Just celebrated my 1 year anniversary after a revision of my left total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on February 5. 2025 The original replacement was done in November 2024. Initial procedure was uneventful and I was progressing well post-op. I was having some initial but persistent pain, swelling, redness and warmth at the surgical site. Discussed with the original surgeon and he dismissed it saying it was normal. Continued with physical therapy but the pain, redness, swelling and warmth persisted. The surgeon again dismissed it saying that all of the post op radiology studies and his physical exams indicated that the hardware was intact. He suggested that I be referred to a pain management specialist for a genicular nerve block. I went for the consultation with the pain management specialist and his recommendation was to do the genicular nerve block. It was in the process of being set up but the procedure was considered to be "experimental" and therefore not approved by my insurance company. I went back to the surgeon after the pain management consultation and told him the procedure was considered "experimental" and not covered by insurance. His response was that I could just pay for the procedure out of pocket or just "live with it". Having worked in healthcare (clinical) for almost 50 years, that is not an appropriate response from a healthcare provider, especially from the Chief of Joint Replacement at a major teaching hospital. I left the office and sought a second opinion. Sought out a surgeon that was experienced in TKA revision. Saw the second opinion surgeon. He did a thorough exam, reviewed all diagnostic imaging studies and determined that there was a definite problem. He suspected that the initial implant had not been correctly balanced and that was contributing to the symptoms that I was experiencing. He made the arrangements for the revision surgery and had representatives from the original implant manufacturer to be present to assist if adjustments could be made to the original implant. In the event adjustments could not be made and the implant had to be explanted, he also had representatives from another implant manufacturer available to assist with the total revision. Once exposing the joint, it was determined that the original implant was not correctly balanced and could not be. The decision was made to totally explant the initial hardware and replace it and balance it with a different implant from the other manufacturer. The revision surgery was successful and post op progress was uneventful. The post op office visits showed no sign of pain, redness and warmth that were previously experienced. Totally pain and symptom free now.
As a patient, you must be your own advocate. If a doctor tells you to "Just live with it", definitely seek a second opinion. You have to be persistent. I am so glad I was, but had to endure 14 months of pain and discomfort to finally get the issue resolved.