12 weeks post op, 75 degrees with possible arthrofibrosis. Should I concider MUA ?
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Can anyone help? Maybe someone had a case with arthrofibrosis.
I am 30 years old. I had MCL and muscle tear. After surgery, my surgeon did not want me to bend leg for 6 weeks. I started rehab only 6 weeks after the surgery. Now I am 12 weeks post operation, I can bend only to 70 degrees after the therapy. The therapy is really painful, ( I lost my voice several times because of screaming) the lower pouch under patella is swollen and it is not fluid, it is hard. My therapist said that I have arthrofibrosis, plus I have a bad muscle atrophy. I can't sleep throughout the night, the leg gets stiff in the mornings, and during the cold weather. The therapist recommended today MUA or arthroscopy. She said that if I have not reached 90 degrees by this time I should consider MUA. She said that I most likely recover faster after MUA, otherwise the recovery will be long and painful. I don't know what to do. I have been depressed for the last month because of the lack of sleep/pain and starting to lose faith in the recovery. Should I consider MUA if I the therapy is so painful?
I will appreciate any advice.
0 likes, 2 replies
melissa77364 natalie12123
Posted
I don't know how old is this post. I had a MUA after only 4 weeks post op for a severe arthroscopic knee surgery. I could not bend my knee at all, but after mua can only achieve 80° bend on my own. I can't completely straighten it either. But it is much better than before the mua. I too have muscle atrophy. Physical Therapy is done daily to loosen the muscles and then do exercises to strengthen quads and hamstrings, but very slow progress. At times I just want to "clip" those muscles to release so I can bend my knee. Very frustrating. I try to stay positive, but times I think there is something going wrong.
natalie12123 melissa77364
Posted
It is being a while since I posted. It is 4 month and I still struggle with siffnes. I got to about 89 degrees post therapy but the knee swells up so much that in 15 minutes my degree goes to 85-80. In the morning it is stiff. The part below pattela is like a rock. The pain is 10/10 during the manual bending. I started working on my musicle building. Wall squats and walking up stair with bad leading leg seems to help. Before I was 0 degrees in extention, now it is +5. I started placing it on a pillow to let in hang so gravity will work. Not much progress so far. My straight leg raises have improved. Before I could not keep it straight. I started using a towel to keep the leg straigh while I flex my musicle. yestarday I got a electric muscle stimulator machine (the one that stings you with small electric shoks) I placed it about the patella and was flexing the muscle while the mashine shoked me (not painful). Surprasingly, it worked. I was able to raice the leg and keep it almost straight.
What do you do on your physical therapy? What is your progress now?
have you tried a hot bath to loosen up the scar tissue? I do not have only shower in my appartment so I do not know if it can help.
PS. I am frustrastrated also, staying positive is really hard now. It seems that both of us have developed a hude scar tissue that ristricts us from moving. When did you start your bending after the first surgery?