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MUA After MUA 5 days ago, at 11 weeks

It seems like you should continue to progress just by using the knee. I know I continued to gain just by doing daily activities that required me to do some bending.
 
I had MUA on Tues. Daily PT inc that very afternoon.
The surgeon broke up adhesions and moved my rt TKR to 140-145degree flexion range.
At PT I was at 115 degrees flexion, and I’m at 125 now, w assistance from therapist.
The moves all still hurt, as if no adhesions were broken up, yet I am bending sooner and deeper.
Can’t I just go rt to the 140-ish after a MUA. I sure want that, and when will it get here? Thanks for any advice
 
@Meggo you will notice that I have merged your two threads together as we prefer that members in recovery only have one thread.

This is for three reasons:
1. if you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts others have left you in the old threads
2. it often ends up that information is unnecessarily repeated
3. it's best if we can keep all your recovery story in one place so it's easily accessed if we need to advise you.

Please keep all your questions and updates on this thread.

Regarding your ROM post MUA I am afraid it's just as we advised when you first asked about having MUA. You may be able to get a bit more ROM right now. But your knee has once again been traumatised. You are basically starting again. Ice and elevate and please don't let anyone force your knee. It needs time to heal.
 
By the time I read everyone’s thoughtful replies based on experience and science, I had had the MUA done.
I can’t tell that the knee is any different from pre-MUA?
The PTs saw me every weekday for two weeks; they appeared to believe that they now had to force and push the knee to go deeper into a bend since it could and did while under anesthesia!
The first couple of PT sessions post-MUA weren’t too painful, and I was impressing myself, bending gently deeper at home.

Then the PT’s flexion forcings happened, so swelling rushed in, and my ‘hastened progress’ was halted, though I kept attending the two weeks worth of appts.

I had already met 100% of the deductible out of pocket expenses so at least there is that for consolation?
I’m around 118+degrees stedda the 114 ish pre-procedure, and mighta gotten there regardless/without the mauling of the MUA.

I see my surgeon later this week for post-MUA appt.
Thanks y’all for listening, and, again, for your words of advice and recommending.
I have sorta felt like my PT appts are there to justify the staff’s existence!
 
I'm sorry to hear that you had the MUA and it's really been of no real value to you. That unfortunately can be the case when it's done fairly soon after your surgery. It will be interesting to hear what your surgeon has to say. I hope it's not that you haven't tried "hard enough" with your therapy and you need to work more aggressively.

Our experience with patients in your situation has consistently shown that the best approach to deal with swelling following an MUA is to allow your knee to rest and to do things that will help reduce the inflammation that's going on. That means lots of elevation, ice, and taking something for any pain you may be experiencing. Time is going to be the best healer for your knee now. Minimize any household chores or activities and running errands. Don't stand for extended periods. But....be sure you are doing plenty of gentle bends and stretches throughout the day. If you have an exercise bike, you can do some rotations on it each day, but be sure not to overdo this and work up your time gradually starting with just 5 minutes a day.

Best of luck and please let us know how things go.
 
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I’m so sorry you are experiencing such a set back. Please rest your knee, as Jamie recommended, and let it heal from this recent assault.
 
Meggo said:
Then the PT’s flexion forcings happened, so swelling rushed in, and my ‘hastened progress’ was halted, though I kept attending the two weeks worth of appts.
Click to expand...

@Meggo My heart just ached for you when I read this! How horrible of PT to do that to your tender post-MUA knee!
I am 13 weeks post op & had a MUA at 11 wks post op. I quit my PT at approx week 9. I didn’t return post MUA either. I truly believe (after reading all the awesome posts on here) that the aggressive & forceful PT set me up to having the MUA by creating a constant state of inflammation & swelling. Am I doing better post MUA? Yes & no. Flex is better (from 95 to 115 degrees) but my extension is worse. And I’m having to rest & ice much more.
@Jamie gave you awesome advice. I echo her words to you.
You don’t need to continue to go to PT. You KNOW what you need to do....dally activities, gentle exercises, rest (lots!), ice, elevate. I know, first hand, how difficult it is to do the REST one!!
Godspeed to you!
 
Thank you all, Jaycey, Kneeper, Jamie, Jockette, Knit Chica. With you guys, I feel like I have had real therapy, of the healing kind, from you all.

Today when I allowed my PT to assist me with a heel slide after I had brought the knee back with my own power, she told me that she can sense, through her training, that my knee will easily bend much deeper, that she can just tell by the feel.
My escalating discomfort halts us from getting deeper into that flexion zone she is talking about.

According to them, I feel as if they are saying that I ought to push past a little pain, and get higher degrees of flexion; that that is physical therapy working ?

According to you guys/Bonesmart, I would be wise to do the opposite and not do any pushing through pain, and to not get to the point of pain at all.

Gentle bending and stretching, yes, plus the activities of life, is likely what will increase my capabilities over time.
Knit Chica, I loved hearing that you didn't go back to PT after MUA; that is my impulse, but I have kept going anyway.

With the pandemic and less 'employed' time, since insurance is paying 100% now, I will keep with the remaining 6 or 7 sessions and do all I can there that causes me to feel good about myself, and productive.

PS: at my surgeon appt last week, he basically said to come back in about 6 weeks for another check-in! He mentioned that the TKR may not get to the same flexion as the other knee (130+ degrees), which I thought sounded negative and disappointing, since he had reported bending the knee to the 140+ degree range during MUA. Is it going to bend to my satisfaction or will I be stuck, is what I did not ask him. Time will tell, is probably the answer.

Since he didn't say anything else especially enthusiastic or encouraging, I'm feeling kinda on my own, and I will probably cancel the ($65 co-pay) follow-up appt.

Thanks again and some more for your safe space here. Happy Thanksgiving !
 
Time to heal is the biggest factor in regaining our ROM. And there is no “window of opportunity “. My ROM continued to improve in my second year post op, after a very tough first year with multiple set backs. I honestly don’t know why so many doctors don’t tell us that, they must see it in their patients down the road of recovery. I wasted so much time my whole first year worrying and stressing over my ROM. My knee bends just fine now.
 
Well. If someone called Jockette says that her knee bends just fine now, I feel encouraged that I Will be biking again, going to Zumba and dancing once this pesky pandemic is done, hiking, etc etc.

Are you pleased with your recovery that way, that you are as active as you would like to be?

I read something just today on recovering one's fitness, that It's not about where I have been, but where I am headed, in my re-fitness. I felt relief, reading that.
Bye for now.
 
Hmmm. I'm almost at 11 weeks & am in the 100-105 region & my doctor & me are considering an MUA. I got to 118 with assistance (torture) 2 weeks ago, but my ROM has regressed since then. But I'm also doing about 1 1/2-2 hours of PT every day at home, so I don't know if I'm losing ROM because of too much PT/activity? I think I might wait another week to make a decision.

Would you say you regret/or are satisfied with the MUA right now?
 
Meggo said:
According to you guys/Bonesmart, I would be wise to do the opposite and not do any pushing through pain, and to not get to the point of pain at all.
Click to expand...
Only an individual can describe what is pain to them and what is discomfort. We say it's OK to work to discomfort. Again, that is up to what each person feels. No one else can tell you how much pain or discomfort you feel but you.
Meggo said:
Are you pleased with your recovery that way, that you are as active as you would like to be?
Click to expand...
It had gotten to the point where I couldn't ride my bike or hike, my two most favorite things. I tried my first mountain hike at about 4 months out. I found that I needed to stay on the blacktop because of loose rocks. But, I did it! Outside biking became a breeze at 6 months or so. So, to answer your question, Yes!, I can do those things that I couldn't do before my replacement. That is all I asked for and I got it. I guess my bend is around 120, but I could not care less what it actually is because I'm happy living my life now doing what I love to do!
 
TKRKnee9/2020 said:
Hmmm. I'm almost at 11 weeks & am in the 100-105 region & my doctor & me are considering an MUA. I got to 118 with assistance (torture) 2 weeks ago, but my ROM has regressed since then. But I'm also doing about 1 1/2-2 hours of PT every day at home, so I don't know if I'm losing ROM because of too much PT/activity? I think I might wait another week to make a decision.

Would you say you regret/or are satisfied with the MUA right now?
Click to expand...
Re the MUA, I can’t tell if it did anything other than line the surgeon’s pocket a little more?
All of the Bonesmart replies to my earlier MUA query said to :

don’t bother getting it,
that the knee just needs time,
that the MUA will traumatize the knee and provide a setback.
(The PT post-MUA def provided the torture to recreate swelling and less bending, all in the name of pushing through pain that caused me to yell out during one session!)

So I’m on the fence about having gone through MUA. Not being a doctor, I don’t medically know what I’m talking about! , just intuitively. It was a lot to go through, physically and logistics-wise?, and for what, I’m not sure.
 
sistersinhim said:
Meggo said:
According to you guys/Bonesmart, I would be wise to do the opposite and not do any pushing through pain, and to not get to the point of pain at all.
Click to expand...
Only an individual can describe what is pain to them and what is discomfort. We say it's OK to work to discomfort. Again, that is up to what each person feels. No one else can tell you how much pain or discomfort you feel but you.
Meggo said:
Are you pleased with your recovery that way, that you are as active as you would like to be?
Click to expand...
It had gotten to the point where I couldn't ride my bike or hike, my two most favorite things. I tried my first mountain hike at about 4 months out. I found that I needed to stay on the blacktop because of loose rocks. But, I did it! Outside biking became a breeze at 6 months or so. So, to answer your question, Yes!, I can do those things that I couldn't do before my replacement. That is all I asked for and I got it. I guess my bend is around 120, but I could not care less what it actually is because I'm happy living my life now doing what I love to do!
Click to expand...
Your words are v encouraging to read! Yes, a number is just a number. What counts is what you are happy getting to do again. Thank you!
 
Idk if I’m am writing a reply in the right place, to respond to someone.
I tapped Quote this message and what looks like a reply arrow?, a curved-to-the -left arrow, and began typing. Hope that worked. sigh
 
Meggo said:
I tapped Quote this message and what looks like a reply arrow?, a curved-to-the -left arrow, and began typing. Hope that worked. sigh
Click to expand...

You did just fine quoting my message. If you want to quote just part of a message, highlight the sentences you want to quote, just I did.
 
Because of your MUA you might think of yourself as only at week 4. If the MUA did break anything up as your PT thinks, then the bend is in there, but as others have said, your tissues have been retraumatized and you have swelling so it's not evident yet. A swollen knee isn't going to bend as much as we want. So keep up the ice and elevation and keep the knee moving-- but gently.

What I did was try to push a bit past my comfort zone when doing heel slides. I would say it hurt a bit, but not OMG pain, if that makes sense. I also didn't do many repetitions at a time. I would do 10 at a time at the most and would spread them out over the course of the day--sometimes just a few at a time when I was sitting in a chair. (Probably 30 max. over the course of a day.)

Don't let the PT crank on your leg.
 
I am at 20 weeks/5 months for TKR rt knee. I'm back to building up my biking, and am doing a little home PT w extension and yoga, plus some of the PT exercises they gave me.
If this a year-long process, I trust that the stiffness and discomfort will eventually mostly disappear, and that my flexion will get some deeper please? Thanks for any encouragement and info, you who have had your TKR longer than me!
 
@Meggo I had slow ROM my first year due to several set backs, but it improved quite a bit in my second year, and even a bit more in my third year. Please don’t let your medical team stress you about it, it will come. My team did cause me a lot of stress and now when I see what my ROM is, it makes me angry that they caused me so much stress at a time when what I needed was encouragement.
 
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