MUA at 2 months and wound scrape

[Josephine]

Me too. And I still think that putting you in a brace this early out is cruel!

@mick820 the Cryocuff can still be used without the motor. Here's how you do it

1. fill the bucket with ice and water as usual
2. apply the cuff to your leg
3. plug the hose into the cuff
4. hold the bucket high, about 12 inches above the cuff so the water drains in
5. when the cuff feels comfortably full, put the bucket down and unplug the hose

When the water starts to lose it's 'cold', leave the bucket on the floor, plug the hose in to the cuff and allow the water to drain back into the bucket. When the cuff is empty, give the bucket a shake to stir up the ice, then lift it up so it refills the cuff again.

 

[mick820]

Thank you I did that the night I didn't have it. But it arrived and is working .

 

[waitingtogarden]

I cannot imagine a immobilized and and glad you're resting and icing instead. It is hard to go against what the OS says, so you are brave...and right.

 

[mick820]

I am still having quite a bit of pain mainly thru the back of knee and calf. I rub the back with oil but even on no pt days after elevation and ice . I understand that there were many adhesions and Os was concerned about that. Wondering if anyone else has experienced the calf pain ? It seems the pain has moved around a lot never seems to be in the same area. I am staying positve for the most part but have to say the pain is really starting to get to me seems like it's just moving around not going anywhere ....

 

[Josephine]

What did your surgeon say he achieved with the MUA?

 

[pippi]

Mick 820
I have been thinking of you and checking in to see what today is bringing for you?
Pippi

 

[mick820]

Pippi have been thinking of you too how is your recovery been what kind of good things and bad things have been going on with you? I hope the days are looking sunny for you.

 

[mick820]

Pippi i'm feeling frustrated with my recovery the OS had said it was going to be slow due to the adhesions and as he keeps saying the complexity of the surgery which I'm not really sure what he meant by that exactly. He has me in a straightening brace which for the most part I'm not wearing because I'm pretty consistently and ice right now I do wear it when I get up and walk around because it's giving me some stability but it does not straighten my leg it's still gives a 15° play and if I wear it for long I find it very hard to do a decent flexion. I go to see him tomorrow and am a bit nervous because I know he is going to be very negative about my range of motion it feels funny letting aI Dr. scare you that way and I know it shouldn't be that way but it is making me definitely nervous. Have you had your two week appointment yet in your staples removed? I'm glad we can talk because I'm not sure how long my recovery is comparing to others I know it's going to be a little different and I'm trying to really think positive the snow is melting here and I can kind of a little bit see my garden still too cold to go for a walk on my walker outside but spring hopefully Spring in Maine will hopefully be here soon .I will talk to you later have a lovely lovely day

 

[TracyW]

Hi Mick, Glad to see you on the other side. I am glad you have a good PT whose approaching gently. Stay iced and if you don't want to wear that brace, don't. Let your body dictate your schedule; keep your knee up, stay on your meds and rest as much as you can. Keep up the good work!

 

[Josephine]

I know he is going to be very negative about my range of motion it feels funny letting a Dr scare you that way

Mick, please do remember that you are not even two weeks out yet which is far too early to be setting such expectations yet. Gosh, most people can't get any ROM at that stage! Things are just far too swollen.

And did you not see my previous post? What did that surgeon actually say had been achieved in the MUA?

 

[pippi]

Mick,
Here we go as we move toward working our recovery. You mentioned feeling frustrated and I can certainly relate to that. In answer to your question , I will have my staples removed at my appointment on Thursday. Are yours out now?? I can relate to your concern about what will the os think of the current ROM??
Then in my more reflective lucid moments I wonder:
1) Are we just concerned over our lack of control and our questions of uncertainty at the outcome of our surgery?
2) if we lined up 10 post op knees they each would have a different story to tell about the journey but in general the long term result would be approximately the same. ( I am reminded of young mothers worried about their child not walking or talking at a year..in checking back with the 10 mothers we would probably find within 6 months 9 out of 10 were walking and talking). Now back to the 10 post op knees, we are each assigned to one of them. As in the Rolling Stones song, we "need to love the one were are with" (the knee we have been assigned .
3) I don't begin to know the answers. What I do know is that this surgery lives up to the advanced advertising of being a painful process. I am ever hopeful that this painful catipillar of a knee turns into a beautiful butterfly!
I do hope you are doing well and that on the difficult days you find the necessary internal strength to get through to the next best day.
I wish I could be more helpful about the adhesions and bracing issue you are facing but that takes more information outside of my pay grade
Take care and may we have the strength to focus only in the things we can control and hopefully find the patience and grace to accept the rest (and get some much needed rest ).
Pippi

 

[pippi]

Mick820
Thinking of you and hoping you are moving along. Did you have your staples out yet? I had mine out today.
Take care.
Pippi

 

[mick820]

Three weeks on Tuesday ,back to I'm not so wonderful physical therapis

 

[mick820]

Sorry about that press send button too soon. As I was saying ... back to and not so good physical therapist who is more concerned about flexion than the OS is at this point. I have told her not to push it and she does back off with it but I just think the poor woman is so used to doing it that way she doesn't know what else to do.

While doing my exercises she constantly has a protractor (I think that's what it's called) held on my leg lol . I feel a bit bad for her since I am not trying to get a flexion out oft he knee and I'm just bending passively and she really wants me to get that bend.

Spending a lot of time learning the basics of walking again. Since I compensated for so long I'm finding that a bit of a challenge especially since my coordination skills have never been up there with the best of them. My strength in that leg through the quadriceps is coming back nicely I feel but the rest of me physically just feels lousy, tired. I know it is normal but it is making me a bit frustrated.

I used my cryo-cuff religiously in the hospital. I had it on constantly but then have read articles about anything past 20 minutes is not a good thing. If anyone has any feelings on that that would be helpful. I know there are thoughts on both sides of the fence but any advice would be appreciated.

After swelling is down when does heat come in handy for bending? It would just make sense that if you were warming up your muscles tendons and ligaments that they would want to stretch a little better for you. Any thoughts anyone?

 

[Phil75070]

@mick820 I will be two weeks out from surgery tomorrow and the calf pain and tightness, some tightness behind the knee and what feels like somewhat of a groin strain are what are eating me up. The calf pain and tightness being by far the worst. I kept making the same mistake you did and mentioning extension, adding 100 to it, 115 instead of 15, etc.

When I left the rehab center my extension was 13 though we had gotten it 09 the previous day with a great deal of pain and my best numbers for extension in rehab came when laying on my stomach. Laying on my back my best was 10. (I almost did it again with those numbers, having to go back and correct from 113, 109 and 110 - for some reason the 100 numbers are stuck in my empty head.)

My flexion was viewed as exceptionally good from the start ranging from 95 to almost 115 though no consistently.

A couple of things that my OS told me might be factors for me are the fact that he had to remove the PCL as well as ACL during the procedure and I had significant deformation of the knee (Valgus deformity - knee bent out- right knee has a Varus deformation - it bows in instead of out)) That realignment of the knee with the prosthesis may be accounting for muscles to be used that had somewhat atrophied due the the condition getting as bad as it did.

I also know I had some rather large bone spurs. These may be some of the things your OS is referring to in regard to complexity of the procedure. Don't be afraid to ask him anything as the only "stupid" question is the one you don't ask.

 

[Josephine]

While doing my exercises she constantly has a protractor (I think that's what it's called) held on my leg lol

You're not wrong but the medical term is goniometer! And this is what I hate about some PTs. If they know their job properly they should be able to just eyeball it. Besides which, it's unnecessary to be so obsessed with numbers. She clearly doesn't know her job properly (just my opinion!)

I used my cryo-cuff religiously in the hospital. I had it on constantly but then have read articles about anything past 20 minutes is not a good thing.

There are some out there and even doctors, nurses and PTs who spout that myth but it's untrue. I and many others on here, ice constantly as ice is nature's natural pain killer. But you must be sure to have protection between your skin and the ice pack, a kitchen towel will do nicely. However, as the ice loses it's 'heat' you can remove this. Just be sure you don't get freezer burn! I couldn't have coped without icing for 1-1½hrs about 5-6 times a day! I even slept with it on.

After swelling is down when does heat come in handy for bending?

It can do but is should be just gently warm and used for a few minutes before you start t exercise. And certainly not before the swelling has departed!

 

[mick820]

I have valgus knee as well . My is did say he put a thicker piece if cushioning in because of all the deteriation he said that if pain continues very bad in the future he could change it to thinner, which would probably make the extensions easier. Amazing yours was so good I do guess it has to do with the removal of the Pcl very impressive. I do not get the stiffness through my cal unless extending and when I wear the "torture device" the straighting brace that does not stay on long maybe 10 minutes before I can't stand it anymore.Pt came yesterday and had me watch my quads , because when I would lie down and try and contract them they are so atrophied I feel as though there was nothing to contract, so watching them was helpful I felt like I could push the back of knee into the bed better. Gee I do feel frustrated with no more rom now than when I first came outof the hospital actually less some days. How is your pain in general?


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®

 

[mick820]

@Josephine Thanks for clarifying that about the ice glad to hear it since I am in it almost constantly. Is there a chance a little piece of staple could have been left in my incision? On the top one about 1 wk after removal yesterday started looking red almost pimple like, I ran finger over it and feels like a wee piece of metal . I will put bacitracin and see if it gets bigger hopefully no infection so I don't want to wait too long to call Os.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®

 

[mick820]

@Josephine I saw that you had asked about MUA s I did not have one and hopefully will not. It has not been brought up yet.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®

 

[icep707]

A good flexion exercise for me was and still is bending my knee on a stair or two. Ill stand on the bottom stair, lift my foot on a step , and ever so gently bend forward and backwards. It works great for me. I see you are about 3 weeks out , so be very gentle. My first several weeks all I did was elevate and ice. Hours and hours at a time. Of course be careful for freezer burn !!! A papertowel worked for me as a barrier. Also be sure to take meds on time , everytime !! I noticed you mentioned adhesions several times. Did you have them before ? If so , what happened to them ? Also whats is the reason your OS wants your knee immobilized ?? Well take care and best wishes .