The surgeon photographed my knee bent to 130 as proof the surgery was a success - that my lack of range of motion was me & my mind’s command of my thigh muscle.
That was nice of him - not!
It sounds as if he was blaming you, when it's not your fault. It's more the fault of impatient surgeons who insist on a fixed schedule of ROM progression, without making any allowance for prior conditions, such as your CPPD.
There's no need to rush to get ROM because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Three weeks later I had my 2nd MUA as my ROM was around 70. My PT therapist could help me get to 85 ROM but within an hour of working to this ROM, my knee would withdraw & shrink back to around 50 ROM.
Please tell us the date of your second MUA, so we can add it to your signature.
You worked on your poor knee for an hour? That's too much.
Your knee didn't withdraw. it was swollen, from the MUA and from the PT. A swollen knee can't bend.
Surgeon photographed my knee bend during MUA showed 125 ROM. Unfortunately, immediately following this MUA, my entire quad & hamstring experienced severe spasms. I could not sit after the MUA. I went directly to PT after the MUA. Therapist was shocked at the severity of the spasms. My quad was as hard as a brick & very swollen. The PT session was over with before it began.
That just says to me that your surgeon brutalized your poor knee yet again and doing PT on top of that was just too much for it.
This same program has been what we’ve done for the past 3 weeks - 3 times a week.
You don't need PT 3 times a week. Once a week is enough. In your case, you've been trying too hard to increase ROM by doing PT. Your poor knee needs a rest, not more exercises.
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee has the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start. ROM will gradually increase as the swelling goes down, as long as you don't overwork it and increase that swelling.
However, every time we achieve an increase in ROM my knee swells & aches. The swelling prevents me from bending. The swelling feels just like the pressure swelling I experienced with my pre-op CPPD (Pseudo-gout).
This past Saturday I worked really hard at gaining more range of motion & in fact was able to not use my cane that day. Sunday my husband helped me with ROM exercises & my mobility was very encouraging , but unfortunately when I awoke Monday morning my knee had swollen by 1” & by today, Tuesday I can’t put any weight on it & the knee is extremely painful.
You're all working too hard at trying to get ROM and it's having the opposite effect. Can you see how the exercise sessions are actually inhibiting your flexion? You work hard and your knee swells up. Cause and effect.
Give your poor knee a complete break from all this exercising. Just use it in the normal course of your daily living. Instead of exercising, spend that time resting, icing and elevating your knee, to try to help it calm down and to reduce the swelling. Do this for a month and see what happens.
You have nothing to lose, because what you've been doing hasn't worked, has it?
Ice to control pain and swelling
Elevation: the do's and dont's
My therapist is not sure what to do. I have doc appointment Monday & I hope I can endure this pain until then. I believe I need to have it drained.
Please let me know if anyone is aware of draining a knee after TKR.
No, draining your knee wouldn't work, because the swelling isn't in one particular place. It's spread over all of your knee tissues
I suggest you tell your therapist that you're going to take a break from therapy for a while. In case you feel concerned about doing that, know that it's your knee and you have the right to decide what happens to it.
Also, whatever you do, don't allow your surgeon to do another MUA.
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?
Here are a few more articles that may help you:
Knee recovery - Lose the Work Ethic!!
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
TKR: Evidence shows that less really is more when it comes to exercising!
TKRs and our fast food society
Life in the slow lane
Post-operative exercise – the BoneSmart view