Has anyone had a tight band feeling after total knee replacement?

I am 19 months post TKR surgery. The surgery went well. I have great ROM. But, from the beginning I have had a tight band feeling just under my knee, and a compressed feeling in my calf muscle. Feels like I have on the tightest knee sock imaginable with a tourniquet for a top band. I was prescribed gabapentin, didn’t help. I went through PT 3x trying different things to treat this, including astym and dry needling. I still have bruised areas on my leg and it’s been 7 months since the last session. My surgeon and PT have not been able to explain the what or why of this phenomenon. But was told at my one year appointment that there was a good chance I would just have to live with this. It takes a great deal of mental energy to rise above this pain to have a productive day. I am a 65 yr old female. Anyone else out there have any information or tips for dealing with this?

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@mhort1213 I am also 10 weeks post surgery from bilateral TKR and have this banding I continue to be concerned with. I am 2 weeks out from MUA because I could not get pass 90 degrees on both knees at 6 weeks. I am an over creator of scar tissue, nothing to do with how hard I have worked on PT. My PT and surgeon tell me it will get better, but hearing from @scgraham makes we want to seek a second opinion on the tight banding I feel on both knees.

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I am your age and 3.5 months out bilat knee replacement. I have tight band over left lateral knee and feels like knee cap gets pulled to the left with bending. It’s always there and while I can walk 2.5 miles near the end the band sensation is worse and have to increase effort and push with my hands on upper knee area to get it to bend to get in a car. I can get 123 for bend on that side with effort and stretching. Still do daily exercises by PT was going to try massage but canceled after 1 session due to COVID. PT told me to bend it and massage-above knee from knee to thigh to try and stretch the fascia. Can’t say anything has worked. Surgeon says it will go away. I’m beginning to think nerve damage. I hope it goes away but hearing from you and others not sure I trust that it will go away. Happy I can walk though and I can garden but not the way I used to. Takes more effort to find a position to do things and then getting up is very difficult. On the plus side I have built up my arm strength. Very disappointed that surgeon is not more up front about this type of outcome for some patients and is not aware that this problem doesn’t go away for some as I learned on this site. I wonder if the nerve block or the tourniquet used during surgery caused permanent damage.

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I’m 1.5 years post op on the TKR of my left knee and 6 months post op of my right knee. My knees also feel tight and heavy...like I have a 3 lb weight attached to each knee. My left one was feeling this same way when I had the surgery on my right knee. I mentioned it to my surgeon just before the surgery and he decided to manipulate the left one while I was under for the surgery. He told my husband there was a significant amount of scar tissue. It felt great...loose and not heavy afterwards. But it didn’t last. I’m seeing him again next week to see what he thinks. I went through PT each time and had good ROM when I was done but I guess I must not have been aggressive enough after I was released from PT. How long can scar tissue form after surgery?

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Not sure how you are doing now but this sounds like my story. TKR 2018 revision 2020 and still those PAINFUL TIGHT bands. New doctor tells me it’s nerve damage from 1st surgery. Still working to correct it. No other choice. 64 yrs old and I just want to walk up the street without tear producing pain

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It’s been 3 years and 4 months and no change in my knee. I wish there was something miraculous to report that helped me. My opinion (no medical person has told me this) I feel this is nerve damage from the surgery. If it doesn’t get better in 18 months or so, it may not resolve. All surgeries have risks, and this was just a bad roll of the dice.

I’ve had both hips replaced with no problems at all. I try to stay busy and not think about it, with various degrees of success 🙄 praying that something will work for you 🙏🏼

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So my update is..........I went for an MRI yesterday, only to be told that they can't dfo an MRI on a total knee replacement, as the metal show as a big black hole and there is nothing to see. The technician tried and then showed me the films. I'm now waiting on the ortho for my next step. I would have thought he would have known how the MRI turns out. Has anyone else had one done successfully? I'll report back next week after I speak with him.

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I’ve wondered the same thing about the nerve block or tourniquet. I’m now 3 years and 4 months since my surgery, and no change on the tight band feeling and the feeling of a compressed lower leg. I’ve tried massage and myofacia release. It feels better while I’m laying there. As soon as I’m up on walking the pain returns immediately. In fact the longer I walk the more it hurts. I did not pursue nerve ablation because I heard many say it only helped a month or so, or required numerous treatments or worse, created new problems.

I’m resigned to living with this. I’ve had right and left total hip replacements with no problems whatsoever. So there’s that to be thankful for.

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