Tools to Support Knee Surgery Recovery When Complicated by RA

I recently shared that I took a small fall last September which caused the tearing of the ligaments and muscles surrounding my knee, as well as my meniscus. When diagnosing the injuries, it also was found that I had bone degeneration in that same knee, likely due to damage from RA over time.

Small fall means big surgery

Soon after, in October, I had a full ACL reconstruction surgery with an allograft (cadaver parts), and my recovery from the injury and the surgery both were impacted by my history with RA. So much so that in the last three months, I’ve found myself utilizing several devices, mobility aids and products that have helped me manage my recovery to the best of my abilities, and I wanted to share them with the community.

First off - my doctor ordered something called a Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine to be delivered to my house to begin using the day after surgery. It’s sort of like a recumbent exercise bike, but the pedals move for you, allowing your joints to move through a range of motion immediately after surgery with much less impact. My insurance did not pay for this device but it felt beneficial enough to pay the daily out of pocket fee for at least the first three weeks after surgery.

Continuous ice means continuous magic

Second - a continuous ice machine. This is magic, and I actually purchased mine two years ago when I had spinal surgery. You fill a container with ice and water and then it connects to a pad that wraps around the affected area with Velcro (in this case, my knee). It stays cold and provides continuous icing to the affected joint or body part. Unlike traditional ice packs, it doesn't thaw or melt or become warm, and can be used for long periods of time continuously or intermittently. Even if I hadn’t been recovering from surgery, my knees have been so inflamed due to the changes in weather I’d probably have taken the machine out anyway, just to get some relief.

After the injury first happened, I was in a wheelchair the first few weeks because I wasn’t allowed to put any weight on my injured leg. After surgery, I transitioned to crutches and then utilized them in a way that allowed me more movement without full weight bearing on my knees. I would never recommend crutches because they come with their own hardships and drawbacks, but in this case I had no choice. I do, however, recommend a heated blanket. I’ve had mine for years and I found it really helped to relax the muscles that were overcompensating for my injury without having to directly apply a heating pad to one area and then move it around the different affected muscles of my body. Additionally, I got a lot of use out of my Thera-gun - a handheld massager with several settings. This helped to loosen up the tightness of the muscles above and below my knee, enabling me to access additional range of motion and reduce some of the stark pain I was experiencing.

Physical therapy is crucial to recovery

Finally, while not a tool or a device, I do want to share that the service of physical therapy has been really critical in my recovery progress. Due to having RA and also being steroid dependent, I heal slower than the average patient. The folks at PT have really worked with me to ensure they're not pushing too hard or too fast, and they try to calm my nerves when new pains pops up. They reassure me that this is all part of the process and I have not done something to re-injure or aggravate the surgical site.

If you've had orthopedic surgery, have you used any of these tools or devices or found any products that have helped mitigate the pain and time for recovery? I'd love to read about them below!