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MUA Frustrated!!

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Hi Mary,
Thanks for thinking of me...made me smile. :thankyou:

Still plugging away at my gentle stretching at home. Not doing PT at the present time due to my limited amount of visits allowed by my insurance.

I'll add more updates shortly or as things progress. :dancy:
 
Chris Cruz, bless your heart, I hope this one does the trick for you. Now remember to take it easy, go gently. We'll be rooting for you.
 
Hi Everyone,

I had my second MUA on June 7 and that very evening I was able to get on my exercise bike and make a full rotation! I've NEVER been able to do a full rotation so this was quite the achievement for me! :yay:

I have been faithful about riding the exercise bike 15 minutes a day, 3x/day. My husband has been doing gentle stretching and I've attended PT 2x/week.

In PT, we are doing a "hands off approach". Meaning, I am mainly working with weights to build up the quad again, shuttle and bike. The only time my therapist does anything manual is when he is trying to straighten out my leg.

I'm very happy to report that I was able to get to 100 degrees today in therapy!! :egypdance:

Hoping this second MUA was the trick. I am working extra hard this time to keep it moving.

:bicycle1:
 
Chris Cruz said:
Hello everyone!



Well, PT didn't go so well. I had major anxiety going into it so I think my mind wasn't really into it today. He started me off on the shuttle (leg press) to warm up and then had me lie on my stomach. He started to bend my knee back and forth and then held it. I tolerated it for a bit but when he pushed forward, I let out a scream and started to cry. From that point on, I was crying with everything he did and shaking all over for the rest of our session. I was having a terrible pain on the right side of my knee (he tried to ice it) but that wasn't even working. I was so full of anxiety and self doubt, disappointment at that point that I had given up.



He said I really need to "try to push thru the pain" and he suggested getting a massage because I was also complaining about pain in my thigh/hip area. So, after I left him...I went and made an appointment tomorrow for a massage before therapy.



I'm so disappointed in myself and I seriously was thinking I just want to quit therapy. Sitting here with ice on my knee and bummed.



I'm trying to be positive but it's getting hard! I'm wondering if I need something to help with the anxiety? Everyone (including my family) keeps telling me I just "need to bend it". Geesh...if I could "just bend it"...I wouldn't need PT. I keep telling them "you have this surgery and see how easy you think it is to recover from"!



Again, I appreciate everyone responding to me and your advice is amazing (to which...I've already been trying things you all have suggested).
Click to expand...

Hi Chris,
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time.
Please listen to the advice everyone is giving you.

Your PT is totally wrong in his ideas and practice. What's more, he's a bully and you are letting him assault you.

Now listen: STOP GOING TO THIS PT. HE IS DOING HARM TO YOUR KNEE. If you don't feel strong enough to tell him to stop mistreating you (and it's so easy to feel weak and helpless after a big operation like a TKR), then JUST DON'T GO TO YOUR APPOINTMENT. What's he going to do? Come to your house and drag you to PT? Just go on strike!

Also, tell your family to stop with the wrong advice. They've obviously got the same wrong-headed ideas as your PT. Tell them it's your knee and you will heal it your way. You don't need to "push past the pain." That's utter rubbish.

Your knee will bend in its own good time and that will only happen when the swelling has gone down considerably. Too much activity (and PT) will increase the swelling, so take things very gently. Your knee is not lazy. It is wounded and it needs time to heal.

I had no PT at all until the fifth week post-op, apart from being shown some easy exercises and I now have excellent ROM and can do everything I want to do.

Remember, recovery from a knee replacement is not a sprint - it's a marathon - and there is no rush!

I hope things improve for you soon! :flwrysmile:

PS: I see that things are going better and that you have come to some sort of agreement with your PT, so my advice above was a little late. Thank goodness you got it sorted!
Now that you are making progress, remember not to overdo it. There's still no rush!
 
Chris so HAPPY for you! Woohoo up to 100 now ... WAY TO GO! Things are only going to get better! I hope you are still off work as you still need time. Take care!
 
SadKnee,

Yes, I'm off work for another 8 weeks (August is my return date). I think I'll need it.

I'm still pretty sore and from working on the bike and weights but I expected that! Looking forward to it getting better...I'm so hopeful this time.

:thankyou:
 
Hi Chris, how are things going? Making more improvement? Make sure you add in some swimming. I have found that helpful. Take care!
 
Hello Everyone!!

It's been a while but I've been hard at work the last 6 weeks. Unfortunately, I'm only bending to 90-100 degrees (with help) in PT and now I'm struggling with extension (with help, I'm at 8 degrees).

My biggest challenge seems to be extension. I'm unable to stand up straight because my knee is permanently in a "bent position". So...I shift all my weight to my "good leg" and it is killing my ankle!

I feel I've progressed in the bending department but not to where I need to be.

I saw my surgeon on Friday and he wants to do a 3rd MUA this coming Friday. Said that we need to do it within our 6 month window. I asked him what do we do if this MUA doesn't work and he stated "then you are left with what it is". :sorry:

I've been told by my PT and the surgeon mentioned that I have arthrofibrosis and when I asked for more details or what I can do about this..my surgeon doesn't seem to have any answers for me.

So...before everyone starts saying to find another surgeon or get a second opinion. I do have an appointment for a second opinion on Dec. 10. Yes...I know this is way far out but this guy is recommended due to his work with revisions. I have also asked to see one of his colleages and they are also booking out far.

I'm not feeling to anxious about the upcoming MUA due to the fact of I know what to expect. But how many MUA's can one person have??
 
Oh my...I am sorry to hear that you are having so many problems. This stinks!!! :sorry: Have you asked the new OS office to place you on a waiting list for people who have cancelled their appointments? If you haven't you should. Why should you have to wait until December to have this taken care of?
 
Hi Maria,

Yes...I am on their cancellation list. I'm still going to call every week though. :)
 
It's difficult to know what to suggest as it looks to me like your poor knee has been abused by PTs and by a rather unfriendly doctor right from the outset.

Chris Cruz said:
I have been faithful about riding the exercise bike 15 minutes a day, 3x/day
Click to expand...
With a swollen, stiff knee you don't need to do training, you need to do stretching. Sitting on the bike, turning the pedals with no resistance, for about 20secs is all you need. Do this lots of times a day. When you can turn the pedal easily, lower the saddle a tiny bit.

At no time should you put any force through the knee. No knee bends or anything like that.

Another good flexion regime is to use a rocking chair, just gently tip backwards and forward to the point of resistance in the knee.

There are a couple of other stretches outlined from my exercises thread, see my sig below. The skateboard one is good.

Your husband could help with an extension stretch

- You sit on the floor, TKR leg out straight.
- Rest the heel on a fairly thick book or similar, to get it may 2" off the ground (with 8 degrees of extension you may not need this)
- partner kneels at right angles to your leg, placing one hand about 6-9" below the knee, one about 6-9" above.
- gently pushes the leg towards the floor until you feel a good stretch through the back of the leg BUT NO FURTHER OR IT WILL HURT
- holds for about 20sec
- eases off, waits 30sec, repeats.
- repeat 3 or 4 times.
 
Hi Chris, my surgeon tried to get me to do a MUA because of so called "scar tissue" but I did not have scar tissue as I skipped the MUA and made slow and steady progress over many weeks (sometimes only 2 degrees) and went from 60 degrees to almost 100 degrees now. I think they just try and brush you off and say it is scar tissue as they don't know and they want to absolve themselves of any liability so they just try to do a MUA and see if it is a quick fix. I believe there are people that need MUAs but I do think surgeons are too quick to suggest one when all some people need is time.

You know what helped me advance the most it seemed after I got to 90? By doing nothing except stretches and laying down on a bed and moving my leg up and down and holding it and swimming. Even my PT was amazed as each time I took a break from PT (sometimes two weeks long and the longest a month) I never regressed. He did not care for this but it is 100% true.

I am not an expert, I am just another TKR'er in almost the same boat as you, and I WOULD NOT HAVE A THIRD MUA this soon. I have READ and RESEARCHED MUAs for hours and weeks and I think you need to rest your knee a while and see what your results are.

I think Roy gave you EXCELLENT ADVICE!

Of course you need to do what is best and there will be others with more knowledge than me but I would be damn sure that I got a second opinion FIRST before a third MUA. I also do not believe there is a 6 month window for them ... maybe for your doctor ... but not all.

Take care and keep us posted. I truly know how trying this is for you but sometimes you have to listen to your heart and brain before the surgeon.

:flwrysmile:
 
Hi Chris, I hope my post did not offend you. I might have come across too strong and that was not my intention but I was passionate. I really feel for you as we both are fighting for ROM and to walk. Sending you prayers that you find the right answer for your situation. Take care, keep fighting, and hang in there :)!!!!
 
Chris I have bounced around a lot with my flexion and found every time it got worse was when the OS started to threaten me with a MUA. I would push myself beyond what I even knew I should try to get him the degrees he wanted. It backfired every time. I regressed. In some ways I was lucky because my PT was a student (but I could tell every once in a while he definitely had been given his orders). But he never pushed me to pain and then one day 2 weeks ago he said-I want you to stop the pushing on the stairs exercise and try this over the weekend. Take two plastic bags, tie them together and put a can of something on either side--just one can of soup or something, just make sure you have the same thing on both sides. Rubberband it up higher, put a towel around your ankle, let your leg hang over the arm of your couch and put the bags over your ankle and leave it there 1 to 2 hours. I did it everyday 2 or 3 times. I went from 72 degrees when bending by myself to 88 degrees in 2 weeks and with pushing gently from the PT from 87 degrees to 105 degrees. Yesterday the OS called off the MUA and was shocked how I had gained ROM. Not from their hideous exercise plan and gadgets but from 2 plastic bags and 2 cans of soup (well I added 2 cans of tuna the 2nd week :) )

I always got tons of swelling from the exercises the OS wanted me to do. The hanging bag exercise--never had any swelling when it was done. Pain, yes but very manageable. I started using m bike but not for 15 minutes at a stretch and definitely not as a way to gain strength. I have the seat up so high I can hardly get on!

Also, after doing the flexion hanging bag exercise I would place rolled up towels at the end of the couch (eventually taped 2 together) and then would prop my leg up and let it hang 15 to 20 minutes to help with extension (then ice, ice, ice). Again, it was the gentle pull that got me close to 0. Not there yet but I am still working at it.

I finally had to just shut out what the OS was telling me and listen to everyone here and one other forum I belong to. I am 54 and it is hard for me to even think about defying what a doctor tells me to do. You just don't do that. Well, I finally did because his way was causing too much pain and vey little results. I think I even told someone in his office that if one more person tossed the mantra push through the pain my way I was going to scream and what the heck did they think I had been doing, sitting at home eating bon bons.

What I finally told myself was I know my body better than them. They do not go home from work everyday with my knee. I am a cynic by nature and wondered how much their decision was made by the insurance company and the fact that they are a university hospital (and therefore a teaching hospital--and I refused to be a test subject).

I wish you the best success Chris. This surgery really can suck so much joy out of you. One good thing I did for myself was get one of those covered swings you can put in your yard. Use it to help with flexion but also to sit there outside with my leg propped up and iced. Keeping you in my thoughts and am so sorry about your struggles.
 
Good Evening!!

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd check in.

I had my 3rd MUA on Aug. 2. I am walking much better but still struggling with getting my knee/leg to be straight, so when I stand...I shift all my weight to my "good foot" and now I'm having terrible ankle pain.

I did go for a second opinion and after CT Scan, they want to do a scope to remove the build-up of scar tissue. He plans for me to be on the CPM machine again and then a Dyna Splint (I've read about that on here). I'm hopeful!!! :yahoo:
I also just read on what to expect with the scope on Bone Smart and love the advice this site gives!!!

Thanks Everyone for listening. :flwrysmile:
 
Chris, Yeah I remember - we're kindred spirits. The arthroscopic removal of scar tissue was such a godsend for me. This is the resource that made the most sense to me and which I used to design my recovery. I still have effusion and stiffness but I have ROM of 0-130. broken link removed: https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/courses/arthrofibrosis-rehab-tutorials-dirk-kokmeyer-pt-scs-comt/principles-arthrofibrosis. Best of luck!
 
Hi Mary!!

I'm very hopeful for this scope...I feel like this may be the answer I need!

Again, I'm walking a thousand times better. Just struggling with the straightening and the standing part. I do have the sensation of 60 rubber bands wrapped around my knee (the scar tissue).

I am done with PT, I've exhausted all of my allowable amounts for the year and I can't pay $100 per session since I'm not working.

How was the pain after the scope? I think that is the part I'm dreading the most since I'm having no pain currently.
 
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