Posted , 8 users are following.
I'm 5 weeks post op. my knee wont bend nor straighten still. my pt thinks i may need another surgery where they go in and manipulate the joint. is this painful?
0 likes, 11 replies
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CHICO_MARX julie523
Posted
First of all, be patient and do the work. I started at at -14 / +84 and ended up at -1 / +123 after 12 weeks of PT. Got stuck at -4 for a while so advances, setbacks and plateaus are all part of the deal. Takes most people at least the first three months to achieve the target 0 / +120 or at least get close. MUA's are used on patients that cannot get close to even 90-degrees no matter what they do or how hard they work. The procedure is not rare but most people just don't need it. Try some of these at home... PS: #3 will absolutely straighten your leg...just make sure no one is in the house at the time and warn the neighbors not to call the police...
ROM at Home
Also, it sounds like your expectations may be set a bit too high. Typically, this is a year-long recovery...very few escape that scenario. Been on here almost 3 1/2 years and I can count those lucky bxxxxxds on one hand. Unrealistic expectations can really screw with your head. At 5 weeks, I was still drooling on my pajamas. Post this on your fridge...
Reality
...and don't forget your oars for the boat part...
brose361 julie523
Posted
I think your doctor may be referring to a MUA which stands for Manipulation Under Anesthesia. You may want to look it up to see who it entails. I am going to be having it done myself. I have heard some people write it is excruciatingly painful while others have written it is hardly painful. Hopefully someone will respond to let us both know. Good luck to you. What type of surgery was it that you had?
julie523 brose361
Posted
tkr
Chiva53 julie523
Posted
Hi Julie, I had TKR seventeen months ago. I still can't bend my knee. After ten months of therapy my therapist suggested I go see my Dr. He than said an MUA was the next thing. Eleven months later I had it done on a Thursday . When I came to the pain was pretty intense. Got some morphine for pain. Got home and pain was tolerable. By Saturday my knee was just aching. five months later I still can't bend my knee more than ninety degrees. Knee still gets swollen doesn't really hurt it's just annoying not being about to bend knee. Good luck.
martha08360 Chiva53
Posted
Chiva53, I am 17 months out also, and had MUA at 5 mths po, and may have to have another one.
martha08360 julie523
Posted
No, it is not... You are asleep. and the pain afterwards is nowhere near the pain you had after the TKR. So , have it done. But, be prepared to possibly having it again. There is a study done by an orthopaedic surgeon in Charlotte, NC, about why some people have scar tissue problems and some people dont. I think Im going to have to have it done again, but I, m ready for it....
julie523 martha08360
Posted
ty
martha08360 julie523
Posted
Forgot to mention, when I went to OR to have MUA, the surgeon COULD NOT bend my leg, so he went in with a scope and had to clean out the scar tissue. He said he couldn't even see my patella, there was so much scar tissue. So, I had more than a MUA. However, again, the pain wasn't that bad afterwards.
brose361 julie523
Posted
Anyone have MUA after patellar fracture surgery?
Dcweather julie523
Posted
What was it like before the op? The minimum expectation should be no worse really. The problem is that everybody is different. Chico can bang on about hard work and PT for a year as often as he likes but I did that with my first knee and after three years it is only 85 degrees bend but quite straight. It will work for some and not for others. The most sensible path seems to be as much exercises as you can do without causing pain or swelling. That will just set you back. The second knee, I did lots of exercises but sadly could never bend it enough to revolve a pedal on a static bike but could manage it on a small floor one sitting in a chair. After a year that one is at 95 degrees, both pretty much where they were a few weeks after the op despite all the effort. But they were less than that for ten years before and the surgeon and several PT's think that there will be limitations if ligaments and tendons have been set over the years. I've asked about MUA but was yold it was unlikely to make any difference in my case. It's not just the joint itself. Nevertheless I am still very happy with my now pain free knees.
tynetta09539 julie523
Posted
hello Julia.to answer ur question,yes! it's starting over with everything especially therapy!I have had it 3 times for scar tissue!! it kinda feels like u just had surgery all over again!I hope u get ROM & WON'T have to go through that! good luck