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 have started the laser therapy and it works great I can tell a big difference with it . It seems to take away the swelling and pain so you can get that knee bending I highly recommend it

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Do all rehab facilitates have this laser

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I am getting it done at my chiropractor

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@kneeproblem

I am getting it done at my chiropractor

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Yes but what type of laser
The name?

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Hi everyone -- I'm new here, so happy to have found this forum. I had a R TKR 4 1/2 weeks ago and feel very tight all across the top of my knee. Is this scar tissue? Does it ever resolve on its own or will I need to undergo a procedure like the ones I'm reading about here? Many thanks!

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@babette

Hi everyone -- I'm new here, so happy to have found this forum. I had a R TKR 4 1/2 weeks ago and feel very tight all across the top of my knee. Is this scar tissue? Does it ever resolve on its own or will I need to undergo a procedure like the ones I'm reading about here? Many thanks!

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It’s still super early and your recovery. How is your range of motion? I’m still making progress at eight months, particularly with the tightness in my knees. I am curious about the Lazer however to see if It can further help with scar tissue

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My rom is 0-96. My ortho wants to see it at about 130, I think.

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Hi just found this discussion and catching up with reading. I had left knee replaced on 21 June this year, i am hypermobile so have damaged both my knees. My surgeon stated that my knee joint was very small and he couldn’t use his jigsaw and had to free hand my replacement. He said it be ok! I had a small patch of numbness as predicted and ok. At 4 weeks post op the left side of my knee went totally numb with a raised swelling, i am now approaching 11 weeks post op and still this numbness and raises hard swollen hard on left side of scar. it stops me bending my knee l can only get to 77 and straight is 10-15. my surgeon sees me again on 10 oct and has said he will do a MUA if l don’t progress. I am struggling l cannot bend my knee it’s like a tight crushing band is around it when i try to bend, the professionals say it’s ok it’s fine but then tell me to push through the pain. I cannot bend my knee! the swelling lump of numb skin even dimples at the end of my scar, a dip big enough for my finger when i try to bend.
i was supposed to be back at work on 1 st october but that not happening now. i just feel hopeless i do physio every week and just feel like they are telling me off, they push down on my knee to straighten and it’s so painful i don’t know what to do!

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@bizzarebird1

Hi just found this discussion and catching up with reading. I had left knee replaced on 21 June this year, i am hypermobile so have damaged both my knees. My surgeon stated that my knee joint was very small and he couldn’t use his jigsaw and had to free hand my replacement. He said it be ok! I had a small patch of numbness as predicted and ok. At 4 weeks post op the left side of my knee went totally numb with a raised swelling, i am now approaching 11 weeks post op and still this numbness and raises hard swollen hard on left side of scar. it stops me bending my knee l can only get to 77 and straight is 10-15. my surgeon sees me again on 10 oct and has said he will do a MUA if l don’t progress. I am struggling l cannot bend my knee it’s like a tight crushing band is around it when i try to bend, the professionals say it’s ok it’s fine but then tell me to push through the pain. I cannot bend my knee! the swelling lump of numb skin even dimples at the end of my scar, a dip big enough for my finger when i try to bend.
i was supposed to be back at work on 1 st october but that not happening now. i just feel hopeless i do physio every week and just feel like they are telling me off, they push down on my knee to straighten and it’s so painful i don’t know what to do!

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I am sorry for your problems and I cannot give you that much hope, since my knee is now 2 years old and is still giving me pain. I still have the tight feeling, but that has become better. But I have scar tissue and nobody knows really, how to get rid if it. And I have pain in my patella tendon, But my ROM is really good, I earned it with a lot of pain. In the beginning they bent my knee so hard that I thought the scar would split open ! How is walking ? I would not worry about the numbness - I still have it down the front of my leg. They have to cut some nerves and they eventually might come back. Pain is something else. But you have to push through it to get the ROM. I wish you good luck and lots of stamina !

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@briard

I am sorry for your problems and I cannot give you that much hope, since my knee is now 2 years old and is still giving me pain. I still have the tight feeling, but that has become better. But I have scar tissue and nobody knows really, how to get rid if it. And I have pain in my patella tendon, But my ROM is really good, I earned it with a lot of pain. In the beginning they bent my knee so hard that I thought the scar would split open ! How is walking ? I would not worry about the numbness - I still have it down the front of my leg. They have to cut some nerves and they eventually might come back. Pain is something else. But you have to push through it to get the ROM. I wish you good luck and lots of stamina !

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I also didn’t have good range of motion and they went back in two months later to manipulate it. I have never been in so much pain with PT in my life. I finally had to stop as I actually had PTSD from it. I stopped when i started to have big pools of blood in the back of my thighs from breaking up scar tissue. I would be in a back room screaming and crying. I finally had to stop as I actually became had PTSD from it and had pools of blood down the back of my thighs.
I began to go to PT that actually doesn’t touch you. They just tell you what to do and you work your exercises. I was able to tolerate my own stretching. I also did deep tissue massage around the knee and diverted the swelling which allowed me to bend more. I actually have 130 range of motion now. I also did deep tissue massage around the knee and diverted the fluid which allowed me to bend more. I actually have 130 range of motion now and just tightness not pain. Still hard when I’ve been sitting for a while. I’m at month seven . I was still in pretty bad shape at 4 months. I’ve logged in about 70 rounds of golf since! Glad the Dr was wrong in saying I wouldn’t get any more ROM after month 4

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