Posted , 13 users are following.
Hi, it's now been 20 weeks since my tkr and my ROM is still only 78 deg. I had MUA 11 weeks ago and the surgeon said it was a success and the tight band below the knee disappeared. Within days the stiffness returned. I have done all the exercises and I'm now at my wits end wondering if it will ever improve. I went for my hospital check up 2 weeks ago and the surgeon said keep trying to bend it and he would see me in 6 months! Has anyone else had this problem?
1 like, 36 replies
sarah87162 patricia67962
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Hope this helps.
Take care and keep in touch
Sarah
patricia67962 sarah87162
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donna4434 patricia67962
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liz00723 patricia67962
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i got my TKR 26 October, 15 weeks ago and I never achieved a good bend, it was about 75 max. I ended up getting a MUA on 17 December and for me it was the best thing I did. It was not painful and I didn't even stay in overnight. Was driving the next day a couple of hundred miles, automTic car mind you.
my bend is now about 120 and improves all the time. Physio concentrates on getting the leg straight. Know walk without a stick and going upstairs is good, downstairs is harder. I can do it as long as there is a railing and I am not too tired, so not perfect.
If your vend is over 90 then it should in theory continue to improve, 90 is the magic number and if you get over this I would not have a MUA.
Nobody tells you how hard this is. I am normally very fit as I exercise regularly and m not overweight. I thought I would be leaping about immediately after getting out the hospital. How wrong were we.
yesterday my knee was red and hot. Apparently this is normal and sometimes we are doing too much. A doctor said 3-4 times a week is enough. I usually do every day, three times a day. Trying to cut back now.
Good ode luck and where would we be without this forum.
Liz
donna4434 liz00723
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patricia67962 liz00723
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liz00723 patricia67962
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My PT has concentrated on getting the leg straight as she says that is far more important and the bend will come. Well it is still not straight but a lot better than it was and without trying to push my leg back the bend has improved. I am guessing at the bend so possibly not correct and maybe I'm being optimistic. I bought a Goniometer, it's the gadget that measures the bend, and I think it is 115-120.
i do quite a few stretching the leg exercises and now do a few which are bending the leg. A good one is lying flat on the bed on your front and bending your legs back alternately.
i honestly feel I wouldn't be at this stage if it wasn't for the PT. She is fabulous. She worked with the British Olympic team for a long number of years so know what she is talking about. She thinks the PT I received at the hospital was a disgrace and did me more harm than good. I am very lucky as I live in Cyprus and the cost of an hour with the Physio is only €35 and well worth every cent.
i am still in pain at night, sleep is awful and I always end up in either another bed or downstairs on the sofa. I can't walk any distance, just going round a tiny Mall is too much and I so long just for a half hour walk along the seafront and that is totally beyond me at the moment.
this is a long hard struggle. Some things work for some and others just don't but the advice on here is so good and it is what has got me through the really dark times. For at least the first six weeks I was so emotional, I would burst into tears at the slightest thing. I didn't get enjoying Christmas properly with my family as I was still in a lot of pain and it all felt just too much. Living thousands of miles away from them and getting my op at the end of October I had honestly thought I would be playing with. Y grandchildren and thoroughly enjoying every moment with the family. I have three children and four grandchildren, two who are 7 and two who are 5. I don't see them all often enough and I think this was one of the biggest upsets for me. Couldn't even sit and enjoy a glass of wine with the family as I needed the strong painkillers.
i really wish in some ways that I had read the comments on this forum, but on the other hand if I had I would have probably run a mile, if I could have and said no way. looking forward to the time when I say I'm glad I got this done and though I have problems with the right knee, they are not so bad and I will stick with it for as long as possible.
We we will get there. I am positive of this because of the comments from others here. So many people have helped me and I honestly can't thank them enough. Next year at this time I hope we are all feeling positive and pain free.
good luck on your journey getting there.
Liz
bisutton patricia67962
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patricia67962 bisutton
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bisutton patricia67962
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patricia67962 bisutton
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patricia67962 liz00723
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I don't have a problem straightening my leg, it's just the bend. I do the exercise laying on the bed and bending my legs. I think the exercise bike has built the strength in my leg, although I can only do half turns. I have bought a Goniometer, someone said it wasn't a good idea but I only use it occasionally.
I have found the comments on this forum helpful, knowing I'm not the only one with problems and I hope I can say one day I'm glad I had it done.
liz00723 patricia67962
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xx
Annibgood patricia67962
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Just a quick one. On the exercise bike. Have you got the saddle up to the maximum heighth? It's far easier to make the turn if it is, as its a bit more of a stretch before the turn. First time I used it, I forgot and turned the pedal (really quickly) with my good leg. The blood curdling scream from me could be heard on the other side of the country
Never did it again!
patricia67962 Annibgood
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