MUA knee so stiff<<

[knee#2]

@bland9 Is the knifelike pain in middle of knee when you try to tighten or push knee cap down and or straighten/ extend? Or when you just try walking? Do you still have swelling and pain trying to straighten or push down like pt told you early after surgery due to continued swelling. I know exactly (as well as all members here) how that feels. Even my family was encouraging me to do this for minutes at a time the second week. Hurt like . I didn’t discovered bonesmart until almost the fourth week of my recovery. I should’ve been elevating and icing all day instead of just accepting the far and few ice packs ( which were kept under lock and key)
offered by the “skilled home facility”all along instead of worrying about a different PT every time. I would just advise you to go slowly and steadily trying very gently increasing your ROM over next few days or weeks. Try not to stress too much.

 

[ApricotPie]

FWIW, when I wake up a night, which is often, I take a short walk around the bedroom. And I make a point of straightening my leg and giving the qual muscles a short but strong work out. I tend to sleep with my legs bent.

 

[bland9]

@knee#2 its when I try to straighten the leg at any point -push down or simply walking - swelling still present- sharp knife like pain felt alongside side kneecap and just down past knee on medial side, walking with a bad limp because leg very bent
Got to return to work soon manual job in a very bad state with knee pain and walking with very bad limp and walking sticks- worse know than when I left work to have this done. wish I never had my knees done, nothing but trouble with both knees.

 

[knee#2]

I’m so very sorry you’re having so much trouble. Are you still resting/elevating/icing? Are you taking anymore pain meds? If not perhaps doctor will give you more in order to continue your journey successfully. Especially if you’re still having so much pain. Also in my opinion and from personal experience the opioids do give you that mental boost to keep from getting depressed and discouraged. I believe you’re still early enough in your recovery that you need not worry about addiction. I think Josephine will agree.

I haven’t tried lying prone on bed for long time but I’m curious to see since knee partially healed if I can do it more than two minutes. Have you tried since your MUA? Now would be the time to start if only for minute at a time maybe couple times daily.. I know for fact that even if you do tiny bit few times a day you can change ligaments and muscles. It’s that paper towel effect. May take longer for some but if you work at it regularly and depending on frequency it will loosen those tight ligaments and muscles.

But there’s no use fighting swelling.. the more you exercise those damaged tissues w/o gentle and steady care your knee will win every time. Please ice and elevate like you did first few weeks and gently gently encourage your knee. I know it can be done. Are you working with a therapist or strictly on your own? I know how utterly discouraging it is to not be able to straighten your leg.. not sure if my new knee will ever be totally flat .. maybe a few degrees off but I do not limp... stiffness yes. I still ice and elevate especially in evenings. If I keep stretching hopefully by end of year it will be closer to 0.
I hope my words encourage you little bit.

 

[knee#2]

@ApricotPie I did that too since sleeping so much more comfortable knees bent, always felt like my leg had been bent so long during night it must’ve shriveled up lol. I dont know if it actually helped but I was so afraid of losing what little extension I had that I did it frequently throughout day .. but 13 weeks later it has healed to the point of little pain when I do the extension exercises, the roll under heel still gets very uncomfortable after 10-12 minutes but I’m happy with the way it’s behaving st the moment. Still stiff, and hard to stand in one place for too long or I pay for it at night. This is still beginning of rather long journey.

 

[Didot]

Long journey indeed. I’m about to do my other knee, because I now know that there’s no instant fix and I have months ahead to try to get it resolved. So reckoned have them both done and try to make sense of this new world.... I’m hating it a lot.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bland9]

@Didot Yes a long journey indeed , me I just one of the few who have such difficulties with KRs- first one nearly killed me -second one its trying its hardest- but I will continue this fight
,
@knee#2 today I learnt AGAIN not to OVER DO it with the exercises, when will I learn . from now on its just me and my little static pedal exercise bike just gently doing some rotations. trying to loosen up all the tendons and muscles and see how that goes

 

[bland9]

Been very negative has per late - but just now thought I give a moment. may seems and sound silly but "I have just walked up 5 steps on the stairs without holding on to the handrail and using my op leg going first without pain a little wobbly but ok . really took some will though but Im pleased with that.

 

[Glosnana]

Not silly at all...a significant moment! So pleased for you

 

[knee#2]

Wow! You’re doing great! I haven’t gone upstairs w/out using handrail yet, that takes strength and good bend.. Celebrate that victory!

 

[bland9]

Just quick question to ask - does anyone experience a sharp pain everytime your knee click - is this part of the journey to- lost in so much pain I just don't know whats normal anymore, , just wish I could go one day without constant pain in the medial side of knee.. If I was a betting man it looks like a year of constant pain than a Revision

 

[bland9]

what also bothers me is that I got to return to work very soon =which involves lots of walking -I went off sick with a painful knee but liveable .now I got to return with severe pain----my old saying when I had my first TKR one -is
"I used to walk with pain and now I walk with pain and two walking sticks" this time I like to change it to " I used to walk with pain and now I walk with tears and two crutches "
Sorry to be so negative but pain in this new knee coupled with old pain in the older tkr is really getting to me , I getting annoyed Surgeons not listening and Doctors keep saying Give it time! but I should be feeling some sort of improvement by now - this severity of pain is not normal at this stage -Im trying my best by grabbing at straws- but really its hiding real pain. Making appointment with another Doctor next week and see what they say.
The pain is on the Medial side and painful to touch and pain on walking pain radiating up inside thigh throbbing while resting. bent knee meaning walking with limp, and has I stated this moan with -im having to return to work very soon

 

[knee#2]

Can not imagine having to deal with this pain constantly, is the doctor you’re seeing another surgeon?

 

[bland9]

Got to return to work within next three weeks-In worse pain than I stopped work to have OP done ( involves lots of walking ) =got to have plan of action with Occupational health Dept.
Has anyone been in the same boat and how did you cope and what were your strategies

 

[kneeper]

I wish I could offer better advice. But what I can say is that you can't "exercise" your way into being ready to go back to work. Your best bet is to do what you're doing--gentle activity/exercise but lots of ice and elevation. In the scheme of things it's not that long since your MUA.

I don't know what Occupational Health will tell you. When I returned to work I had to stand for the equivalent of about half the day (not all at the same time). I was able to get a tall stool to use (just to take the load off the knee in between.) I also tried to ice over my lunch break. It was tricky to find a spot to elevate, but I could bring a gel pack to keep in the freezer where we put our lunches and use that. Mine had a cover with a strap you could velcro on. It didn't stay on really well, but you could maybe use an ace bandage.

Hopefully a new doctor can give you some answers to what's going on with your knee.

 

[bland9]

Yesterday went for a hour walk with plenty of sitting down and now today leg and foot swollen twice its normal size , straighten leg which is bad in first place even worse today and cannot put weight on it at all hobbling at moment on one leg relying on crutches to even go to toilet- pain unbelievable even after complete rest today and taking Medication- not bad going after 17 weeks post-op- need to make appointment next week to see GP - has cannot see my surgeon for 2 months. Ask last time to see another surgeon but GP it will improve so will not send me to another surgeon so stuck with chronic pain. trying to search others on here to see if there experiencing the same but most seems ok after 3 months

 

[Jockette]

One hour is way too long to walk at 3/4 months post op and less than one month post MUA. No wonder you have lots of swelling.

You really have to stop trying so hard. This second knee is still very new. Time is on your side if you let it.

But if you push the knee, the knee will push back, and the knee will always win.

Recently I compared this recovery to baking cookies. My chocolate chip cookies take 12 minutes to completely bake. If I take them out earlier, at 2 minutes, 4, 8 or whatever, they will only be partially baked, and not all that tasty, because they’re not done yet.

The same is true of our knee at 2 months, or 3 months, etc. It needs time to finish healing.

 

[sistersinhim]

I agree that an hour was way too long to walk. No wonder your knee is fighting back. Remember that MUA set you back to the beginning so that's only 3 weeks old. You are trying way too hard and causing yourself setbacks.

 

[Dancersoon]

Tramadol did nothing for me. Motrin worked better

 

[bland9]

@Dancersoon -Yes Tramadol no good for me and unfortunately cannot take Motrin- stomach issues prevent certain medicines.
@sistersinhim @Jockette yes you are both very correct and wow don't I know it again today feels like sharp knife like pains in knee and cannot bare weight on it at all- really thought just a short walk would be ok with plenty of breaks- The leg still very much bent when walking and its that what really causing the issue and Doctors think this is Normal- to me this is far from Normal - theres not many on this site that seems to be suffering from this nearly 4 months on. How Im going to get on at work goodness knows