MUA Aussie Icy Pole (popsicle)

[Reebok]

120 is a great result.
I am happy with my ROM, and I dont think it is as good as yours.

Hang in ther!


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[dovemck]

Owie - ODIC - over did it club. Apparently I'm NOT ready to use a flipper in the hydrotherapy pool. I've managed to swell up my quads again and every other attachment to the joint. I've spent three days drugged up again (after going 4 days with nothing but panamax/tylenol), lots of ice and elevation. That's okay, me and my TV remote are getting reacquainted. I expect I'll be back on my feet in a few days.

I see the surgeon again Friday and have to get x-rays so I guess we're going to be sure the implants are, uhm, implanted

 

[tiredwife]

@dovemck Hi there, got to watch that overdoing! It can really set you back. Hope you are better now. Just remember - no flippers yet!

 

[dovemck]

Spent a couple of weeks not using flippers and not doing squats which really aggravate the pain on the medial lower knee - then tried the experiment again using the flippers GENTLY in hydro and I'm in agony again. (Oh Targin, I lurve you!!)

It appears from years of being valgus - the gracilis is weak and it looks like the insertion point into the tibia (the pez anserine) is where the flipper exercises tugs on, possibly inflaming the bursae there. This can happen with overuse of the hamstrings - which was determined I haven't really made much use of in decades - and we're trying to strengthen now. This theory fits together perfectly, doesn't it?

The remedy? Slow down the irritating activity (squats, flippers, climbing stairs) and rest, ice and elevate.

broken link removed: https://dxfoundation.org/weak-gracilis-muscle-leads-to/
https://www.methodistorthopedics.com/pes-anserine-bursitis-of-the-knee

NO MORE FLIPPERS!

 

[dovemck]

Just wondering - I check in with the pre-op forum and try to answer questions for those seeking some guidance. A lot of people want to know about a particular prosthesis - if it's any good or how it compares. So what if they didn't like the type of prosthesis? Would they toss out the surgeon and get another one for the hardware they want to have? Isn't that a bit like tossing out the baby with the bathwater? I see the question so often I just had to wonder....

 

[tiredwife]

@dovemck NO MORE FLIPPERS! Good plan!
I don't know why people ask so much about the type of joint replacement that is used unless there are recalls and bad reviews I wouldn't worry about it. A good surgeon is so much more important. We are lucky that hubby had a great surgeon. We didn't ask what kind of joint he used until after knee one because everyone asks. I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't all made at the same factory.

 

[Celle]

Just wondering - I check in with the pre-op forum and try to answer questions for those seeking some guidance. A lot of people want to know about a particular prosthesis - if it's any good or how it compares. So what if they didn't like the type of prosthesis? Would they toss out the surgeon and get another one for the hardware they want to have?

You'll notice the answer that BoneSmart staff always give - it is the surgeon's skill which is the most important factor in success, not the type of implant.

 

[Minnie's knees]

@dovemck Thank you for sharing your journey through the mua. I had an mua 10 days ago (9weeks post suTKR) and was beginning to question if it was worth it. I have RA which caused complications and adhesions with same symptoms you described.l I gained 15° with mua and then lost 10°. I was under the mistaken impression that the mua would increase my ROM right away but it didn't. I also have very weak quads from waiting too long for my TKR. After reading your posts I have hope that with time my 90° may improve over the next several weeks as the swelling goes down.

I hope your recovery continues to progress as well as it has been.

 

[dovemck]

Hi @Minnie's knees - I went from 65 to 135 in hospital and then down to 105 but steadily increased to my current 125. My goal is 135. I might well have gone from 65 to 125 eventually but the MUA got me up and able to rehab my muscles which were wasting away from disuse ( I had massive issues before TKR - like you, from waiting too long for the TKR. Maybe that's why I was unwilling to wait anymore - waiting hadn't worked in my favour before!

Take heart - it's expected to take a step back before moving forward after an MUA. Here's hoping you get that extra 15 back soon.

 

[dovemck]

I've not been around the forum much with the hols and the worst case of gastro I could ever imagine. Definitely in the TMI category, I'll move on.

New physio project is the VMO - Vastus Medialis Oblique -basically the bottom of the quads on the medial (inner) side. Mine 'fires' late and it's the bit that will get me the terminal range of motion to straighten my leg.

I'm doing three exercises at the moment, first is to sit in a chair with ~90 degree bend foot flat on the floor with weight on the heel. As I push down I have to concentrate on the VMO activating before the lateral stabilizing muscles kick in. Next I do a one legged partial squat which isolates it nicely and finally a parial forward lunge with hands on hip bending at the waist - with the bend it really works the VMO. We've now discovered weak glutes on this leg. On a -5 to 5 scale I have 4 on my good right leg and -4 on the new left knee side.

It's amazing to realize how the body does its best to compensate for an injury. I SO should have had the TKR done when I was 30, not 50 but it just wasn't something surgeons would contemplate for me back in '80's-'90's. So glad medical science has moved forward so others don't wind up suffering this (in my opinion) worse damage from waiting.

 

[Clipless]

I so identify, @dovemck . I also should have had my TKR years sooner. Except I didn't know I needed it- I was too stubborn to see a doctor! I kept apologizing for my slowness with, "Sorry, I have a bad knee". One day, during a group bike ride, after I'd caught up to a dozen friends all standing around waiting for ME, one finally asked, "When are you seeing a doctor about that knee??". That did it, lol.

Now I have 38 YEARS (!!) worth of imbalanced, atrophied, and contracted muscles and such to contend with. Fun.

I'm going to try some of your new flexion and VMO exercises now that I'm on my own (no more PT- she was hurting me sometimes anyway). I don't progress with bend when my knee is irritated, and inflammation shuts down my quad activation. There's a delicate balance between *just right* exercises, and too much.

 

[dovemck]

Hey @Clipless I think you and I are in an exclusive little club - one that people don't want to be in! That's alright, I appreciate any company at all. Some of the moderators have a bit of experience with this and of course the great library here - but you and I are blazing new trails. I think when @lovemydog has her surgery she'll be here with us.

Anyway there are YouTube videos for VMO exercises, take a look and see what works for you. I can't do most of them at this point - but I will!! BTW the 'clues' for us were a difficult time moving my new leg out to step down on stairs. I can get 0 to -5 when laying down, but I can't fully straighten when sitting in a chair and putting my leg out in front of me and finally getting off a down escalator and on an up escalator is tricky because I can't extend the leg.

Hope that helps and please, lets keep in touch for an exercise exchange.