Scar tissue after knee replacement

I'm going for pool PT now. PT puts on tape but said rub it on - it's the friction that keeps it on. I does make a difference - last for days even w showers.

I had my first TKR 7 weeks ago and now am dealing with painful scar tissue as well Trying to work with PT to avoid manipulation as I have read varying reports of success with these procedures this is a very frustrating time and the PT is so very painful

I feel your pain. I kept waiting for PT to less painful. Tomorrow will be visit # 15 and I can barely tolerate it. I am off all strong pain meds, so I did break down and take a vicodin 90 minutes prior. I think it helped. Use a roller on scar tissue....heat and ice to break it up. Keep moving. Don't baby it.

I had my left TKR 8 years ago when I was 44. My body created scar tissue fast. I had to have a manipulation 5 weeks after the original surgery. I went to PT religiously. I even slept with my CPM on. My body continued to grow scar tissue no matter what I did. I had arthroscopic surgery 7 months later to remove the scar tissue. My body made more scar tissue.
For the next surgery, they placed an outpatient epidural in my lower spine. 2 incisions were made on either side of my knee to clean out the scar tissue under my knee. The doctor arthroscopically remove the scar tissue on top. I was doing well with PT until the 5th week. I started hallucinating and was in extreme pain. I was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. They thought I was drug seeking and sent me home. My husband had been out of town and when he returned, he took me to the hospital. They thought I was drug seeking and sent me home. I was finally able to contact my surgeon (the emergency room refused to call him), and was admitted when I went back to the hospital. They removed the epidural. It turned out that I had a spinal infection up to T10. I was sent to a hospital that had an infectious diseases ward. I was told not to move. They put me on some very strong meds for the pain. I was released 6 days later. In descending order of what the doctors expected to happen to me was: death, quadriplegic, paraplegic, or like I am now. I lost all of my mobility in my left knee. I don’t remember things very well anymore, and I search for words when speaking.
I had my 2nd TKR 11 months later done by a different doctor. Again, I worked at PT and did my home exercises. I went to PT and stayed until my therapist said that I had to go home. But again, my body started growing scar tissue. My leg was permanently stuck at 45 degrees. This doctor refused to see me anymore. I found another doctor who couldn’t help me, but referred me to 3 other doctors that were in LA, Chicago, and Boston. The LA doctor wasn’t accepting new patients. I saw the other two for evaluations. Both refused to help. Apparently, I was too much of a liability considering my history. I was referred back to my original surgeon.
He came up with a plan. The first surgery was done arthroscopically to remove scar tissue on top of my knee. The second surgery, a year later, removed the scar tissue underneath my knee. Again went to PT and did everything I could.
That was 3 years ago. I’m now 52 years old. My current range of motion is 20-50 degrees on a good day. I use a cane to walk. I haven’t been able to go back to my job because I’m not very steady on my feet. I am in constant pain. 6 months ago, I had a Radio Frequency Ablation procedure to reduce the pain. I kills the nerves so there isn’t any pain. It’s a short term treatment that’s supposed to last 1 year. My pain started to come back after 4 months.
Believe it or not, neither of my surgeons have done anything wrong. This is how my knee is.

OMG HOW HORRIFIC SO Terrible how a generally successful surgery turned out to be your nightmare my sympathies

WOW.....I am so sorry! This sounds like a nightmare!

Had another follow up today (16 weeks since my partial knee replacement) - have been having a lot more pain since last week while walking, intense sharp pain where it stops me in my tracks. I'm back to using a cane when walking to make sure I don't fall. My surgeon said there is nothing wrong, it's just normal postoperative pain and that I'm a "straggler" when it comes to recovery. He told me to up my neurontin to 2 a night to see if that helps so I can sleep, about once a week I've been taking one of the hydrocodone I have left just so I can get one night of ok sleep a week. Otherwise, he said I just need to keep at it. My flexion is "excellent" according to him, which was really good to hear, but he still isn't happy with my extension. Still doing physical therapy twice a week to get work on that. This has been so trying and wearing on me, I'm not even the same person I was before this happened. I was started on an anti-depressant about a month ago. My surgeon could tell this is really challenging me in a lot of ways. He spent a lot of time just talking to me and encouraging me. Because of the pain in my right knee, my left knee is now starting to bother me (I had been told I have osteoarthritis in that knee as well), and I'm very concerned about it - I don't want to have to go through this again with that knee.

welcome to the club. Its been 5 years. knee is still swollen, aches, especially after exercise. My other knee was worn out so went to stem cells. Due to get a booster shot this spring to keep arthritis away. I did not want another nightmare experience of having another tkr. I do know people to have good luck with there tkr. Not sure why some have no problems and others suffer.

I would've loved to do stem cells instead due to my age and knowing I'll need at least one revision in my lifetime, but insurance wouldn't cover it and I don't have the money to pay for it out of pocket. Before doing the PKR I also tried to get insurance approval for a cartilage transplant, but that wouldn't be covered either. So now I feel stuck. I remain hopeful though that eventually things will even out and get better, just was hoping to be a little further along at this point, and not having to take time out of work for physical therapy still.

I had a TKR October 1 and a manipulation mid February. Got sick at hospital and confined to bed for a few days which made the manipulation almost useless. Started therapy 3 times a week. No improvement yet. Pain is still there not as extreme but not good. Frustrating. I was better off before TkR.