1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Knee Problems

13 Weeks Post-op

Posted , 5 users are following.

tneel317
tneel317

Hi family,

I am 13 weeks post-op TKR today and 6 weeks post-op MUA. I am getting down... I had a couple fairly good days and now the past 3 days have been awful. My knee feels like a brick and upon trying to bend and straighten back out, I have such pain underneath my kneecap. Maybe I'm doing too much? Sunday and yesterday I did do alot of walking. I have also yet to sleep through the night. Is this normal? My last visit, my surgeon gave me a cortisone shot to try and help with the pain underneath the kneecap. It hasn't helped. It caused me to feel like I had restless leg syndrome throughout my whole body which in turn he told me to take Benadryl for. I spoke with him this morning and he prescribed somethig for pain along with Ambien to help me sleep. He has told me to take 1 Ambien every night at 10;30pm. Has anyone else experienced this? I am still icing and elevating. Do you think heat would help as well?Currently I am at a minus 2 or 3 in extension and with flexion yesterday I was 90 on my own by sitting on the table and trying to bend it as much as I could, then doing wall slides I measured at 102.

Thank you in advance for any responses!

Take care. This journey has been an awful rollercoaster ride.

Tracie

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • E1960
    E1960 tneel317

    Posted

    Hello, I sure hope & pray everything will heal soon for you it sounds you have gone through much with your issues..

    I myself have not gone through any surgery nor they find anything in my knee to have surgery done, my knee has started i guess as a sprain 4 months ago & to date I am walking on egg shells using a walker to assist me getting around & in my mid 50'S it has been a challenge taking every step trying to avoid jabbing pains, tightness across the knee cap, feelings of a nail being driven into my knee, very weak knee & upper leg feeling of no strength etc... been very hard to say the least... I been told through xrays & mris & was told from ortho doc they founf nerves in my lower back is what is effecting my knee & leg issues so now going to a chiropracter next week to see if they are able to help me...been through something almost the same 6 years ago lasted about a year & had no problems walked fine then got hit with this again 4 months ago as a sprain then  everything rollercoasted down hill & has been tough ever since living life fragile with every step... just hanging in there with prayers dealing with it all best I can...hope you will be better soon my prayers go out to you for a full recovery my friend...God bless

    • lynn15111
      lynn15111 E1960

      Posted

      Have you tried a pain patch that has lidocaine and aspirin in it, or just a lotion that is liocaine?  They are very soothing.  Interesting discovery about the back issue being the cause of the problem.  Maybe go online and see what excersises you can do to strengthen your quad muscles areoung your knee.  Some are called heel slides, and also just tightening up the muscle(s)  above the knee for at least 10 counts, holding each time for 3 seconds.  Same thing for your gluts. (butt muscles) and also doing leg lifts.  If entire leg lifts are counter indicated for your back, put a rolled towel under your knee and lift just the lower leg.
    • E1960
      E1960 lynn15111

      Posted

      Well thank you for you're advice I will seek to find those patches, I see a family doctor first time tomorrow & will see if they can prescribe me those.

      I did try phyisical therapy & they have given me home exercizes to do though just been walking with my walker to get my exercize in. the therapist there was bending my leg too much & seem to add more pain to my problems so I stopped seeing him. thank's again for you're advice have a pleasant day...

    • lynn15111
      lynn15111 E1960

      Posted

      Get a different Therapist !  I did and it was a dramatic change from night to day.  A good one does not create pain or push too hard, since over doing it sets you back by creating too much inflammation and swelling.  Go to any drugstore or even full service grocery.  The patches are over the counter, no prescription necessary although prescription strength Lidocain will definately numb the skin, and more so than the drugstore OTC kind.
  • lynn15111
    lynn15111 tneel317

    Posted

    I've been wondering if I need MUA because I can only bend about 50, maybe 60 and I am now 3 weeks post op.  I see where lots of people refer to poor sleep quality.  I have alot of pain when doing the quad sets excercises, but never stopped to think why that is.  I did go on a site where they discussed problems that may arise from wrong part size, overcrowding the joint and many technical issues that could have been part of the TKR.  I also read wheere if they have to go in and open up the joint, that in addtion to cutting the scarr tissue,k they would do debridment like any cement used to set the parts may have sluffed off.  

    Here's what I know about sleep remedies.  Over the counter things like valarian root, or health food store type sleep aides that are a list of homeopathic herbs, alcohol before bedtime, all work.  But the latest I heard was a study done on Benedryl, (diphedrahydramine) which can be taken by itself or is included in products like Ecedrine PM or Niquil, if taken beyond a brief period causes, not might cause, CAUSES increase in altzhiemers.  This has to be made public and quickly.  I don't know if you could get this ingo from the FDA yet, but it was something I saw in a news update online.  This is huge.  On a bottle of benedryl it says do not take longer than 2 weeks.  But seriously, I now consider it something to avoid using altogether.  I have sleeping pills, I can't remember their name.  My dr. told me they can be habit forming, so take at the most 2 nights, then stop and wait a few nights before resuming.  Never to take them consistently or they will become addictive.  So do your own research and find out what is in Ambien.  If you have restless legs, there is a separate medicine for that.  I took it for awhile myself.  THe tip of your dr. giving you a cortisone shot under the knee cap, is something I may ask my  surgeon about.  They say there is a time for heat but not yet, at least not in the first month after TKR and probably not so soon after MUA, because it would increase swelling and inflammation, things you are restricting by using ice or hypothermia.  Hope that helps.  

    • Dcweather
      Dcweather lynn15111

      Posted

      I would ignore anything to do with homeopathy. It is now proven to have only a placebo effect, if any. Of course the mind in itself can convince the brain to produce natural pain killers so it is possible to have an effect if you believe in it enough!
  • tijim
    tijim tneel317

    Posted

    Hi Tracie .. I was 12wks post op and went out with my sister to a market it ended up been an 8hr day of walking and did I pay the price .. my knee flared up and now at 10.5mths I'm still paying for it!  Family couldn't understand why she had me out so long and we lost track of time as we were having such a great time.  So whenever I go for walks now I fully pay for it smile  Just take it easy and listen to your knee as it knows what's best. 

    Totally understand the rollercoaster bit, I feel on my new knee at 8 days post op was readmitted to hosp for 5 days observation totally tore all internal & external stitches from the lower knee down .. had to stop all exercises except straightening until it healed as dr didn't want to go back in and restitch due to high chance of infection... so he used steri strips and a battery operated bandage that pumped out all the excess blood etc... wore that for about 6wks and had to continue on injections during that time for blod clots.  Then the walking with my sister, no rehad or physio until 6mths when I got a hip bursitis due to doing alot of exercises but not enough quad ones.  Knee is still inflamed and full of fluid and stiffens easily but I'm happy with everything that has happened that I have a ROM of 110%.  See surgeon in a few weeks and see what he says as I need the other knee done too.  (was run over by a truck and totally stuffed both knees)

    Take care, Tracey

    • tneel317
      tneel317 tijim

      Posted

      Omg!! What a ride you have had! Thank you for your words. Yes, I believe I over did it with walking too much as well. I wish you the best at your appointment. Take care!
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.