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Back of knee pain after TKR

Posted , 54 users are following.

Jillystev3012
Jillystev3012

HI

i had a tkr on 12/01 and still have a lot of pain and taking my analgesia regularly. The pain is mainly in the back of my knee now when weight bearing and a little under my knee cap. I find it difficult walking downstairs leading with my non tkr leg but can go upstairs consecutively. Does anyone else suffer pain in back of knee, is this normal? I'm beginning to think my knee will never be normal again.I just want to wake up in the morning and find that all the pain's gone and i can walk normal.

3 likes, 56 replies

56 Replies

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  • tom809
    tom809 Jillystev3012

    Edited

    My surgery was 1/7/16 and I have all your symptoms: pain in the back, unable to go down statist when leading wig my good leg and one more-- severe pain over the lateral side of the knee (it primarily this pain that prevents going down stairs.
    • alice54552
      alice54552 tom809

      Posted

      My bilateral TKR was on 12/11/16.

      I get stiffness at the back of my legs mostly at night. I still take painkillers (NSADs)occasionally especially when travelling.

      I find it very hard to turn in bed, but have now accepted that I will have to live with these nagging pains.

    • steve47006
      steve47006 alice54552

      Edited

      I think I've been very lucky , reading people's experiences, I'm now 19 weeks post op, pain free and back at work ( postman ), also going to the gym 3 nights per week. Not pushing the legs too much, but doing well.

      Get the occasional bad nights sleep but generally ok.

  • Annibgood
    Annibgood Jillystev3012

    Edited

    Hi Jilly

    Recovery from this op takes much longer than you think. I only found that out myself on this forum.

    Patience is the key word here. You will not get better quickly, unless your very very lucky.

    Stretching, icing and hydration are all necessary, just dont overdo it, or you will learn the hard way ( as I did!) that you will set yourself back.

    You will find loads of help on this forum, some will be of use to you and some not, but you can have a good moan/rant and one of us will reply to you and try and talk you through it.

    I'm 11 weeks post op and still take painkillers to function properly, and have trouble sleeping, but this seems normal from what I read here

    We have all felt as you do now at some stage.

    You will get there.

    Ann

    Ireland

    • Evg
      Evg Annibgood

      Posted

      Hi...I had a successful TKR this past June, 2017. PT went perfect. I have a trainer at the gym helping me with strength, insurance, flexibility. Non of the exercises are hurting...I'm sore after, but a good kind of sore. What bothers me is walking, of all things. I'll walk a block and the back of upper leg and inner thigh really hurt. Stretching helps.  I want to be to walk and hike soon!

    • susan25904
      susan25904 Annibgood

      Posted

      can anybody help? im 3 weeks out post op but everyone doing better than me in PT . i have a 3 in long hard band or lump behind knee killing me ! painkillers dont touch it. i thought was bakers cyst but doc says those all fixed in the surg, i cannot do anything because of IT , not the pain from surg please help if anyone knows what it is or what to do! thankyou so much 24 hr pain!

    • candice56698
      candice56698 susan25904

      Posted

      any luck with this? my mom is 5 weeks out and still having bad pain in the back of her knee. dr said it was a tendon. its not getting much better though. any advice would be appreciated.

  • patsyrose
    patsyrose Jillystev3012

    Posted

    My chronic pain is at the base of the knee-cap, and has always been with this second TKR.  The back of the knee is tight though and I can no longer straighten my leg.
  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 Jillystev3012

    Edited

    Pain in the back of my knee is what started all my knee troubles! Eight years and two TKRs later I FINALLY seem to have finished that agonizing chapter of my life!

    My physical therapist helped A LOT! One thing she said was that hamstrings can cause lots of pain IF they aren't slowly and properly stretched. Compensating for painful knees often causes us to walk with bent knees to relieve the BONE-ON-BONE pain. This bent knee method shortens the hamstrings which then can begin to hurt. We need to do many careful and slow stretches throughout the day to help prevent this.

    She also suggested putting my legs on an ottoman and increasing the amount of time a little bit each day. At first I couldn't stand stretching out my legs for longer than a couple minutes at a time! While your legs are stretched out, engage your quad muscles in your thigh. Hold the position for a count of ten, and then release. This helps get the muscles working FOR YOU! Straighten your legs as much as you can as you are working those quads.

    If it hurts, STOP! Wait awhile and try again.

    I continually remind mysf that my knees didn't get in a bad way overnight. Progress won't happen overnight either. Be patient. It will come.

    I do this every time I sit where I can put my feet up. It has helped me very much. Doing this often has virtually eliminated the PAIN in the back of my knees.

    I hope this will help you, too!

    • WilmaSmi
      WilmaSmi cheryl90571

      Posted

      Good advice, I had my TKR a week ago and no problem going up or down stairs, BUT hell with my harmstring!

      Hope you had a full recovery.

      Regards

      Wilma

    • joan99539
      joan99539 cheryl90571

      Posted

      I'm curious  if the pain you feel is similar to mine. I feel a terrible pinching  which feels like tendonitis in the back of my leg., it occurs when I try to bend knee  with heel going towards my butt

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 WilmaSmi

      Posted

      Hi!

      Sorry I did not find your reply until now!

      Yes, I am doing GREAT!😁

      Stretching, stretching, stretching seems to be the key to strengthen and lengthen those hamstrings. I was surprised when my physical therapist was able to help me solve a problem that had plagued me for so long just by STRETCHING!

      I hope you are feeling much better now! ??

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 joan99539

      Posted

      Hi Joan!

      The pain felt like I had guitar strings in the back of my knee that would suddenly all become misaligned and would cut into one another, causing a sudden and sharp PAIN. It wasn't constant pain, fortunately, but the randomness of it was pretty scary. I never knew when it would happen. Also, AFTERWARDS the back of my leg could take HOURS to feel better again.

      The stretches my physical therapist showed me have continued to help me keep my hamstrings stretched and pain-free.

      Have you tried standing at your kitchen sink and holding onto the counter then gently and gradually lifting both legs to stand on the balls of your feet? I do this often which is another good stretch.

    • WilmaSmi
      WilmaSmi cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl,

      THAnks for your response. I went in for manipulation of the knee under anaesthetics 4 days ago felt positive and since yesterday really battling and seems that my range of motion is back where it was. Appreciate your advice, will stretch more.

      Regards

      Wilma

    • WilmaSmi
      WilmaSmi joan99539

      Edited

      Hi Joan,

      Yes, experience the same. Will definitely stretch more, Cheryl190571 advice stretches and more stretches. I must admit definitely seems to "release" the tense feeling of the muscles.

      I have ups and downs 7 weeks post op now and still do not have a day without pain. Going for Aquatherapy 3 times a week. 

      But feel more positive when I read all the comments in the forum. 

      Take care.

      Regards

      Wilma

    • woodie01
      woodie01 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Chery190571

      Another but similar exercise is to lean on the leg effected and slowly rise up-count to five -ten times. Repeat two more reps of 10 each.

      9 weeks from tkr and still have pain and hard time sleeping. 

      Good luck.

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 woodie01

      Posted

      Thanks, Woodie! Will definitely try that one!♥️

      I hope you feel much better very soon!

    • terry73710
      terry73710 WilmaSmi

      Posted

      I had tkr may 31st. its been terrible experience.i had major issue with scar tissue. never missed physical therapy and even had to have procedure to break scar tissue. didnt last but a week. limited motion now and have started to have pain behind the knee. not sure what to do. was stretching the only thing that worked for you

       

    • alice54552
      alice54552 cheryl90571

      Posted

      This is very encouraging. I will make it a habit of stretching my legs while seated.
    • a77621
      a77621 cheryl90571

      Posted

      OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! I can't believe I have found someone with similar if not the EXACT same issue as mine. 4 Years post TOTAL knee replacement done at same time, was having some swelling of the left knee (knee most damaged) but thinking replacement would solve issues, Well-NOT. nothing but swelling to bad I could not bend my knee therefore making simple exercises difficult and making my knee become even more stiff to bend as time went and continues. Now suddenly having a pulling pain on back side of left knee from mid calf to mid thigh, went to physical medicine doctor telling me after MRI it's one of my back discs, had pain block/cortisone/steroid shot to NO avail. return to doctor and dr. recommending ANOTHER back shot. all the while i keep telling them i believe wholeheartedly this is a result of my knee surgery which of course my ortho doctor wont admit. I am soo soo sick and tired of being sickly tired of the pain. I will be trying this exercise and maybe find a good trainer at a gym who has experience to help me out. at points like these i REGRET surgery and feel like quitting my job, but i WON't. thank you for listening.

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