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Has anyone had a tight band feeling after total knee replacement?
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Aug 11 6:49pm | Replies (811)Comment receiving replies
@medinafive thank you for your update. I posted last spring too. My right knee was replaced Oct 2017, and I have had the tight band feeling from the beginning with no improvement, and no answers. Since the time I last posted, I have tried CBD oil (waste of money), any type of so-called pain relieving creams my friends wanted me to try (didn’t help), a chiropractor and massage therapist.
At least the chiropractor will talk to me about my experience, which is validating. At the orthopedic center, if I bring this subject up during a routine visit, all I hear is crickets, fumbling around and the subject quickly changed. I, too, am convinced this is some kind of nerve damage. My leg tissue below the “tight band” feels contracted like a charley horse and heavy. Yet palpitating the tissue, it is soft, not hard. So, what else would give a person the FEELING that there is a tourniquet around the area below the knee and a charley horse in the calf muscle: nerve damage.
Another friend talked to me about a successful procedure she has had at a pain clinic: nerve ablation. I haven’t gone for a consultation, but wondered if any of y’all have heard of or tried this treatment? And no, the chiropractor and massage therapy have not fixed this problem. They have given me a little temporary relief and i have learned a lot about physiology, and it has been empowering to be heard.
I have not given up the idea that one of us will find a solution to this issue one day. It seems like it will be up to us to find the answer. Let’s keep each other updated. Thanks!
Replies to "@medinafive thank you for your update. I posted last spring too. My right knee was replaced..."
Hi! I had nerve ablation in a procedure called "Coolief" 2 weeks ago for continuous pain following my partial knee replacement almost 2 years ago. i saw a pain management specialist who does the procedure. It took a bit to get insurance approval, but I have found it helpful. I didn't have the "tight band" feeling that you are experiencing, but did have enough pain that just walking into work was hard. (In fact, I was on a prescription anti-inflammatory medication for so long that I developed severe GI issues so now I can only take Tylenol or narcotic pain medication.
I'm not going to lie - the procedure was excruciating. My doctor thinks it is because the nerves are so close to the bone. The first few days were really rough. Luckily I had the procedure on a Friday so had the weekend to recover before needing to go to work. I spent the weekend in my recliner with my leg elevated and icing 15 minutes every hour. But now, 2 weeks later, while the pain is not completely gone - I am able to walk and stand without pain. The only time I feel anything is if I move "wrong". I'm walking almost 2 miles now without pain - but find that if I walk 2 days in a row it is a bit "much". Yesterday I was able to do the elliptical at the gym for a half hour - something I haven't been able to do in over 2 years!!
Good luck! I hope you find some relief.
I have had the nerve ablation treatment, it worked for me, no more severe pain, pins and needles, heavy tightness. You are right about it being nerve damage, that’s exactly what my treating physician diagnosed the problem as. Diagnosed with CRPS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Good luck getting treatment.
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Hi, and yes, I have heard of nerve ablation, it's also called Rhizotomy. We do those at my office. Always for the neck or back, and I have never seen my doctor do them on the knee area. It's a thought though.. I will ask him about it. I am sorry to hear you are having pain from it and a feeling of a charley horse. That's just awful. I don't have pain at all just the tightness. I will let you know what my doctor says and if he thinks it might be helpful.