- The sooner the patient’s leg is placed in the LRU Pillow,the better. Placement in the recovery room would be ideal.
- The heel should not hang over the distal end of the pillow any further than 1 inch over the edge of the pillow. This defeats the purpose of keeping the knee straight while resting.
- It is expected that the patient may feel a stretch or discomfort in the back of their knee, as the pillow is designed to passively stretch the posterior capsule. It is OK to take breaks as needed, but the more the patient’s leg is in the pillow, the better edema is managed and knee extension is maximized.
- The patient may also experience some discomfort in their heel or achilles tendon with prolonged use. Once again it is OK to take breaks as needed.
- Patients are encouraged to utilize the pillow frequently for the first 2 weeks of their recovery. After 2 weeks the LRU pillow is recommended to be used as needed; i.e. after therapy, after increased activity where swelling is evident, etc…
- The patient can use the pillow in any setting; i.e. bed, couch, recliner…this usually increases patient compliance.
- The patient may sleep in the LRU pillow, but it is not necessary if patient is having difficulty sleeping as a result.
- You may notice a gap between the back of the patient’s knee and the pillow. This is an indicator that the patient’s knee is not straight. Encourage patient to push the back of their knee into the pillow by using their anterior thigh muscles(quadriceps).
