Posted , 34 users are following.
Just hit 10 weeks after tkr. Swelling, pain and stiffness still present. Pain has migrated up thigh toward hip. Any suggestions?
4 likes, 47 replies
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guadalupe90641 emcvey93
Posted
It has been 4 months since my total knee relpacement. I have severe thigh and knee pain. My problem doesn't seem to get better. I have to take tramadol with celebrex to get thruogh the day. Doctor tells me it should be ok in 6 months. Im getting depressed. Too much pain
CHICO_MARX guadalupe90641
Posted
Your "depression" is a result of unrealistic expectations. Didn't you see the sign on the door to the operating room that said "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here for a TKR." No? Haven't read Dante's Inferno? Shoulda looked...
At four months, you're entering a transitional period from the max pain that went before and a more normal life that you can likely resume at 6 months. After attaining your ROM, you have to regain all the strength in your now dead quads, glutes and core to support the new knee...takes months of hard work. Honestly...the whole thing takes a year...that's one thing you probably can expect...but there are no guarantees...
donald61613 CHICO_MARX
Posted
Hi there Chico...
The various accounts of post-op knee replacement problems are, collectively, replicas of my own experience. I am in the third month since a tkr of my right knee. Like many others, it took a while after the op for the muscle symptoms to develop. To add to the discomfort, I have considerable lower back pain on and off, and have to sit down periodically because of this. According to some folk, this is owing to realignment of other bodily 'bits' that were over-compensating for the defective knee. I also have pain if I apply pressure to the medial ligament to the left of my patella. Just hoping that painkillers plus the passage of time will alleviate these awful symptoms. The other knee also needs to be done at some stage but I'm not going to rush in until more healing of my right knee is in evidence. I've always had good ROM since the op. (130 degrees plus)
If it weren't possible to read the tales of woe of other people with similar experiences, I would become very depressed and probably paranoid. Thank goodness for a forum such as this.
Best regards,
Donald
sarah87162 donald61613
Posted
Before TKR on my left knee I had trouble with arthritis in my right ankle which I fractured when I was at school, 53 years ago! Since TKR my arthritis has improved in my right ankle. Simply because I am distributing my weight differently that is all it is really.
You are still in early stages of recovery and it does take quite a long time.
Hang in there. Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing.
Best wishes
Sarah
donald61613 sarah87162
Posted
Many thanks for your encouraging input!
Best wishes to you,
Donald
CHICO_MARX donald61613
Posted
Yup...overcompensating. I got sciatica at 5 weeks because of it (chiropractor fixed me up in a few weeks of re-alignment treatments) while some people report back, calf, ankle, etc. pain. It's only natural...our brain is wired to avoid pain so the body automatically compensates resulting in other muscle groups taking the stress they were not designed to support. Result? Ahh...Rocky III...
Interviewer: What's your prediction for the fight?
Clubber Lang: My prediction?
Interviewer: Yes, your prediction.
[Clubber looks into camera]
Clubber Lang: Pain!
Yeah...we all have to deal with it. For you, now it's time to rebuild those dead quads, glutes and core to support the knee and avoid that other pain. The program...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527
Have fun...
rosemary63666 guadalupe90641
Posted
Hi, how are you now? I hope your knee is better and your depression has lifted....im 10 weeks after TKR and im feeling so low and fed up with this constant pain. I wish I never got it done, the pain from arthritis wasn't constant like this is...have you any encouragement for me please. Rose
leslie56933 rosemary63666
Posted
Dear Rosmary, I too am 10 weeks out and have struggled with the depression that goes with healing. This is my fourth surgery on right knee, second replacement in that knee so it's been a very long time for being in pain. I am speaking and thinking possitive that I will de able to walk freely. I have learned not to push until the swelling becomes debilitating. That meant stopping pt, they pushed too much and it was a night of no sleep and a whole day of sitting with ice. This being the fourth round, I know the exersises and do them faithfully and have a little stationary bike. Ankle pumps, ice and elevation...and a whole lot of patience. I am 60, my
Aunt is 80, had both knees done. She walks two miles a day. I focus on that vision for myself. You will get there too. Ten weeks is still very early.
rosemary63666 leslie56933
Posted
Hi Leslie, I'm nearly 14 weeks now and not any better, I too am 60...your aunt is a remarkable lady, I still have pain every day....today I stood a lot.....only cooking and I have pain in my ankle non stop since, even when I sat down and I'm in bed now and it's still paining me, I'm sorry I got it done, the pain I have now is much worse than the osteoarthritis pain.
leslie56933 rosemary63666
Posted
I have those days of despair. Some days are good, today, at 11 weeks out I am having to elevate and stay off as much as possible. Too much activity yesterday , I thought oh good! I am making great progress! and bam! all the activity made the knee very painful and swollen. Makes me angry and frustrated. Getting tired of sitting around. Have to remind myself that this poor knee has been through a lot. It will get better Rosemary. And mine will too. So hard to be patient. I look for blessings, mine being I have wonderful people to help and a comfortable place to heal. I read that three months is a turn around for the better. Doc says it takes a year. Hang in there.
paul72497 rosemary63666
Posted
9 weeks today stiffness for sure,quit pt after 6 weeks 108 rom walk 2 k pday stairs ok joined gym for pool hoping for the best
maureen_11610 emcvey93
Posted
adam39626 emcvey93
Posted
carol8104 emcvey93
Posted
I am 11 weeks out from TKR. I have osteoarthritis. I have done PT, restorative yoga, cryotherapy, and norma Tex boots to get better. At the end of 9 weeks I actually had a few days of no pain. However my lower back and hip have hurt since the surgery. I decided to try swimming and it caused me to have a Seroma and more fluid on my leg. Now my toes are tingling, and My knee swelled up so I can barely walk. I went to my doctor who was getting me some pain medication which insurance did not want to pay for so they sent me steroid cream for rashes. I am like what??? And Voltaren gel and I was already using that and lidocaine. So I made my own red cayenne pepper, 1 tsp and crush up 3 aspirins and added some skin cream and just applied it to my leg. It worked and stopped the pain. My hip was also hurting since the surgery and my osteoarthritis said it was like someone may have injured me during the surgery as my hip hurt so bad after I woke up from surgery in the assisted living facility 8 days later. The doctor left me for dead that did my surgery. The assisted living overdosed me with opiods and sent me to the ER. When I finally came out of my coma, all’s I wanted to do was get out of the place. I left five days later. I never have taken another pain pill since. I used an ice machine for weeks but I did not like to be tied down to it so gradually went to ice packs. All I do is try to take care of my self. I can’t do anything else and if I try to do more, I get a setback. If one more doctor asks me what I do for fun, I’m telling them, I don’t know that F word. I feel I am making progress but my feet feel heavy. Today a steroid shot in hip, Friday a rhizotomy on my L3. The doctors really jerk you around when they do the surgery and since my body is small, they pulled my L3 in spine out of place, I had pelvic tilt and that had me in so much pain but between chiropractor and pain doctor I am getting back into shape. I think I have drove my significant other crazy as I can’t drive but short distances. The faster you start PT will help but I am in way more pain since the surgery than before even though my knees were bone on bone. I will never do this ever again as the recovery the doctor tells u is three weeks, they lied just to take my money.
Cementless carol8104
Posted
Carol, is the cryotherapy you talk about: "iovera" and was it done prior to your TKR?