Operated leg is worse since MUA!

Posted , 10 users are following.

Hi. I've posted on here a few times before. I'm four months post TKR and due to restricted range of movement (about 70 degrees) my surgeon recommended that i undergo MUA under anaesthesia. I did this four weeks ago under local aneasthetic (spinal injection) and then 24 hours on a movement machine in hospital. Since then my operated leg has been more painful, stiffer and more swollen. I see a physiotherapist who gave me more exercises which I do provided I can take enough meds to bear the pain! Before the MUA, even though the range of movement was not what it might/should be, I could walk comfortably for at least an hour and suffer no pain. I know get pains in the new knee area and the whole things is stiffer than before. I've also lumbar spondylosis which doesn't help though I coped with this before the MUA. I'm disappointed and rather annoyed that I went through with the MUA and ended up like this. I can still walk but not as far as I did and the stiffness when I've been sitting for a while or first thing in the morning is worse. I take co-codamol to help me be able to do the exercises and massage the knee with cream twice per day and use ice packs. I am seeing my surgeon again in three weeks but I do not wish to go back into hospital again!! Anyone else had bad experiences following MUA? Cheers.

1 like, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • Posted

    Doing an MUA gives the medics that be an idea of your range of movement, they do it under anaesthetics as it is so painful.  Unfortunately, everything now has become rather raw.  Once the swelling goes down you will be able to move better, also the need to try and bend your knee will stretch the scar tissue.  The more it sets the harder it will to try and get back to "normal"  Take your pain meds to the max allowed; you can always drop back once the pain subsides. Remember, walking is an impact exercise, yes, obviously you have to walk, but perhaps concentrate more on exercises lying or sitting down.  You will come out the other side.  Try and stay positive
  • Posted

    I too have had an unsuccesful MUA.  My bend is less than begore it and leg is stiffer.  I keep on moving and dont know next move.  Physio is referring me to nhs consultant.

    carol, Scotland

  • Posted

    hi dode so sorry to hear your in so much pain i did have a MUA before i had revision mine was done through keyhole to cut scar tissue so the pain after was not that bad my bend before MUA was like yours 70% so sitting down comfortably was not happening after MUA bend improved for about 9-10wks and slowly it went back to 70%despite my hard physio i felt soo low after all the work i put in physio my physio was nearly sitting on my leg to get 80% and the pain i went through was unbearable  i eventualy had to have a revision nobody wanted to take me on ive had revision the bend is better and dose not receed to less bend and im 12mths post op after my revision i was told allighment was off so i feel i went through all that physio and MUA for nothing none of it would make one bit of difference my first knee was a failed knee !!! but it was like the elephant in the room no one would admit they made a baggs of my knee and i suffered as a result now my bend is 95%my straightening is a little off so ive a little limp and im still working on that its unfair what happened to you  as what happened to me really got me down for a long time now thank god im in a better place im not comepletely pain free but i can live with that and i now have a much better quality of life to you i would say dont let them fob you off and ask the consultant has the knee failed i doubht he would admit that it could of .dont give up till you get answers and i wish you the best of luck and remember there is hope though at the moment it seems unlikely  you will get your life back
    • Posted

      that should read you will get your life back
  • Posted

    Gosh that sounds awful. And rather frightening for me as I may need the same procedure. I am 2 months lost TKR and stuck at less than 70 ROM. Having a lot of PT and doing exercises at home. But I seem to be becoming more disabled and getting more pain. Hope things work out for you (and me).
  • Posted

    I am 9 weeks pos op and i dont no if mine has worked when i walk i can feel the knee presing against my skin and when i lift ot it really hurts dont no of any one else has had this happen to them x
    • Posted

      Try concentrating on your quad muscles. It is early days yet for you. Don't forget it is a foreign object inside you, so there will be a lot of "strange" sensations going on. The scarring will also be painful, not just the one you can see, but under the skin, everytime you walk, bend, you are stretching it, you need to do this, as well as massaging it.  There are quite a few scar specific creams out there + the goold old vitamin E oil.  Hopefully it will all settle down before to long, you just need (a lot) patience  
    • Posted

      Thankyou for your replie i do hope or settles down and yeah its early days xx
  • Posted

    Isn't this whole operation a nightmare! Like Linda, my new knee is misaligned. It's almost a year, & try as I might, I simply have to haul myself up any stairs with a bannister, or go up like a toddler, one step at a time. Going down is simply like a toddler. I can't walk more than 500 yards, & haven't been able to since the op. I wish I could turn the clock back, as I would have stayed with my bone-on-bone but bearable knees. I have just about 5 weeks to wait now, & then I'm back in (a different) hospital, where I too will have a revision. Out with the old (barely old!) & in with the new. For the past couple of weeks, I have tried telling myself it's bearable, I've been so scared. But it isn't. I need to at least try & get it sorted while I'm still young(ish) to cope with the brutality of the op! You need to ask for an ultra sound & then a long leg x-ray, to put your mind at rest that yours is OK. All the physio in the world wouldn't have put mine right but only "looking" inside the knee, gave the answers. It was actually a relief - those tears I very rarely shed before this op., were for a very good reason, as was the need for medication constantly. We are all told it can take up to a year for it to feel right, but some of us know our bodies, & our normal ability to bounce back.  Good luck! - Veronica
    • Posted

      veronica i did get long xray and ultra sound mri and bone density check and a few more tests all came back as no reason but i persisted its sickening that doctors dont take your word that something is wrong no one with a full brain would gladly go through this op again unless they were in pain and had no quality of life you go into that op and be confident it will improve your life you wont be sorry you took the only chance you have got mine was slow recovery due mainly to muscles shot from ops sooo close but you get over that and you sound like you have plenty of fight so good luck
  • Posted

    Hi Dode..so sorry to hear that ypu continue to have problems. I also had an MUA 3 weeks ago and altho the leg was very sore in the quads for at least two weeks. .it is now easier and i have been able to get the bend up to 110...from 65 before. The knee still gets very stiff and although it does bend when i try it certainly feels like won't. I have affeeling that this will be life for the foreseeable future as we struggle to get back to normal. I hope that your knee gets better for you and that you get your life back. I'm sure you'll agree. .i hate thinking about this knee 24/7 good thoughts Donna
  • Posted

    Thanks for all the supportive comments. Not so sure about shei1345 - sounds more like an advertisement for some sort of cream. Perhaps you should pay for advertising somewhere. I thought this was a forum where fellow sufferers share experiences, which 99% of the time they do! Back to those who empathise and whose comments I appreciate. My biggest disappointment is the pain I'm now getting in my operated leg, pain I had got through post-op and was happy despite the restricted range of movement. I'm obviously going to stick with the exercises/physio as much as I can but my meeting with my surgeon in three weeks' time will be interesting! Taking lots of meds like co-codamol and naproxen can make you feel rather unwell and tired so it is a bit of a cleft stick. Thanks again for the support. The comments are reassuring and I think generally this forum is superb. Kind regards to all and don't buy the cream!
    • Posted

      If it were me, I'd forget it. Sounds like a come on to me. Just MHO. Sorry you're in so much pain and I hope you get some answers. In the mean time, hand in there. If you feel like grousing, that's what we're here for. We've all had some kind of problems with our knees and know what we're all going through. Some more than others.  
    • Posted

      Hi all,

      I have deleted the spam/advertising comments in this thread. If you see anything suspicious like this please use the "Report" Link to alert me to the posts.

      Regards,

      Alan

    • Posted

      thanks dode sounds like good advice maybe i was hasty asking for more info on the cream. ive enough problems in life without being ripped off on c*ap
    • Posted

      Thanks. I see my surgeon in just over two weeks time so we'll see what he says. Meantime, onwards and upwards with meds and physio! Kind regards, Dode
    • Posted

      ...that should be hang in there.....

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