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L. TKR FAILED!!!

Posted , 9 users are following.

Cementless
Cementless

I am 20 months post a cementless L. TKR and just learned that it has failed! Yes, I definitely think I would have been better off without the TKR. I plan to live with the failed implant. The bone did not grow into the implant like it was suppose to.....I have no infection or swelling, just soreness and pain down my tibia when I bend over.

0 likes, 18 replies

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  • lyn32416
    lyn32416 Cementless

    Posted

    Sorry to hear your story. My right TKR hasn't "failed" however I have similar pain as before bilateral TKRs. My doctor says "one outta two ain't bad"...so caring...NOT! If you can live with your current result then perhaps a second TKR may be too big a risk for some. Good luck.

  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 Cementless

    Posted

    Do sorry. The frustration has got to be over the top. I'm assuming they will have to go in and do it the old fashion way which of course puts you bact to square one. The longer I'm around this procedure the less I'm inclined to let them experiment.

    Due to the tumor I have, the 1st revision was due to the stem coming loose and spinning inside the tibia. Of course Every time it hit a nerve it brought tears and profanity but not in that order. The surgeon liftedit out with his fingertips....the 1st for him.

    Lets hope the can get you in soon and make this thing get you back on your feet by fall. Best of luck.

    • Cementless
      Cementless Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      My orthopedic dr. is located in the medical center in Houston, Texas. (He does all the doctors who need TKRs). I really felt he was the best to do my surgery (TKR) after one of our friends had a double TKR and did great!!! Looking back, even though he has done over 5,000 TKR, I am ONLY the 2nd cementless TKR. I found out a couple of weeks prior to my TKR that I was allergic to the bone cement (thru an orthopedic blood analysis). Cementless implants work by having ones own bone grow into the implant over time. After about a year, my tibial bone started to hurt when I bend over to touch the ground (pressure on it). It feels sore and like it is swollen inside but not on the outside. No redness or heat, outward appearance looks normal. I have a good bend 125-130, no limp. It is painful if you tap on the side of my knee on the outside. He ordered a CBC with differential, Sed Rate, and CRP to look for infection....all came back normal. I had an EMG of the L. leg to see if I had a nerve entrapment. This was negative but found I had a S1/lumbar radiculopathy. Then on June 13th, I had a nuclear bone scan and it showed loosening of the medial and lateral tibial plateaus of the left knee. My femur implant is intact. At 6 weeks there were gaps between my tibial implant and bone. At that time he was not worried because they usually fill in....mine did NOT and it became wider. He did refer me to his partner if I wanted to proceed with a revision....limited options because it needs to be cementless. I ask him if I could live like this and not do anything. He said yes. I ask if there was a worry my tibial bone would fracture and he said no. We are both disappointed. He kept saying he did not have that much experience with cementless knee implants. I was so ready at the time to get it over with and I really liked him. Wished I had known to do more research with an ortho that does cementless implants. I am a young 70yr. old female and hope I can live with this because he said it would be 50/50 whether a revision would work. No guarantees. They have to use a longer implant and take more of the tibial bone. I am going to try and live with this for now. I ask him if there was anything I did that hurt the implant and he said no. The bone just has not grown into the implant to stabilize it. I also have osteopenia.
  • arizonaone
    arizonaone Cementless

    Posted

    I am so sorry that your implant failed and can understand why you would want to just live with it.

    While I'm not a doctor, living with it especially when you are in pain can't be good. Please try to find an excellent revision specialist and see what he/she has to say. Don't give up!

    • Cementless
      Cementless arizonaone

      Posted

      My orthopedic dr. is located in the medical center in Houston, Texas. (He does all the doctors who need TKRs). I really felt he was the best to do my surgery (TKR) after one of our friends had a double TKR and did great!!! Looking back, even though he has done over 5,000 TKR, I am ONLY the 2nd cementless TKR. I found out a couple of weeks prior to my TKR that I was allergic to the bone cement (thru an orthopedic blood analysis). Cementless implants work by having ones own bone grow into the implant over time. After about a year, my tibial bone started to hurt when I bend over to touch the ground (pressure on it). It feels sore and like it is swollen inside but not on the outside. No redness or heat, outward appearance looks normal. I have a good bend 125-130, no limp. It is painful if you tap on the side of my knee on the outside. He ordered a CBC with differential, Sed Rate, and CRP to look for infection....all came back normal. I had an EMG of the L. leg to see if I had a nerve entrapment. This was negative but found I had a S1/lumbar radiculopathy. Then on June 13th, I had a nuclear bone scan and it showed loosening of the medial and lateral tibial plateaus of the left knee. My femur implant is intact. At 6 weeks there were gaps between my tibial implant and bone. At that time he was not worried because they usually fill in....mine did NOT and it became wider. He did refer me to his partner if I wanted to proceed with a revision....limited options because it needs to be cementless. I ask him if I could live like this and not do anything. He said yes. I ask if there was a worry my tibial bone would fracture and he said no. We are both disappointed. He kept saying he did not have that much experience with cementless knee implants. I was so ready at the time to get it over with and I really liked him. Wished I had known to do more research with an ortho that does cementless implants. I am a young 70yr. old female and hope I can live with this because he said it would be 50/50 whether a revision would work. No guarantees. They have to use a longer implant and take more of the tibial bone. I am going to try and live with this for now. I ask him if there was anything I did that hurt the implant and he said no. The bone just has not grown into the implant to stabilize it. I also have osteopenia.
    • robert61422
      robert61422 Cementless

      Posted

      Hi, My wife had a PKR that got infected twice and now has a spacer waiting to do a TKR.

      When you mentioned that you were allergic to the cement, I'm wondering how it manifested itself. My wife has had drainage and seepage for month after month. Right now it's like a few drops a week but it's enough that the incision can't close completely but a little hole remains. The surgeon doesn't want to proceed with the TKR until it's completely stopped draining and the hole is closed (we don't either).

      Please let me know what kind of symptoms you had from the allergy to the cement.

      Thanks.

    • Cementless
      Cementless robert61422

      Posted

      My ortho did NOT use bone cement because I was tested prior to surgery and found to be "mildly allergic" to it via a blood sample thru an orthopedic analysis. I am allergic to adhesives.

      Hope your wife heals in time.

    • robert61422
      robert61422 Cementless

      Posted

      OK, thanks for the clarification....

      I hope you get some relief also!

      bp

  • terri21401
    terri21401 Cementless

    Posted

    Sorry to read that. I too feel would have better off not getting it. They want to do my right one too, just this point I won't even consider it. 10 months post op, seeing no benefits and it feels worse. They still say give it time...

    I think I would wind up crippled if let them touch my other knee. I am a (or was) a very active 52 year old

    • martha08360
      martha08360 terri21401

      Posted

      I feel the exact same way.  Wish I'd never had my left one done and over my dead body will they do my right one.

    • Lorie3333
      Lorie3333 martha08360

      Posted

      wow I cant believe how many of us it failed !  What is wrong with yours?
    • Lorie3333
      Lorie3333 terri21401

      Posted

      wow what is happening with yours this is so sad for all of us!!!
    • robert61422
      robert61422 Lorie3333

      Posted

      I'm wondering what percentage of these really do fail. I think if all goes well, those people don't end up on this site. If it doesn't go well, people are looking around the Internet for answers and end up here. So it looks like there are a huge number that fail, or have major problems, when it's really a minority. I'm sure there are statistics out there.

       

  • Lorie3333
    Lorie3333 Cementless

    Posted

    Omg My TNR has failed also but a huge story, the doctor didn't listen and blamed me through the whole thing but how do you know it didn't take to the implant did it show on something?  where are you located.  So So sorry this is happening to you. I know how you feel. I have been trying to find a reconstruction Dr. but they all say I may be crippled even  more, not sure if they are covering them self's?!!   What did your Dr. say? Its not fun I oly have a little bend to my knee like 10% How is yours. Also I was BETTER of with out it!!!

    • Cementless
      Cementless Lorie3333

      Posted

      Lorie3333, my orthopedic dr. is located in the medical center in Houston, Texas. I really felt he was the best to do my surgery (TKR) after one of our friends had a double TKR and did great!!! Looking back, even though he has done over 5,000 TKR, I am ONLY the 2nd cementless TKR. I found out a couple of weeks prior to my TKR that I was allergic to the bone cement (thru an orthopedic blood analysis). Cementless implants work by having ones own bone grow into the implant over time. After about a year, my tibial bone started to hurt when I bend over to touch the ground (pressure on it). It feels sore and like it is swollen inside but not on the outside. No redness or heat, outward appearance looks normal. I have a good bend 125-130, no limp. It is painful if you tap on the side of my knee on the outside. He ordered a CBC with differential, Sed Rate, and CRP to look for infection....all came back normal. I had an EMG of the L. leg to see if I had a nerve entrapment. This was negative but found I had a S1/lumbar radiculopathy. Then on June 13th, I had a nuclear bone scan and it showed loosening of the medial and lateral tibial plateaus of the left knee. My femur implant is intact. At 6 weeks there were gaps between my tibial implant and bone. At that time he was not worried because they usually fill in....mine did NOT and it became wider. He did refer me to his partner if I wanted to proceed with a revision....limited options because it need to be cementless. I ask him if I could live like this and not do anything. He said yes. I ask if there was a worry my tibial bone would fracture and he said no. We are both disappointed. He kept saying he did not have that much experience with cementless knee implants. I was so ready at the time to get it over with and I really liked him. Wished I had known to do more research with an ortho that does cementless implants. I am a young 70yr. old female and hope I can live with this because he said it would be 50/50 whether a revision would work. No guarantees. They have to use a longer implant and take more of the tibial bone. I am going to try and live with this for now. I ask him if there was anything I did that hurt the implant and he said no. The bone just has not grown into the implant to stabilize it.
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 Cementless

      Posted

      One of the standard axioms that go with knee replacements.....we are all so very different and mother the surgery nor the rehab are anything close for one person to another

      We heal faster or slower, we bleed differently, our soft tissie,Stretches, and contracts differently, food digests differently. Don't ever compare one to the other, it doesn't work. My wife has a badly advanced case of Parkinson's disease. Most people think of tremors....severe tremors...with pd. My wife barely twitches but anxiety and depression. Off the chart. Evaluate yourself and what's going on with you, leave the next guy to himself. Same tging with meds....penicillin can be the miracle for joe but it can be a death blow for jim. In other words.....Don't compare

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