Become an Insider

MUA Recovery After TKR & MUA

Status
Not open for further replies.
Before I left the hospital the bend was at 107, then a week later at physio it was 97. It feels like it's less now. I see the surgeon for a follow up on Friday. The physio's didn't really do anything except to measure and said to work around the patella as it's feels so thick around it. I've been doing a couple of slow bends every hour or so and extensions. I ice and elevate often. The knee just feels really stuck. I do have NSAIDs and take one once a day as well as pain meds. Just a little concerning, but maybe it's normal. Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is your NSAID a once a day one like Celebrex? If not, take them on a regular schedule.

I understand your concern. I had no peace of mind the way my knee behaved so I'm thinking you're in the same situation. There is a range of scar activity that can inhibit our knees, from a few adhesions to all-out arthrofibrosis, which is what I had. Sorry to say that no one seems to know how to control that.

One thing I did after my arthroscopy is when I used the CPM, I'd stop it with my leg bent and would focus on relaxing every muscle fiber in my entire body. Just let it sit there and get used to the idea. I wish I had a better bag of tricks for you. Perhaps some deep massage right around the kneecap.

On an up note, lots of people suffer a setback for the first 2-3 weeks. So let's say that's what's going on. The waiting is murder!! Even after my arthroscopy when the scar tissue was literally taken out it was 3-4 weeks before I could squeak past 90.
 
How much are you icing and elevating? And is your knee getting good and cool when you do?
 
I ice and elevate several times a day. And I get it cool to the touch. I can always tell when it is warm, but also my flexion is restricted so I get the ice on it hoping it will get looser. The area that seems to be the most troublesome is above the knee. This had been a concern since the surgery. The NSAID that I am taking is arthrotec. Says to take once a day so I usually take in the morning.
 
So just above the knee is classic for scar tissue.

You can warm up your quad muscle for your stretches. Don't warm anywhere close to the knee however.

BTW the photos of my arthrolysis showed a 1/4" band that looked like a tendon tethering my quad to the femur. Which explained the sensation I had!
 
Hey Scooterdiva ! I just read your thread, I hope your MUA will be the last intervention. From a fellow rider to another:yes!:. Please keep the faith and stay positive. That will be crucial. Ill be pulling for you. ! Bye
 
icep707 said:
Hey Scooterdiva ! I just read your thread, I hope your MUA will be the last intervention. From a fellow rider to another:yes!:. Please keep the faith and stay positive. That will be crucial. Ill be pulling for you. ! Bye
Click to expand...

Hey - me too! I have a Vespa 200cc scooter and can hardly wait to get back out there in the wind. I had ridden a Harley Davidson Low Rider for about 10 years, but had to give it up because of my stupid hips and knees giving me so much trouble. I never had an accident and went on many many road trips with my hubby and family. Used to do Sturgis every year! Now I enjoy my scooter for errands and short runs in the neighborhood. Hubby still has his Harley and will go for a ride with me once in a while. Not right now though as we have about a million feet of snow everywhere. UGH - this is the winter from H**L in MN! Ride on, Mimi
 
Nice to meet you @Mimi2u, My husband also has a Honda elite 250. Fun way to ride around. Never too old, I don't think. We don't have much for snow here in Southern Alberta, but it suppose to get colder for the weekend.

Hope your recovery is coming along well. Bev
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi @scooterdiva, Nope, never too old! I had my RTKR on the same day as you had your MUA. Are you happy with your results? My recovery is going well I think. Getting on to the harder PT now, so am exhausted when she leaves! I am trying to make some progress each and every day. Thanks. Mimi
 
Hi, Bev. What did the surgeon say in your follow up appointment? Did he offer an explanation about the pain above your knee? I hope you see more and more progress as you continue to heal from your MUA.
 
scooterdiva said:
For me, the recovery is a lot slower than I thought it would be, but am still optimistic that all will be well in time
Click to expand...

@scooterdiva, since full recovery can take up to 12 months or longer for some, you still have at least 7 months to continue to improve---and as long as you keep moving, you will!

I rarely ever think about my hip replacement, and I get through most of each day without giving much thought to my knees. You'll get there with TIME & PATIENCE.
 
I haven't been on here for quite some time. To bring things up to date. My flexion has been at 100 for the last month. Ok, I guess. I still am getting a lot of pain above my knee, feels like a tight band right around to the back. I mentioned it to my PT on my first visit back in Nov. They finally told me they didn't want to hear about it and would ignore me if I mentioned it again. The last PT appointment is on Monday and I'm kind of glad as they haven't really being doing anything but measure my flexion. My surgeon told them he wanted me in 3 X a week after the manipulation but I'm not sure that the PT really knows what to do. Maybe he's new at it. The assistant has been great, but she can only do so much. The last appointment the PT didn't even show up. I'm going to perhaps get some massage therapy on the area above the knee and see if we can get it to behave. On my first follow up visit to the surgeon after the TKR, I mentioned the pain above the knee and he said sometimes a muscle gets cut, whether this is it, I don't know. Still doing my exercises faithfully. ( But not over doing it.)
Has anyone experienced setting off the medal detector at airports? I have to go on a business trip in April. Thanks and all the best to everyone.
 
Sorry to hear your therapy experience is leaving a lot to be desired. It's okay, though. At this point you can take care of yourself and just gradually increase your activity along with those gentle exercises.

It's quite common for airport alarms to go off for joint replacement patients. Just tell the TSA official as you are heading into the machine that you have a joint replacement. They will escort you to a screening area. You can even have a private one if you prefer. You may be wanded and/or patted down. It does take some extra time, though, so be sure to allow for it.
 
Some massage is probably not a bad idea. I hope you see some improvement.
 
scooterdiva said:
I still am getting a lot of pain above my knee, feels like a tight band right around to the back. I mentioned it to my PT on my first visit back in Nov. They finally told me they didn't want to hear about it and would ignore me if I mentioned it again.
Click to expand...
What does that tell you? They cannot explain it and repeating the info doesn't move anything forward. However, YOU cannot ignore it. BTW "they" largely do not understand what's going on inside the knee that requires a MUA, but I've been there and I have to repeat that PT-wise, less is more. That muscle is saying "slow down." THere is nothing to gain from pushing, and your knee will increase ROM without PT. Unless there is scar tissue in there tethering one structure to another, your knee will naturally gain ROM.

No that muscle does not get cut! That pain/tightness above the knee is a common experience to people who need MUAs. Ice it often.

scooterdiva said:
I'm going to perhaps get some massage therapy on the area above the knee and see if we can get it to behave.
Click to expand...
It's not about the knee behaving, it's about the PT, the doctor and the patient behaving. But I agree with the massage approach. Number one, it won't hurt. Plus my thinking is that a knee that has been through this much abuse deserves TLC!! Suggest a total knee-cation (NO PT) for two weeks, see what happens. You will lose nothing and you might discover that these issues start to subside.
 
Thanks maryo52. I haven't been on here for quite some time. I appreciate all the information. I did not go back to PT. I did get to a point that the pain above the knee was getting so bad that I did seek out other help. I went to a local clinic that I found that does amazing work, (wish I'd found them sooner). I got 7 sessions of laser treatments above the knee and I have no pain above my knee now. Even though it's been almost 10 months since my TKR, my knee joint still is very sore and stiff, but I don't let it stand in the way of me doing what I want to do within reason. I started back in deep water jog which I love and walk quite a lot. Still ice when needed. I know it's just a matter of time and it will be alright.
I never really did get my appetite back after the surgery and have lost 50 pounds. At least I had it to loose. But we are looking into why I've lost it so fast.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm glad you've had improvement. Between small improvement and lowering my expectations, I've arrived at a happy place.

I apologize for my untimely reply. Your March post arrived in my email as if just posted, for some reason, and I didn't verify if it was recent or not.

I don't know if I mentioned a connection we've noticed on Bonesmart between "lax" TKRs and scar tissue. So it turns out my scar tissue was the body trying to splint a lax knee, or so my theory goes at the present. What's cool is that my proprioception in that leg improved this year, and that's been a pleasant surprise.

Continued good luck!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 2,665 (members: 0, guests: 2,665)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom