Swelling and stiffness, 3 years after total knee replacement

My question is this, was your blood test an allergy test for metals and bone cement?
I have many contact allergies and when ortho felt I was ready for first knee replacement I insisted on an allergy test for all components. He warned me this blood test would be $600 and Medicare would not pay. I accepted that had the test and learned I was allergic to 6 metals and yet not the bone cement. He said titanium contains elements of other metals. The ceramic coated knee replacement he recommended is now having a recall, so now accept my fate is sealed and must learn to live with difficulty and pain. getting up yet walking on level ground no issue. So sorry for your problems and frustration over not understanding why.

Consider having testing for allergy to the components of the knee. Dr. Karin Pacheco at National Jewish in Denver, Colorado does this testing and she may know of someone close to you who offers this testing.

@mnitchke Your symptoms do not sound like typical after-effects to me. Certain things are pretty common, like not being able to really kneel. Kneeling is painful for many people unless they put a cushion under the knee, and if you don't have good flex it's very difficult to really kneel without toppling over. I have that problem. My flex hovers around 120. The only other thing that I can't do really is exercise where I have to get down on the floor and back up again quickly, as in yoga and pilates.
I have had two TKRs. My R one used to bother me when I overdid exercise but ever since I had a fall last summer and had a minimal hip fracture on my L hip, the L one bothers me more than the R one.
I have never heard of a significant difference in circumference.
I think you definitely need to get another opinion from an excellent surgeon.
If you do need at some point to have another TKR, please be assured that every TKR is different, even if a person has bilateral TKRs, the two knees can have different problems afterward, they are two separate surgeries despite being done at the same time. My second TKR was with a Conformis custom-made knee and it has worked out very well. Many people have great success also with Makoplasty surgery which uses a Stryker knee.
If you do find an excellent orthopedist to get a second opinion from I would really appreciate hearing the outcome.
JK

I also had a knee replacement almost 4 years ago. I still have swelling and pain and my motion is at 95. I had a mri and went for a second opinion they said all was normal and based all the problems on scar tissue. I would like to know how to break through this scar tissue and get more motion. If you receive any info on this please pass it on.

I had to have a knee manipulation to bend my knee I was at 105, now I'm at 115. They knock you out & bend the knee manually. I'm surprised the dr had suggested that to you. Good luck!

Hi, @eeppeerr88 Welcome to Connect. As you have seen, there are many of us who have had TKRs. I have come to realize how fortunate I have been to not have the problems that many do have.
My orthopedist told me he could do lysis on my knee to improve my flex if I wanted that, but I decided to just live with the @120 flex that I have. As @barrett727 mentioned, they also do manipulations to improve flex. Has your doctor not mentioned any possible solution to improve it?
It seems odd to me that you still have swelling too. Regarding pain, I think we all have different thresholds that are tolerable so it's impossible to know if the pain you feel simply may not be felt as strongly by others.
JK

I am current 9 months post op after having a partial knee converted to a total knee I have had a issue with my bend and pain sense day one. Currently I can straighten my knee to 1 degree but my bend is only 95 once I attempt to pass 95 degrees the pain is unreal I can walk around with little to no pain but at night when sleeping on my side if feels like someone is trying to brake my knee in half side to side. I have a follow up with my doctor on may 15 2020 to see if this is getting better. I feel it is getting worse and starting to get stiffer I don't notice any fluid or swelling knee looks deformed compare to my other knee but I wouldn't expect it to look the same has any one had these symptoms. I am 47 years old and was hoping for a better out come.

Hi @madjacks, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion where members like @bengalady @eeppeerr88 @cobweb @babette @sfcob and others talk about stiffness and pain that they experienced months after their knee replacement, as well as members who found solutions or did not have prolonged pain or stiffness like @contentandwell @gardeningjunkie and @artscaping.

You may also be interested in reading these discussions:
- scar tissue after knee replacement https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/scar-tissue-after-knee-replacement/
- Night Pain: Using a knee wedge after total knee replacement? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/using-a-knee-wedge-after-total-knee-replacement/
- What can you do to extend the life of your TKR and mobility? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-can-you-do-to-extend-the-life-of-your-tkr-and-mobility/

Jack, have you been able to continue PT and moving the knee during this stay at home period?

@madjacks As Colleen mentioned, there are those of us too who did not have prolonged pain, and I was fortuante to be part of that group.
I wish I had more to offer to you, but if your orthopedist does not offer any help then I would try a different doctor, one not at the same medical center. I find that when two doctors are at the same medical center they do not contradict each other. Try to find one at a major medical center, preferably a teaching hospital. I live in southern NH and have a lot more confidence in the doctors in Boston than I do in most of the doctors up here. Very simply, they see more so they know more.
There are a couple of different procedures that are done to improve flex, has your doctor suggested that at all?
JK

As far as flex he has not at the last appointment he said if the pain persists he would want to do a nerve study. I feel it is scar tissue the joint feels good and moves freely in the travel it does have just seems everything around it on the outer portion of joint soft tissue is the problem at night is the worst if I role in my sleep the pain is unreal if I catch myself and tighten my quads the pain is not near as bad