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MUA Festina lente -Hastening slowly

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Have you stopped all the exercises and concentrated on elevating/icing your knee? If so, have you been doing this for days or a week yet? It can take a few weeks to calm down an abused knee.
 
Did he say what it was in the OR when he checked it after the surgery? That's the result you can expect. I really hate for you to go through a MUA if you don't really need to. You have months before you have to make that decision.
 
Karri I just don't know what to do. I'm being told 2 completely contrary things! Exercise or don't exercise. All I can think is that the Dr has actually seen my knee and felt the tissues and tensions in it. Do I do what he says or what a very helpful group of people around the world recommends without knowing me or my medical notes. I truly appreciate your support and input and was all set to do it the Bonesmart way but have been completely thrown by yesterday's appt. I'm confused and miserable
 
I have learned that doctors are not gods, are not perfect and don't always have the answers. You have been doing these exercises for a month and half with an outcome you are not pleased with. To me, it just doesn't make sense to continue doing something that doesn't give you the results you want. As I said earlier in your thread I didn't bend my knee for a month, but it did bend when I finally bent it. By stopping the exercises, going about daily living without overdoing you will still be bending your knee, but you will spend a great deal of time icing/elevating to let your knee heal without putting it through the stress of your exercises.

You do realize that your leg as been virtually cut in half and then put back together with hammers and screws? What happens to a broken leg? It certainly isn't put through torturous exercises, it's given time to heal.
 
I know what you're saying but my knee isn't healing in the way it should. If only it was!
 
I don't know how else to say this, so here goes...it's not healing because you are doing too much with it. Too much activity, too much exercising. As long as you continue on the same path it will not heal properly.
 
Spex10-

I had my surgery three days before you did and my ROM is around 90. I stopped PT a couple weeks ago because it was just causing more pain and swelling. My recovery has also been VERY slow but I decided a couple weeks ago that that was OK. My knee looks pretty much as swollen today as it did a month ago. I don't know how long it will stay swollen like this but I do know it won't bend as long as it's this swollen. Maybe you're in the same boat.

As for the MUA - I also feared my doctor would recommend one because my knee is so stiff but at my 5.5 week appointment he said no way. He told me he likes to see 90 degrees at 6 weeks but even if it was less than that he wouldn't recommend an MUA so soon.

After fretting over my recovery for the first month because of how stiff my knee is and how limited my ROM is, I finally decided to just stop worrying about it and get on with my life. I can walk around OK and for now that's good enough for me. I hope to be back on my mountain bike by March but if not, that's OK too. Some day my ROM will improve and when it does, I'll celebrate that. For now, I'm ignoring my knee. I've done all I can. It's up to my body to heal now and I'll wait as long as it takes.

Good luck to you and hang in there!
-Brian
 
Thanks all. My problem seems to be too rapid overhealing. I would dream of ROM of 90. I say I've been doing physio exercises but its more like trying to do them but not being able to budge my knee when bending. Lovely straightening, straight leg raises no problem but a leg like a poker!
 
I am so sorry your are having all this confusion. I'm will KarriB. It's not working with what you are doing now. Why not trying doing nothing for 6 weeks and letting the inside of your knee heal. What can you lose? Certainly not ROM. Your swelling will go down. Even if you don't see a lot of outside swelling, it still is inside and that's why it won't bend enough for your liking. Please trust me. I've had 11 knee surgeries and I know what I'm talking about. Check out this link about what was done inside your knee: https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/closing-surgical-wounds-how-is-it-done.4286/#post-90691.
This is all the stuff that your knee is still trying to heal right now. You are not healed by any means yet. It takes at least year. I'm six months and still have bad days with less ROM and more pain. It all depends on how much I've been doing the day before and how much I have used my knee. It's common sense. If you over use it, it's going to swell, rebel and hurt. No one on here will steer you wrong. We all care very much. You can give yourself the time to do the test of no PT or exercising. You can always postpone your OS appointment next time if you aren't happy. There's no rush! The more time that goes by, the more time your poor, infant knee has time to heal.
 
Hi Spex 10, I had my right knee TKR on Oct 11, 2016 and I'm also experiencing issues with my ROM. I understand what your experiencing it's very frustrating and a real bummer. My extension is 10 and my flexion 90 (assisted). My knee is so tight my poor PT physically can't get it straight no matter what method he uses, and it doesn't hurt me when he does it's just that my knee is so tight it's not straightening, but the bend is slowly getting better. I elevate and ice daily, I barely do any home excercises other than daily life and some flat ground small walks. When you mentioned arthrofibrosis I looked it up, interesting reads. It's something I will ask my Dr. about at my next appt - 12 week check up. I hope your ROM works out for you either with a MUA or with out because that's the goal, right?
 
Spex10 said:
My problem seems to be too rapid overhealing.
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I don't think that can be true. I think that your problem is that overexercising has made all your soft tissues angry and inflamed and that is why your leg is so stiff.
Spex10 said:
I'm being told 2 completely contrary things! Exercise or don't exercise. All I can think is that the Dr has actually seen my knee and felt the tissues and tensions in it. Do I do what he says or what a very helpful group of people around the world recommends without knowing me or my medical notes.
Click to expand...
I understand how confusing this can be.
All I can say is this: you have been doing it your surgeon and PTs' way and it hasn't worked. Here on BoneSmart, we've advised many people to cut back their over-exercising and, after a period of rest, they have found that their legs improve.

Have you heard this definition of insanity? It's keeping on doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Why not try the BoneSmart way for a month? At the end of a month, if nothing at all is different, go back to the exercise.
 
I've been prescribed Naproxen. I have to take Omeprazole first. Reading the info in the packets they look pretty heavy duty. I'm worried about the potential side effects. Any experiences of using these tablets anyone?
 
Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory. I took it for years without problems. Taking the stomach protection is a good idea! If you find you have a problem with the Naproxen, there are tons of other ones out there. Is yours a prescription? When I was taking it, it was available on by prescription. Now, I'm taking diclofenac, which is helpful.
 
Hi, thanks. It is a prescription only format. Your post is very reassuring. I'll await results with interest!
 
It might take a few days or a week, but I believe you will feel an improvement.
 
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I tried rehabbing after a TKR two extremely different ways. The first time I did every exercise I was given. If they said do it twice I did it four. I was determined that I could get my knee back in shape but pushing through pain. My PT and OS were both telling me that's what I had to do. What I got from that was extreme pain. Poor range of motion. And then I started to feel depressed because I thought I was a failure. Instead of getting better I got worse.

The second time I had found this forum. It seemed very counterintuitive to me that the best way to rehab my knee from a TKR is to NOT exercise. I don't mean just sitting around doing nothing but just walking where and when I need to. I spent a lot of my early days with my knee elevated and with ice on it except to use the bathroom or to grab something to drink. I still ice whenever my knee swells and some days over night. I also took my pain meds for as long as I HAD pain. Eventually I missed some doses because I slept through them.

I would strongly suggest that you give this a try. You have nothing to lose. You are not doing well with what you're doing currently. I'm sure if you do give it a week or two you will start to see some improvement . I hope you feel better soon.
 
I have been resting icing and elevating. My ROM has reduced even more. My knee isn't sore, feels perfectly strong enough, lies flat easily but now wont bend more than 45degrees without pressure. That really can't be right at 6 and a half weeks post op.
 
I now have a sense of pulling down both sides of my shin if I try to bend. This is new. Is it scar tissue? I just don't know the anatomy and physiology of the knee or what exactly is causing this new sensation
 
Sorry you are having a tough time Spex10. I have a lot of different aches, pains and sensations also but at 6 weeks post op I put them down to healing, nerve growth or me overdoing things - maybe write any concerns you have down and ask your Dr at your next visit but I'm sure someone on BS has some suggestions.

Cait
LTKR
27th October 2016

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
Spex10. I had my second surgery on September 26, the first on August 15. I am just now feeling as though I can do some of the things I want to do. My knees still get sore if I'm on my feet too much. My OS told me I am doing great. I feel that I am.

This surgery will not normally make your knees feel normal in 5 or 6 weeks. More like 6 or 12 months. At about 3 and 4-1/2 months I sometimes forget about my knees, but usually I am aware of the stiffness and soreness to some degree.

Please be patient and realize that 6 weeks is not long enough. Muscles all over your legs from toes to hip will hurt or be sore from time to time. A new hurt can pop up at any time. Stiffness and/or pain can be different from day to day. This is still the case for me, but I can go about my life, and the discomfort I have now is so much better than the pain I had before the surgeries.
 
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