MUA My new left knee-has Athrofibrosis, what now?

I am not currently having much swelling
You may not see swelling on the outside, but there still can be significant swelling inside the knee. You can't force the bend when it's swollen.

During surgery they could bend to ”over 125 degrees”. On release 90, next day something like 72.
This illustrates the impact of swelling. There was none during the surgery, and the swelling only started post op, which is why it got progressively worse on the following two days.

As you can see from the information that Sisterinhim posted above, early flexion numbers have nothing to do with your eventual outcome. Some of us just take longer to heal. If you give it time, you will see improvement.

My surgeon says that the most important muscle to exercise in recovering from this surgery is The Patience Muscle.
 
I am not currently having much swelling or pain, but still don’t think I am bending 90. Makes me wonder what the heck is going on in this knee??
What’s going on with this knee is that it’s very early in this recovery and is healing on its own timeframe. The fact that you don’t have much swelling, or pain, is excellent. ROM can take months to reappear. This recovery requires a lot of patience, something our medical teams sometimes don’t allow us.
 
Hi Cinders, it’s your super sweller pal JusticeRider. My swelling was awful and lasted for months. I still have a small amount that’s not noticeable most of the time. It took 4 months before I had a significant reduction in swelling. During those few months, I was terrified that I had an infection, a metal allergy, an immune disorder flare up, adhesions, etc. BoneSmart is the only thing that kept me sane, with the wonderful people here assuring me that what I was experiencing was not that unusual and would probably settle down. But I had to shift my expectations to months instead of days.

Also, the surgeon told me he bent my knee to 130 during the surgery. The hospital PT who did my discharge check that evening measured me at about 70, with pushing. By the time I went to PT 5 days later, it was about 45. At 6 weeks, the PA got it to 90 with tears streaming down my face (at home it was more like 75).There were threats of MUA and my mental health was suffering, so I stopped going to appointments and stopped obsessing over ROM. And what do you know, when the swelling finally went down around 4 months, my bend started improving!

What I’m trying to say is, try not to worry. You’re very early in your recovery, and some of us just swell more! The ROM will come when the swelling goes down, and the swelling will go down when it’s good and ready. All you can do is try to help it along with ice, elevation, and very conservative activity progression. And just wait. It. Out. :bored: It’s no fun. But it will get better! I’m rooting for you Cinders!
 
Almost 12 months post TKR, I still get some heat and swelling in my knee after activity. I consistently ice, take anti-inflammatories if necessary.

Knee still does not like to be inactive… still need to move.. sleeping in a non-ergonomic position can still cause discomfort.

Constantly rolling with changes and get super excited when healing/recovery takes a leap forward. Sticking with what works is so important…keep going
 
Hi Cinders :wave:
I hope you were reassured through the words of other members responding here on your thread.
It's been two months already since your TKR. Happy Two Month Anniversary!
May it only get better from here on out. Take good care and enjoy the weekend!
@Cinders2023
 
Hi Layla! Everyone here has been so supportive! I wish I could say I feel so much better now that I am 2 months down. Truth is, I am still struggling to deal with this mess that is my new normal. Been throwing myself a big ole pity party all day. I have to remember to measure progress week over week, not day to day. I am a planner by nature and like to have a plan for all things and my knee just isn’t following my plan! :shrug:
 
I am a planner by nature and like to have a plan for all things and my knee just isn’t following my plan!
I remember my PT telling me at about two month out that "the knee is running this show and you have no voice in the matter!" :heehee:

I finally stopped fighting it and tried to look for positives. As you say, it's about looking for changes from week to week, not from day to day!

Something that helped me gain perspective on my recovery, was documenting my "achievements."
Once a week or so, I would list of all the things -- even the little ones -- that I was able to do, along with a list of the things I was looking forward to being able to do in the future. As items moved from one list to the other, I saw real progress and it helped me stay positive.

You will see improvement. It just takes time!
 
Something that helped me gain perspective on my recovery, was documenting my "achievements."
Once a week or so, I would list of all the things -- even the little ones -- that I was able to do, along with a list of the things I was looking forward to being able to do in the future. As items moved from one list to the other, I saw real progress and it helped me stay positive.
I love this. I have been thinking about doing something like this. I am going to do it!
 
Hi @Cinders2023 - I'm sorry to hear about your hurtful experience with your PA and hope you set her/him straight. Maybe you canceled PT? So now it's March and I wonder how you're doing regarding your swelling. After two months I still had bad swelling and my doctor gave me a prescription for MethylPREDNISolone Dose Pack, 6 days. Maybe talk to your doctor about this, it helped me. Do what you can, and that goes with your exercises, PT, and healthy eating, etc. I know people tell you to elevate and ice, but it's actually hard to always be elevating and icing in the real world. I still have some swelling and I'm past 10 weeks. I am not worried about it. As my PT said, This is a marathon, not a sprint. Recovery takes a long time. So I hear! I'm still in the process of recovering. Takes for ever! This surgery is not for the weak!

 
Cinders,

I, too, have a 2-3 hr drive to my surgeon. Yes, the riding is tiring for the knee, but I think that getting in and out of the vehicle and the necessary twisting and bending are what causes the most pain in the following few days. I make sure to have the car seat as far back as it will go and take my time. Then get the ice out when you get home. And don’t plan anything for the day following your trip!

This site has been so helpful. Just realizing that most people don’t sail (stride?) easily through recovery helps to make it more tolerable. Keep icing and elevating and use care entering and exiting the car.
 
@Jammy I will ask my doc about the medrol pack. I have used this to get through rough patches with the arthritis driven inflammation in the past. My primary doc suggested using it when we would go on vacation and I would be doing a lot of walking with my old knee. All he can say is no, right?
I am in better spirits today. Went for a short trip out to look for some Easter goodies for my grandsons and this time I walked instead of using the motorized shopping cart! We kept the outing short and I am icing now.

@Finallydone I have my next long drive to see the OS on the 15th. I know just a short trip in the car will make my stiff and sore so if he can’t appreciate that I will not be showing my best moves after getting there I will not be traveling back until the car doesn’t aggravate me me in such a way. For now, I’ll take small improvements over doing MUA. Because if the car sets me back I can only imagine how much a forced bend will do it.
 
have my next long drive to see the OS on the 15th. I know just a short trip in the car will make my stiff and sore so if he can’t appreciate that I will not be showing my best moves after getting there I will not be traveling back until the car doesn’t aggravate me
Could you make a video on your phone, of your knee moving at its best- maybe first thing in morning after rest and some ice? Then show that to your surgeon.
I would have done that if I had a long car journey to see my surgeon.
 
I have been thinking about doing something like this. I am going to do it!

I tracked my recovery right here on BoneSmart! It helped me and, I think, helped others who were behind me in their recoveries. I'm also hoping it will make it easier to look back when I decide to do knee #2!
 
I have to remember to measure progress week over week, not day to day.
This is so true and sometimes you will need even more time to see progress. Remember, that is a yoyo, rollercoaster recovery. Sometimes you have two steps forward then one step back, and other times one step forward and two steps back. As long as you slowly improve, you will have a successful outcome!
 
But, that S L O W L Y goes for almost everybody's recovery. You are among brothers and sisters in that same state of slow!
 
I've finally come to terms with the slowness of recovery and no longer dwell on it. I so wish I had kept a journal of my knee replacement. I would be able to see how far I've come. I ran across a comment I made in another thread exactly one month ago and I said that I think about my knee every minute of the day. That is no longer the case. Progress!!! Good luck. You'll get there.
 
I said that I think about my knee every minute of the day. That is no longer the case. Progress!!!
I hope I feel this way in a month too! We are about a month apart.

I am happy to report I have had my second massage today and it has helped with the muscle tightness a good deal. I plan to have one each week this month before I make a decision to cut back on frequency! I was able to make a full rotation (backwards) on the recumbent bike at PT. I even went up the 3 steps to get into my daughter’s newly purchased travel trailer! My husband didn’t think I could do it, but it was even easier than I expected. It feels good to find there are new things I can do each week. My swelling still creeps in every day, I am still stiff and sore, but making small advances in my recovery. My ROM is still crummy (97) but that’s a lot more than 80 that I was noted on my 6 week check. As long as I keep moving forward, I’ll take it.
 
I haven’t posted in a over a week. I have had a **** week where I didn’t think I did too much, but must have. More pain, more swelling, more crying, more frustration, less bend. They did an evaluation at PT yesterday where I showed significant improvement over when I started 5 weeks ago, but still I feel like I’ll be judged tomorrow by my OS because it’s not where they wanted me to be. I’m 10 weeks today and seeing my OS tomorrow.
I’m just hoping I can hold it together tomorrow and not cry in front of the dr. I tend to cry when frustrated and THAT pisses me off.:heehee:
 

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