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Sharp pain in calf

Posted , 3 users are following.

heidi68564
heidi68564

Hello.  I think I seen this problem in this forum but can't find it now.

I'm just over 3 weeks post op from TKR and I'm just now experiencing some very sharp pain in my calf, like charlie horse kind of pain and stronger pain to the side of lower leg, all same side of operated knee.  Does anyone experience this.  I am getting up, moving without a crutch inside my house and moving through the PT but could these pains be due to not enough moving around?  I ice alot so I was thinking maybe I do that too much and now this is why I'm getting the pain.

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • joansgarden
    joansgarden heidi68564

    Posted

    You'd better get that checked out. They always worry about blood clots when there is pain in the calf - especially a charlie horse type of pain.
  • joansgarden
    joansgarden heidi68564

    Posted

    And yes, I did have a lot of pain in my calf, and was sent for an ultrsound (which was negative). The guy who did the ultrasound was very talkative and said that the blood tends to pool down into the calf while they are doing the surgery, and very often it's just having all that fluid in there that causes the pain, but if it is a clot it can be serious, and it's best to check it. He said they have medicine to take that will dissolve it. He also said it is fairly common.
    • heidi68564
      heidi68564 joansgarden

      Posted

      Joan,  Thank you for your reply.  I have the PT person coming tomorrow and I will have her check.  I am just now off the blood thinner.  There is no real swelling in the calf (just plenty in the knee) which I know if a sign as well.

       

  • pam39536
    pam39536 heidi68564

    Posted

    Heidi, 

    the knee will swell for a long time , so that is normal. Get the calf checked out , are you still wearing your stockings? We do get a lot of pain in all the leg , I had it just about all over . The calf shouldn't feel hot or be red. But in saying that in the early stages I had bruising just about every where .i used lots of ice as I found it really helped. Have your legs  elevated as often as you can . Get the calf checked out, if only to put your mind at rest it's not worth risking a clot . 

    Pam 4 1/2 months 

    • heidi68564
      heidi68564 pam39536

      Posted

      Thanks Pam.  I stopped wearing the stockings a few days ago when I stopped the Coumadin as I thought they went together.  Perhaps I should start wearing them again.  The calf is not red, hot or swollen.  I have the PT person coming out this morning and I'm going to have her check it out.  I don't think it's a clot because my surgeon discussing the symptoms in pretty detail.  The pain is one but I don't have any of the other.  I did have horrible bruising in the back of the calf which went away so it could be that but I'll get it checked out.  Thank you.  Going to try driving for the first time since surgery. Can't wait to get out.

       

  • pam39536
    pam39536 heidi68564

    Posted

    I was told to wear stockings day and night for 6 weeks , and no driving for 6 weeks . So be careful on both counts 
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