Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my post, I cannot believe how my attitude has changed last week was one of the worst of my 6 weeks but reading comments and knowing I am not the only one going through this , this week I feel like a new person, yes I do ache, yes my knee is still tight, and still little sleep , but change of attitude has done me the world of good, thanks everyone. Don't struggle with the pain, talk to someone, sort out your med and be positive, it's going to be a better quality of life, good luck everyone
Hi chris next week its exactly 1 yr since I had my TNR at the time I wondered what the hell I had done the pain and swelling was horrific!!! Now I dont regret it at all. I have some ankle pain only at night due to shorter tendons but I can walk pain free for miles!!! In fact I have no knee pain at all its all gone back to normal such so that if I needed the other knee replacing I wouldnt hesitate at all. Good luck with yours and keep on takin the pain killers lol x x
Hi Chris, I'm 7 weeks post op and I know exactly where you're coming from, I'm on a downer today, the pain I've got is as though I've just had the surgery.
I have been told by my consultant that I'm going to need an MUA because my bend was at 110 and over the last few days it's gone back to 90, I'm so disappointed because I exercise 4 times a day and rest and ice it after each session, I'm also back on pain relief 4x daily after I had managed to get down to 2x daily, I hope things keep improving in the right direction for you x
Hi ,
My tkr was 11/16/15. I know what you mean about being down. I have consented to have the MUA. I was making progress for the first 6 weeks, and then I started having a different kind of pain, and just came to a standstill with my ROM. It is at the most 102, and that is after about an hour of therapy. I can't use ice packs anymore, because it makes my pain worse. I have the tightness and the pins and needles pain. The dr is convinced it is scar tissue and I hope he is right. I've thought about the MUA for over a month. I'm desperate for some relief, as I cannot have any peace the way I am. I can't even sit through a 1 hour church service. Everyone who reads this please pray for me on March 9th when I have my MUA. I'll be praying for all of you who are also suffering.
I am in a similar situation. I am 9 weeks and stuck at 90 degrees. I was down to 1 pain pill per day and back up to 2 or 3. I go in on Tuesday to discuss MUA. The thought of it makes me sick. Good luck to you!
Hi Shannon
What sort of pain are you having? Mine is much different now than it was 5 or 6 weeks after surgery. I have some puffiness just to the left of my kneecap. When i put any thing, even a blanket on it, it hurts. When I tap lightly with my finger on the inside of my knee, I feel a shock on the other side. Is that not strange?
stop worrying about your bend. Use heat. Not the packs you buy over the counter, but something more substantive like a wheatie. Put them in the microwave (no more than 3 minutes). Much better than hot water bottles as doesn't go clammy cold. The tightness will ease the more you exercise. When you had your operation and before you came round, the surgeon would have bent your knee right to your backside and straight again. This is all they will do with the MUA. Bending your knee will stretch the scar external as well as the internal scar. The longer you do not stretch the more the scar will stop you from bending . You don't mention meds. Take them, being in pain is stopping you exercising. Don't be in a rush.
Hi sueisobel
I'm taking 50 mg tramadol and Tylenol morning and noon, and 5/325 norco around dinner time. I've had to be skimpy with my pain meds. My surgeon has given me very little meds, and I've had to get them from my family dr. Do you think the MUA would be a mistake?
Betty
I just have an overall soreness after being on my feet for a while & I swell up after being on my feet or PT. Icing helps, so I ice a few times a day. I went back to work a few weeks ago & I am on my feet all day for work, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I feel like some of the feeling is coming back after being swollen for so long. I find out Tuesday if I ned MUA. Best of luck on the 9th, I know that is a big decision. Did your Dr say how successful MUA is?
It is not my plan to say whether or not it is a mistake, but there seems to be a lot of pressure to get X amount of bend in a short amount of time. Everyone one heals differently, the same goes for the bend. Yes there are people who need it but,all they do is either under full or partial anaesthetic fully bend your knee. Who is to say that left to your own devices you can get there on your own. When you have the operation the surgeon knows that your knee can bend to its full potential. It is done whilst your body is relaxed and you feel no pain, no matter what he/she puts your knee through. If you control the pain and work on your muscles, stretch those poor tendons and you will get there. There are a lot of people on here that swear by the MUA. Think of marmite and you get my drift! It does take thought, but if you take the pressure off yourself to get the "right" degree of bend, you will get there under your own steam. The surgeon, after you are discharged, will not prescribe medication. That comes under the domain of your GP. What country are you in? Can I assume you are in the US?
Sue
If you are on your feet for periods of time, have you tried wearing compression tights, it might help with the swelling
He said some people don't see any improvement. He said it is usually those who start out after surgery with low pain tolerance, and don't make any progress in the beginning. I made a good start but then got to a point where I wasn't improving. I don't think any dr. will guarantee success. I guess you just have to be like me and think you can't go on the way you are. I can't even sit down to eat without being miserable. Bending my knee just enough to sit is misery.
Hi Sue
I'm in the US. As I told Shannon, the pain and discomfort is my reason for the MUA. I'm not really all that concerned with my bend. Thanks for al the encouragement you give everyone on this forum.
The reason I asked where you where was because here in the UK if you are paying a lot for your meds, there is a prescription service that you subscribe to annually . The savings are enormous as you pay a fixed fee and no matter how many drugs you are prescribed the price stays the same. Do you have that in the States. Do your local pharmacies stock TENS machines. These days they are so small and battery driven. I keep one device at work and when the pain reaches a particular level, I just stick it on and with who minutes the pain eases back to bearable levels. when I go to socialising, I am fussy where I sit. I know I won't be able to sit for long period of tie, so I ask for a small box under the table. Or there is an extra stool to rest my foot on. at work there is another box under my desk, so that when I am fed up with trying to bend my knee by hooking my good leg in front of the bad one and pushing back, it is nice to stretch it out, but at a level that is comfortable. When you sit to eat, give yourself the option of and extra chair. There are many ways to be creative. If pain hits you at specific times, think it through, even smart restaurants will go out of their way to help you enjoy your evening. Have you tried resting in a hit bath (use mineral salts in the water as well as your own smellies. The heat and weightless of the water, can bring so much relief. Try heat as a form of relief
Hi Betty
Do you have to pay for the MUA, or is it part of the replacement package (if you are not happy, we'll do an MUA for free)?is it the knee area where your knee cap is, or the back where the hamstrings are. If it's the front it could be the tendon holding your knee cap in place being a little tight, then as you go to sit it pulls on the cap. Don't forget, when they did your replacement the tendon and knee cap had to be moved or reattached. Tendons take a long time to heal. If it's your ligaments at the back of the knee, as you sit do they feel as if they are about to snap? Heat and massage might help + a little muscle rub ointment. Both pains are to do with bend. Sitting on a bike with the seat as high as comfortably possible and the gear at a light setting, with your bad foot just resting on the pedal , push off with your good leg. And cycle. If it is too painful either, raise the seat higher, or just do a half revolution, go up to the point where it starts to hurt, then pedal backward until you reach the pain, then start over. If you do this a few time, you should be able to do full revolutions. Do all this at a snails pace for a few minutes then change the gear up a notch. All this will take about 10 minutes. Take a breather, do a different exercise, then back on the bike. You should be able to start noticing a degree less pain as you go round. Don't change the settings for a while until you get used to going the full cycle, keeping the saddle at the same height change the gear up a notch and do 15 minute intervals. After a few days/sessions you will be able to lower the saddle to a more comfortable height. All the above is fine if you have a static bike. If you don't, lie on the bed, floor, sofa, with pillows under your head and just bend your knee to a point where it hurts a little and hold In that position by using your other leg as a stop. Hold it there for about 5/10 minutes, (this is where reading a book or watching tv comes in handy as you can then forget time, and you won't have to concentrate on your knee so much) then, with your good foot still in position, bend your knee some more and again hold it. Don't bend too much the first time round, but you can bend throughout the day, use the stairs (walk slowly down backwards a few times). It won't be long before the pain subsides and you can sit down comfortable again.
Hi bisutton,
It's a vicious circle that we are in, my day starts by doing stretches, then onto knee bends, then straightening, once I've straightened it seems as though my knee just doesn't want to bend at all, I've even tried doing straightening first then bends but I'm not having much luck.
I'm back to see my consultant 22nd March and if he says he'll do the MUA I'm going for it, anything to get rid of the feeling that my knee is going to explode, I'll be keeping everything crossed that after your MUA you are better than you are now.
Let me know how you get on xx
I have a friend who had a knee replacement 9 months ago, 3 month ago she ended up having the MUA done and she hasn't looked back since, she wishes she had agreed to it when her consultant suggested it, the difference it made is great she is back doing her line dancing which was a definite no no before.
Let me know what decision you come to, good luck with whatever you decide to do x
Thanks so much for your suggestions Sue. I don't have an exercise bike but I've been thinking about getting one. My pain is mostly on the outside, I think it's called the lateral side. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like a metal cap on the top of my kneecap, and a constant pulling when I sit. A stool for my foot to rest on doesn't help. I need the whole leg supported. When I do squats it pulls on the other side, not the lateral side. I'll try some of the things you suggested. Thanks again.
I'm still doing exercises also. I've kept up my therapy once a week since about the middle of Jan. I cut back from twice a week because I have to pay $40 each visit. I think my therapist is really good. She says no amount of therapy will break up the scar tissue. I keep trying to bend my knee further and it just won't go! I wish you luck with yours and I'll keep you posted.
Sue, I forgot to tell you, but I'm pretty sure my MUA will not be part of the package. But I do have insurance and I'll probably just have to pay my hospital outpatient co-pay. The pain meds I take are not expensive.