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

Bilateral TKR with scar tissue in one kne

Posted , 5 users are following.

patty62273
patty62273

Hello, it will be a year on June 7 that I had both knees replaced.  One knee has done very well.  The other knee has the same bend but  there is scar tissue that almost feels like a tight hot wire wrapped around my knee.  My surgeon keeps saying, give it time. I don't understand how one leg did great, and the other didn't. Has any one had trouble with scar tissue that eventually did go away. I am right at a year!  This is getting old.  My doctor also said that out of the 6,000 keen replacements he has done, he has only had to remove scar tissue from 24.  Thanks for any info you can give. 

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Nance133
    Nance133 patty62273

    Posted

    Hi. I had bilateral tkr in January and am having the same issue. I did have a manipulation last week and it did help. Bending has improved but like you  I feel like there is a tightly wound band around that knee. This inhibits by walking - I walk very slowly. My other knee is doing fine but is affected by the bad one  I am hoping for some improvement soon. It’s getting old. I’m also looking for some info.

    thanks!

  • laurel65763
    laurel65763 patty62273

    Posted

    My PT used a Gua Sha tool with magnesium lotion 2X weekly and I saw a massage therapist specializing in sports massage once weekly for 8 weeks. I also used an S hook with knobs on it to break up scar tissue in between appointments. I had a lot of scar tissue due to arthrofibrosis from an allergy to one of the components used in LTKR. My knee was bent at -45 and it took three months to break up the scar tissue enough for me to start walking with crutches. It's been a year since LTKR and I am  down to walking with one crutch to support the right knee which needs to be replaced. Because I spent almost ten months in a wheelchair with a leg bent due to scar tissue, now that my leg is straight and I have 125 bend, I am walking for an hour in a pool twice weekly to increase range of motion and build up muscle before the next surgery. Walking in the pool takes weight off my right knee. I have noticed significant improvement and hardly have the tight band feeling that inhibited my range of motion. The other day I saw a man walking backwards in the pool, when I tried it I discovered it uses a different set of leg/knee muscles that need rebuilding. So I am adding that into my program. Sounds like you are already way ahead of where I was at 9-10 months so I hope this will help you too.

  • MAT2018
    MAT2018 patty62273

    Posted

    I had my TKR 19 Jan of this year.  I don't the hot wire feeling in my knee but I do know that I have to spend a lot of time really massaging around the scar or it feels tight and painful.  My PT folks also told me to spend time every day massaging the scar and really getting into that area.  If I miss a day it gets painful and I can't stand anything touching it.   

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.