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Scar tissue after knee replacement
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Oct 10 8:31am | Replies (1550)Comment receiving replies
I had left TKR in August 2016. Knee still swells, warmth and steps are a challenge. Outside leg is still numb feeling. Surgeon told me sometimes it takes awhile to heal. Every night it still aches as bad as the right one which needs to be replaced also, but I refuse until I know what is going on with the left. I walked this summer 3-5 miles daily outdoors, now I workout at local wellness center, doing treadmill, recumbent elipitcal and leg press machine. I also do stretching exercises in between that was done thru OT following surgery. Bending is no problem. I can bend it all the way. Sitting or standing long periods of time are terrible. My main complaint is the aching I experience nightly. No issue when I get up in the morning. Wonder if anyone else has had any of this type of pain? I have an appt on Feb 8th with a different orthopedic clinic for a second opinion. Thanks, any info would be great!
Replies to "I had left TKR in August 2016. Knee still swells, warmth and steps are a challenge...."
Hi, I had a TKR in Sept 2014. I have primary Srogrens and mixed connective tissue disorder. Anyway, initially, the knee healed up really well, and everyone including me was very satisfied. However, things started to ache and ache and ache with the dull consistent pain at night that interrupts sleep. Also, range of motion was restricted even after months of PT. Rheumatologist suggested the auto-immune disorders were responsible somewhat for wanting to reject the "foreign" body. After almost 3 years, knee started to be less sensitive. I can now kneel on it although it is permanently numb along the cap and left side. Still, I wake almost every night with the dull nagging ache and Pain that sometimes requires some lidocaine. Mornings I awake with it hot and swollen. BUT I can walk and while I can't hike or go more than say, 2 miles, I'm grateful for small favors!
Wow, you can knell on it. I try to ignore the stiffness and pain. This is why I went to stem cells for the second knee.
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Hello @dmweber,
Welcome to Connect and thank you for posting your question about knee replacement pain. I moved your discussion to an existing discussion on scar tissue after knee replacement. Although your issue may not be scar tissue, I moved your post because I wanted to introduce you to all of the members discussion knee replacements. If you are responding by email, I always suggest clicking on VIEW & REPLY so that you will be brought to where your post is and it so that you can also read through other members' posts about their experiences as well.
@dmweber, I had a knee replacement myself in March 2006. Like you, I had a heck of a time recovering. I had to have two manipulations to break up my scar tissue and even then my mobility was not great. Eventually, closer to 2 years post op, I ended up with 0-105 movement. My situation sounds similar to you as well in regards to pain. I also ride bike, do leg presses, and am quite active. I have noticed that if I overdo it on the leg press (too much weight or too many reps) I will get a dull, but persistent, ache in my knee during the night. Do you notice your knee pain is worse on days you are active or days you use the leg press? I was told my knee is structurally sound, so whatever pain I am experiencing is in the soft tissues surrounding the knee, whether it be muscles or the scar tissue that is on the top of my knee. Has anyone mentioned scar tissue as a potential culprit for your pain?