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Knee replacement

Posted , 7 users are following.

deb1205
deb1205

I am 6 weeks today post total knee replacement, can anyone tell me is they have ever had a sharp pain in your knee this long after a knee replacement. (I know it is not) but it feels like a screw has come out. Really sore

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 deb1205

    Posted

    At 6 weeks you have finished the 1st lap of a very long race, regardless of what the Dr s might have told you. As one thing heals another pain will pop up. Nerves, bone, soft tissue all heal at different times a d when the pains come they scare you beyond belief. There are a couple of sayings that are used continually, this is a marathon not a sprint and healing is 2 steps forward andc1 back it ill one day and its all over.

    A couple of important things to watch for: u unusual drainage and fevers and severe burning in your calf. The 1st one indicates infection and the 2nd blood clots. The occassionial, OMG I'm dying from pain is the part the surgeon and therapist forgot or didn't bother to tell you about. I won't tell you that everything's normal and fine because you hurt too bad for that but I will tell you in a week that will morph into something else equally

    Y frustrating and painful. 6 weeks is the 1st benchmark, 13 is the next. I've been through 5 complete rehab and 11 surgeries (don't fret, I have a rare tumor) and every recovery has had a different set of problems...therefore, there is the 3rd saying: no 2 people are exactly alike so we all heal differe tly a d you will as well. Good luck a hang in there. Dig up Chico Marx on this site. Chico is a MaN of wisdom" experience and a certain qua tity of BS that makes him acceptable. His writings and musings are a path of healing that has to be a learned experience and a certain level of pain. Keep up the exercise...you'll get there

    • deb1205
      deb1205 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Thanks for your support

      I have to say it certainly is one step forward and one back, and a new pain does worry me.

      Take care

      Best wishes to you

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      What do you mean "BS"???  Oh, wait...yes, I do have a Ph.D. in that so I guess you're right...

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX deb1205

      Posted

      More like two steps forward, one step back, one step forward, stuck, stuck, stuck, one step forward...etc.  Advances, setback, plateaus...all normal.  If I had gotten worried by every twinge, pain, clunking sound, swelling, tightness and more during my first year post-op, I would have done my recovery from a psych ward.  You CANNOT let that crap get to your head.

      Here's a new post I put on yesterday...

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-power-of-rest-some-great-strategies-to-try-on-a-tkr-617892

      Get your head out of your head and into a more positive space.  These are great ideas from a guy doing a waaaay smaller recovery than we do but still very applicable.

  • Bosco
    Bosco deb1205

    Posted

    Yes it's  I think to me right now I'm four months ... scared the heck out of me but the doctor said that's the nerves   Not to worry too much about it but it is still very tender to touch hurts a little bit to walk to 

  • Pibpaula
    Pibpaula deb1205

    Posted

    I am exactly 6 weeks too and till today was stuck on a plateau with all sorts of assorted pains. Today I drove to work, swam 30 lengths, walked to shop without a stick and got more bend than previously achieved without the usual pain. I know that will not last, it’s up and down and back and forth but there is infinitesimal improvement which is sometimes hard to notice over time - a long time no one really warns you about. Don’t worry your knee has gone through a lot....
    • deb1205
      deb1205 Pibpaula

      Posted

      It really is a rollercoaster yesterday I was painting the shed, today I am quite uncomfortable.

      I am hoping to get the all clear to drive from my consultant tomorrow.

      I have not drove for nearly 6 months as my knee was so painful pre op I was not confident in braking.

      I had a spinal block for my op, the best thing I done. I would recommend it too anyone thinking about it. You can take your phone and ear phones in while you have your op so you can listen to music/ radio

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX Pibpaula

      Posted

      Plateaus are worse than setbacks.  With the latter, you know you did too much and pay the price with pain and swelling.  So you back off, ice, elevate, rest, know your limit and increase activity gradually.  The plateaus are very frustrating (I got stuck at -4 for weeks)...but normal.

      Improvements cannot be judged on a daily or weekly basis.  When you look back after 3 months, then 6, 9 and 12, you can see the vast leaps you had made.  Cannot notice it when you're in the middle of the time spans.  It's like losing weight: NEVER get on the scale every day...it will drive you crazy.

      Time, work and patience...I'm at 19-months and it's a whole different world out here...  

  • louise_48509
    louise_48509 deb1205

    Posted

    I'm 5 weeks and I get a sharp pain at the side of my knee when I'm doing my bends. It feels like it locks when I bend then have to click it back. That's the sore bit

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