One knee replacement and will never have another one!

I would ask for an appointment with a Pain Clinic. Book one now because you may have months until an opening. You can always cancel if you feel improved.

Thank you!

Hello Mary Ann,
I've had both knees replaced. My right one was done in 2021 with no problems at all & was basically pain-free after 4 weeks. I did everything I was told including the at-home PT immediately when I got home & iced my knee every 2 hours for at least 30 minutes and kept it elevated & wrapped with the ace bandages. I worked from home after the first week & I walked with a walker the first 3 weeks, with a cane the next 2 weeks and then on my own after that. It was a great experience. Then I had the left knee replaced in 2023 & had a totally different experience. The parineal nerve was compressed under a muscle during surgery which cause drop foot and nerve pain at the side of my knee. 10 days after the knee surgery I had to go back in to have the nerve removed from under the muscle, but it took almost a full year for me to walk semi-normal. My foot constantly swells & I will get shooting nerve pain at the side of me knee & down the side of my calf periodically. It's tolerable but a nuisance. Not having full range of motion on the foot is frustrating & I do trip on occasion & am no longer steady on my feet like I once was. As for the knee...I didn't have as full a recovery as I did with the right knee but that was due to the complication of the drop foot and not being able to do as much as I should have. I do not have pain at all in my right knee and because of the great outcome with that one is why I decided to have the left one done. Even though I had the trouble with the left one & get some nerve pain occasionally with the left, it's not nearly the pain I dealt with prior to surgery so I am glad I got it done. That does not mean I'm happy with how things turned out with my drop foot & the limitations that caused by any means. One thing I did not realize would happen with knee replacement is I cannot kneel down anymore. I'm no longer able to kneel in my garden or get down on the floor easily to play with the grandkids. I have had to make large pillow type contraptions with memory foam to kneel, but it's still uncomfortable to do it even with that.
Mary Ann, is the pain you're feeling a nerve type pain, pinching or does it feel like a tissue tear and where on the knee is the pain you're feeling? I did take a nerve pill after the debacle with the left knee that helped some along with the normal pain reliever from the surgery, but after that I did a regimen of Aleve. You may want to consult with a neurologist possibly if you haven't already. I hope you can find some relief.

Hello Babyjayne,
I am so sorry to read of all that you have been through with your left knee. I know what you mean about not being able to kneel down. I can’t either (on the replaced knee as well as the knee that has not been done). I bought a small, portable seat, low to the ground, that has handles on each side, and when I work in the garden, I use it. It does help. However, I have such a hard time getting down on the floor to do exercises for my knees and back. Like you, I have to put pillows down, kneel on them to get to the floor, and then it’s so difficult to get back up! I did go yesterday for a cortisone shot to my left knee and although it is definitely not 100% improved, it seems a little bit better today. I also bought a pair of very comfortable knee supports that are made of that soft, bamboo material. They act like compression socks and I can sleep with them or wear them during the day and they do help. When I went for the shot yesterday, the physician’s assistant looked at an x-ray of my left hip. He said that there was a lot of arthritis there and that could also be affecting my left knee. At the beginning of May he suggested that I have one of those “guided” shots into the hip joint and that might help my knee as well. So, I will do that. Thank you very much for your nice note of support and suggestions! I do use Advil, with Tylenol but maybe I should give Aleve a try! All of my best wishes to you. Take good care. MaryAnn from Boston

Thank you very much for the video that you sent me with calf exercises, along with other very helpful information! I truly appreciated it!!

Hi Maryann,
So sorry to hear you're going through so much pain. I have not had my knees done yet. I am 60 years old with bone on bone and knock knee for over 25 years. I also need a hip now which is giving me more pain than my knees ever did. I've been to 2 doctors recently and only one told me that since I have such severity there is always a possibility that I could experience pain and discomfort after the knee replacements for the rest of my life. In all the years I've seen doctors only one told me this. I guess this is the hardest decision for all of us to make and pray the outcome is good. I wish you well and wish you some relief.
Tervin

Hi Tervin,
I am very sorry for all of the pain that you are going through. I have heard from friends that a hip replacement is much easier than a knee replacement. Maybe if you started with your hip, your pain would be reduced. Honestly, these knee replacements are tough surgeries and it takes a long time to recover from them. If I were you, I think that I would look into physical therapy first before making any decisions on your knees. They can help with exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee, which might reduce some of your current pain. Wishing you all the best in the decisions that you have to make. MaryAnn

Try nerve ablation in your knee

Thank you. I will have to look that up.

Is that the same as the Iovera treatment where they freeze the nerves and it's supposed to be temporary?