MUA zumbaGirl's knee

[midwife]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and found your page while searching for answers to some surgery questions. Anyway, I have had several knee surgeries starting in 2001 with Bilateral Knee scopes. My latest however and what brought me here is a LTKR. I am 39 years old/female and have wanted this for 6 years and now that someone decided to do it I am seriously wondering what I was thinking!! My surgery was May 9 2013. I haven't slept and my ROM is lack there of. However I have found some useful information here and that's why I joined the forums. So I hope you will be patient with me as I figure out my way around here. I read the sticky on signatures and believe I need to have a min of posts first? I have had several surgeries to post and I look forward to learning more to help get me through this. Thanks for having me here

Hey there,
Keep the faith...........first 2 wks are really difficult. After that PT starts to loosen that joint and it will start to bend. I had 4 major surgeries on my right knee prior to TKR. I had a lot of scar tissue, and needed some clean up in there with TKR. I'm 5 wks out and finally feeling like it's probably all going to be ok. Working very hard to get it to bend and get it to staighten out. You will get there. Keep up with this site. It's helped me sooooo much. You are not alone. Claire " Midwife"

 

[RestAssured]

Zumba,

I have been through inpatient rehab 3 times and outpatient rehab 4 times! Please do not let then force the leg! I had that done ONE time and it was a total surprise! The PT was sitting on the edge of my table while my knee was slightly bent. She was talking to another PT across from her when she suddenly "proceeded" to slam all of her body weight into my 2 week old leg! I screamed, and reached up and slapped the back of her head! She screamed that hurt! I said, "So did mine!" Last time I went to that Physical Therapy place!

 

[zumbaGirl]

Update everyone. It is hard to see and respond to everything via my phone. I have read everything though. My follow up appt sucked. Never saw surgeon but saw his pa. Never checked bend. Just looked at how NOT straight my knee is and said if I don't work hard to get it straight and bent I will have to go back under and have manipulation done. Wouldn't give me another script for Percocet and told me he'd see me in three weeks. Went to family doc and she wouldn't give me my script till Monday and threw a fit cause Ortho upped my dose and it should have gone through her. Ughh so now I only have a few oxy ir left till Monday and hoping Incan stretch out. PT is same and my
Bend goes from 74-86 degrees and I cried again yesterday. They stress stretch stretch and to relax. My whole body tenses up when trying to bend it. Ya think?? They have me laying on belly with legs hanging off table to get it straight and I'm on bike and can't do a revolution. I am beyond frustrated and I know everyone says time and patience but I'm wearing down fast. It's so tight and my muscles are weak and still spasm. I rest ice elevate etc. hope the rest of you are doing well

 

[robynhood]

Zumbagirl. I feel your pain and stress. Its very hard to do certain exercises when it is just so painful. Is your knee still swollen. That will definitely not help. My OS did not check my ROM either at my six week check which I thought was awful. They put such importance on it during recovery and then do not think to check it to see if you are healing properly. I am still having problems with ROM at over six months post op because of lack of physio in the early weeks. I did do some at home but to be honest unless youre supervised you do the bare minimum. I did anyway and am paying for it now. I hope your meds last because you really do need those and good luck with your physio. All other aspects of my recovery are brilliant and I am definitely feeling the benefits now.

 

[RestAssured]

Zumbagirl,

May 9th was your surgery and they are treating you like this???!!!!! I would put a call in pronto to my OS's office and tell them I NEED pain meds! As for PT, what are they doing to you? Gentle knee bends to the point of discomfort, not pain! By the way, you CAN REFUSE to have an MUA! It is your body and you are paying each of these people to take care of you, and to be respectful to you! Don't let them scare you with their tactics! Elevate, Ice, call OS for more pain meds and rest for the rest of the week if you can. You have a knee that has been sawed apart and is very angry right now, because it is trying to heal and no one is letting it do its job. The knee is the BOSS for a while during recovery, so be gentle with it, and it will thank you.

 

[saultlooser]

Hi zumbagirl,
I had my surgery same day as you. I am really sorry that you are having such a hard time. I also am having some incredible challenges and had sort of decided I wasn't going to go on the forum for a while until I can figure things out because I am at such a loss right now. So thank you for reminding me I am not alone on this difficult journey. My pain meds made me sick to,the point I developed severe gastritis and couldn't eat or drink without vomiting. I was on tramadol/cet 2 every 4 hours. Saw OS yesterday, showed him that my ROM is at 100 and he is still not happy. He has changed my meds to a slow release type of tramadol. Took my first one yesterday and I certainly feel my leg a lot more so now I'm not sure how PT will go but at least my stomach is getting a rest. Sorry, didn't mean to lay my whole story down here but let's just say its been a rough week to say the least. So I am really hoping things improve for both of us and we can celebrate.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

The arrogance of orthopeadic surgeons is beyond legend.

You saw a PA? Here in UK that means Personal Assistant, basically a secretary with no medical qualifications whatsoever. I'd make sure that the insurer who's paying the bill knows that you didn't see the doctor!

You need to have your painkillers correctly prescribed and delivered, make noise until they do. At least the doc raised the dose, good fellow.

They stress stretch stretch and to relax. My whole body tenses up when trying to bend it.

Don't let them hurt you -- you are tensing up in reaction to pain or it's prospect -- no! no!

hey have me laying on belly with legs hanging off table to get it straight

Idiots. See my exercise thread for perfectly adequate extension stretches. Lots of pain-free stretching is MUCH better than a big attack in PT.

and I'm on bike and can't do a revolution.

Rock back and forth, it's an excellent stretch.

DO NOT WORRY. It's early days yet and you will improve.

 

[zumbaGirl]

Ok I am trying to get on laptop to respond to all these but in mean time I need a questioned answered or some advice on what it may be. The last two days I've noticed this muscle spasm type thing in/ around groin area. Ok only way to describe is one of those vibrating massagers you can get for your muscles. It would be like setting it on my inner thigh and turning it on and feeling the shaking buzzing. It comes and goes but annoying. Been having some swelling issues now right below knee and been wearing compression. Some pain on inner knee and now outer. Pt was not Good Friday. I got to 95 degrees Wednesday but Friday was back down. It's so tight :( 6w follow up Thursday and nervous. But this buzzing sensation in groin is worrying me

 

[zumbaGirl]

I check here every day to see what's goin on. I'm so scared and starting to worry. My poor knee just won't bend and although its not huge it is swollen. Anybody that can help on the above last post of mine please do. I hate I haven't responded to more but it's hard on my phone. Thank you all in advance.

 

[zumbaGirl]

Also wondering what this feeling in calf is. Almost like little muscle spasms or something moving around down there. No pain just annoying and can feel it spasm and move?

 

[RestAssured]

Are you icing and elevating? Tightness can be swelling from the tissues within, and it is explained as tightness. I had that, and the OS said to elevate and get ice on it! It helped a lot! Keep in touch! Sometimes when you don't get answers, it's not because people don't care, it's just they haven't experienced it. Have you called your OS? Maybe he will have some ideas as well.

 

[zumbaGirl]

Thank you and yes I am icing and elevating. PT even told
Me last Friday to go home and do nothing but keep it elevated and iced. It was swelling and also in calf. No pain in calf just fluid. So wearing my compression hose. Called Ortho several times and no response. Left message yesterday am no call. Called today and got same story. They are busy and the message is in. When I explained swelling I got the whole, well a TKR can swell up to a year. Ok I get that but it won't bend. I explained PT was on 5 th week and only at 95 but Friday it dropped bad. She said well PT will push you to bend it like their supposed to. I said ya but I can't move for two days after and that's not right. This was my surgeons secretary. Still no call. I still have the muscle spasm feeling incalf like something jumping around in calf and that vibration in groin. Whatever it is. Frustrated And ready to throw in towel. Been crying for two hours.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

She said well PT will push you to bend it like their supposed to. I said ya but I can't move for two days after and that's not right.

Correct it's not right, don't do anything that causes a reaction the next day (obv you can't tell the first time, but don't do it twice!)

Don't put pressure on yourself. It's really common to have all sorts of bizarre bodily reactions to the stress, I had all sorts. It will go away. Like what I always say, relax and watch telly. I found a couple of pints of red wine eased the tension, but that might not suit you. Chocolate, maybe?

 

[SadKnee]

ZumbaGirl, listen to Roy he is offering good advice. Take a break from PT, ice and elevate and do something to treat yourself! You have done all you can do. You are making progress! I have been where you are and it will get better but it does get overwhelming! I cried many times .

Do less in PT and you will gain more. Take care!

 

[zumbaGirl]

Yep been relaxing and tv all day. Other than throwing dinner in crockpot. I do need to run to store but that's it. Then back to r&r. The wine sounds great but I don't wanna mix it with my meds lol. Chocolate now I do have that lol thank you for all the help

 

[RestAssured]

Throwing dinner in the crockpot? Running to the store? Zumbagirl, have you thought about how much you might be doing? Driving? Sitting with leg hanging down? Can anyone in your family doing the shopping, cooking etc. for a few days? You need to rest and elevate.

 

[zumbaGirl]

Throwing dinner in the crockpot? Running to the store? Zumbagirl, have you thought about how much you might be doing? Driving? Sitting with leg hanging down? Can anyone in your family doing the shopping, cooking etc. for a few days? You need to rest and elevate.

It's just me and my little one. I stayed with parents for a month and towards end I got the feeling that it was time to go. That they thought I should be farther along than I was. I came home and Yes it's harder than I thought. For most part, I sit on couch with leg elevated an ice. My 7 hr old has even run the cleaner for me. She's a help. But we need to eat and can't afford to order out all the time. All I have is my parents because everyone that said they would help didn't. I'm a single mom so it's def a chore at times.

As far as sitting with leg down, it's to stretch my quad and gain rom. I am supposed to do that 3 times a day with heat on my quad not joint. It does help stretch and then I have to lay on stomach with legs off bed with knees over edge to straighten. This is per Ortho and PT. I have toned it down a lot and basically haven't had any rigorous PT since Friday. I go today at 830am.

 

[Lanie]

zumbagirl, I went to a very aggressive pt after my 1st RTKR and I lasted about 2 weeks. The breaking point was sitting in a...I think they called it a ortho chair??? It was high off the ground and you would put your foot under a cushioned bar and lift the leg with a 5 pound weight on my ankle!!!! I lasted maybe 8 minutes with tears rolling down my face. I left and called several physical therapy places and asked questions about their methods until I found the one. I do isometric exercises , recumbent bike, treadmill for now. I always leave feeling better than when I got there!!! The pt I use was over pt in an orthopedic hospital..She understands...I call her when I have questions about soreness and swelling. She said the best thing for me to do right now is walk and that will reduce the swelling and also ice and elevate. So I just walk around the house and then ice and elevate. I hope your pt gets better..If you were in Texas I would come and help you. I feel your pain in the words you wrote. I am so sorry you are being treated this way.

 

[zumbaGirl]

Oh goodness.. I can relate to the tears rolling down. In the beginning it was just gentle stretches but then they pushed right into the ROM exercises. Usually for that she would start by massaging the knee/calf area and stretching it by putting my leg on her shoulder and then we would drop it down off the table and she would kind of grab my knee and pull towards her and then start pushing back. I had a major problem with my quads and a knot in my glute area. My IT band was all messed up so the minute I would sit straight up on the table to hang my leg off and have her do her thing, I would shift to the right. She had me take both arms and put them to the left of me so she could get a better stretch. That was the time I started bawling. I think the whole place heard me. I would literally roll over and cry and tell her to stop. When we got to 95 last Wed, I was beyond happy but by Friday I was back down lower. She told me to go home and stretch and keep it elevated and iced. My problem is when I get up to move, it starts to swell and it was swelling so bad in my shin area that when she would push on it it would leave indents. I started wearing my compression hose. I get these weird sensations in my calf like something is in there crawling around.. almost like a spasm and it drives me insane. I can't possibly just sit all day with it up. I have a daughter full time and she's only 7. She does help me get my ice and my heat for my quad. It's almost like there is a band around my knee and when it gets to a certain point it just locks up tight. I rock back and forth, stretch etc but it won't give. They (including the ortho dept) that never calls me back, keeps telling me it's normal and that the purpose of PT is for them to Push me and push through it to get it to bend. I swear if I push any further it's going to snap in half. A family friend had his done the same day, different surgeon and he is at 128 degrees and walking daily around the block. I know everyone heals different but my goodness. I don't know what I would do with that feeling releasing. I hope and pray today is a better day in PT land. I also get on the bike to stretch and that is even enough to send me over the edge. I demand answers from my follow up Thursday and yes, I wish I was closer to someone that understood me. That's so nice of you.. Thank you!

 

[Lanie]

Zumbagirl , you are in my prayers. I was a single mom with 2 little boys and no child support, family support etc. You know it it so very tough and I was also isolated..seems like I just went to work, came home, but thank God my knees were good back then! I don't know how you do it. With all the yanking around that pt is doing to you...it can't be good for getting better! Can you seek out a different physical therapy place?