United States
@idigdirt .... I'm in agreement with what lovetocookandsew has said in the post above. Your knee has not had one single day of peace since surgery. You've had two surgeries close together. You had two falls on your knee just weeks ago. Your pain has never been properly managed to allow for decreased inflammation and swelling. Keeping a knee inflamed and hot can dry out tissues and result in the formation of adhesions (some people call that "scar tissue," but it's really a case where tissues that should be moist and glide over one another get dry and stick together). IF (and it's a big "if" because adhesions are not a common experience) you do have adhesions, an MUA can help loosen up the joint. But something tells me your surgeon and PT will have you right back in that painful pushing therapy immediately afterwards and that would not be good for you or your knee.
It won't hurt to wait a bit, try giving your knee a rest for several weeks and see if things will settle down enough that you begin to see progress. Your surgeon may give you some grief about waiting, but it really is your choice. You can tell him that you'd like to have the opportunity to allow your knee to settle and work on a more gentle approach to therapy for a bit to see if that helps. Should he threaten that old "you only have so much time to get your ROM" story, just smile and say you understand, but need to give this a try first.
If this idea isn't something you want to consider and you prefer to go ahead with the MUA, insist that any therapy you have immediately afterwards be gentle bends and stretches only. Massage is okay too. But absolutely no pushing on your knee. You should feel no pain besides mild discomfort as you gently bend and stretch, holding each for a count of 5. Your knee will be traumatized by the MUA and it will need to settle down so that you don't repeat the cycle of pain, inflammation and swelling you've been experiencing.
Don't feel guilty about asking for help with your pain management. This is critical to a good recovery. You also need to be icing your knee and elevating as much as possible. This means you'll be spending most of your days for at least a few weeks lying or sitting with your leg properly elevated. No chores, no errands. You'll just need to keep movement going in the joint by getting up to walk around your house for 5-10 minutes every hour or two. Be sure to ice and elevate at night when you're sleeping. Ice both the front and back of your knee.
Please let us know how you are doing. We care about you and will be here to support you with whatever decisions you make about your knee.
It won't hurt to wait a bit, try giving your knee a rest for several weeks and see if things will settle down enough that you begin to see progress. Your surgeon may give you some grief about waiting, but it really is your choice. You can tell him that you'd like to have the opportunity to allow your knee to settle and work on a more gentle approach to therapy for a bit to see if that helps. Should he threaten that old "you only have so much time to get your ROM" story, just smile and say you understand, but need to give this a try first.
If this idea isn't something you want to consider and you prefer to go ahead with the MUA, insist that any therapy you have immediately afterwards be gentle bends and stretches only. Massage is okay too. But absolutely no pushing on your knee. You should feel no pain besides mild discomfort as you gently bend and stretch, holding each for a count of 5. Your knee will be traumatized by the MUA and it will need to settle down so that you don't repeat the cycle of pain, inflammation and swelling you've been experiencing.
Don't feel guilty about asking for help with your pain management. This is critical to a good recovery. You also need to be icing your knee and elevating as much as possible. This means you'll be spending most of your days for at least a few weeks lying or sitting with your leg properly elevated. No chores, no errands. You'll just need to keep movement going in the joint by getting up to walk around your house for 5-10 minutes every hour or two. Be sure to ice and elevate at night when you're sleeping. Ice both the front and back of your knee.
Please let us know how you are doing. We care about you and will be here to support you with whatever decisions you make about your knee.
