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MUA Oct 2017 TKR - Hematoma - MUA - Finally past 90!<

My OS specifically mentioned that my knee might feel hot and not to worry about it as that was a sign of healing. However, that was immediately after the op. Not sure about it so long afterward. Is this heat a new thing?
 
I had my TKR a month before your latest MUA (and you should probably use that as the date to measure your recovery as it was so traumatic, not your TKR date) and my knee is still hot. Not all the time anymore, but after any activity or having my leg hang down while seated. I saw my OS at 2 months out specifically to confirm my hot knee was normal and he was unconcerned. I have read many times on this forum that heat is a sign of healing, andlots of people had heat lasting for months.
 
Heat is normal as long as healing is still taking place. My knees remained quite warm for months. At one point, Lefty melted its gel pack much faster than Righty. The slower healing knee, being not as far along in the process, was hotter than the knee that healed faster.
 
I wonder if the fact that though you are 6 months from surgery but only 2 months from the MUA is why your knee is still so warm. My first knee stayed warm for quite a few months, though not hot. And it would get warmer the more I was on my feet.
 
Your not alone my right knee is 14 months out of tkr and two muas I can't get above 95 my extension is bad too I walk with it bent it's so depressing I can't do stairs I had to stop driving my car cause I can't get in or out of it. I use to hike and kayak I can't walk on uneven ground without horrible pain and being unstable I can't get into my Kayak anymore I watch everyone enjoy life while I'm stuck in the twilight zone daily I only work 3 days a week and that's a stand up shoe sales job I'm exhausted mentally and physically after 3 days...your not alone.I find swimming is nice cause the stress is less on my joints. Hopefully things will improve but DO NOT over do it just take it slow and steady is all I can offer this board is awesome the people here are amazing lean on us all we've been through it too.
Have a great day
 
I am much further along than you are; however, at almost 14 months, I have a knee that is still warm. it never gets "hot" anymore like it did early on... but it's warmer than my other knee. It cools down a bit sometimes when It's had activity - I think the inflammation gets worked out with movement and inflammation causes heat. Those are only my thoughts regarding my knee. :) It's not been long since your MUA. Hang in there.
 
Spex10 said:
My OS specifically mentioned that my knee might feel hot and not to worry about it as that was a sign of healing. However, that was immediately after the op. Not sure about it so long afterward. Is this heat a new thing?
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Yes it is a new thing @Spex10. Before the MUA I was able to sleep a full night without elevation, and no heat and no awful aching. So possibly I am overdoing it. I may be doing too much without enough time between what I am doing. This morning after a night of awful aching in my knee, I just didn't do anything except ADL's since I had a day of work ahead of me. It's really been bothersome lately but I've also taken to walking up the stairs at work two or three times a day. Today I didn't do that at all. I think I may be pushing things a little bit too much.

jaschembra said:
I am much further along than you are; however, at almost 14 months, I have a knee that is still warm. it never gets "hot" anymore like it did early on... but it's warmer than my other knee. It cools down a bit sometimes when It's had activity - I think the inflammation gets worked out with movement and inflammation causes heat. Those are only my thoughts regarding my knee. :) It's not been long since your MUA. Hang in there.
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Yes @jaschembra I do think that I've felt the inflammation get worked out with activity but not too much activity! So again, I may just be doing too much at a time. I'm going to space out my stretching and activities a bit more and certainly not do too much before bed! I'd like to not be woken up by my knee several times a night.

Thanks everyone for checking in. I am usually so beat from work that I just don't check in.. but I saw several posts.. so thankyou so very much!! I guess I'm on course but I have to watch how much I do!
 
funkymuse said:
I do think that I've felt the inflammation get worked out with activity but not too much activity! So again, I may just be doing too much at a time. I'm going to space out my stretching and activities a bit more and certainly not do too much before bed! I'd like to not be woken up by my knee several times a night.
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. I think you've hit the nail on the head, @funkymuse : it's so hard to figure out how much activity will help vs how much might make the knee feel achy, painful, numb or whatever out-of-sorts feeling it decides to display. Excess activity can lead to inflammation which can lead to stiffness and that warm feeling you described earlier. Too little activity can lead to, wait for it: stiffness and achiness. It's a trial and error process and as we progress (or have set-backs), the amount we need to do/ can safely do seems to change. It's frustrating. My OS recently told me to "work through the pain." This is definitely not the philosophy here on Bonesmart or at my senior fitness center where they say to stop when it hurts. I have been gently pushing myself to do more in the pool, though, and while I have numbness and occasional sharp pain on the side and under my knee, I seem to be gaining function and strength. At more than 13 months, I am way ahead of you in time and function. I believe you will get there! (One last thought, a while back you mentioned taking the stairs at work 2-3 times a day - it's might just be me, but multiple trips up and down stairs has maybe been what's triggered the most pain for me).
 
Good Morning All!
I took my 10 min walk yesterday but added going down a hill on our road and back up the hill. Now mind you it was only like maybe 1/4 of a block but wow.. going up showed me how much my strength in both legs and hips is gone now. But that is of course understood. I went down inch by inch being careful as I didn't want to fall as the hill is rather steep in one part. I have also upped my morning biking (doing full rotations now) to 5 min although still at the deepest part of the bend there is a bit of stiffness but I go slow and work through it.
I was up on my feet most of all yesterday doing household chores and man it was tough since my knee was stiff and my lower back was killing me all day because of all this. Last night I had to take 1/2 of a Tramadol to sleep because of the pain in my back and my 'restless' knee. It's weird cause my knee - after a day of activity - get's like this irritating restless feeling inside of it - anyone experience this. Plus the pain in my back was cascading down my thighs! Oh joy of joys! ha ha.

@phrog - yes it is darn hard to find that balance of doing too much and not enough. I think I've found the range for making sure I do enough - but holding back from doing too much - is currently the issue. I can't really go down stairs very well.. I take them one at a time - as I have for years - due to my bad knees - and I most likely will continue to take them one at a time due to my right bad knee - but I can go up by holding onto the rail and pulling slightly to help me not strain too much. Friday I didn't go up any stairs and gave my knee a break. Yesterday my knee didn't have as much range of motion so today hopefully it will improve again.

I tend to go into a slight fear factor when I loose a bit of range due to swelling and/or pain and then when my range gets back I get all happy and hopeful. I still am hanging around 90 and I know there is more bend but don't want to push too far into it due to the pain issue and the fear of scar tissue forming from working too hard - as some have mentioned.

At any rate... life goes on and it's truly still such a struggle with this knee. I can only know that things will get better as so many testimoines on this site indicate.

love to all on this fine Sunday.
 
At 13 months I still struggle going down a slope, even ones going from the parking lot up to the sidewalk, avoiding the curb, and that’s not very steep. Sometimes I do step up the curb if it’s not too high.
 
A PT explained to me that going downhill is harder on muscles than up. It's a longer stretch then a harder contraction for the muscles as they accommodate to the slope. Easier going uphill as shorter contractions required I hope I've explained it OK.
It took me ages to use stairs with alternating feet. Then it just happened. It had become a habit really.
Will be back to square one soon though with next TKR coming up!
 
@Spex10 and @Jockette. I am not good at stairs; I have to take one step at a time. When I try to do foot over foot, the muscles scream. I will look forward to the day that it just happens.
 
For most people, going down stairs or downhill is more difficult and comes later than going up. I was freakish in that for me going down came first. It was easier. Still is. I have no clue as to why. My therapist in rehab explained that the quads (used more in going down) aren't usually as strong right off the bat as the hamstring muscles, which you use more in going up the stairs.

funkymuse said:
It's weird cause my knee - after a day of activity - get's like this irritating restless feeling inside of it - anyone experience this.
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Yes! I had this for a spell at around four to eight months. It didn't happen every day, just occasionally. I would be sitting there with my legs up on my ottoman and my knees, one or the other, but often both, would get this incredibly restless feeling. No position was "just right." Mr. Shoes and I called it the Goldilocks Syndrome. He'd see me squirming and say, "Goldilocks?" And I'd sigh and say, "Yep." It gradually just stopped happening. In fact, I don't remember the last time. At least a month ago.
 
So.. back here checking in again!
I CAN'T BELIEVE almost 7 months! I remember when 4 weeks felt like ETERNITY!

I have no way to measure but I think I'm around a slightly painful 100 or maybe 105 when I sit in a chair and bend my leg back further than 90....or maybe I'm fooling myself and I'm only at 95 or something! LOL

When I lay on tummy and pull my leg back gently with a strap toward my Bum, I'm past 90 as well so says hubby and I can feel that it's getting loser in that position as well because I feel more of my quad muscles stretching up toward my groin.

However, like many others I've read about on this board, when i'm on my feet alot or when I get up in the morning i'm stiffer and so not as much bend until things warm up a bit. it's just a major challenge some days to figure out how much to do and how much not to do! I can't wait for the day when it won't matter!

I continue to be amazed as I read the stories of healing at how different we all our in this journey... so different and yet the same.. and I've been thinking back at how desperate most of us feel when we are in such pain and the doc's and PT's are pushing us to work through pain and torture or we will be STUCK the rest of our lives and how horrible that all is. I think it certainly is a DETRIMENT to the overall healing process. Since I've quit PT and have just allowed myself to know that my ROM will come over time.. it's slowly been coming overtime! Granted I do my gentle stretching and walking and biking and it still gets stiff and swells and I still need to wear a stocking, but when I sit down and it easily bends to 90 I think WOW..

Would love to hear how everyone is doing! Happy Sat!

Also Moderators.. I would like a tread title change to: (thank you...)
Oct 2017 TKR - Hematoma - MUA - Finally past 90!
 
We are almost knee twins, missed by one day. Your journey had a lot of twist and turns. I read your blog. My experience has been different, but still have the ups, down, sideways, and sometime backward. Very happy for you, to see some light in your recovery journey.
 
I've changed your thread title for you.

I'm glad you're finally past 90 degrees - and you still have plenty of time for that to improve further.
 
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