I am seven months postop after a TKR. I need another opinion.

I had a very similar situation. Had initial left TKR done November 2023 by a surgeon who was the Surgical Director For Joint Replacement at a major teaching hospital. Incidently, this surgeon had performed a left TKR and bilateral hip replacements on my wife without post op complications. I expected some discomfort and swelling post op, but after 4-5 months of physical therapy and repeated examinations by the surgeon, who indicated that this was normal and that there was nothing wrong. He did however, recommend a Genicular Nerve Block, but my insurance company said the procedure was experimental and not covered. The out of pocket cost was too expensive. I returned to the surgeon and his comment was "Just live with it". Having worked in healthcare for almost 50 years, that comment was a "red flag" and I immediately sought a second opinion from a surgeon that specialized in TKR revision.
After an initial exam by the revision surgeon, he determined that the implant had not been properly balanced and that was the reason for the persistent pain and swelling. Arrangents were made for the revision for February 2025. The surgeon was going to attempt to balance the implant, but was unable to. We had discussed this scenario and if the balancing was not able to be done, he would explant the initial implant and replace it with a new one from a different manufacturer. Needless to say, that did the trick. No pain or swelling and I am 14 months post op and fully functional.
Definitely seek a second opinion with a surgeon that specializes in TKR revisions. It may take a little research, but well worth it. When a physician tells you to "live with it", seek a second opinion. I live in coastal NJ and am not familiar with revision surgeons in central Pa. Be persistent and good luck.

@dann399
Thank you for taking the time to do this detailed response.
There are a lot of similarities. My surgeon is also the director of joint replacements in a very large teaching university.
He performed a revision of a hip replacement. I had in 2010 that was not working. The hip is still good 16 years later. So I completely trusted him for my knee. And now it’s “ the x-rays look, good bye-bye”
He did send me to the pain management department, and I am going to have the ablation to the nerves in the knee to alleviate some of the pain. I think it is called a genicular nerve block.
I don’t know if I am up to having another major surgery.
I also have worked in healthcare for 50 years!
Would you be willing to share the name of the surgeon that did your successful surgery?
Thank you so much!

@roxie12
A Genicular Nerve Block is usually done in an attempt to temporarily alleviate the pain but is also usually a preliminary procedure to determine if you are a candidate for the Genicular Nerve Ablation. If there is little or no pain relief, the ablation is not the answer. The ablation is a procedure where the nerves in the affected area are "fried" (for the lack of a better term) to deaden the nerve endings for the pain receptors. As previously mentioned, I reside in coastal central NJ and the revision surgeon I used is part of the Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health System. He has offices in Lakewood and Toms River NJ and has over 35 years experience. He also did a fellowship at Mass General Hospital in Boston. Definitely seek out a revision specialist in your area. It may take a bit of research but getting rid of the pain and swelling and getting back to a much better quality of life is definitely worth it. Good luck!

I went to Dr. Nazarian at Rothman in Philly for relentless knee replacement pain for 2 years after surgery. He aspirated fluid from my knee, which was inflamed, and had metal allergy testing done. He also injected it with a steroid which helped for a bit. He also did an X-ray to check placement, which helped said was good.

Bottom line: it still hurts.

He thinks I have an inflammatory response bigger than just my knee…

@areichel
Your symptoms sound similar to mine. Was the fluid that was aspirated from your swollen knee bloody or otherwise? If it was bloody, were three test tubes sent to "a special lab on the east coast" to determine what was causing the bleeding? I have something called "Recurrent Hemarthrosis" of the knee. It is very rare. For most people it can be remedied by Genicular Arterial Embolization. That didn't work for me, but I am having exploratory surgery tomorrow morning and hope this revision surgeon can find the cause, then fix it. Keep searching for answers. I've been bleeding inside my knee socket for 4 years.