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Cortisone shot after TKR
So I had a cortisone shot today at 11 months out from my right TKR...of course Dr. suggested Nsaids that I must be careful with, Voltaren gel which doesn't work, Lidocaine patches that don't work etc... I told him I do lots of Ben Gay. He decided to try a cortisone shot for what feels like a baker's cyst but he saw no fluid on my knee on the x-ray. X-ray looks good, knee functioning well and no hardware issues and he's hoping the cortisone help with any inflammation and soreness I am still experiencing. He also said maybe it may take me longer than the normal person. We'll see
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@heyjoe415
FYI......My fabella bone was not seen on an x-ray but was seen on an ultrasound.
It was my wife who received the injection into her bursa, but I was there to watch and of course see how she felt before and after. She spent a couple of years going to a doctor who was a Bonafide pain specialist, and she got quite a few injections into her hip from that doctor. However, the pain came back quickly each time, Then it made sense to give up on the pain specialist and go to an orthopedic doctor who specializes in hip anatomy, and he administered the injection in a much different way. It was not a straight in injection into the bursa. He instead inserted the syringe, but he moved it around to at least 4 additional places, at different levels, injecting a bit more medicine at each "stop", sort of like fishing around the injection area. Now, my wife is without hip pain, and she has never felt better. No issues at all, she can sleep on that hip, she can walk with ease, go up and down stairs, etc. She got a winner of a specialty ortho doctor!
Thanks Katrina. Wow weird that it would not be visible on an xray. Thanks for all that info - and I wish you all the best.
Joe
Hi Cindy, and thanks for the info.
I don't know why you would have swelling 11 months after the surgery. How does your surgeon explain it?
Something seems to have happened from 12 weeks post-op to now. I hope the Dr can find and treat whatever is wrong.
Take care. And when nothing else works, I always go to ice!
Joe
@JustinMcClanahan Not sure how this works. Will the people above see my response? jreed427
I think the medical provider wanted me to give more PT a try. I am in 3rd week now and it has been helpful as far as strengthen and better balance. However, I have pain flare-ups that last up to 5 days and I have to revert to using the cane. I had 2 in September. Yes, the exercises are different and are targeting the muscles that support the bursa. Getting the bursa shot doesn't bother me but I am worried about the infection risk.
@laughlin1947
Congratulations. I completely agree. All doctors are not equal. This is complex stuff. My brother, almost 1700 miles away, and I both had knee surgery around the same time. He had a well respected but old fashioned traditionalist and I had a cutting edge surgeon with great hands and mind.
It is now 5 days post knee surgery for me and I never took a single opiod pill. My brother, on the other hand, is under continuous pain and is on hydrocordone and Journavax. When we started we were both bone on bone but I was seriously misaligned and under almost constant pain. So my condition, pre-surgery, was worse. And I had a much more complex operation as my surgeon had to do a functional alignment and I wanted him to preserve my ligaments and he wanted to do as well by doing a bicruciate retaining implant (not many surgeons do this work--most cut at least the ACL and some the PCL as well).
I was chatting with my surgeon before my operation and we both agreed that successful experience was more important than method (even though he holds more than 15 patents and is the prime inventor of the Superpath approach to hip replacement). Of course, try to get it all.
So...message...do a ton of research and find the best doctor for your condition. Mind and hands matter whether it is surgery, pain, or diagnosis.