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Burning of knee after replacement
Five years ago I had a right knee replacement, with no problems. I am now five weeks out and have terrible burning on the surface of my knee. In addition. when I woke up in the hospital I could not feel my foot. It was completely numb. I could wiggle my toes. About 14 hours after surgery, a nurse finally loosened the pressure sleeve, stockings and ace bandage. I immediately felt my foot come back. However, five weeks later, I still have a numb area on the left side of my foot which continues to feel like thousands of needles going through it. The doctor said I must have back issues, I DONT and DIDNT either before or after surgery. Is something wrong? Will the numbness in my foot go away and how can I stop the terrible burning in my knee? I am taking Gabapentin at night, it helps the burning a little bit. I can't stand to have even a sheet over my knee. HELP PLEASE!
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Hi @savannahjan - First, welcome to Connect! I think you'll find a lot of caring people here who are happy to share their experience and insights. I had a right TKR in April 2017. Fortunately, it went well and I have not had the problems you are experiencing. Has your physical therapist given you any advice or suggestions? There are several other people in the group who have had knee replacements and they may have some thoughts. I'm going to tag @melcpa86, @amberpep and @contentandwell. Also, if my memory serves me well, I believe @babette was having discomfort to the point that even a sheet was uncomfortable - so she may be able to give some input. At five weeks, I know you can still expect plenty of healing so I'm hoping it comes quickly and you get some relief.
@savannahjan I'm so sorry you are experiencing this! I'm over 3 months out and still have great sensitivity on my scar. Is that what you are experiencing or is it the entire surface of your knee? I know that many nerves are cut during surgery and they take a long time to regenerate. In the meantime you will probably experience a lot of strange sensations: I've felt itching, burning, and just an awful prickly feeling a lot of the time. The only thing that has helped to desensitize the area is rubbing it with a dry washcloth: this was my PT's suggestion. You might be too early in recovery to do this. I also still use Aspercreme topically, it's lidocaine.
I *hate* it when surgeons shirk their post-op responsibilities. Don't back down if something is wrong!
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