Inner knee very painful after partial knee replacement

Well now PT is telling me, because it’s the inside of the knee, it’s my lower back causing the pain.  Just went through 3 weeks of pt for the knee.  Now I have 2 more weeks pt for my back.     I have pt homework to do and I have to do so much that if I did as much as they said, I wouldn’t have a life.  One is laying on the bed many times a day on my stomach!  Good thing I don’t work, i’m retired.  I guess I should look for a bed everywhere I go.🤔. 

Yep, same with me.  Recovery is my full time job.  I’m retired, too!  I have had back pain, shin pain, hip pain, diverticulitis, lymph swelling, and now, because I have no gluteal muscle, butt pain!  I feel like it’s never going to end 🙄

How is your pt going?

Slowly. Two steps forward. One step back. Mainly because I also had ACL reconstruction. It’s a different ball game. I overdid it last weekend bec I read on a forum that after ACL surgery you should have total extension by three weeks. I didn’t. So, I basically hung over the bed with a 10 lb weight until I did! Oh, the pain 😢  I had full extension by Monday morning,  but my flexion was worse. I was at 121° on Fri. I could barely get to 115° Monday.  I’ve learned now to read the forums but take them with a grain of salt. Everyone progresses differently, and in my case I had, not only a PKR but ACL reconstruction. 

I’m in pain almost every night so sleep is not something I enjoy. I woke up at 4am this morning and promptly put ice on my knee, took Tylenol, read your post and will try to go back to sleep. I have admiration for anyone who does this surgery and goes back to work! I don’t think I could do it. 

I do all the exercises at PT then get warmth and ice plus massage of knee and TENS. I leave PT feeling great but gradually get tight once again, hours later. That night I always have trouble sleeping. Heck, every night I have trouble sleeping! 

Sorry to complain! I’m sure all this will pass but, boy, in the meantime, this is kicking my arse! How bout you?

Hi Rebecca 

Just like you I hate to complain. My husband is a saint, the only conversation seems to be about pain , recovery, sleep or in all cases lack of sleep!

Five weeks today on my second knee and it doesn't get any easier. I'm still making the same mistakes trying to hasten recovery. You would think I had learnt from my last one! But oh no. My brain seems to say get on the bike for twenty minutes and it will help, whereas ten minutes is probably enough and I'm now nursing a very hot painful knee.

i am completely shattered but dread going to bed at night. The best I can manage is two hours and then the pain wakes me up. Or, being a lady of a certain age hot sweats😬. At the moment I'm beginning to wonder how wise it was having the second knee done when the first wasn't completely healed.

I wish you a great recovery and sweet dreams if you get to sleep.

I had Makoplasty surgery 2/15/18.  If you look, that type of surgery you’ll see it’s done with a robot and a ct scan is taken a couple of weeks before so a custom prosthesis can be made for you and no ligaments, nerves, muscle, etc are touched.  I don’t know where the pain is coming from.  I can’t say it feels better than before, I think it’s worse after the surgery.  I was told it could take a year, everyone is different!  The pain Is so intense sometimes.  Did you go to pt?

This time I had a normal partial medial. The one last year was a Signature partial medial. Supposedly at that time the best. I had a CT scan and a model was made for precision placement.  On both knee operations I have religiously done PT. once a week with a therapist and at least three times a day on my own at home. I was determined to have a good outcome. I definitely have a good ROM the first knee measured yesterday is more than straight and bends to between 135 and 140. At ten months now but probably this at three months too. There is still some pain in the joint particularly if I touch it or lay on it.   My second knee is 5 weeks today, 5 th March so three weeks behind you! It is not a signature as my surgeon said he thought he could do a better job by eye. Once again the same amount of PT (no life😬 and yesterday was more than straight and measured 125 bend.

I am thrilled with the ROM but not the pain! This knee is much more flexible faster, but much more painful too. I diarised everything last time so I do have something to go on. Yesterday the PT said it was probably all the muscles hurting!! Not only that I said, the joint hurts-a lot😢. I can't sleep and that makes matters worse.

The pain medication makes me so sick I stopped it on Saturday so am also going through withdrawal at the moment, shivering, sweating, headaches and sickness. Just taking paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain and icing like mad. LOL not a jolly person to be around - my husband needs a medal. 

Going forward for me it is all about building up muscle so I can have a normal active life again. So, I have scheduled a whole series of PT at a rehabilitation gym starting next week, hopefully I will have more energy then. I can't bear the thought of going through this again so hope it lasts 25 years! By which time research might give us a better alternative.

Good luck with your recovery, keep in touch.

Tricia, is your pain constant or intermittent? Sharp pains or dull ache? The medial part of my knee is experiencing sharp, intermittent pain that continues 24 hrs a day. I’m a tad worried. 

Rebecca. The pain in my newer knee is both! But hopefully I have the answer for yours. I believe when I get the sharp intermittent pain it is the nerves recovering. It can happen any time of day or night and catches your breath. Pain killers don't help. Try massaging the area sometimes that helps. It does get less and less frequent.    I think the dull ache comes from either overuse or inactivity.  Or just the body adjusting to a foreign part and shouting. I can have a period of an hour not feeling any thing at all but then the ache comes and I don't know where to put my legs. 

I had another restless night last night when I was exhausted and fell asleep, to wake up an hour later and followed that pattern all night. 

I know it's still early days, I know what's to come, but it doesn't actually help. Today I am once again feeling very weepy (from someone who in normal life hardly ever cries!)

It is a tough road!

Tricia,

Is your pain worse when the PT pushes it? Overall knee pain I can take and, even push myself to better flexion.  But, feeling this knife-like pain when I try to flex more is way more than I can take.

Rebecca.   I think I must be lucky. My PT doesn't push me at all, it is certainly sore when I have to flex and hold while he measures my range. The rest of the session is teaching me new exercises to gain muscle, which I then do on my own. I am in the UK so maybe it is approached differently.  Here we have to be motivated and do everything yourself. Because of that,  tomorrow I have booked a session at a sports rehabilitation centre.  I will let you know if there are any repercussions 😬. We have very wet and damp weather here at the moment so my knees are aching a lot. Another poor night last night, I'm desparate for a good sleep. The summer can't come fast enough for me. Hopefully along with recovery.