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Pain months after Total Knee Replacement

Posted by cgbi @cgbi, Jul 12, 2019

Had tkr nine months ago. Was feeling good till 4 weeks ago. I started working full time and went on vacation were I walked a lot. Now my knee almost feels like it did before surgery. I limp and have a hard time walking without pain. I don't know what to do. My led will not lie straight and the pain is pretty constant.

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win sturgeon | @cobweb | Jul 15, 2019
In reply to @ellerbracke "@jeffkirc : May I ask your age, tennis level rating, court surfaces, and what - singles,..." + (show)
@ellerbracke

@jeffkirc : May I ask your age, tennis level rating, court surfaces, and what - singles, or doubles - you play? I have yet to take the plunge to get back on the soft courts. Have played social, but still very competitive tennis, and early on team tennis with several trips to state championships, for decades. (4.0, but probably more realistically 3.5 in recent years), singles only until I was about 63 and could not find any willing partners in matching ability and age range. Had to settle for doubles then. The younger generation hit too hard, and was too focused on ending points. To me, tennis at it’s best is a strategic chess match if players are evenly matched. Anyway - my main concern is the need to “twist” - sideways motion - of the knee. Starting, stopping, I can imagine would be fine. I still have major problems when I bend my knee inwards, sideways, and upwards, as in taking off a sock while standing. Does this make any sense to you? Oh, I’m now finally 70, and otherwise in pretty decent shape. Coming up on 10 months after surgery.

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My knees went south playing on hard courts. Hard true came late for me. I played both singles and doubles but near the end of tennis days it was only doubles. Won state of Ohio 13 times as a captain of a team. Played 4.0 but as i aged i was plating 3.5 . I am 78 now but told i look 60. Shot my age in golf the other day. When i had first tkr i noticed i lost a lot of speed. I decided on stem cells as my TKR did not go well. Its been 5 years and still have swelling, pain, etc, I love my biking and i do 20 miles each day. Good luck to you.

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1 reply
ellerbracke | @ellerbracke | Jul 19, 2019
In reply to @cobweb "My knees went south playing on hard courts. Hard true came late for me. I played..." + (show)
@cobweb

My knees went south playing on hard courts. Hard true came late for me. I played both singles and doubles but near the end of tennis days it was only doubles. Won state of Ohio 13 times as a captain of a team. Played 4.0 but as i aged i was plating 3.5 . I am 78 now but told i look 60. Shot my age in golf the other day. When i had first tkr i noticed i lost a lot of speed. I decided on stem cells as my TKR did not go well. Its been 5 years and still have swelling, pain, etc, I love my biking and i do 20 miles each day. Good luck to you.

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Congratulations on your excellent track record in tennis (I, too, was a team captain for several years). Went to SC state championships several times, lost in finals mostly. Let me tell you, it is a LOT harder to herd a group of females (even though I am one myself), than to deal with guys. Just take my word for it. I wish I would like to bike..... I really hate the stationary one(s), and here in SC the actual outdoor riding is definitely not something you do in the summer. Clarification re. stem cell: must be the “other” knee, since once the artificial one is in, it would not help.
I plan to start tennis hitting practices come September, and go from there. I really miss smacking a ball to get rid of pent-up energy? frustration? anger? just sheer joy of it? All of those.

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cmquigley | @cmquigley | Oct 31, 2019

I had a TKR 9 months ago. My leg was totally fine before the surgery. After a month my entire leg from thigh to toes started swelling and from my calf down to my toes is as hard as a rock. I have been to all kinds of doctors and have had all kinds of test and no one has been able to tell what is wrong. Nothing makes the swelling go down and it just keeps getting worse. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should do next. It is very frustrating and painful. Any suggestions would be helpful.

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2 replies
Moderator
Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | Oct 31, 2019
In reply to @cmquigley "I had a TKR 9 months ago. My leg was totally fine before the surgery. After..." + (show)
@cmquigley

I had a TKR 9 months ago. My leg was totally fine before the surgery. After a month my entire leg from thigh to toes started swelling and from my calf down to my toes is as hard as a rock. I have been to all kinds of doctors and have had all kinds of test and no one has been able to tell what is wrong. Nothing makes the swelling go down and it just keeps getting worse. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should do next. It is very frustrating and painful. Any suggestions would be helpful.

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@cmquigley, welcome to Connect. I combined your discussion with an existing discussion titled, "Nine months after TKR." I did this so you could meet members discussing their experiences after TKR. Members like, @cgbi posted their experience and symptoms with their TKR nine months after the surgery. @cmquigley, what is your range-of-motion like? Is the swelling keeping you from moving the leg? Is there discoloration with the increasingly swollen leg?

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JK | @contentandwell | Oct 31, 2019
In reply to @cmquigley "I had a TKR 9 months ago. My leg was totally fine before the surgery. After..." + (show)
@cmquigley

I had a TKR 9 months ago. My leg was totally fine before the surgery. After a month my entire leg from thigh to toes started swelling and from my calf down to my toes is as hard as a rock. I have been to all kinds of doctors and have had all kinds of test and no one has been able to tell what is wrong. Nothing makes the swelling go down and it just keeps getting worse. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should do next. It is very frustrating and painful. Any suggestions would be helpful.

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Hi @cmquigley Welcome to Connect.

The first thing I thought of when I read your post was a possibly allergy to the cement used in the TKR. There is a discussion about this type of sensitivity here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/need-tkr-and-had-positive-allergy-testing-bone-cement-and-metals/

Also a discussion on swelling and stiffness here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/swelling-and-stiffness-3-years-after-total-knee-replacement/

I hope one of these will resonate with you and that you might be able to find the cause of this. From what I have heard here, most doctors expect a patient to wait a year after a TKR to get a second opinion. You are getting close to that. If the surgeon who did your TKR is not supplying any answers I would seek that second opinion from a doctor at a different medical center -- doctors at the same medical center often will not contradict a colleague. If you live within reach of a major medical center the doctors there have seen virtually everything so they often are better at figuring out unusual problems.

I have had two TKRs and never had anything like that. I had a normal amount of swelling initially but it subsided fairly quickly. It is definitely not typical to still be having it at 9 months.
I am definitely interested in hearing what you can find out about this, I hope you keep us up to date.
JK

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1 reply
cmquigley | @cmquigley | Nov 1, 2019
In reply to @contentandwell "Hi @cmquigley Welcome to Connect. The first thing I thought of when I read your post..." + (show)
@contentandwell

Hi @cmquigley Welcome to Connect.

The first thing I thought of when I read your post was a possibly allergy to the cement used in the TKR. There is a discussion about this type of sensitivity here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/need-tkr-and-had-positive-allergy-testing-bone-cement-and-metals/

Also a discussion on swelling and stiffness here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/swelling-and-stiffness-3-years-after-total-knee-replacement/

I hope one of these will resonate with you and that you might be able to find the cause of this. From what I have heard here, most doctors expect a patient to wait a year after a TKR to get a second opinion. You are getting close to that. If the surgeon who did your TKR is not supplying any answers I would seek that second opinion from a doctor at a different medical center -- doctors at the same medical center often will not contradict a colleague. If you live within reach of a major medical center the doctors there have seen virtually everything so they often are better at figuring out unusual problems.

I have had two TKRs and never had anything like that. I had a normal amount of swelling initially but it subsided fairly quickly. It is definitely not typical to still be having it at 9 months.
I am definitely interested in hearing what you can find out about this, I hope you keep us up to date.
JK

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Thank you JK. I have an appointment with my surgeon next week. I will keep you posted. CQ

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sjot4u | @sjot4u | Jan 27, 2020
In reply to @rainyday541 "I had TKR 11 years ago and I find the being very active gives me some..." + (show)
@rainyday541

I had TKR 11 years ago and I find the being very active gives me some discomfort short term. After retirement I started exercising at the gym using machines. I believe that exercising moderately is key to controlling pain after TKR. Currently I have started the process for a 2nd TKR (left this time), but want to get as much mileage out of this knee as I can. I cannot imagine being as active without TKR and would do it over in a heartbeat! I might add that I currently do not take any pain medications.

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I am 10 months post TKR and am doing well. I agree with you if you are overactive you pay the price and there is some medial pain that goes away with rest. My question is approximately how long do knee replacements last if I do things in moderation? Is there actually a time when I can expect to walk more than 2 miles and stand longer than 2 hours without getting that tight band sensation? I also use some machines at the gym. One more thing — since the arthritic pain is gone, why does the knee stiffen up in rainy/snowy weather and that band is still there.

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2 replies
JK | @contentandwell | Jan 28, 2020
In reply to @sjot4u "I am 10 months post TKR and am doing well. I agree with you if you..." + (show)
@sjot4u

I am 10 months post TKR and am doing well. I agree with you if you are overactive you pay the price and there is some medial pain that goes away with rest. My question is approximately how long do knee replacements last if I do things in moderation? Is there actually a time when I can expect to walk more than 2 miles and stand longer than 2 hours without getting that tight band sensation? I also use some machines at the gym. One more thing — since the arthritic pain is gone, why does the knee stiffen up in rainy/snowy weather and that band is still there.

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@sjot4u I could definitely walk two miles after my TKR. I am having a bit of trouble now due to having had a femur fracture in July, but that's getting better gradually too. I use many machines in my gym.
I never had stiff knees or a tight band feeling that I recall so I can't answer that.
JK

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Mentor
Chris Trout, Volunteer Mentor | @artscaping | Jan 28, 2020
In reply to @sjot4u "I am 10 months post TKR and am doing well. I agree with you if you..." + (show)
@sjot4u

I am 10 months post TKR and am doing well. I agree with you if you are overactive you pay the price and there is some medial pain that goes away with rest. My question is approximately how long do knee replacements last if I do things in moderation? Is there actually a time when I can expect to walk more than 2 miles and stand longer than 2 hours without getting that tight band sensation? I also use some machines at the gym. One more thing — since the arthritic pain is gone, why does the knee stiffen up in rainy/snowy weather and that band is still there.

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@sjot4u , Good evening. I am glad you are doing so well with your TKR rehab. Here is the only comment about longevity that I received from my surgeon. Chris, he asked, "do you want your new knee to last 5 years or a lifetime?" So can I hike the mountains? "You can go up but coming down is very hard on your knee and it won't last very long."

I gave up the climbing and actually moved from my mountain village to the prairie. Flat and sometimes boring. My knee loves it.
You may want to investigate the fascia around your knee. It can thicken and result in layers of sticky glue-like fiber.

Did you get a new kneecap? Did you have pseudo gout or crystals?
Be safe and protected. Chris

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1 reply
sjot4u | @sjot4u | Jan 29, 2020
In reply to @artscaping "@sjot4u , Good evening. I am glad you are doing so well with your TKR rehab...." + (show)
@artscaping

@sjot4u , Good evening. I am glad you are doing so well with your TKR rehab. Here is the only comment about longevity that I received from my surgeon. Chris, he asked, "do you want your new knee to last 5 years or a lifetime?" So can I hike the mountains? "You can go up but coming down is very hard on your knee and it won't last very long."

I gave up the climbing and actually moved from my mountain village to the prairie. Flat and sometimes boring. My knee loves it.
You may want to investigate the fascia around your knee. It can thicken and result in layers of sticky glue-like fiber.

Did you get a new kneecap? Did you have pseudo gout or crystals?
Be safe and protected. Chris

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Hi Chris. Thanks for your reply. No I didn’t get a new patella and didn’t have gout or crystals. Ok I get it no strenuous activities = increased longevity. I used to hike but won’t do that anymore. So walking further increases over time. That’s hopeful.

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