MUA 12 Weeks Post-Op and still havining PAIN<

[Ellejay]

Hi @JB71
I don't get on here very much these days, but I was just posting my one year report when your thread title caught my eye. I spent the first few months of both recoveries feeling totally frustrated, but if you read my last post hopefully it will give you some encouragement.
@Josephine is absolutely right - you MUST take it easy! If you want a good outcome for you and your family you need to rest now. I found it really hard, but honestly it is worth it. DONT push the exercise, DO take pain meds regularly, DO rest for the majority of the time, DO ice as much as possible.
Your situation doesn't sound too easy, but nevertheless you really need to do the above so that this time next year you will find it difficult to remember any pain at all. Let the house be untidy, eat convenience food, let friends help out- just think of yourself for two or three months, it will really pay off. Good luck xx

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi

I just went to sign out and I spotted your thread. I had to read and respond to you. This site is a lifeline, you're absolutely right.

I hope that I can reassure you. Please don't put yourself under pressure to achieve by a certain date or number of weeks. All our bodies are unique and individual. Therefore recovery is individual. To give you hope please read the last post (today) in @Ellejay thread. It is her second "ankneeversary" and it's so wonderful to read. If you click on her blue name I've tagged for you. it will take you directly to her thread.

It sounds as if your pain management is not controlled enough to suit your individual need. I'm no medic though. This is just a thought. Please don't be forced into taking inadequate pain control, dye to fear of addiction. It rarely happens. Addiction is where someone goes and tries to get narcotics when it's not even due to be refilled. That will help allay any fear you might have along these lines.

You are never alone on this site. There is always someone, somewhere reading your post. You can get excellent medical advice off Josephine and the other moderators. They are all so helpful and most of all caring.


Please take care
Love Nana moon 27 x

 

[KarriB]

Did I read that the PT is pushing on your quads? A pt should never hurt you or push on your knee. That could be part of the pain. But you are still very early in this recovery. Sit back and let the knee heal. A TKR is not like a sport injury that needs rehabbed. It needs loads of TLC from you and your pt. Your MUA has probably angered the soft tissues surrounding the knee and I'm sure you have lots of swelling. The knee won't bend if it's swollen, there's just no room. Ski girl or Pumpkln always give the example of trying to bend a hose full of water. Take a few days to elevate, ice and rest in an effort to calm that knee.

 

[newlybionic]

You need to rest that knee. You had the initial surgery and then MUA. That's another injury to the soft tissues. I hope you are getting pain meds from OS or your regular doctor. If not maybe you could call one of them for a refill. I had to ice my quads and my knee while elevating my leg. It's hard feeling you're going backwards. I've been there but I found it counterproductive to try to see changes day to day but to try to look at them week to week and now month to month. My OS only wanted me to be at 90 flexion at 6 weeks out. I hope you begin to feel better soon. Please look over everything Josephine has sent you. I only wish I had found this site earlier on. Her words are invaluable.

 

[kneeper]

Everything I've read from those who have had an MUA is that they needed time to recover from it. Lots of ice and elevation and gentle motion for the first couple of weeks after MUA. Sometimes a combo of ice and mild heat on those sore muscles (no heat on the knee itself) can give some pain relief. I hope you have meds too.

 

[JB71]

Thank you all for your kind words. It made me realize that I need to take care of mysel and not push it.

 

[JB71]

Hi all,
I am close to 12 weeks post op of my LTKR. (10/19/2015) At 9 weeks I felt really good thought i was on the road to really recovering. P/t was going great my ROM was coming along. I was down to taking pain meds just in the evening before I went to bed. Now at a little over 11 weeks I have been having pain in my knee, my calves and my shins my knee has been swelling up a lot. My knee feels like it did before I had my LTKR. I am back on my pain meds every 6- 8hours. I feel like I am going backwards. Went to see my doc today he told me my knee was reacting as if I still had arthritis in my knee and I shouldn't baby it and to tough it through. But it is really painful. What can I do to ease the pain? Besides taking pain meds I have been icing it 3-4 times a day.
It has been really fustrating for me. It seemed I was moving forward and I feel like I am going backwards. Am I doing something wrong? Am I expecting too much. Any advice would be great.

 

[Celle]

Welcome back again - even though it's with a problem.

Went to see my doc today he told me my knee was reacting as if I still had arthritis in my knee and I shouldn't baby it and to tough it through. But it is really painful. What can I do to ease the pain? Besides taking pain meds I have been icing it 3-4 times a day.
It has been really frustrating for me. It seemed I was moving forward and I feel like I am going backwards. Am I doing something wrong? Am I expecting too much.

When you're comparatively young compared to many who have a TKR, it's really hard to accept that this is a long, long recovery. It takes time - a full year even - before you'll be 100% again. It takes lots and lots of patience, too.

Your doc is dead wrong. This is no time to toughen up or push through the pain. (I blame Jane Fonda for the "No pain, no gain" fallacy - and she ended up with two bad knees!)
This is the time to ease of from some of your activity and to rest, ice and elevate your knee again. Treat it gently.

Many people are still taking pain medication for 4 months, some for even longer.

I wonder if you've increased your everyday activity lately? Gone back to work? Started to do more in the way of exercise? All those things have a big impact on a knee that is really only a quarter of the way through its recovery.

You have probably reached a plateau in your recovery, a time when your knee takes a pause before moving forward again. You might remember being told that this isn't a linear recovery. Often, it's two steps forward and one step back, with a few pauses along the way.

I'm going to ask @Josephine to advise you, too.

 

[Jamie]

I have merged your latest post with your original recovery thread. In accordance with our forum rules, we prefer to have each member's recovery journey recorded in a single thread. This makes it so much easier when we need to refer back to what all you've experienced before giving advice. If at any time you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll change it for you.

Celle is right on target. Please don't try to push through pain. You run the risk of delaying your recovery or possibly even causing damage to tender soft tissues that are still healing. You will be much better off to take things easy for a while until you see improvements in your pain and swelling. You are doing the right thing by going back on pain meds and icing. Continue this also until you see improvement. The key here is to watch pain and swelling. When you experience it, it's your body telling you that you've overdone it and your knee is not ready for that activity just yet.

 

[donna s]

I had a total knee done 3/26/2014 and I felt great went back to work no restriction. I always had some pain at the end of my work day but it got worse in time. On 12/28/15 I needed to have a knee revision because the bottom of my replacement was coming loose. I was 49 when I had the first surgery. You know your body better than anyone, give it more time not everyone heals the same.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Majic]

@JB71 I have similar problems most of the time OK, but if I overdo things, I get pain under my knee down my shins and in my calves. I think it is probably natures way of saying have a rest now you're doing too much.

 

[Clipless]

Has your increased discomfort coincided with attempting to do too much? Also, realize your MUA effectively re-set your surgery date, so you're not really as far along as you think you are. Your body is busy healing from both procedures.

I did not have MUA. Regardless, at 11/12 weeks I suffered a sharp spike in pain and swelling. The reason was obvious; I was Christmas shopping and just plain over doing. I didn't medicate (my preference). Instead I rested more. I quit PT. My "aha moment" came when I realized I could tighten my quad without discomfort. By 13 weeks I was feeling quite a bit better and at currently 15 weeks even better! Your recovery may progress differently, but you will get there!

 

[Josephine]

Went to see my doc today he told me my knee was reacting as if I still had arthritis in my knee and I shouldn't baby it and to tough it through.

That must be the worst bit of advice I've ever seen!

I'd like to ask you some questions if you don't mind, and it would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't compare this with the bone-on-bone pain you had before surgery! ) Also don't forget to include other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how often are you icing your knee and for how long?

4. are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?

5. What is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

6. how swollen is your leg?

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. what kind of PT exercises and exercises at home are you doing? How much and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example

Exercises done at home: 3 sessions a day
Heel slides x10 (reps)
Straight leg raises x10
Steps x10

At PT
Squats x5 (reps) x2 (sets)
Wall slides x5 x2
Clamshells X5 x2