's case wouldn't apply just the same.

I have a concern that if they medicate MarySue there is a risk of doing damage because they won't even have the pain as a warning sign! this is all very confusing to me. i really hope MarySue will be ok. it sounds very scary. It sounds like the docs in one part of the country do things opposite of how they do things another part of the country.

~ waves ~

Waves

I can't answer that question. My mother had to have pain meds pretty
much around the clock in the rehab place when she had her knee replacement
surgeries.


The first being lots worse than the second. She went at a lot slower pace
than MarySue is going. But with my mom she had to take pain meds at
home pretty much every 4 to 6 hours too.

They did have to stop many times with therapy, because of the level of her pain.

Donna

Thank you for your concern waves. She is doing very well. says she is in no pain at rest and her knee is just stiff when she gets up.it is so important for her to keep doing therapy the leg can easily freeze up on her and not be able to bend it back. I hope she is ok today will call later.
bizi

Waves,

My father was medicated with perhaps morphine and oxy the first three or four days after his hip replacement even though they had him walking and moving a little with the guidance of a physical therapist.
After he left the hospital and moved to rehab they dropped the morphine but kept the oxy. They increased the physical and occupational therapy at rehab.
Yeah, knees are not the same as hips.

I think that medication and therapy depends on the age and physical conditioning of the patient. Other variables as well.

M