Pain on knee

Posted , 5 users are following.

im 16 wks post op and my knee still hurts. i was doing very well but it seems as though ive gone backwards instead of forwards.

At night my whole leg aches and have trouble finding a good position to get comfortable.

It feels like something is catching on the left side of the knee. It's also tender ti touch.

Any ideas what it might be.

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    good morning x sounds like you need to go back to see someone to check this out x probably nothing to worry about but i would go to see your consultant x

  • Posted

    It's probably the Iliotibial band. I had a similar problem. Is it the left knee? I had my LTKR in January and still get sharp pains on the outside of the knee that can hurt at night when I lay on my side, but it is improving. The IT band runs from the hip,down the outside if the leg to curve round the knee to the tibia and can become shortened with knee problems. It's a common issue and now,needs to be stretched to stop it pressing on the outside of the knee. You can google stretches for it or maybe see a PT. Hope this helps.

  • Posted

    A TKR recovery consists of advances, setbacks and plateaus. No one is prepared for all of those and assume a linear recovery. If you did too much one or more days and pushed the knee too far, this is what you get.

    My recommendation would be to back off for a few days...ice, elevate, take some anti-inflammatories, get some diclofenac topical (check interactions). Then slowly resume. If the problem becomes chronic, see your doc.

    And post this on your fridge...

    Reality

    Get rid of your expectations...they will screw with your head.

    • Posted

      THANK YOU FOR THE ADVISE. I WILL CERTAINLY BACK OFF A BIT AND REST. IM SEEING CONSULTANT ON FRIDAY.

    • Posted

      Two more things...

      1. People think about walking and measuring success by distance and/or time. Wrong. It's the STEPS that matter because that where the pressure hits the knee. So you get a fit bit or smart watch to track your steps. The software that comes with the device will actually graph your progress. I did 8,200+ steps at five weeks and had "balloon knee" for three days. Once I learned that very painful lesson, I increased my steps gradually. At 8 months, I was doing 11,000 a day with zero pain or swelling. Slow and easy.
      2. It also time to start the serious muscle rebuild...

      Exercise Program

      This will get the strength back in your quads, glutes, core and more so that the pressure comes off the knee and back onto the surrounding musculature where it belongs. You walk better, regain your balance, have less knee pain and are better able to handle stairs normally. Gotta rebuild those muscles!!! This takes months of dedication and work but it is so very worth it in the end.

  • Posted

    I had the same issue with both knees, had bilateral total knee replacement in December, so it can take a long time for this to go away. The muscles in my legs were aching constantly and as the physiotherapist tried to introduce new exercise, even just one new exercise, caused pain that brought me to tears. My surgeon and family doctor, suggested that I stop physio and I began doing stretches and a lesser amount of physio on my own, within the limits that I can handle. The pain reduced and I am able to do more.

    This has been my experience, but I know everyone is unique. I am at month 7, so you can see by my timing that this does take some time to get better.

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