MUA Coming up for 12 months and still not so great. Anybody else?

[ShadowMouse]

Hi

I am 22 wks post op anf your description describes my knee now.
I am stull off wprk which is frustrating but I am a Security Officer at a Port and have quite a physical job for legs. Its busy so I woyld feel like a dead weight.
My knee hasn't changed much since about 12 weeks. Physio had me on a bike thing and made it swell up. Does your knee feel like it has a plate bolted tp it thats numb?
Anyway I hope this has maybe given you a bit of peace of mind. Me I jyst want to get on my mbike and ride.

 

[MarkR]

I hope your recovery picks up ShadowMouse.
I know it is different for everyone but it’s hard not to feel
that you missed something or didn’t put enough effort in.
Despite my MUA my rom is back to 115 deg.
I am seeing a new PT who is really capable and very encouraging.
He feels sure I will get there eventually.
I have an appointment with my surgeon in a couple of days. I know the first thing he will ask is how far I can bend my leg. I’m sure he won’t be happy!

 

[Jockette]

Despite my MUA my rom is back to 115 deg.

MUA is not a magic or guarantee of getting a better ROM number. You will get and maintain an increase more quickly if you had true adhesions which was addressed with the MUA.

If you didn’t have any actual adhesions, it means your “low” ROM is cause by swelling, and the need for more healing. 115 is a fine ROM number at this point, with the pain and swelling you have had. Some of us heal slower than others.

I know it is different for everyone but it’s hard not to feel
that you missed something or didn’t put enough effort in.

The biggest effort in this recovery is the patience to allow our knee the privilege of sorting itself out to heal.

I have an appointment with my surgeon in a couple of days. I know the first thing he will ask is how far I can bend my leg. I’m sure he won’t be happy!

I’m sorry that he might not be happy, but he also needs to have the patience to allow your knee the privilege of sorting itself out to heal. We are individuals and do not all heal in a cookie cutter way.

 

[MarkR]

Thanks for that Jockette.
caught up with my surgeon this morning and he was actually pretty happy with 115 deg ROM despite my having more during my MUA.
You are right, I really should stop agonising over my ROM numbers and
just wait for my knee to heal.
Its hard not to go down that rabbit hole when you are being pushed
along by your surgeon and PT!

 

[sistersinhim]

Its hard not to go down that rabbit hole when you are being pushed
along by your surgeon and PT!

That's one of the main reasons I never took formal PT and saw my OS only twice. It was a much more relaxed recovery.

 

[Jockette]

Its hard not to go down that rabbit hole when you are being pushed
along by your surgeon and PT!

It’s really a shame that most of us have medical teams that cause us so much stress about this recovery. Stress that we don’t need!

 

[InkedMarie]

I’m in a FB group and read of a physical therapist threatening this at the three week post op mark. I responded, asking how it’s up to the PT, it’s a decision the patient makes on the advice of their surgeon.

Three weeks! I can’t even imagine that.

Marie

 

[Gorhop]

Your PT should not be threatening anything…. Sorry you are having to deal with this. Three weeks is so early.

 

[FourCats]

@MarkR would like to hear an update from MUA.

 

[MarkR]

Hi there, going OK.
I’m five months in now. Pain is much reduced and everyday tasks like walking and climbing up and down stairs are much easier.
My ROM is 120 deg but it takes a lot of coaxing to get it there.
The only activity that is really painful is bending my leg.
Looking forward to it bending without all the pain and effort In the near future!
Going to physio every second week and trying to get my swimming back up to pre surgery levels.
I’m not sure the the MUA helped that much. Certainly set my pain and swelling back about a month .

 

[Jockette]

My ROM is 120 deg but it takes a lot of coaxing to get it there.
The only activity that is really painful is bending my leg.

Stop trying to “coax” it to a certain number. You are not yet halfway through this year long recovery, and an MUA does cause more trauma to a knee/leg trying to recover from the original surgery. My ROM had a lot of improvement in my second year, as my whole leg continued to relax and heal.

Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[BBBB]

Hi everyone from sunny Western Australia,
I am 62 and ten weeks in from my TKR left knee surgery.
Early recovery was hell but at this point I am much more comfortable and active; walking the dog every morning with a crutch and swimming 500m twice a week (no kicking yet). Going for physio every second week.
My ROM was 100 deg four weeks ago at which point it has completely stalled and stubbornly refuses to improve despite lots of daily stretching.
I still have pain and swelling (4cm bigger in circumference than my good knee) which I wasn’t really expecting at 10 weeks.
When I bend my good knee the patella and surrounding skin all move around loose and easily but in comparison my operated knee is tight like a cricket ball. The skin covering it is so tight that it feels like it will burst when I try to bend it past 100 deg. Not sure what I can do to remedy this. Have been rubbing moisturiser into it in an attempt to make it more elastic?
Feeling pretty despondent about my progress. Looks like I will be a good candidate for an MUA.
Would very much welcome any feedback and encouragement as my family are thoroughly sick of me endlessly discussing my knee problems.

Best Regards,
Mark

Hi mate! I may be late and do not know whats the latest with your condition. I am 10 weeks post op, but I have ACL reconstruction on my left knee. So the flexion, MUA issue is the same or similar. My surgeon is also very pushy type. He kinda scared me by threatening MUA. I had 35degree flexion at 2 weeks. At 6 weeks, it was 90. At 10 weeks its 110. He wanted me to be at 120 at 12 weeks or he wants MUA. Due to the trauma and pain of the first surgery, MUA is the must avoid situation for me. I personally think flexion will keep increasing for a long time, as long as you keep doing some work, or activity etc. I had another surgery for my other knee but at 20 and I recoverd and gain full flexion of 150 or whatever, so the notion that at 8 weeks or 10 or whatever weeks flexion stop is non-sense.
Keep working on your knee. I understand the frustration of swelling. Ice it a lot. And my family is also fed up but they have to deal with you lol. Thats what family is for. Good luck. You got this mate.
BTW I lived in Australia for a short time and loved it.

EDITED: just read the rest of forum. I also have researched a lot about MUA and automatic increase in ROM after MUA is not always guaranteed. But glad you are doing well now. My OS scares me too with giving me deadlines with numbers and it creates anxiety and feeling that I am the one who did not work hard to improve.

 

[sistersinhim]

My OS scares me too with giving me deadlines with numbers and it creates anxiety and feeling that I am the one who did not work hard to improve.

I hate to read that some surgeons do this scare tactic. Everybody's knee is unique to them as is the rest of the body. Every surgery is different so every recovery will be different. We are not cookie-cutter patients and should not be treated as such. Don't let your doctor bring you down. This recovery is something that no one has to work at. That ROM will come back in naturally without doing any extra aggressive exercises. Using your knee as it was created to be used is all you need to do to recover naturally. That means less pain and swelling. With less swelling, the ROM numbers come in all on their own!

 

[MarkR]

Hi, just coming up to the year anniversary of my TKR and was hoping to be in a better place at this stage really . I am pretty active and walk / swim everyday but:
Still painful to bend past 90 deg although I can reach 125 with some coaxing (I am no longer taking pain killers). Very difficult to kneel or crouch down. Very stiff when I get up in the morning.
No long attending Physio after eight months. Was getting too expensive and just repeating the same exercises.
will be catching up with my surgeon shortly.
Anybody else in a similar situation? Or am I lagging well behind?
Thanks,
Mark

 

[Jaycey]

@MarkR You may be coming up to one year out from TKR. But unfortunately you had to start all over again after your MUA. Activities like kneeling or crouching will come. But you need to get control of the swelling that is limiting your activity. Ice, elevation and very gentle stretches are key.

You will notice that I merged your newest post with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

Please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we will get it changed for you.

If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Jcx]

@MarkR. It's one year and two months since my LTKR. Your certainly not lagging behind me. Not in pain but I am not as mobile and active I thought I would be at this stage. My knee is very tight and stiff in the morning. Have an appointment with my surgeon at the end of the month and hope he comes up with some answers. It's been a long journey both mentally and physically. I try to be positive most days and look forward to the day when I wake up my knee is not the first thing I think about. Take care Jcx.

 

[JusticeRider]

Hi @MarkR I’m close to 6 months now and I can imagine how frustrated you might feel at 12 months with your ROM coming so slowly. Mine has been extremely slow, partly due to a lot of swelling the first few months (and still occasionally). I’m still feeling quite hopeful though, because I have learned on BoneSmart that your ROM can keep improving even through your second year. Mine continues to creep up by millimeters and I believe it will keep going. Take heart, you may still have another year’s worth of improvement ahead of you. I just want to encourage you not to give up! Celebrate even incremental gains. Some of us just take a lot longer than the average but we will get there.

 

[sistersinhim]

Your MUA was in May and that is when you count your recovery from now, not the date of your replacement. Having a MUA is very traumatic for a healing knee and sets your recovery back to that date because the knee has to start healing from the MUA.

I am pretty active and walk / swim everyday

This sounds really good for a knee that is only 8 months old. Some pain and stiffness are normal at this stage.

Very difficult to kneel or crouch down

This is very common. Most of us can't or won't even try to do this. My OS told me years ago to not get on my knees, that this can be harmful to them. I go out of my way not to do so!