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Crps after TKR

Posted , 6 users are following.

nicky14342
nicky14342

hi. Has anyone out there developed CRPS after a knee replacement?

1 like, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • jingle52
    jingle52 nicky14342

    Posted

    Yes I have cprs after my total knee replacement . Had op 04/08/15. Was diagnosed November 15.
    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 jingle52

      Posted

      If you don't mind telling me, what symptoms did you have and what is it like now?
    • jingle52
      jingle52 nicky14342

      Posted

      I still have cprs in my knee and I'm on quite a few painkillers and can't walk without my crutches. My knee replacement is fine and i haven't had any infection in my knee but my knee is swollen and very shiny. It's motley with different colours like blue, purple and goes very red and burning hot when it touches something it doesn't like. Sometimes it's a fabric or even a cream. Also it's numb in places and I get a sensation of pins and needles and sometimes it's stabbing pains. A few weeks ago some material touched it and I felt as though someone was putting electric wires on my knee as there was little electric shocks flying all over my knee then it was swollen and firery red and hot down my leg. Hope this helps. I've tried to explain all the symptoms I've felt but if need to ask me anything else I don't mind as there isn't a lot of info out there. I'm fortunate i have a great pain specialist and Physio. If you think you have this in your knee it is very rare and hard to diagnose as not a lot of Drs know about it.
    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 jingle52

      Posted

       I was at the physio today,she asked how I was doing. I said nothing worrying but that I had developed a patch of dark hair near my knee ( I had a revision TKR Dec 2015 ). Also it's hot and blotchy most of the time and still gives me a lot of pain. There some areas of numbness which prickle and burn. She mentioned CRPS and I have been doing some reading this afternoon. It appears that treatments for it are what I am already doing so I don't know whether to mention it to the GP.

      Thank you for your reply.

    • jingle52
      jingle52 nicky14342

      Posted

      My GP had heard of it but didn't know much about it so my pain specialist nurse gave me a booklet to give to her. Sounds as though you have some of my symptoms but can I ask if you do exercise at your Physio as mine has told me not to let anyone manipulate my knee or force it back as it makes cprs worse and I agree with that as I've been in agony. She also said now that I've got it I'll have it for life in various degrees. It will go into remission then flare up again. She's also advised me not to have an operation on any other joint in my body as the same thing would possibly happen. My physio is getting a lot of information from Australia as they are doing research into cprs. So when I go to see her ( Thursday) I have mirror therapy. The leaflet she also gave me was from Arthritis Research UK about CPRS . Statistics of getting CPRS is 26 out of 100000 and it's mainly in hands and wrists in knees it's much rarer.
    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 jingle52

      Posted

      Hi Jingle. Thanks for directing me to the Arthritis Research site,it gave me a good overview of the subject. I had been with the physio yesterday and,yes,she manipulated and forced my knee back to try and make my bend more than 90 degrees. Boy,did it hurt for the rest of the day! I won't let her do that again. I'm just wondering if I should show my GP. Regards.
    • jingle52
      jingle52 nicky14342

      Posted

      Hi Nicky my knee won't bend to 90 degrees and yes I know the pain when they try to force it back. It was my consultant who diagnosed my crps but as soon as i told my Physio what was diagnosed they stopped trying to force it to bend. I have a specialist Physio who deals with cprs and in the 12 years she's been doing it I'm only the 3rd person she's seen with crps in the knee. I would try your Dr or consultant to see if they think you have crps because if you have you may need specialised Physio. It's very hard to diagnose if they don't know about this condition so take some information with you and good luck. Let me know the outcome. I'm fortunate that i have a specialist Physio and pain nurse really understands this condition.
    • jingle52
      jingle52

      Posted

      Hi Nicky I have just come back from Physio and I said I had been in contact with you re CPRS and she did confirm that one of the symptoms can be a patch of dark hair near or on the skin which has CPRS. Just thought I'd let you know.
    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 jingle52

      Posted

      Thank you,Jingle,for thinking of me. I learned today that one of my work colleagues has the condition following a wrist fracture and she's been having a really hard time at work because it limits what she can do....we are both midwives and she can only work on the antenatal ward because there is a risk she may drop the babies!Another colleague has a son who is under Dr Helen Cohen at Stanmore Orthopaedic Hospital and she is an expert on the subject. I think I will make an appointment to see my GP. Watch this space!
    • jingle52
      jingle52 nicky14342

      Posted

      Hi Nicky in your job with CPRS in your knee it will be very difficult. My specialist pain nurse had it in her wrist and I've been told it happens mostly in wrists and hands. They have been discussing an injection in my knee but I'm hoping that the pregabalin I've just started taking will help with the pain. Let me know what the outcome is then at least I will know someone who understands the way I feel.
  • charlene61375
    charlene61375 nicky14342

    Posted

    Yes......I have CRPS. I am just on my thrid knee replacement . Thye just discovered I was allergic to Chromium and had to remove my knee replacement July 12/17 I have had a total of 3 knee replacement , two athroscopes , knee surgery to repiar ALC, MCL (which atarted this all) and a knee manipulation. Plus cortizone injections. 

    In June they discovered I had CRPS caused from so many traumas to my leg . then a week later they found out I was allergic to chromium and took out the 2nd knee and replaced it with titanium

    • nada67532
      nada67532 charlene61375

      Posted

      I would like to know how it was determined , that you were allergic to Chromium. If you could please tell me. 

      Thanks

  • robin93893
    robin93893 nicky14342

    Posted

    This quite an old thread but I guess that just shows how uncommon this is.

    I had a partial knee replacement just over six months ago (March 2017) and was diagnosed with CRPS in that knee by a physiotherapist a couple of days ago.

    The ROM has been stuck at about 90 degrees for three months or so, every time I tried to improve it (haven't tried for a few weeks now) the knee flared up, getting hot, red and painful.

    However for the past few weeks it's been like that much of the time even though I'm doing no exercises and the minimum of activity generally, hardly leaving home at all.

    Having done a fair bit of reading and thinking in the past couple of days I'm now convinced I've had it for many years, but it's been in remission much of the time, and relatively mild compared to many people including those in this thread. I first had surgery on that knee around 12 years ago and suffered for many months afterwards with symptoms very similar or identical to what I have now. Since then the knee has flared up on average a couple of times a year, taking several weeks each time to settle again. Since arthritis was found a year or so ago (the reason for the replacement) I assumed that was the cause, but I'm now thinking it was probably a combination of that and CRPS.

    I can only hope that, with suitable treatment, it will go into remission again, but from what I've read it's looking like I should give up any hopes of it going for good! sad

  • sue92393
    sue92393 nicky14342

    Posted

    Hi Nicky, I know this response was late but I wanted to share my experience regarding CPRS. I was diagnosed with it after a “simple” wrist fracture. My fingers swelled like sausages, my skin was excruciatingly hypersensitive, my hand and arm were hot and discolored and my fingers froze. After 6 months of PT I was released with about 75% movement in my fingers. Eventually , I became symptom free. It took about 3 years to get full range of motion in my fingers...the therapists said it would never happen. After many tears and years of forcing myself to bend, my fingers and wrist are symptom free. April 2017 I had a knee replacement. I have the same symptoms in my knee, but to a lesser extent. Everyday I push through the pain in the gym and force my leg to bend as much as I can on that particular day. I do feel my knee wanting to bend as I literally walk down a wall. Yes, I lay on my back and with socks on my feet, I walk down the wall, holding it for thirty seconds. I also bike and walk many miles per day. I currently live in China so walking is very good for the strength. I see my doc in July. Hang in there...I hope this helps.
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