Still swollen four months after tkr.
Posted , 9 users are following.
My knee is always swollen. I'm four months post knee replacement surgery and no matter what I try I cannot get the swelling to go down. It's always there, I'm not doing too much because I can't do much of anything. I ice, elevate, rest......
Is anyone else having similar difficulties or is there advice? I'm starting to think something is not right. I had PT for two months but lately can only do light stretches. I figure my bend is about 90+. Of course, it would be better if I could get the swelling to go down. Any help? I'm starting to get frustrated.
2 likes, 41 replies
Jeanie1125 Ozziegee
Posted
Hi Ozzie- I'm 8 mos out and i'm still swollen - I haven't been able to do any PT since March - 4 mos tho, are you doing too much? Does it hurt? I had mine drained twice, i'm bleeding into the joint, but my component is fine - xrays are fine - they are sending me to a hemotologist to rule out any blood disorders - might wanna check with the doc!
Ozziegee Jeanie1125
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Hi Jeanie, no, not doing too much. I'm basically unable to do much of anything because of the swelling. Just talking about it, makes it swell.
suziec3 Ozziegee
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Hi im 4 mnths post op as well. Ive still got swelling mainly around the knee area, gets worse as the day gpes on. I can get 100° bend if i push it. Doesnt seem to matter if i sit around with my leg up or up & down all day, still swells up. Just finished 6 wks physio gym classes & am now goin tp the gym to try & carry on with the exercises. I still struggle to barely get all the wày round on a bike. Also do 2 exercise classes a wk, nothing helps tho. Physio said can take 6 mnths to a year for swelling to go down. Very frustrating. Im also due to go in for a shpulder replacement op in nxt couple mnths. More swelling & pain to cope with. What fun!!! 😯
Ozziegee suziec3
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You're in the same boat as me Suzie. Hope it's not that, "misery loves company" but hearing that others are having similar difficulties helps in some perverse way.
CHICO_MARX suziec3
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suziec3 CHICO_MARX
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jenny80029 CHICO_MARX
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CHICO_MARX suziec3
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karen14697 Ozziegee
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I, too, am at 4 months post TKR. My bend is 122+ and I deal with pain and swelling all the time. I sleep with an ice bag on my knee! I am appreciative that it is not every day but I've been released from PT and want my life back. I don't know how much longer it's going to be like this. I take 2 Alleive when I need to but am tired of this "Groundhog Day" everyday. I am much better than I was but this is getting a bit much. I feel your frustration and pain. You are not alone.
Ozziegee karen14697
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Thanks Karen. Hopefully, I/we will look back at this one day and laugh. Right now that day seems a long way off to me. It seems impossible for me to have much bend because of the swelling and it's ALWAYS swollen.
CHICO_MARX karen14697
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The question is whether it just "looks" swollen or is the swelling severe inflammation causing pain and preventing you from achieving your ROM goals? Did my left knee look a bit bigger than my right at 4 months? Yes, but it didn't hurt that much, my ROM was fine and it did not interfere with my limited but growing activities. Did it still look bigger at a year? Yes...but zero pain and 0 / +133 ROM. Does it still look bigger at 15 months? YES...somewhat, but that's because there's this huge hunk of metal inside my knee!!! Will the two ever look the same? Put these three words together in a sentence: "snowball", "chance", hell". That's just something we all have to live with...like the scar. Yeah, women will do anything to get it to disappear. Us guys wear it like a war wound...the war of life. Be proud of it...OWN IT!!!
cynthia89958 Ozziegee
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I'm struggling with swelling, stiffness and poor bend as you may have gleaned from my other comments and posts - I know I'm just 11 weeks post op and expect some of it, but not making a lot of progress.
?I'd love to know how to get the swelling reduced. I have a lipodema condition which makes my limbs more likely to swell anyway, but that usualy responds to RICE treatment, where this knee swelling does not seem to benefit as much as I'd hoped.
?My physio has many years of practice and she says have to keep moving to reduce swelling, but of course too much has opposite effect. Sigh!
?Finding it hard to make sense of TKR recovery. You hear of those doing super well and others not, others all different in between, but the question is why we get the recovery we get. It does not seem to relate to shape, size, past history or age particularly as far as I have observed.
?Good luck Ozziegee.
Ozziegee cynthia89958
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I know what you mean by being careful with the exercises. I'm only able to do light stretching and if I misjudge and do too much then I'm knocked out for a few days.
CHICO_MARX cynthia89958
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" Finding it hard to make sense of TKR recovery." Really? Just stop trying...there is no sense...and everyone is different.
You're not even at 3 months yet...and that's the worst of it. Most people report a real difference at three months but only when they look back on it. Time needs to pass...the body needs to heal. Get all of this out of your head...just makes it all worse. Be more Zen: "I'll be better when I'm better." Relax, ease your mind...makes life more peaceful.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-and-ptsd-569521
That could help a bit...
CHICO_MARX Ozziegee
Posted
Absolutely... Knee slides, easy and shallow squats. Very simple stuff that does not push the knee too far. I did 8,200+ steps at 5 weeks and ended up with a hot air balloon for a knee. Never did that again. Gotta be past the basic pain and swelling before you can crank up an exercise program to regain all your strength. Even then, you start with very light weight or none at all. Could take six months or more before you can start "The Program"...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527
Gonna be a while...
Ozziegee CHICO_MARX
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cynthia89958 CHICO_MARX
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The pressure comes from outside with all the measuring and tutting when we don't measure up I find. It has just been tough losing ROM and being told if I don't get to a certain stage, then my leg will be stuck with no ROM forever or need further surgeries etc.
?Had to have an MUA last week and having intense PT so that is putting the pressure on. Yes, it is in the mind, should not care, but hate being a non achiever!
CHICO_MARX cynthia89958
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"...when we don't measure up..." Jedi mind trick.
"Don't do dat." - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
It's soooo easy to have those negative thoughts...we've all been through that. It's harder...BUT NECESSARY...to focus on the positive. Yes, you've had an MUA which most patients don't need. But maybe that's because your DNA causes more scar tissue to build up than others. That's your fault? You're responsible for that? That's something you can do anything about? Really?????
Had a lady the other day who was in the same down mindset. She'd had enough of it and decided to foster a blind dog. It makes her get up and do active things...plus the dog loves being loved. BOOM!!! Negativity gone.
The mind can only hold one thought at a time...make it a good one. Your choice.
Ozziegee CHICO_MARX
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CHICO_MARX Ozziegee
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cynthia89958 CHICO_MARX
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I hear ya!
Pain and sleep loss does play tricks with the mind.
?Today I focused on gratitude:
?Today I was grateful that I got through physiotherapy without tears (just).
?I was humbled as other people there had lost their limbs.
And I found out that I can sit & rise from seated without my arms helping!
?The physiotherapist is nice - I am lucky with that.
?
CHICO_MARX cynthia89958
Posted
The hard thing to do is give up "comparison". This will sink you every time! Never compare your recovery to anyone else's...period!!! But it's soooo tempting...and soooo bad for your head....
We had a guy on here a while back who announced that he was resuming mountain climbing at 13 weeks post-op...haven't heard from him again...people are wondering if anyone has found the body yet...with a metal detector... Sorry...I can do these gags forever...