“I didn’t realize I used the poles for that much support until I decided not to use them one day. I was in so much pain that night!”
My mom had her knee replaced about 8 weeks ago and like most people, she started those first few weeks using a walker for maximum support.
It usually takes about 2 weeks to get a patient’s pain under better control, then another 2 weeks to teach them to dress, bathe and groom independently.
The next step is getting back to doing the cooking, cleaning and laundry!
Once patients feel that they can take care of their needs at home, it’s time to start working on the fun stuff – getting back to doing favorite activities outside the home!
My mom likes to get up early, do morning stretches and work on strengthening exercises. Then she spends the rest of the day doing errands or going on trips by bus and/ or subway!
After the knee surgery, one of her concerns was being able to manage the big step up onto the bus and having knee strength to counteract the forces when the bus pulls away or comes to an abrupt stop.
The poles let her body get stronger by allowing her to distribute the weight among 4 limbs instead of just 2 so the weight on her new knee is much less.
The difference in biomechanics also promotes a more natural walking style than when patients are hunched over a walker and using a bunny hopping cadence to avoid pressure on the still healing knee.
Urban poles have given her the freedom to get out of those 4 walls and get back to doing what she loves!
