MUA R knee and tightness<

[jmp65]

@CATSMUM I hope your "pesky ligaments" heal soon also so you too can reap the benefits from your MUA. I know your road has been long too...soon I hope you will reach the end of that road...you deserve it! My very best wishes heading your way!

 

[Suz]

He is very pleased so far with my progress! Was able to bend my knee to 109 degrees in PT yesterday.

SO happy for your Julie!!

 

[jmp65]

So happy! Got my knee bent to 115 degrees today at therapy! Doctor told me at last appt. that he would like for me to get it to 120-125 degrees. Almost there! One appt. with therapy next week...then another one in 2 weeks and if I maintain or improve in flexion I should be done with PT. Light at the end of the tunnel just keeps getting larger! So glad I had MUA! Thanks for all your encouragement and advice! You are ALL awesome! Can't wait to get my life back to more normal!

 

[CATSMUM]

Excellent news about your flexion. Like you I'm glad l had my MUA, so good to have the flexion back, not sure if l'll get more than 120 as that's all the OS could get, but l am optimistic. I'm also having some further Physio sessions so will be interesting to see how both you and l have fared in a few weeks time. Ditto you sentiments about getting life back to normal.

 

[jmp65]

@Josephine One of my friends told me that she heard that once a person has a MUA that you have to do exercises on that knee for the rest of your life or the scar tissue/adhesions will grow back together. I find it hard to believe that this would magically just happen. Is this true or not?

 

[Celle]

No, it isn't true at all.
That's just another of those persistent myths. It isn't exercising that keeps adhesions at bay. In fact, over-zealous or aggressive exercise can actually pre-dispose towards developing adhesions.

 

[Josephine]

No it isn't true! As Celle says, it's another of those persisting myths.

 

[jmp65]

Thank you for confirming what I thought I already knew @Josephine and @Celle

 

[zzevi]

@jmp65 see your from Wisconsin also, I read all your postings, I'll be following you to see how your outcome after MUA turns out. Sounds like all is going well so far for you. I am 7 1/2 wks out and at my O.S. yesterday the O.S. didn't think my ROM would increase much from this point on, and put the idea of having MUA out there but it's something I need to decide on soon. I am between 90-95 right now, more towards the 95, even with the MUA he felt I would gain additional 10-15. So I am struggling with the idea, leaning mostly towards not going thru with it. But after reading your posts made me have 2nd thoughts. ( oh I live down near Madison, how about you?)

 

[jmp65]

Hi @zzevi Yes, I have had good outcome from my MUA so far. Had my last PT appt last week and was able to bend my knee to 118 degrees. At my last OS appt he said he thinks I will continue to gain some more bend as time goes on. Don't have to go back to OS until January! If your doctor is considering doing a MUA then he must feel different than my doctor. He wouldn't do one unless flexion was below 90 degrees. He said when he measured before Doing MUA it was down to 70 degrees. I didn't have MUA until almost 6 months after my knee replacement, so I think it's kind of early in your recovery to be deciding that. You could very likely gain more bend...just my opinion. I think 90 to 95 degrees bend 7 1/2 weeks out is really quite good! Wouldn't want anyone to have to go through MUA if they don't have to! By the way...I live in Fond du Lac.

 

[jebrig3164]

Yes your expecting to much to fast . I had my left knee replacement 8 months ago and it's still swollen some but I have gotten it to bend over 110 degrees in range of motion and it is getting better and better each day. I'm jogging on it now and due to have my right knee replacement on October 6th. Had both hips replaced 18 months ago it's been a struggle but just give it time my friend . Be encouraged


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[zzevi]

Wish I could have peace within, the battles in my mind drive me nuts. I was to P/T yesterday and I've been working hard on my own on wall stretches, sitting on the shower bench and moving my leg behind the leg of the bench, laying on the bed and stretching the leg and still yesterday my ROM was around 90 a few weeks back it was up to 95, although yesterday the therapist was able to help me get a rotation on the bike and once I got going it wasn't easy, but I spent about 4 mins in a frontward rotation. I am confused on my ROM as it never seems to be the same. I thought I had, had a really good week stretching and still it didn't seem to show that. I've tried to position myself with a mirror to watch my bend as I think it often feels like it's bending better than it is. With it not being the same those words of MUA come up, I'm at the feeling if I am like at 85 or 90 maybe it's in my best interest to get a better ROM if it's at 90-95 especially the higher end then I feel I need time. This is how I spend my down time, researching if it's a good choice or not, reading posts from others that have had their surgery around my time. ( Maybe starting back to work will give my mind something else to think about.) Would like to put this inner battle in my mind to rest. Would love to hear from folks that went from low ROM to 100 + range after months.
Nothing was ever said prior to surgery that maybe there would be issues afterword, figured I would go for the surgery, follow the directions , exercise and return to work after 8 wks of recovering.
Dishearted and frustrated as I am consistly trying to make the right decision.
(looking for some pep talk from you all to help put these demons to rest. )

 

[zzevi]

I am a person that can usually make a decision and not waffle back and forth like I am doing now. But I can be easily influenced also, hoping p/t advise is good advise have no reason to believe it's not, asked in the beginning for honesty so maybe I am just getting what I asked for brutal honesty. Did purchase a ROM gauge and will ask my husband to measure and see what he comes up with. ( and as much as I shouldn't be stuck on a number or ROM to a certain amount I am, I want to know I am making progress, actually thought about starting a journal to follow my progress.)

 

[zzevi]

Also another question that came to mind, is I had reoccurring Endometriosis for many years, that lead me to have a total hysterectomy by age 24, so I have had many major surgeries, and a few yrs back had a gallbladder removed. The p/t mentioned yesterday the more surgeries you have the more prone your body is to develope scar tissue faster and thicker. Is this true, I've never had to have any of my incisions re-opened to have scar tissue removal, although after some many times cutting from hip bone to hip bone the gyn went from the navel down for a few surgeries. (Thoughts on this )

 

[Tabbycat]

@zzevi I'm sorry I can't give you the instant peace you are searching for, but I can say that your experience is not at all unusual, in fact, I could have written it myself. Frustration and uncertainty are part and parcel of this recovery. For some of us the quest for ROM is a bit like searching for the holy grail, it always seems just that bit out of reach, it improves some, then you lose some and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason. I have found that the more you push for it, the more elusive it is. My ROM is about 100/10 after 16 weeks. I really hope it will improve more, time will tell.
Funnily enough I had a total hysterectomy at 48 and the surgeon found extensive endometriosis and had another abdominal surgery the year before. My OS got me to massage my knee scar from about 7 weeks, because he said it would help to reduce the build up of scar tissue and that tight feeling. I've been doing it twice a day since with PurOrganica scar cream, and he said at my 3 month appointment that it's paid off. The scar definitely feels more 'mobile'. Some on the forum don't advocate massage, but I like it. If you haven't had surgery to deal with scar tissue from your many operations, hopefully this won't be a problem with your knee.
Try to relax and let the healing process work in its own time.
All the best
Tabby xxx

 

[jmp65]

@zzevi I really think you are expecting way too much of yourself too soon! Your flexion will vary from day to day...depending on how much you have done, how much you are on your feet, etc. Which also means the swelling in your knee (which is not obvious by just looking at it) will affect how far you can bend your knee. Work on the swelling (ice and elevate) and don't push it too much with the exercising. I really feel it is too early in your recovery to expect so much! Really...try to have patience and the bend will come. And if it doesn't you have plenty of time. Look at me...I didn't have a MUA until almost 6 months out. I know people are telling you that you need to have MUA soon but I am proof that this is not true! I have had very good results so far and my doctor tells me he doesn't think I will backslide anymore now! Just take one day at a time...and believe me each day will not all be the same! I know how frustrating it can be but remember this is a year or more longer recovery process! I also know how hard it is going back and forth in my mind as to what to do. Weigh your options and then make an informed choice...go with your gut feelings as to what is best for YOU! Not what the therapist or doctor wants you to do...it is your knee after all! As far as scar tissue, I really don't know what to tell you. I have never been told that the more surgeries you have the more prone you are for developing it. My doctor told me just because I had too much scar tissue/adhesions this time doesn't mean if I ever have to have the other one done that the same thing will happen. In fact I know someone who had both knees replaced and she had to have a MUA with one but the other on she did not! And she had them both done at the same time! Hope this helps give you some reassurance that what you are going through is not abnormal.

 

[newlybionic]

@Suz Had her ROM increase dramatically by stopping PT. Having someone 'help' you to peddle the bike that can almost be as bad as allowing PT to push on your knee.

 

[kneeper]

Once you've been able to do a forward rotation, you're set to go on the bike from now on. Congratulations! Just take it slowly and in small amounts of time at first.
If your PT "assisted" painfully with that first rotation you probably aggravated the knee for a day.

On another note, you're probably still swollen even if the knee looks better. Keep up with the ice and don't go crazy on the PT trying to "speed" things along. Listen to the knee and what it is tolerating.

 

[jmp65]

@kneeper Seems my thread has gotten off track. People are answering @zzevi on my thread. Is there any way this can be fixed?

 

[Tabbycat]

@jmp65 , I'm really sorry, I am at fault there. I read @zzevi's question on this thread and wrote a response to it here, I should have looked for her own thread. I didn't mean to derail yours.
Looking back through, I see that zzevi wrote three posts in a row, I must have assumed I was reading her thread. I will check next time.