MUA Recovery After TKR & MUA
- Thread starter scooterdiva
- Start date
- Status
DogLoverx3
post-grad
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2014
- Messages
- 1,467
- Age
- 59
- Gender
- Female
- Country
United States
Good luck tomorrow!
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
Thank you both!. 
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
Hi All. Just got out of the hospital today. The manipulation was done Wednesday morning and went well. They kept me in for 3 more days and had my leg in the CPM all the time except for meals and bathroom breaks. It was so nice to sit at the side of the bed for the first time and my leg went down like the other one. I think some one else (@maryo52) mentioned that as well. It was wonderful. My knee hurts worse now than it did before, but it's a different hurt. I'm going to sleep for a while now as I've been up since 2 this morning. Being in the hospital is not the place to get any rest. 
Will post more later. Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers. Bev.
Will post more later. Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers. Bev.
Last edited by a moderator:
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
@maryo52 - Thank you. I think I will need some hand holding for sure. First off, yes it is a relief to get the adhesions broke that were below the knee. I knew that was the spot that stopped my knee from bending in the first place. The second area of concern was just above knee. It has been very tender to the touch since the surgery and seems like it is always swollen. I mentioned it to the surgeon just before I went into the OR and he thought that maybe it was a nerve. I thought after the manip. it was a little better, but it's not.
When my leg was in the CPM it was set at 120 and I could bend on my own at 109. When I try to bend now there is real resistance at that spot above the knee. Hopefully with lots of icing if will calm down. I will also only do the exercises that I should do and not over do it. I did bring my exercise ball up from downstairs and at some point will get on it.
When my leg was in the CPM it was set at 120 and I could bend on my own at 109. When I try to bend now there is real resistance at that spot above the knee. Hopefully with lots of icing if will calm down. I will also only do the exercises that I should do and not over do it. I did bring my exercise ball up from downstairs and at some point will get on it.
Just a little hint . . . the only routine you need now are s-l-o-w g-e-n-t-l-e bends that are held 60 seconds, 2 or more times a day. If you do a total of 20 a day, you could do 2 an hour or, what I did, which was 10 twice a day. If I had known about the 2/hour approach, I would've done that.
Why not other exercises? Any exercise or bending will stir up the inflammation. Is that bad? Well it does seem to go hand and hand with TKR, but the less there is, the less likely for your adhesions to cause you any further trouble. Inflammation is the setting where adhesions take hold. So the goal is to do the minimum routine needed to maintain our ROM progress; the rest of our efforts should focus on calming down inflammation and cooling those areas . . . at least until you're "out of the woods."
I really cannot fathom the "nerve" comment. You will be sore and swollen where adhesions were broken, and above the knee is the classic location for adhesions. Sounds totally normal, and takes time and vigilant efforts to quiet down.
Why not other exercises? Any exercise or bending will stir up the inflammation. Is that bad? Well it does seem to go hand and hand with TKR, but the less there is, the less likely for your adhesions to cause you any further trouble. Inflammation is the setting where adhesions take hold. So the goal is to do the minimum routine needed to maintain our ROM progress; the rest of our efforts should focus on calming down inflammation and cooling those areas . . . at least until you're "out of the woods."
I really cannot fathom the "nerve" comment. You will be sore and swollen where adhesions were broken, and above the knee is the classic location for adhesions. Sounds totally normal, and takes time and vigilant efforts to quiet down.
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
Sounds good, I will adopt the 2/hour approach. And lots of ice. The last thing I want to do is set things in the wrong direction. Thanks. Bev
1ELISEA
big-cheese
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 3,408
- Age
- 73
- Gender
- Female
- Country
- United States
@scooterdiva
Hope that you continue on the path to full recovery and will be riding that scooter soon! And that is some terrific scooter if it is the one in your avatar!
Hope that you continue on the path to full recovery and will be riding that scooter soon! And that is some terrific scooter if it is the one in your avatar!
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
@1ELISEA Yes that is my scooter (250 Honda reflex). It is one of my motivations.
Last edited by a moderator:
NuNe4Me
senior
In my humble opinion, I think you just need to slow way down to give things time to heal.
I have had multiple surgeries in my lifetime. A TKR is a traumatic surgery. You have been: sawed, cut, glued, stitched(?). It takes time to heal. When your flashlight burns out, you slip out the old battery and slide in a new one. Our bodies are not like that - you cannot just "slip in" in new knee - it takes time to heal. When a bone is broken during a surgery, it is much more traumatic and painful vs. a soft-tissue surgery. It usually takes a year+ to recover from a traumatic surgery such as this one. My TKR has been one of the most traumatic. Now that you have had a MUA, you will need to mentally think of adding a year to the date of the MUA, for a goal of full recovery.
Please take it easy and give your body time to heal.
I have had multiple surgeries in my lifetime. A TKR is a traumatic surgery. You have been: sawed, cut, glued, stitched(?). It takes time to heal. When your flashlight burns out, you slip out the old battery and slide in a new one. Our bodies are not like that - you cannot just "slip in" in new knee - it takes time to heal. When a bone is broken during a surgery, it is much more traumatic and painful vs. a soft-tissue surgery. It usually takes a year+ to recover from a traumatic surgery such as this one. My TKR has been one of the most traumatic. Now that you have had a MUA, you will need to mentally think of adding a year to the date of the MUA, for a goal of full recovery.
Please take it easy and give your body time to heal.
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
@NuNe4Me Thank you for you advice. I know it's been mentioned, "why have I had this done", and I was saying those very words yesterday. But I've also seen that in time it gets better. I'm 3 1/2 months since my TKR and I'm so surprised how long this is taking. I'm still limping like I was a month ago. 
It's frustrating for sure. My return to work date keeps getting put back, but thankfully so far they have been very supportive. And I do appreciate the support that I've received here. 
It's frustrating for sure. My return to work date keeps getting put back, but thankfully so far they have been very supportive. And I do appreciate the support that I've received here. 
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
Someone's taking my advice??!!! I have two sons in their 20s who are still dedicated to proving how stupid I am, and of course my hubby closes his ears to what I have to say. Oh, this is historic!
Well get back to me about how well these ideas work. This forum is a learning ground for all of us.
Well get back to me about how well these ideas work. This forum is a learning ground for all of us.
OP
OP
scooterdiva
junior member
Initially it bent OK. Then in a week I went from 97 to 90. At that point it would've been good to only do bends, straightening, and maybe straight leg lifts. But I went along with PT pushing me. My arthrofibrosis got the better of me and it just all went backward and required arthroscopic intervention a month later.
Take NSAIDs if possible, ice and elevate like crazy, just do those slow bends, 2-3 every hour or two, plus extensions.
What's going on?
Take NSAIDs if possible, ice and elevate like crazy, just do those slow bends, 2-3 every hour or two, plus extensions.
What's going on?
- Status
