PT for TKR - Pain from stretching & Other rehab questions

Does it feel like something is catching in the muscle and really sharp? I had tons of that after my partial replacement. I also had problems getting my leg straight (and, for a while with bending, but that came before the straightening). Neither my surgeon not my physical therapist seemed concerned about it.

I am about 4 months PO and have a pain like a tendon or ligament pulling and then snapping back of my knee. It started about 6-7 weeks, happens every time I go from sitting to standing, and starts about 10-15 minutes when I walk. Is this anything like you have? My OS doesn't seem concerned either, but by the end of the day it really is hurting. It seems like I traded one pain for another. I have really been working on strength exercises thinking maybe if I build my muscles up more it will stop. When I suggested to my OS that I see a different kind of doctor for it, he out and out told me no one's touches my knee except him. I politely as possible told him if it still hurts like it does at my 6 month checkup either he addresses it or I will be seeing another doctor. He believes by 6 months I shouldn't be having this problem. We shall is.

Hello @topdog11. You may noticed I edited the title of your discussion so that it is a bit more descriptive. This should help bring other members in to the discussion. If you don't mind sharing, did you have issues with straightening your leg before your replacement? I had my knee replaced when I was 19, but due to severe arthritis and deformity in my knee, I hadn't had my leg straight at that point for what was probably close to 9 years. When I woke up from surgery, they had my knee in a brace and pulled straight. It was 9 years of atrophy pulled straight in a matter of hours. As you can imagine, the pain was unbearable. It felt like my ligaments and the back of my knee were going to snap loose. However, over the course of a year (and two manipulations later) my knee began to bend and straighten more and more each day and eventually became pain free. We are all so different in how we heal and recuperate, but I found that time, patience, and persistence are the ultimate deciders in the end.

@JustinMcClanahan that must have been so painful ,strength and endurance ,you,ve got it. When I hyperextend my leg it hurts just to bend again Can't imagine the pain you went through.

I had bilateral TKR in Dec. I remember the back of both my knees going through a few weeks maybe a couple of months like that. One evening there was a really bad painful pop behind one of them It really caused a lot of pain, I thought I may have broken something. My PT said it probably was scarred tissue tearing. It helped in the long run. One thing I still do ro keep my knees flat is sit on floor or bathtub and push them down one at a time with both hands to be straight. Keep up the PT and it does get better. I still have to exercise mine good every couple of days. Hope you're better soon.

I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2009 because my kneecap kept sliding out of place. I went to physical therapy for a while and as long as my hamstring was stretched out I was fine, In Feb. of 2018, my knee started locking up. At that point I was no longer able to straighten it completely.The doctor compared my 2 x-rays and I was bone on bone. I wanted to try the orthovisc shot. Insurance had still not approved it and in the beginning of May it became evident that a TKR was my only option.I had the surgery. I have been to PT 3 times a week faithfully and have done my exercises at home just about every day. 2 weeks ago I was at a -10 flex and I kept getting threatened with having to use a brace. So, I began to stretch out my hamstring as much as I could. This past Tuesday I could hardly walk. I had a follow up appointment Thursday and the doctor said that I have a severely strained my hamstring because I was pushing myself so hard. She said I was at a 5 flex and was not going to give me a brace.She told me to go to PT and do my exercises at home, but other than that prop up my leg and ice the back of my knee. I have a high tolerance for pain and am determined. So when they kept saying I was going to need a brace I was determined that I was going to straighten it myself. The cost was a severely pulled hamstring. I go back in 2 weeks to make sure it is ok. You are so right when you say we all heal differently and the level of pain we can tolerate. I am frustrated that no one recognized how hard I was pushing. I also began aqua therapy on Friday, I am scheduled for once a week, but I think I am going to try and see if I can go 2 times and once with my regular PT because I feel like I will benefit more from the aqua therapy. Right now I am waiting for the hamstring to calm down so I can work a little harder.

New knee.
The pain is HELL - in spite of meds. (Oxycodone) leg is black/blue. PT + nurse are amazed at my capabilities - "phenomenal" and with great flex.
I regret having it done. I was bone on bone. PT is painful, recovery long. Write your Senators re Stem Cell Research with Placenta. I Should have explored Stem Cells out of the country!
(Baby delivered, throw placenta away or inject into my knee?!!) Which makes sense? Which is cheaper for Medicare and Your taxes?

Hello @mari, you may noticed I combined your discussion with an existing discussion titled PT for TKR - Pain from stretching & Other rehab questions.

I did this because I think your post could reignite the important topic of rehabbing after a knee replacement. Mari, my recovery from my knee replacement was also quite grueling and long. In total, it probably took me a good 18-24 months to get to my new normal. I had really aggressive scar tissue and had to have two knee manipulations after my initial surgery to get my knee to move. Eventually, I did make it to 0-110 degrees of range-of-motion, but it was hard and painful. Not everyone recovers the same, so I am not implying that you will take that long!

It sounds like you already have good range-of-motion, which is good. Mari, how long ago was your surgery?

Surgery TKR was on 7/30/18. What about discussing my hammer toes ? I cannot find anything about this?

I agree that it is important to keep this discussion going. I hope that the discussion of scar tissue issues (arthrofibrosis) expands to include information on any new approaches to treatment. I am three years post TKR and not a good candidate for scar tissue removal so hearing of any advances in non-surgical treatment would be most helpful.