Posted , 13 users are following.
I am three weeks post op from a right total knee replacement.
My knee is nowhere near straight and the pain is not subsiding. I am walking on one stick inside the house but have terrible lower back pain, something I didn't have before the op.
Has anyone else had this issue?
Thanks in advance.
Carol
0 likes, 47 replies
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denise19240 carol52828
Posted
I'm so sorry!! my knee is straight, but I was left with a drop foot, no feeling and severe right lower back/hip pain! I was given a nerve block in my key and a spinal. I think I have nerve damage from the block. I'm seeing a neurologist to figure out where the damage is and if its permanent. My back pain keeps me medicated and with next to no sleep!!
carol52828 denise19240
Posted
Sorry to hear that Denise hope you get some answers soon x
gillian65440 denise19240
Posted
Really sorry to hear that. I've learned a lot about other people are doing.
Yorkyrebel carol52828
Posted
I am 6 weeks post op from LTKR. My surgeon says he was able to straighten my leg during surgery (I had been walking with the knee bent inward due to OA damage and bone on bone). He thinks maybe straightening the leg might have changed my gait and that is causing the back pain. Sure hope time takes care of this!
carol52828 Yorkyrebel
Posted
Hello and thanks for your reply
I had the same issue, leg hasnt straightened for two years and like you the surgeon said he got it straight during the op but its bent again now about 25 degrees.
Hope you are on the mend soon
jamesAB Yorkyrebel
Posted
I also had my leg straightened at the time of the TKR . I have suffered pain, it seems under the knee cap, when putting weight on the leg since the op. last November and can only walk short distances indoors, using a Walker. Knee Surgeon said pain due to hip and sent me to hip Surgeon for hip replacement. Hip Surgeon found nothing wrong with hip and said he would tell GP and Knee Surgeon. That was on July 9th. Everything has gone very quiet......
jean02698 carol52828
Posted
i am at 8 months and the pain does get better. I suspected the back pain was due to my gait changing as i was favoring the new knee. For me stretching helps. i stand on the bottom stair and go up on my toes for 5 seconds and down for 20. i really push the down stretch. This helps. I need more surgery to realign my patella.
carol52828 jean02698
Posted
thank you Jean i will try this x
jamesAB jean02698
Posted
Pilates cured my servere back pain that surgeons couldn't do anything for, in a few weeks. After my TKR mild back pain due to sitting around for weeks (I couldn't do anything else) and stopping Pilates. Having restarted Pilates back pain has almost gone and general muscle strength much improved.
ddaapp carol52828
Posted
Hello, I am 14 weeks post TKR things will improve over time dont try to rush it. Your gait may be different now that may be the cause of the back pain, get your physiotherapist to check your hips are aligned now. I had back pain almost straight away after it was that my leg length was now 12mm different. A shoe lift has corrected that. Its a marathon not a sprint I was told by my surgeon, recovery takes some time. Good luck
carol52828 ddaapp
Posted
Thank you, seeing him tomorrow so will ask him to check.
CHICO_MARX carol52828
Posted
#3 will get your leg straight...
ROM Work at Home
See if any of this applies to you...(PS: I believe it does as we almost all had the same problem...)
Other Pain After a TKR
gillian65440 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Sorry, what does ROM stand for?
CHICO_MARX gillian65440
Posted
Range of Motion. The goal is 0 degrees straight and +120 flexion. I started PT at -14 / +84 and finished at 12 weeks with -1 / +123. It was hard, painful work but you need the flexion to do stairs again. Got stuck at -4 for weeks...frustrating until I broke through that scar tissue. It then gets a bit better as you do the muscle rebuild. Last check was 0 / +133. Very happy with those numbers.
gillian65440 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thank you. My numbers were pretty good, when I was reassessed six weeks after starting the weekly rehab sessions at the knee group of the hospital I'm under, but I don't remember them. They're written down in the letter to my GP reporting on my post op checkup. Not sure if they are still the same.
CHICO_MARX gillian65440
Posted
You may want to consider the ROM at Home link I posted above or check YouTube for some exercises. There's also a wooden/plastic appliance that you can buy to help with the heel slide exercise. No matter what you do, it's gotta get done. That scar tissue must be broken down in order to walk correctly and do stairs. Takes time, work and patience. Like the rest of us, you'll get there.
gillian65440 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thanks for this. I will give this serious thought. The hospital sent me home with a disc called an orthoglide for heel slides. This might be more effective.
CHICO_MARX gillian65440
Posted
I just put a plastic bag around my foot and held it on with a rubber band! You just have to have zero friction. The appliances are nice since you can mark your progress with a marker pen. Just make sure your heel glides and then put a belt or rope around your shin and pull...now just a tad more... This gets you your flexion back as do deep squats...lower...lower... Takes time and work. Just keep at it.
For me, I got one a TotalGym for $100 at a garage sale...$2,000 list...brand new on Facebook Marketplace. People are ALWAYS selling gym equipment that they no longer use. I still do deep squats on this almost every day...gotta keep the knee active...
carol52828 CHICO_MARX
Posted
many thanks for sending this over
jamesAB carol52828
Posted
Hmm, you could, of course "Rent-a-Rack" from The Tower of London! 😃