Guest viewing is limited

MUA [BILATERAL TKRS] The Fun Begins

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi 2H2K ... Just checking to see how you are doing. I am so sorry your ROM appears to be decreasing. It is very frustrating - believe me, I know. You have received some great advice on here for your "cold" cryo-cuff and icing and exercises (or too many exercises). I often read of what others are doing in the way of exercise and think back on how little I did in comparison - never pushing my knee to do anything it did not want to do (and it did not want to do much at all) and I wonder if I did the right thing, especially as it has not helped achieve much improvement. I did however, ice the knee for ages and ages each time. Usually about an hour before everything had to go back in the freezer and as soon as they were re-frozen - back on they went.

It would be great to hear how your cream is doing. I wonder how it will help, but perhaps its main purpose is to help either numb or to lessen the pain so that you can massage the knee more or exercise enough to break up the scar tissue. I don't see how it could hurt though.

I would be interested to know if the cryo-cuff was causing you such discomfort because there was not enough between it and your skin. Let us know. I did not have a cryo-cuff, but when I have the other knee done (I can't believe I said that), I intend to get one.

I don't like the sensation of material over my knee either, but don't have a reaction as you have, you poor thing. I have never tried the plastic wrap suggestion, but it does appear to have worked well for others.

What is a VMO muscle? I am horribly ignorant still about the workings of the knee and leg muscles. I really should have learned more.

I am so sorry to hear that groin pain is still a problem. I hope it is "only" that you have pulled something and some adjustments help ease it somewhat for you. I hope that pain is resolved quickly (although it has happened for a while now), but quickly from now on.

Take Care 2H2K, and I will be sending good wishes that your visit to the surgeon goes well and you have your questions answered.

Hugs ... Ellen
 
@Josephine, @DogLoverx3, @NuNe4Me, and @NetballKnees, Thank you for the icing advice. Yes, I do place the Cryo-cuff directly on my knee. It is designed to be able to place directly on the knee and is wrapped around the knee dor compression to further reduce swelling. My nurse also told me to apply it directly. However, since my knees seem to be super sensitive, I think I should follow your advice in adding a layer between my knee and the cuff.

@DogLoverx3 The plastic wrap tip sounds interesting! I may give it a try the next time I wear anything but my "safe" soft gray warmups I wear when I go to the doctor... though with my luck I'll have a reaction to the plastic wrap! I may need to be careful using it with the topical compound I am using on my knees too.

Ellen, I know what you mean about wondering if things might have been different if we had had more aggressive therapy. Here the Bonesmart approach to avoiding pain (which makes sense since swelling inhibits ROM) is almost unheard of. I had no choice in the matter though because other factors mandated a no pain approach. But in rehab I watched other knee patients who were having aggressive therapy sailing past me in every way. It's just really frustrating. .. and I know you are terribly frustrated too. But it is also encouraging to read the stories on Bonesmart of people who did gain significantly more ROM futher out from surgery and in many months to follow.

VMO stands for vastus medialis oblique and is part of the quadriceps muscle at the front of the thigh. It is just above and to the inside of the knee cap. I have had issues with the muscle in the past and actually avoided knee replacement 20 years ago primarily by building up that little muscle which gave me knee stability (I had severe dislocations). At that time I even used an electronic stimulation device to wake up the muscle. It was very effective.

I do think the main purpose of the topical compound I am using is to deaden nerves and lesson pain during massage and therapy. I certainly haven't had any negative effects yet, and I am finding it easier to do certain things, like massage and using the restorator. I think it is too soon to say if it will help me achieve better ROM... fingers crossed!

Thanks for the well wishes!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 
2hips2knees said:
Yes, I do place the Cryo-cuff directly on my knee. It is designed to be able to place directly on the knee and is wrapped around the knee for compression to further reduce swelling. My nurse also told me to apply it directly
Click to expand...
Well, she is wrong! You should never apply an ice wrap of any kind without a protective cloth between it and your skin. You can get freezer burn that way. Once the 'heat' of the ice has abated, the cloth can be removed but that usually takes a minimum of 30mins. I have a Cryo-cuff and the directions in the leaflet explicitly state to use a protective cloth - at least the leaflet with mine did! And the compressiveness isn't effected by that in the least. Actually, I always thought the 'compression' was always overplayed.
 
I saw my surgeon today, and thinks I will likely need the MUA, but he wants to give me a few more weeks for improvement (tomorrow will be 10 weeks). He was upset that the therapists haven't used ultrasound (which he had ordered). Above my knee is a very tight/ hard area that he thinks would respond well to ultrasound and massage. He also wants them to use kinesio tape on me again, both for stability and swelling. He wants them to really work on massage too. He is also still hoping I will benefit from the topical compound.

He also wants me to take 2 Motrin or Aleve twice a day. But he is not reducing my hydrocodone! :)

@Josephine, @Jamie, or @RimRoc, have you heard of ultrasound helping in recovery? One of my therapists said he was afraid if cement was used in the prosthesis, it could get too hot while using the ultrasound and cause damage. But surely my surgeon wouldn't order it if that were the case?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited by a moderator:
2hips2knees said:
One of my therapists said he was afraid if cement was used in the prosthesis, it could get too hot while using the ultrasound and cause damage. But surely my surgeon wouldn't order it if that were the case?
Click to expand...
Well, exactly! I can promise you it would take more than a little US to loosen cement. I know - I've had to try and get it off implants numerous times in the past!
 
Also it sounds like they'd be using it on the spot above the knee not on the knee itself.
 
Well the therapists still say no to the ultrasound. They say 1) using the topical compound while using the ultrasound could be dangerous ans 2) time is an issue. I have one hour and by the time the therapist applies the kinesio tape to both knees and then does the quadriceps massage, if he then has to do the ultrasound, I will have very little time left for any other therapy. He did agree with the addition of the quad massage though. It sure hurt while he was doing it, but my knees felt much better immediately afterwards. It even seemed my left knee bent a little easier.
 
I'm headed to Dallas tomorrow morning to see my surgeon again (if the roads are safe enough)-- this time to set up the bilatrtal manipulation under anesthesia for next week. I am at 3 months from nt BTKR now and have been stuck at 75 ROM for the past month. I just haven't been able to improve, and my knees feel rotten; so it looks like it's time for something else. Ugh.
 
Sorry that you have to do an MUA, but if you feel like you are "stuck" it may be the best thing. Drive safely and let us know how things go.
 
The surgeon's office, as well as the internist's, called to notify me that their offices would be closed today because of the icy road conditions in Dallas. I was very glad to get the call. We were already running into bad roads, and I was getting quite nervous. We skidded nicely trying to turn around to head back home. We'll try again Wednesday.
 
The bilateral MUA is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Because of my previous surgeries and tendon issues, the surgeon is concerned that he could snap a tendon... so he won't try to get more than 100 or 110 ROM. If insurance allows, I will go directly to rehab.
 
@2hips2knees Good luck with your MUA's. I had mine done about a week and a half ago and am SO glad I did. Just make sure they have your pain management in place for when you wake up, that was the worst part for me and the worst pain I have ever had. After that, my pain was muscle soreness especially in my left thigh - hurt to the touch for a few days. I bought some Absorbine Jr. and used that several times and it did seem to help. You'll be amazed by how much freer you move, too.
 
@Bluetechseeker, I have been reading your thread and following the results of your MUA, and you have been very helpful to me. In fact, because of your terrible experience waking up in terrible pain, I emphasized to my surgeon that I needed to have adequate pain control as soon as I woke up from the procedure. He assured me that would not be a problem. I hope that's true. He said the pain should be much less than what I experienced with my knee replacement. The funny thing is that when he said that, I couldn't remember what it felt like to wake up from the replacements! It was weird. How could I not remember that? I know my memory has gotten worse with each surgery, but you would think I would certainly remember something like that!:)

Thank you for the advice on the topical cream. I have some Biofreeze that I may use if I still have thigh pain when I return from rehab. Hopefully they will have something there for me to use.

Question: How hard is it to get in and out of the CPM ... for bathroom breaks especially? I remember after the BTKR, when we tried the CPM machines, it was a huge ordeal for the nurses to set up the machines each time. Maybe it is easier following the MUA?
 
Best of luck as your joint replacement(s) journey continues. Bilateral for both hips and knees is quite the challenge!!!! Very brave if I may say!!!

Hang in there!!

Best to you
 
@Josephine or @Jamie, have you ever heard of a tendon rupturing during an MUA? That is my surgeon's greatest concern based on my surgical history. Also, is there any exercise I can do to help prevent that from happening? I suppose there isn't much I can do since the procedure is on Tuesday anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corganics CBD
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

  • djklaugh
    djklaugh
    Staff member since December 30, 2020

Members online

Total: 1,807 (members: 3, guests: 1,804)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom