scar tissue

[300game]

I am 8 weeks out from surgery. I was walking without aid 2 days out of the hospital and back to work after 2 weeks. My rom is about 85 and I am working on a machine to aid in getting the rom back. As far as the scar tissue goes, will I feel anything different when it begins to loosen? I always push hard at the upper ends of the stretch but just still feel the tightness/pain. Does the scar tissue stretch or does it actually tear away to increase rom? Also is it common to have more stiffness on either side of the knee cap? Appreciate any info you can offer. 300game(Terry-Florida USA).

 

[Doug]

300,
Eight weeks is really not that far along...You are at a point that if you keep working, you'll see results. As for the scar, are you referring to the actual incision? If so, I would recommend you rub aquaphor lotion on it.(walmart)
As for inside, I'll leave the adhesion lecture up to Nurse Josephine.
I saw a jump in healing at the four and six months point.
Either way, keep working hard and rewards will come.

 

[Josephine]

Hee hee! Adhesion lecture coming up!

See, it's not a matter of scar tissue as much as adhesions that is holding you up. There is a subtle difference.

All the structures in the body, muscles, tendons, ligaments, even gut and lungs, need to be able to glide over one another smoothly to let our bodies work. To do this, the body produces a special viscous fluid that acts like the oil in your car engine and lubricates everything with great efficiency.

Now when the surgeon opens up any part of our body, the internal stuff gets exposed to the air which is, by comparison to the body, cool and dry. The natural reaction is that the fluids evaporate and the tissues cool. This can make the organs and structures dry so when the wound is closed, part of the healing process is for the body to go into overdrive, producing extra fluid to replace what is lost. This is one reason why you need IV fluids during and after an operation.

Now as a general rule, 95% of people manage to make up this fluid loss and normality is restored quite quickly. But in the other 5%, for a variety of reasons some known, a lot unknown, their bodies are deficient in making up this loss and lacking the necessary lubrication, the ligaments and muscles lose their 'glide-ability' and beging to stick to one another. This is called adhesions. If this happens and the function of the joint is affected, the answer is to work the joint with some force, thereby freeing the structures from their locked-in state. Much as you would if you got a sticky or rusty lock and put some oil in it, you'd work it back and forth to free it up. That's all a manipulation is.

 

[Rowdy66]

Boy, I can certainly attest to what adhesions feel like and sound like, too. Every time I bend my right knee, which is often, I get the sound of velcro being torn apart and minor pain. At least the pain is quick and just for a second and I have none when walking or standing and it doen't affect my ROM or extention. I do notice an occassional click in the left knee since I fell on it but no pain so I am leaving well enough alone. I have come to the conclusion that life is not supposed to be completely pain-free and that I am one of the fortunate ones who has a PCP who prescribes adequate pain meds. I hope you do not have adhesions and that you are referring to the scar from the surgery. Good luck, Rowdy

 

[Nursepair]

Jo, I guess I am one of the 5% (always did like to be different)!! I sometimes feel like I should spray some WD40 into my knee to get my ROM back. It's a year today!! Happy Anniversary to you too Doug!! Perhaps now I am "oil pulling" it might help? I remember having cod liver oil as a child every day as well as Malt Extract..mmmmmmmm...I loved that malt extract, hated the CLO though. Maybe that's why I don't really like fish?

 

[Josephine]

You're trying oil pulling, Sue?

 

[JudyS]

OK Jo got the adhesions.
What is scar tissue. I only know that I had a LOT removed during the knee scope. It was formed through wear and tear as this was my first knee surgery.
Judy