I am SO glad I found this site. Here's my story. PKR 2.5 years ago. I'm a female, 56 (was 54 when I had the surgery). I injured my knee originally in martial arts class when someone "swept the leg" and I went down. Likely tore my MCL but had no health insurance at the time, so didn't do anything. Developed arthritis in the knee. Wore custom braces forever while still doing martial arts. Finally decided to get the surgery. Surgery was done and was considered successful. I was his first patient to walk to his office (he's half mile down the road from me) in ten days with only my cane. PT guy told me I was remarkable in my progress. I told my doctor my goal was to return to martial arts. He said the partial would allow me to.

I've had no issues at all with the PKR other than an infection after the first surgery and some blood leaking from the sutures which was from the infection. After a year of allowing it to heal and only bike riding, I joined a gym and began lifting weights. I'm also a breast cancer survivor and on estrogen blockers so I had to start lifting in order to try to keep my muscles from deteriorating which can happen with menopause and while on these hormone blockers. I didn't lift too much weight, just started slowly and gradually have built up. Everything was going well. Took ONE class at a martial arts studio about two months ago and when I went to do a round house kick while balancing on my left knee (the bionic one) I felt a lot of pain when I pivoted and something just felt off. I rested the knee for a few days, then went back to weight lifting/bike riding but not Martial Arts.

On the 18 of September, I was at the gym and decided to go to the ballerina bar to do some light stretching. I did one where I stand on my left knee and swing my right leg in front of me and then pivot to bring it behind me like a spinning hook kick. Something snapped and the pain shot up my leg and I went down immediately. I was rushed to the ER where they took xrays and said all looked fine and I was probably just experiencing a strain or ligament tear. However, the Xrays CLEARLY showed a piece of something just floating in my knee that was not on the OG xrays after my surgery. At the ER, they sent me home with an immobilizer brace and some Norco and Ibuprofen and told me to contact my surgeon. The pain was unbearable but better in the morning. Tried calling my surgeon the next morning starting at 7am. No one answered, including the usual doctor's exchange that you might get after hours. Finally someone answered in the office at 9:30 am. I told them I was having an emergency and needed to been seen immediately. I was told my doctor was off until the 30th. I asked to see the other doc that he shares the practice with only to be told that he, too was off for two weeks. I asked if there was a doctor in the area that they could recommend and was met with crickets. Hung up, called the ER to ask if they could refer me. They sent me some options.

Called the number that the ER recommended and told them that I thought something had broken in my hardware. They made an appointment for me but it wasn't for 4 days. In the meantime, my knee pain had subsided except for when I would sometimes be walking with my cane and it would lock up causing me horrific pain for a few seconds, then it would subside. Something was also clicking. I went about my normal life because there wasn't much I could do until I saw the doctor.

I went to the doctor that the ER recommended only to be greeted by a radiologist telling me he would take me to get xrays of my ankle. WTF? Turns out, the hospital had referred me to a foot and ankle specialist and not a knee specialist. I was livid. Foot doctor still looked at my xrays from the hospital and told me it looked like the spacer had dislodged and was moving around my knee cap. Told me to keep my brace on and that I could walk on it until I saw my surgeon. Thanks for that $60 co pay bullshit.

Saw my surgeon on the 30th. He took morce xrays and confirmed that the spacer had dislodged completely and was now floating around my leg, in a different position than it was when I went to the ER. He scheduled me for surgery the following day. I was told that in his 14 years practicing surgery, he had only seen this happen one other time and that he wouldn't know until he went in if I would simply need a new, larger spacer or if I would need a complete redo of the partial OR a full knee replacement. I was TERRIFIED. Had surgery last Wednesday and thankfully, he was able to just put a new, larger spacer in. Everything else looked perfect, he said. So I'm 4 days out from my surgery. The first two days felt the pain was exactly like the pain from the first time. However, day 3 I was blown away by how much better I felt. I can bend my knee, put full weight on it and can even lift my leg unassisted onto the pillows to elevate at night which I could not do for weeks after the first surgery. I just woke up a few hours ago on day 4 and it feels even better. I can already tell that it will be a fast recovery. I'm on Welbutrin but Oxy is working for me for the pain, I just hate taking it.

I'll keep you posted here how the recovery goes but I'm hopeful. American health system is messed up. If you have been told your spacer needs replacing, just know that there is a chance that it can dislodge and you will have pain like you've never felt when it does. I'm hoping that this is the end of this journey for me and my knee but time will tell. Good luck to all of you, my fellow warriors and amazon queens.

I should add that the doctor gave me the spacer to take home as a souvenir and I cannot believe how big it is and how it was just floating around my knee. I'm not sure if I have a malpractice suit here to the manufacturer of the part. I don't think my surgeon did anything wrong. He said my ligaments and MCL had stretched causing it to come loose. I've also lost over 100 lbs in the past 3 years so maybe that could have been a factor or even my estrogen blockers.