Avoiding a Manipulation Under Anesthesia

An orthopedic surgeon expects a reasonable bending and straightening of the knee after knee surgery. To avoid a Manipulation Under Anesthesia a patient must achieve at least 110º flexion and -5º extension. For most surgeons the window of time for an MUA is 12 weeks. As much as 25% of MUA patients require a second MUA.

Kathy: Avoiding a Manipulation after Knee Replacement

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan — Kathy has been an active golf and tennis player all of her life. Over the past few years knee pain took her out of the game. She received injections for a period of time, but it became apparent that she needed to have her knee replaced. She was very happy to have Dr. Perry Greene perform the surgery, and had expected to be back on the tennis courts within a few months of her surgery. Kathy got there, but it was a bit more difficult than she had anticipated. She spent considerable time avoiding a manipulation after knee surgery which was quite unexpected.

Knee Replacement Surgery

Kathy had a total knee replacement on her left knee. Post-surgery, after she was discharged from the hospital, Kathy tried a number of rehabilitation solutions including a fine Skilled Nursing Facility, none of which worked. She was particularly unimpressed with the in-patient facility. She spent only a few days there before she had “had enough.” Kathy’s range of motion suffered. Complications from knee scar tissue loomed in front of her. Things were not going well. In fact Kathy was headed for knee manipulation (manual bending of the knee under anesthesia to break up scar tissue). To watch a video of an MUA, click here.

Manipulation Under Anesthesia: How Bad is it?

Imagine that you have done everything right. From surgeon to hospital to rehab solution, you made smart choices and did what the experts said to do. You worked hard in therapy, endured the pain of PT, took your pain medication when things became challenging. And after all that work, a month to six weeks later you found that your ROM (range of motion) was below 100º and that you had stopped making progress. You found PT to be too painful to make real progress. Your body pushed back when your PT tried to help you make progress (See our blog article on Protective Muscle Guarding).

More Common a Procedure Than You May Think

This is what tens of thousands of knee replacement patients face each year. When the doctor and PT team are out of ideas, the hit the “reset button”, call for an MUA, and you start your rehab over again. Oftentimes it is not the fault of the patient. Given the traditional rehabilitation tools currently available in most clinics and in the home the pain of recovery can inhibit much needed progress in the immediate days and weeks post surgery. If that progress is retarded by pain, poor PT, lack of patient motivation, then a manipulation is a possibility.

And the culprit is the swelling around the joint which causes scar tissue.

Avoiding a Manipulation after Knee Replacement

The X10™ knee rehabilitation machine and therapy program made the difference for Kathy. She used the X10 knee rehabilitation machine in an outpatient setting to complete her rehab properly. Kathy quickly moved from 89º to 130º flexion with X10 Therapy, and is back playing the games she loves.

Watch the video interview of Kathy (at the top of this page) to hear the story from her perspective. She describes the gentleness of the machine, the steady, pain free progress she made each day, the fact that she was in control of the progress which helped her avoid the fear she had of PT with a therapist.

Kathy was close to needing a Manipulation Under Anesthesia. She found X10 at five weeks post surgery which was in time to help her get to proper range of motion. She got back to golf, back to tennis, back to her kids… and get back to her life.

Protective Muscle Guarding Blog

Dr. Erik Dolton, PhD, has spent considerable time studying the condition known as Protective Muscle Guarding. He says, “when the brain senses bony instability or tissue damage in-and-around the knee joint, information is compiled and ‘fast-tracked’ to the brain where a determination is made as to the degree of threat and appropriate response the situation demands. In common language when your P.T. pushes you in one direction and you push back… that is called “Guarding.”

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We have an extremely valuable (and free) resource for you if you are trying to avoid an MUA. Join Manipulation Under Anesthesia/Urgent Care on Facebook to begin working with others who are also trying to avoid the MUA.

To join click here or on the picture.

Knee Manipulation Under Anesthesia on Facebook

Our clinical team is ready to help you at any time with your knee surgery recovery. You can reach us with a phone call at 1-855-910-5633 or an email at info@x10therapy.com. To schedule a 15 minute call with us click on the Want to Learn More? image on this page.

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