Connect
← Return to Scar tissue after knee replacement
Discussion
Scar tissue after knee replacement
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Apr 22 9:03am | Replies (1521)Comment receiving replies
@erikas I wrote a very long answer to your question, but then I thought about it more and didn’t post it because I realized I could not possibly have done anything differently. I think that I did all that I could.
Unfortunately, I felt like I was really at the mercy of the surgeon, and he is the kind of doctor that does one knee surgery after another. If you don’t fit into his cookie cutter mold as a patient he doesn’t care or respond. I tried to get appointments with other orthopedists recommended by my PCP, but none would see me because I had already had a TKA by my surgeon. (That made me really want to give up, but I didn’t. I think my anger fueled my will to keep going.)
On all the nights that I couldn’t sleep due to pain I researched everything I could find and understand about my symptoms. I tried to find the answer myself because the surgeon was done with me. I tried alternate therapies like acupuncture and other manual modalities done by doctors at the same university as the surgeon. One of them contacted my surgeon several
times about my case, and the surgeon wouldn’t even respond to him. That doctor finally sent me to pain management where I am now, getting physical therapy from a PT who understands the problem and treats it appropriately.
During this ongoing journey I discovered that I am not alone. There are so many people out there “like us,” and I take comfort in that. There is not yet an end in sight for me, but I am not ruined. I learned to listen to myself and to not give my power away.
So I would tell people in my situation:
1. Doctors are not gods.
2. You are not a victim.
3. Educate yourself as much as you can.
4. Advocate for yourself. If you reach one dead end, keep searching for alternate ways. Think outside the box.
5. Find and reach out to others who are in similar situations.
6. Follow your gut. (When my original PT pushed me to the breaking point and caused more damage, I should have sought out a different one. I didn’t listen to myself.)
7. Find one medical professional who is willing to be in your corner and help advocate for you or at least journey with you. My PCP has not given up on me, so I can’t give up on me.
8. Be mindful of your thoughts. I catastrophized and, especially in the middle of sleepless nights, I pictured my pain never ending and my life being over because of it. Doing that just caused more suffering.
9. Take things one step at a time (pun intended!) Don’t get ahead of yourself.
10. Be gentle with yourself. This is not your fault. You are not a lost cause. You are not your pain.
I hope this helps someone.
Replies to "@erikas I wrote a very long answer to your question, but then I thought about it..."
Thank you for these important lessons. We often feel powerless in the hands of practitioners. One of my primary purposes for being a mentor on Mayo Connect is to help empower people to take charge of their own care.
To this list I would add (after my own journey with multiple hip replacement surgeries)
11. CHOOSE YOUR SURGEON WITH THE SAME CARE AND RESEARCH AS YOU WOULD USE TO BUY A HOME OR CHOOSE A COLLEGE. I called a respected group practice and accepted the first surgeon they offered. Later I learned that I should have gone to a PT I respected and asked for a recommendation.
12. Choose a surgeon whose bio says they do revisions as well as replacements. Then you know you have someone who understands not everything goes perfectly every time.
Sue
Wow! Thanks . I feel so alone and I’m shocked to know that I’m not and how many of us are suffering . I had my left knee TkR in December and I went through the same stuff including the part about my therapist hurt me . I have no therapy visits left for the year to go anywhere else plus my right knee needs replaced . I’m terrified at that thought and the pain is bad and my surgical knee bends 105 . I’m so tired from lack of sleep . I’m reading too and looking up information to help myself . I’m trying things for self help . I’m pretty frustrated at this point . I thought the knee replacement was going to give me a piece of my life back not take it away . I’m trying . Thanks for sharing .
Good evening @anniesnaps and others who have read your post or need to read it. This was quite a thoughtful recording of your genuine and authentic thoughts and an evaluation of your attempts to find a solution for scar tissue after a TKR.
I just wanted to add one option that might have value and that is MFR, Myofascial Release Therapy. Fascia, the connective tissue in our bodies, can become restricted and painful. Removing the restriction takes gentle hands and specially trained therapists.
May I ask another question? Have you experienced Baker's Cysts? They also can be an indicator of the presence of a cyst-like vessel that has filled with fluid. Here is a link to the foremost expert in this field, John Barnes.
http://www.myofascialrelease.com.
Give it a look and ask any questions that come up for you.
May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris
Connect
You have written my story. I too have finally found a caring, knowledgeable PT. I have been given hope that with hard work I can turn this knee around. This will not be a short journey. But to have answers and hope is so wonderful.