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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I'm not a good candidate for knee replacement surgery because I developed thick scar tissues or keloids after all the 4 surgeries I had. The scar from surgery I had 30 yrs ago, still raised and sometime still itch. My doctor had removed the scars but they would eventually come back after 6-12 mos! I know I will develop thick scars for all my wounds! Not looking forward to the prospect of needing TKR in the near or far future. I'm 78 and the doctor told me there is no need to repair my torn meniscus because my knee pain is caused by arthritis! In the mean time to lessen the pain, he recommends injection, Advil, ice and then TKR when I have tried everything else! He won't do TKR after age 85!

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Advil harms organs, Dyclofinate does least harm, takes a while to kick in then - really good Pain control and lasts a loong time. Is Dr. Old? How about stem cells or 1st PRP? Injection, (what kind) how many times per year? Effect on body?

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@mari

Advil harms organs, Dyclofinate does least harm, takes a while to kick in then - really good Pain control and lasts a loong time. Is Dr. Old? How about stem cells or 1st PRP? Injection, (what kind) how many times per year? Effect on body?

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I have had stem cells in left knee after my tkr went badly. I have found that PRP is great for arthritis. I first heard of this from the Mayo Clinic in a webinar and have had it done twice in last 4 years. Arthritis is not a problem for now. Meanwhile the tkr pain over the last 5 years is one i can do anything about. To many people think TKR solves all their problems. For some it does but i have many friends who had one go well and one not go well. I look at it as a crap shoot.
I have had no hospital stays for stem cells and have taken no pain pills. Down side is the cost. Also its the wild west out there as unqualified people acting as specialists and using dead stem cells. Do your homework.

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@ew100

I'm not a good candidate for knee replacement surgery because I developed thick scar tissues or keloids after all the 4 surgeries I had. The scar from surgery I had 30 yrs ago, still raised and sometime still itch. My doctor had removed the scars but they would eventually come back after 6-12 mos! I know I will develop thick scars for all my wounds! Not looking forward to the prospect of needing TKR in the near or far future. I'm 78 and the doctor told me there is no need to repair my torn meniscus because my knee pain is caused by arthritis! In the mean time to lessen the pain, he recommends injection, Advil, ice and then TKR when I have tried everything else! He won't do TKR after age 85!

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i am 77 and have used prp and stem cells. After having bad luck with atkr i did the stem cells and i am glad i did. I can garden on one knee , bike, but no more tennis. Do miss it but not the pain. Many pain pills kill your stem cells. Look into loading up on stem cells. Look into prp.

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@ew100

I'm not a good candidate for knee replacement surgery because I developed thick scar tissues or keloids after all the 4 surgeries I had. The scar from surgery I had 30 yrs ago, still raised and sometime still itch. My doctor had removed the scars but they would eventually come back after 6-12 mos! I know I will develop thick scars for all my wounds! Not looking forward to the prospect of needing TKR in the near or far future. I'm 78 and the doctor told me there is no need to repair my torn meniscus because my knee pain is caused by arthritis! In the mean time to lessen the pain, he recommends injection, Advil, ice and then TKR when I have tried everything else! He won't do TKR after age 85!

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What? "Many pain pills kill your stem cells". Where did you read or hear this?! What was you condition before getting Cells?

Has anyone gone out of the country for Stem Cells?

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@mari

Advil harms organs, Dyclofinate does least harm, takes a while to kick in then - really good Pain control and lasts a loong time. Is Dr. Old? How about stem cells or 1st PRP? Injection, (what kind) how many times per year? Effect on body?

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@cobweb I agree with you, do your homework. I am attending a seminar tonight in my hometown with a chiropractor that is claiming to do “regenerative cell therapy that can actually repair damaged tissue with one injection”. I texted their office and they claim to have FDA approval. So, I tried contacting the FDA. They will not give you any information. You can however file a complaint but, they won’t give you any information about that either. So, where does a person go from there? Anybody with suggestions?

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@JustinMcClanahan

Hello @leithlane, welcome to Connect.

This is an experience very close to my own. I had my right knee replaced in 2006. I also had aggressive scar tissue immediately after my knee replacement. Ultimately, I had to have two post-surgery knee manipulations where they put me back under and broke the scar tissue up by bending my knee manually. Even after those two manipulations I still had issues with scar tissue. It took almost a full year and a half until I ended up breaking the scar tissue loose on my own when I jumped and landed awkwardly. Although it may be frustrating, sticking with your PT is a must.

I would like to invite @mnpat, @basa, @winning, @joanney, @emme, @kerri123, @gailfaith, @cautiousoptimism, @cheris, @ronnie3716, and @amberpep, to this discussion as they have all had knee replacements and may be able to provide some thoughts on their experiences with scar tissue after surgery.

@leithlane, have you heard of or tried a brace with hand cranks on it that you use to help with straightening and bending your knee? What does your therapist/surgeon say about your scar tissue problems?

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Welcome @neetsy612. I had a hard time with nausea in the first few weeks as well. I can't say what is causing yours, but for me I felt like it was just dealing with the pain and pain medications. That is good that your flexion and extension have received thumbs up for your surgeon and PT! Hopefully as the swelling goes down, so does your pain.

@neetsy612, do you have a timeline on when you are hoping to recover enough to return to driving school bus?

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@mari

Advil harms organs, Dyclofinate does least harm, takes a while to kick in then - really good Pain control and lasts a loong time. Is Dr. Old? How about stem cells or 1st PRP? Injection, (what kind) how many times per year? Effect on body?

Jump to this post

my dr said the FBI and FDA were both in Toledo because of people doing stem cells with no training

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My Dr said Ibuprofin and aleve etc damage stem cells along with some satins. My condition was do a TKR or try stem cells. Yes, it s expensve but i had no pain, no hospital stay and i can do what i want except for tennis. Tennis is why my knees became bad.To be honest i wish i never had TKR.
I have friends who did stem cells but did not listen to the Dr and took no rest time.
I do take tylenol once in a while but not for knees. My Dr was trained with Regenexx, and i had stem cells on my back. What a great deal that was. No pain, just stretch in the AM and then off to biking etc.

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cobweb - perhaps u can play tennis on wii?

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