Spacer replacement 4 years after TKR

Posted by doodles418 @doodles418, Feb 8, 2023

Has anyone been told their plastic spacer is too thin and should be replaced? My knee has been having all kinds of pain, pinching and burning sensations for months now. Xray shows implants are stable, but the spacer may be too thin and gives me the unstable feeling. Surgeon suggests going in and replacing, but not a fan of surgery. Anyone have it done? Successful? Wished they didn't? Thanks for any comments.

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@prawleyn

I am now pushing 20 weeks and I can report that this procedure is working. Much of the pain and swelling is gone. My recovery has been longer than I thought though. I feel another 4 weeks will see further improvement.
As I was recovering from the original TKR, I felt I was behind. I had daily swelling and pain. As time went by, I saw some improvement but never fully recovered. I did feel instability and had to work hard to keep up with others when walking. I also had a clunking feeling and the knee would sort of lock at times. The main difference, though, between now and then was the pain and swelling. Because that is less, I can walk much better now. I may have been lucky on getting second opinion - doctors do shy away from these cases. I will check back in later and update if anyone is still interested.

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Thanks I can't get a dr to tell me anything they all say they can't find why I'm hurting I shouldn't be one suggested a physcritorist I'm like really was an a hole it's been almost 2 years I think if I was faking it I'd given up my now

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WOW I am so glad I found this site. I have looked for months on information about a liner replacement and the outcome. My surgeon diagnosed that my liner is loose - via manipulation and x-ray. I was negative for infection - which is great cause I had a joint infection 2 yrs ago (on the same knee) and that is not something I ever want to go through again. The plan is PT and a very tight sleeve for now and the liner "exchange" as soon as I can get scheduled. For those who have undergone the exchange how long did the recover take. I work a desk job from home and need to go back asap as I used most of my time off for the joint infection and the multiple surgeries. How long before you could walk a mile (round trip)? THANK you I really appreciate your input to help me make a decision on the timing of this.

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I had a TKR 2 years ago and now experiencing really bad pain. Ortho took many X-rays and felt my knee and said I have a “loose knee” and probably will need to have the spacer changed from a 12 to a 16 (?????) he gave me a series of muscle strengthening exercises to do daily to see if it helps as I am averse to surgery and to let him know how I am progressing. Until 2 months ago the replacement was perfect - not a single issue . I’m so bummed . If only replacing the spacer is the recovery much less than TKR ?

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@zoeypicasso

I had a TKR 2 years ago and now experiencing really bad pain. Ortho took many X-rays and felt my knee and said I have a “loose knee” and probably will need to have the spacer changed from a 12 to a 16 (?????) he gave me a series of muscle strengthening exercises to do daily to see if it helps as I am averse to surgery and to let him know how I am progressing. Until 2 months ago the replacement was perfect - not a single issue . I’m so bummed . If only replacing the spacer is the recovery much less than TKR ?

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Pls advise if the strengthening helps.
I am in same situation but only after one yr..

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@williekeen

Pls advise if the strengthening helps.
I am in same situation but only after one yr..

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I will let you know , but my knee is already strong as I do reformer pilates 4x week, lots of squats etc . The pain is worse than pre surgery ! How long were you advised to wait ?

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@prawleyn

I am now pushing 20 weeks and I can report that this procedure is working. Much of the pain and swelling is gone. My recovery has been longer than I thought though. I feel another 4 weeks will see further improvement.
As I was recovering from the original TKR, I felt I was behind. I had daily swelling and pain. As time went by, I saw some improvement but never fully recovered. I did feel instability and had to work hard to keep up with others when walking. I also had a clunking feeling and the knee would sort of lock at times. The main difference, though, between now and then was the pain and swelling. Because that is less, I can walk much better now. I may have been lucky on getting second opinion - doctors do shy away from these cases. I will check back in later and update if anyone is still interested.

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Here is my April update. I am a little over 5 months out. I am still able to see improvement when I walk, but my knee is still not feeling "good". I am seeing the pain and swelling lessen but not to a point I can live with. The knee cannot take a lot of activity at least right now. A 5 mile bike ride was okay but a 10 mile got me sore for 3 days. I have backed of everything but walking and hoping it is a matter of time before I can do more. I am hoping I can build up to it. The doctor says this can go on up to 6-7 months. I will see if he is right but it is hard to trust my knee or him. I am preparing myself for dealing with a bad leg the rest of my life but I really feel this may just get there. It has taken much longer than I (and my doctor I am pretty sure) thought, so I am not entirely confident in that. Time will tell. I will post again at the end of May FWIW. My one big complaint having gone through this is being in the dark about what is happening to me. The doctor should have been much more up front with me about what I have been dealing with and what I might be facing for an outcome. At 6 months after the original TKR I was struggling but I was told I was fine. Just 5 months later, I was told I needed a new part. That is why I am posting here. Hoping at least others might not feel as lost. This is hard to go through.

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I am 2 yrs from TKA and have had constant swelling and pain, burning, pinching pain with different movements…2 bloody aspirations (no infection thx!) -after x-rays, bone scans, CT - showed/prosthesis stable -2nd opinion Dr says spacer is too thin so needs to be replaced… best guess thats the problem. Im petrified to have another surgery so want to know IF more painful recovery this time…and fear of infection. All: Please tell me your experience of level of pain after vs total TKA - And your recovery time… i have fibromyalgia which makes pain more intense anyway… so thx in advance for responses.

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Hi, I had bilateral knee replacement and 2015, then 2 1/2 years ago after a lot of pain and issues in the right knee had a thicker spacer put in and then about six months ago had the same on my left and I'll say the recovery wasn't quite as bad because originally I had both knees done at the same time, but the spacer surgery still pretty rough. They have to make a pretty big cut to check the stability of the implant. Now 5 mo's later it was better but Ive had an unexplained setback, pain and difficulty walking not really sure why maybe just taking longer to heal but no infection.

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I had a spacer replaced after 3 years from TKR. I thought the pain was just as intense the first couple of weeks, however, for me the recovery was shorter. Also the knee still hurts 8 months later especially when I lift it to get in car, etc. It was also buckling at times during the first couple of months. Just hoping it continues to improve as I don’t want more surgery.

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