Odd Knee problems

[DisneyGeekz]

I've had knee pain my entire life. I had surgery last year and since then my knee problems have changed. I booked my trip before my new problem came up and I thought I'd be over it by now, but it doesn't look like it. Anywho.

Sitting or Standing for more then 20-30 minutes at a time causes the fluid in my knee to build up and it can become painful. I'm bringing instant ice packs so I can ice at every meal. I'll ice at night as well. I walk fine, but will have my knee cap taped so the fluid won't build up as much. I'm hoping to get a GAC that will allow me to wait off to the side so I can walk around and come back to ride the attraction. I'm traveling solo so just asking my friends to stand in line and I meet up with them won't work this trip. I don't want to cut the lines, or get special treatment. I'm just hoping to enjoy my trip and get back to the magic after 3 years.

When I was at Disneyland I was told if I couldn't stand then I should rent a wheelchair and they wouldn't help me after that. So I'm hoping not to run into this problem at Disney World as it's a much longer trip. Has anyone else needed a GAC for standing? I promise I'm not trying to cheat the system. If the line is less then 20 minutes I'd just stand in it and wait with everyone else. Or get a fastpass as often as I can.

Thanks.

 

[SteveMouse]

You can certainly ask at Guest Relations, but it is exceedingly unlikely that you will be able to do as you suggest.

Often, you can't just get to the front of the line. (WDWs lines are almost all mainstreamed, unlike DL). Fastpass lines might (depending on the day and ride) approach 20 minutes in and of themselves (Thinking TSMM, the Mountains, and other headliners). You would be stopping and going in those lines. There are few pleas to sit down.

GR will suggest using a wheelchair or an ECV.

Good luck!

 

[anonymousegirl]

I cannot recall any attraction where you could "wait on the side" as you describe.

Disney's usual response to requests similar to yours, is to rent a wheelchair or ECV. I would not recommend a wheelchair if you are traveling alone and not already using one--just too tiring and using muscles in a new way.

The ECV might be a better option, but some queues may be longer than 20 minutes and you would need to stay in the ECV once you were in the queue.

You might consider a rollator instead. It would allow you to walk or sit at a moment's notice while in a queue.

 

[DisneyGeekz]

Thanks Steve. That's my worst fear. Sitting in an ECV is just as bad as standing for me. Anything where my knee isn't moving on a regular basis. I've been practicing standing and doing squats when standing, but that only gets me about 45 minutes before the pain gets too much. I'm planning breaks in the middle of the day, but I'm really hoping there's anything else that might help.

I've started losing sleep trying to figure out how best to handle it. I've been looking forward to this trip since my surgery last year. My PT is hopefully for me, but there is worry I could end up hurting my knee and needing a 2nd surgery.

 

[Bete]

I believe as others that a GAC is really not going to help your situation. I doubt there is anything to cover your situation other than using a scooter.

I think an ECV is your best option. You can get on and off the scooter; so, you are not stuck in one position all the time. You can even do this in ride lines. You can always take a few steps back and forth next to your scooter; repeat this over and over again. You can park the ECV for a while and walk, too; just take the key with you and park it in a proper place like don't block a door and so forth.

I believe you can march in place wherever you are and I think that is very close to walking; you really don't need a special area to walk.

Would massaging your knee help you at times? If so, you can do this on the ECV.

You may have to sacrifice some rides where the wait is intolerable. There is so much to do at Disney World that you can find other enjoyment. Find ways to take rests through the day. Have a strategy where you avoid prime peak times at the parks for the rides. If you are on site take advantage of the extra magic hours. Definitely use fastpass. Even with fastpass rides like Toy Story Mania and Soarin' for example may still be too long of a wait.

Is there a medical device like a brace or whatever that can help your knee with the fluid problem? Seek advice from your doctor. There may be exercises that the doctor could recommend. Is there a shot you can take in the knee that would help you?

If it helps keep in mind there are first aid centers in every park. Maybe, laying in a cot for a while might help you; take a break every few hours and lie down.

 

[ttintagel]

When I was at Disneyland I was told if I couldn't stand then I should rent a wheelchair and they wouldn't help me after that.

That is the official policy at WDW as well.

 

[DisneyLvr55]

Maybe before you go, try and figure out some knee exercises you can do in a standing position. That way, you can do them in line, and that may help to keep your knee from swelling. Getting to the parks at rope drop may be helpful too, because the lines are the shortest then.

Good luck - I just messed up my knee last month playing tennis, and I'm still not able to walk right. Our trip is in about 16 weeks, and I'm praying that with my PT, I will be OK by then. Good luck!!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Are you going to be okay with all the walking? You can't get through a day at WDW without walking at least 4-5 miles just because of the distances between attractions and the size of the parks. That's going slowing with rests unless all you do is make it into the park and then sit for your entire day (and even then you could be walking 1-2 miles).

Assuming that you can manage that amount of walking, I'd suggest either renting a rollator (rolling walker with a seat) or a manual wheelchair. Either one you can push when you need to walk and then alternate with sitting. Even if you had friends you were going with, there's no way to meet up with other people who've been waiting in lines without climbing over everyone behind them in the line (which I can promise will not go over well with those people and I wouldn't be surprised if CMs had orders to prevent it when possible). While there are alternate entrances for a few rides, most are mainstreamed so there is no other entrance and of the alternate entrances very few have a way that you could walk around (or alternate between sitting and standing). It's not just that WDW's policy is that for mobility and stamina problems you need to use a wheelchair or ECV (or rollator), but there is no physical way for them to provide the accommodation you're asking for. It just doesn't exist.

You can rent rollators, wheelchairs, and ECVs from offsite vendors much easier and cheaper than you can in the park (and WDW does not rent rollators at all).

 

[ttintagel]

Another thing to consider is that benches have been slowly but surely disappearing from the parks as the years go by, meaning there won't necessarily be a place to sit and rest between attractions if you need to.

 

[DisneyGeekz]

I'm great with walking. I've walked 20 miles or so in a day at Disneyland no trouble. I used that trip as a test for WDW, but my knee has had a setback since then, but my PT doesn't think walking will be trouble at all. I've been having trouble doing my exercises when standing, but I have 28 days to work really hard to get better and hopefully not injure myself more. I'm taping my knee to help drain the fluid, but when I sit for even 30 minutes at my desk at work the fluid really builds up. I end up getting up a lot or sitting with it almost straight out. Which is about the only way I can sit. So sitting on an ECV just isn't practical. (we retested this yesterday)

It really sounds like my knee is going to ruin this trip that I've wait 3 years for. My longest break from the magic and I've been wanting to come back every day. It's been a tough couple of years and my husband was sending me to hopefully enjoy myself, but it's been a lot of headaches and a bit of disappointment already. I know I'm going to miss out on TSMM because I can't climb up stairs. There might be a few others I'm missing, but I remember TSMM having a lot stairs to climb.

Thanks everyone

 

[kritter47]

Honestly, if walking is fine, then talk to the person in front of you and the person behind you in line and mention that you'd like a little extra space so you can keep pacing even if the line stops. That enables you to keep your knee moving without having to stand or sit.

If you are going with others, and I'm unclear if that's the case, use them to form a buffer zone and give you that space. If not, just be proactive and talking to the people directly in front of and behind you. As long as the area is reasonable (I'm thinking a space that would accommodate 2-3 people if everyone packed in), I'd think most people in line shouldn't have a problem with it with a little common courtesy explanation of of "this is why I'm pacing back and forth."

Combine that with smart use of a Touring Plan and FP to minimize your wait times as much as possible, and you're all set. Also, talk to guest relations about your specific difficulty with stairs. They can and will give accommodate that at the few rides where it's a problem.

 

[SteveMouse]

All rides that have stairs have another accessible path. If you have a GAC with the "no stairs" stamp, the CM at the entrance will direct you appropriately.

 

[ttintagel]

I have trouble imagining any line at WDW where you would be standing still for 20 minutes without moving.

 

[bidnow5]

The only ride I can think of that you might be standing still for 20 minutes is toy story mania if you use the accessible line otherwise it's constant movement for most rides some of the shows could be a problem

 

[Talking Hands]

I'm great with walking. I've walked 20 miles or so in a day at Disneyland no trouble. I used that trip as a test for WDW, but my knee has had a setback since then, but my PT doesn't think walking will be trouble at all. I've been having trouble doing my exercises when standing, but I have 28 days to work really hard to get better and hopefully not injure myself more. I'm taping my knee to help drain the fluid, but when I sit for even 30 minutes at my desk at work the fluid really builds up. I end up getting up a lot or sitting with it almost straight out. Which is about the only way I can sit. So sitting on an ECV just isn't practical. (we retested this yesterday)

It really sounds like my knee is going to ruin this trip that I've wait 3 years for. My longest break from the magic and I've been wanting to come back every day. It's been a tough couple of years and my husband was sending me to hopefully enjoy myself, but it's been a lot of headaches and a bit of disappointment already. I know I'm going to miss out on TSMM because I can't climb up stairs. There might be a few others I'm missing, but I remember TSMM having a lot stairs to climb.

Thanks everyone

You don't need to miss TSM. Ask to go through the handicapped entrance if you cannot use stairs. You do not have to be in a wheelchair for that. Get a GAC to avoid stairs.

 

[tobikaye]

What about a rollator? I know I suggest this option a lot, but it might work in your situation. If the line stops, you could sit down. Make sure you are a bit back from the people in front of you and you could sit and move your legs around while sitting.