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Scar tissue after knee replacement

Posted by leithlane @leithlane, Jan 31, 2017

I had knee replacement surgery 6 weeks ago . Through PT I have been working on breaking up the scar tissue only for it to regrow by the time I get back to PT two days later. I have been massaging at home, using a hand held massager and roller. It is painful and swollen. I am getting very disheartened. Any suggestions as to what else I can do. Has anyone had laser treatments to break up scar tissue? Were they effective?

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pcfreeman61 | @pcfreeman61 | Apr 22 9:03am

I just joined this group with similar problems. I have the scar tissue (2nd opinion doctor said it was “significant”). I have sciatica uptick. Have had gout multiple times. Muscle cramps/spasms in the leg the replacement was done on. I was diagnosed with an allergy to the titanium. 2nd opinion Dr said I could get scar tissue removed orthoscopically and if it didn’t work to then have a do over. I’m inclined to leave it alone. I never got beyond 90degrees on bending my knee. Since no more PT I have gradually come back to around 35 degrees. I do home PT every day. Any suggestions or comments?

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lagnew | @lagnew | Aug 7 1:40pm

I had my TKR done in January and developed an infection in the scar that made my leg swollen and unable to bend for about 4 weeks so Physio was slow getting started. I have alot of scar tissue which stops my knee from bending more that 101 degrees presently. The knee area is painful and it is hard to sleep more than a few hours at night.
The physio triggered a trapped nerve in my back so I now have hot tingling feeling down from hip to knee.
I had hoped for a better recovery and continue to do physio at home twice a day.
Reading other peoples experiences have given me a helpline of sorts and i am so glad people share their stories.
As of yesterday my surgeon says there is nothing he can do because he believes anything more intrusive will cause more scar tissue than i have now.
I am hoping i come across some suggestions to help me move forward.

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2 replies
algrieco | @algrieco | Aug 8 9:01am

My doctor said that the laser is non effective for removal of any serious amount of scar tissue. It is also quite expensive.

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Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Aug 11 5:26pm
In reply to @lagnew "I had my TKR done in January and developed an infection in the scar that made..." + (show)
@lagnew

I had my TKR done in January and developed an infection in the scar that made my leg swollen and unable to bend for about 4 weeks so Physio was slow getting started. I have alot of scar tissue which stops my knee from bending more that 101 degrees presently. The knee area is painful and it is hard to sleep more than a few hours at night.
The physio triggered a trapped nerve in my back so I now have hot tingling feeling down from hip to knee.
I had hoped for a better recovery and continue to do physio at home twice a day.
Reading other peoples experiences have given me a helpline of sorts and i am so glad people share their stories.
As of yesterday my surgeon says there is nothing he can do because he believes anything more intrusive will cause more scar tissue than i have now.
I am hoping i come across some suggestions to help me move forward.

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@ lagnew You may want to look at this discussion on Myofascial release therapy. It can help treat surgical scar tissue. These are specialists trained in the methods of John Barnes. I have done this therapy for a long time and used it to treat my surgical scar tissue from spine and ankle surgeries. It can help a lot of physical conditions.

Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
There is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/

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ezas123 | @ezas123 | Aug 12 9:44am
In reply to @lagnew "I had my TKR done in January and developed an infection in the scar that made..." + (show)
@lagnew

I had my TKR done in January and developed an infection in the scar that made my leg swollen and unable to bend for about 4 weeks so Physio was slow getting started. I have alot of scar tissue which stops my knee from bending more that 101 degrees presently. The knee area is painful and it is hard to sleep more than a few hours at night.
The physio triggered a trapped nerve in my back so I now have hot tingling feeling down from hip to knee.
I had hoped for a better recovery and continue to do physio at home twice a day.
Reading other peoples experiences have given me a helpline of sorts and i am so glad people share their stories.
As of yesterday my surgeon says there is nothing he can do because he believes anything more intrusive will cause more scar tissue than i have now.
I am hoping i come across some suggestions to help me move forward.

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Just like someone else said Mayofacial release and graston technique I would suggest they both help break up scar tissue … I have done both helped so much still do mayofacial periodically….

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irenesara | @irenesara | Oct 4 8:58pm
In reply to @dickiedo "Had arthroscopic to remove scar tissue for patella clunk on Oct. 24th. Hope it stays away...." + (show)
@dickiedo

Had arthroscopic to remove scar tissue for patella clunk on Oct. 24th. Hope it stays away. Will try doing stairs this week. TKR on May 8th. ITB still an issue but working on it.

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So you developed the clunk 5 months after your TKR? Are you back to normal now and how long after arthroscopy to clean out the nodule before you could see an improvement? I strongly suspect that is what I have but my doc refuses to look in there with the scope until I'm 8 months past TKR. I'm right at 4 months now. I am very bothered by my symptoms and feel it's keeping me from getting back to being active like I was before TKR that included playing pickleball. I would love to hear more about your experience and how you are doing now? Thank you. My name is Sara.

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irenesara | @irenesara | Oct 4 9:13pm
In reply to @goodpeople "Scar tissue is an elusive problem. I had my right knee replaced in Feb. 2021. Within..." + (show)
@goodpeople

Scar tissue is an elusive problem. I had my right knee replaced in Feb. 2021. Within three weeks I was dealing with excruciating pain, mostly on the lateral side. I tried acupuncture, traditional PT, MFR, genicular nerve ablation-all to no avail. Very reluctantly, my surgeon agreed to open it up again-full incision-to try to identify the source of my pain. Two weeks ago today, he Operated and found significant scar tissue throughout, most especially involving the IT band-the cause of the most significant pain. Two days post surgery I was walking with no aids and climbing stairs. I spend most of my time icing, icing, icing and have started PT with a concentration on ROM. It seems as if scar tissue is a very real complication, that it can appear even years after the initial surgery, and there’s little that can be done to prevent it. I replaced my left knee three months before this left one and had no problem whatsoever. Good luck!

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Did your doctor do arthroscopy surgery to see what was going on inside and removed scar tissue before going to the big open surgery or just did it once and done with the open surgery]

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irenesara | @irenesara | Oct 4 9:15pm
In reply to @681 "I had TKR in 2020. Good range of motion but getting up from a chair or..." + (show)
@681

I had TKR in 2020. Good range of motion but getting up from a chair or coming up stairs still hurt. In 2021 I did more therapy to hopefully break up scar tissue but to no avail. My surgeon was hesitant to open the knee up before a year had passed hoping it would go away. Also a lot of noise on standing. 2 weeks ago I underwent surgical scar tissue. They scoped my knee and took out the scar tissue. Doing well most pain is gone still a little tender from the scope.
I will do some PT to help

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How are you now. Did you continue to improve after arthroscopy? Or did you end up needing to have any more surgery due to pain?

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irenesara | @irenesara | Oct 4 9:18pm
In reply to @dickiedo "Had scar tissue removed 2 weeks ago that caused patella clunk. Yes, that’s the term. No..." + (show)
@dickiedo

Had scar tissue removed 2 weeks ago that caused patella clunk. Yes, that’s the term. No clunk since. Arthroscopic stitches come out today. See PT tomorrow for final visit. Sat begin drive to Fl. Expect few inches of snow today. Can’t get out of NY State soon enough. Has been 6 months to this day since TKR. Still few issues to resolve but this site will get me through it.

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How long did you suffer before your doctor agreed to go in with the scope?. Did he take before and after photos? I'm 4 months past TKR and have painful clunking since surgery really that is getting worse. He says I need to heal more and he won't do a scope for at least 4 more months. I hope to hear from you and thank you for sharing. Sara in Florida

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1 reply
irenesara | @irenesara | Oct 4 9:23pm
In reply to @dickiedo "My OS removed scar tissue via arthroscopic 5 1/2 months after TKR. Kneecap was catching on..." + (show)
@dickiedo

My OS removed scar tissue via arthroscopic 5 1/2 months after TKR. Kneecap was catching on scar tissue when bending beyond. Kept me from walking in water, using bike etc. no catching now 👌

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Me too. I thought I would get relief in the pool but it was even more pronounced. So disappointing. It's a deep hard double clunk with each step or any bend of the knee. I'm 4 months past TKR and my doc says he won't scope it for at least 3 or 5 months to allow for more healing. Did your problem go away immediately after scope surgery and are you still good? Did you have uncomfortable clunking?

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