Knee stiffness
Posted , 6 users are following.
I had bilateral knee replacement 2015 and a revision last year but my knees always feel like 2 blocks of cement ! does anyone else has this problem?
0 likes, 22 replies
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Notes on Knee stiffness
Jo12jt1 Corri
Posted
the blocks of cement I can relate to. had both knees done 2019 and they really do feel heavy. after a while I get real difficulty in lifting my knees going up hills and start to scuff my feet to the annoyance of my daughter
kathy124 Corri
Posted
I had my bilateral knee replacements in 2007. because I broke my femur 3 years ago and the doctor screwed up not repairing my inside ligament I spent a year mostly off my feet cause the knee kept twisting in place and locking. This wore out the knee and caused me to have a 2nd knee replacement on the left. they also finally found that my ligament wasn't doing anything for me. Lawsuit anyone? I'm so angered by this. an entire year I lost. They kept telling me no tests will show a problem cause too much metal in my leg to see anything since they had placed a rid in my femur. My knees have always felt like bricks since they were done. At times I really have a hard time walking because hearing the "clank" inside creeps me out and I don't want to hear it at all. Welcome to the rest of my life.
kathy124 Corri
Posted
I had my bilateral knee replacements in 2007. because I broke my femur 3 years ago and the doctor screwed up not repairing my inside ligament I spent a year mostly off my feet cause the knee kept twisting in place and locking. This wore out the knee and caused me to have a 2nd knee replacement on the left. they also finally found that my ligament wasn't doing anything for me. Lawsuit anyone? I'm so angered by this. an entire year I lost. They kept telling me no tests will show a problem cause too much metal in my leg to see anything since they had placed a rid in my femur. My knees have always felt like bricks since they were done. At times I really have a hard time walking because hearing the "clank" inside creeps me out and I don't want to hear it at all. Welcome to the rest of my life.
CHICO_MARX kathy124
Posted
The "clank" usually goes away in the 12-18 month post-op range (I'm almost 4 years out). For the "twisting", I really, really want to avoid that as it will definitely shorten the lifespan of the device. So I called Donjoy, the HUGE brace manufacturer and actually got to talk to one of their engineers. Told them that I needed a brace that would 100% guarantee that the knee would not twist. Recommendation: Donjoy Defiance Double Hinge brace. Worn by professional athletes...guaranteed to do the job. Getting fitted for one next month...
martha08360 kathy124
Posted
So sorry. I can relate to some extent.... the clanking is disturbing, to say the least..... If I could go back in time...............
CHICO_MARX Corri
Posted
TKRs will ALWAYS stiffen up even years later if the knee is not kept active. That's the big takeaway from people who have had the op years ago (I'm almost 4 years). You MUST be on a long-term exercise program that is literally part of your life...forever.
You need to address the ROM and flexion plus maintain strength in the musculature that supports the knee. Yes, there is ROM work you can do at home plus walking. For that, get a pedometer that will track your steps and the software on your phone or computer that will graph your progress. Remember... Time and distance are irrelevant; it's the STEPS that affect the knee. Get up to a comfortable step count so the stiffness goes away and maintain it...all the time.
The strengthening can be done at home with a $25 set of resistance bands. Simple, easy. Do them every other day to maintain those muscles. They will take the pressure off the knee. Do this and in a few months I'll bet that you will be feeling a lot better.
COUCH POTATO IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!!!!!
Corri CHICO_MARX
Posted
Im on my elliptical every day 3 miles in 30 minutes and I swim and am very active so i dont know why my knees feel like concrete blocks
martha08360 Corri
Posted
I do.... everyday..... having a revision in April. good luck.
martha08360 Corri
Posted
Yes, cement, bricks, 2x4's, whatever , that blocks my knee from bending. Im having a revision in April. Already had MUA and arthoscopic surgery, to clean out adhesions (scar tissue). Lasted maybe two months, and YES i went to PT for months, actually almost two years now. May I ask why you had your revision and are you glad you had it??
Corri martha08360
Posted
the cement became loose and i had to do it because couldnt put weight on it anymore
kackknee martha08360
Posted
hi MarthaO
is the removal of scar tissue a big operation? i am 7 months after TKR and i think i have Arthrofibrosis in the knee.
CHICO_MARX kackknee
Posted
Research Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA). Try the Mayo Clinic or a knee spite.
Corri CHICO_MARX
Posted
chico you seem to be very knowledgable about the knees what do you think about having bad hips and interfering with kneereplacement healing?
kackknee CHICO_MARX
Posted
hi Chico what is Mayo clinic and knee spite
CHICO_MARX kackknee
Posted
The Mayo Clinic in the US is one of our pre-eminent hospitals along with Johns Hopkins. Their websites are incredibly informative for all sorts of conditions. Great place to start research. WebMD is also good. Incredible drug data with interactions, side effects and more can be had at drugs dot com.
Sorry..."spite" should be "site". Lots of those around specifically devoted to knees. Use Google and check out a few, especially the Arthritis Foundation.
CHICO_MARX Corri
Posted
I had my right hip replaced in 2009 and the left knee in 2016. Differences?
First... One has nothing to do with the other in terms of affecting the surgical procedures. Exception to that rule are people who have complex medical conditions, previous trauma surgery to hips, legs and knee, and more. Those are unusual and represent a small fraction of patients.
Second... NEVER get these ops close together. I have no idea how people get bilateral knees at the same time or a few months apart. You literally have no good leg to stand on. But people do it and get through it...very painfully.
Third... Recommendation: Be fully healed and rehabbed from one replacement before doing another. Going into these ops, you have to be strong and prepared. Smart people exercise the supporting musculature to make their recovery easier.
Fourth... Hip and knee are typically COMPLETELY different. From what I can see by being on here for four years is that the hip is waaaaay easier than the knee...of course with exceptions. In my case, I started my hip rehab 10 days post op. Five hours a day in a therapy pool and gym with PT 2X/week. I did this SIX days a week; complete and total rehab in six weeks. The knee?
Fifth... I expected the knee to be as fast as the hip. WRONG!!! My expectations hit the brick wall of reality immediately. The pain was brutal...I was still drooling on my pajamas a month later. I had to get my ROM from -14 / +84 to -1 / +123...took me 12 weeks with tons of pain and work. Got bad sciatica at 5 weeks because we all shift our weight unconsciously to avoid pain. Other pain after a TKR is very, very common. After ROM, you need to completely rebuild all your dead muscles. This is a slow, long process since the knee CANNOT be pushed...unlike the hip. It just swells and sets you back. Pain management is critical...expectations and timetables have to be purged from your thinking. You go back to work in 4-6 months depending on your healing, age and job requirements. You'll start feeling more like your old self around nine months and be 95% done in a year. Minor stiffness and noises may persist to 18 months. You have to keep the knee active for the rest of your life or it will stiffen up again even years later. This is all TYPICAL. I can count the number of people on the Forum who beat this totally in six weeks on less than one hand. It's very unlikely that any single patient will avoid the 52-week recover. It's happened but it's very rare.
Here's the reality of a TKR...
Reality
Click my name, Discussions and See All. About 30 out there on all sorts of topics. Hope this helped.
Corri CHICO_MARX
Posted
thank you ! that was helpful , my surgeon seems to think my stiff and swollen knees are from my bad hips but I have a hard time believing that, seems like you had your share of problems ! I will just keep exercising my hips are scheduled for January but Im not worried about since I heard its much easier then my knees . Thank you for your insight its very helpful!
CHICO_MARX Corri
Posted
Maybe your original conditions could be related to each other but I've not heard anyone, even my docs, say that. The key is to get fixed so you are out of the pain and can have a good quality of life again.
martha08360 kackknee
Posted
It was great, compared to my TKR..... I was put under for about an hour, and the surgeon make 3 tiny holes in my knee to clean it out. He tried to do the manipulation at first, but he said he would have had to break my leg to get it to bend. I rented a CPM and used it everyday for 3 weeks. My ROM got to 121, but steadily declined again. Some people have a problem with scartissue/adhesions, and others do not. Unfortunately, because of other issues, Im having a revision in April, by another surgeon AT another hospital. This surgeon is at Duke. The surgeon that did my MUA was NOT the orginial surgeon either. I wouldn't go back to that incompetent surgeon if he was the last one on earth !
martha08360 Corri
Posted
Funny you should say that. One of our dinner guests tonight said his surgeon swore up and down his knee problem was related to his hips. Had both replaced and his knee pain went away.
CHICO_MARX martha08360
Posted
Pain radiates. Can it go from defective hips to the knees? Sure. Prove it up front before hip replacements? No idea. Everyone's different. Just gotta follow the best available data and make your choices.
kackknee martha08360
Posted
so youve had TKR and scar tissue removed what is the third operation for please? i am going to ask for scar tissue to be removed but i think they will refuse. Two months after my TKR i was told there will be no more operations and I would have to make do with what i have. . i didnt like the way I was treat through out the whole process