New pain in back of knee after TKR: How can I fix it?

Posted by ellabell @ellabell, Dec 26, 2021

10 weeks after tkr doing great. Good range of motion, mild pain. About a week ago while in line at Wal-Mart I bent my knee just to stretch after walking/standing through out the store. I was only able to raise my foot a few inches off the ground and got a sharp pain behind my knee and slightly down towards the back of my calf. Went shopping today and almost couldn't get in my car. The pain was bad again when bending my knee just a little. Would be happy to hear from anyone else that had this and/or advice about what I did to my knee and how to fix it. Ice, exercise, should I see the doc? Thanks!

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Good evening @ellabell, I am so sorry about your knee injury. I am about the same time post-op on my second TKR. So far, so good. I did have a similar incident with my first knee. I ended up going to my MFR therapist and she was able to straighten things out a bit. Here are my concerns? Is it swollen and if so how badly. Perhaps the protective fluid has built up a needs to be removed. My therapist has taken care of the swelling on both my knees.

And because there are so many connective tissues in and around the surgery you may want to have images taken. I would certainly want to be assured that there is no damage that needs attention or treatment to protect the surgery. I sure don't want to impact the placement of the prosthesis either. Would you please let me know what you find out?

May you be free of suffering.
Chris

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Thanks Chris. Ill probably give it a week maybe 2 unless it gets worse. I'm trying ice and heat and elevating.Otherwise I've had a good recovery. My therapist and surgeon both said I was ahead of the norm at 6 weeks. Ill let you know how it goes. I'll probably have to have the other knee done at some time too. God bless you for caring.

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Hi, Ella! Sorry for your pain. My knees understand all too well. I would call your doctor and ask the receptionist to give your message to the doctor and see if he/she thinks you should be seen. Could simply be some scar tissue, which isn’t always simple. But you need an expert opinion. Best wishes for a good, pain-free outcome!

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@bonniethompson1234

Hi, Ella! Sorry for your pain. My knees understand all too well. I would call your doctor and ask the receptionist to give your message to the doctor and see if he/she thinks you should be seen. Could simply be some scar tissue, which isn’t always simple. But you need an expert opinion. Best wishes for a good, pain-free outcome!

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Thanks Bonnie. I'm gonna rest it as much as I can for a week. If its not better I'll call my doctor.

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@ellabell

Thanks Bonnie. I'm gonna rest it as much as I can for a week. If its not better I'll call my doctor.

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Good morning - I am sorry you have a new pain - just when you thought things were going so well! I agree the @bonniethompson1234 and @artscaping that you should at least make contact with the doctor to rule out anything that needs immediate attention.
My fear is that if you only rest, ice and elevate for a week, you may prolong your recovery. At the very least, you would lose a lot of forward progress. And remember, if you make an appointment today, it will likely be a week or two before you can be seen, so if you feel better by then, you can always cancel it. If you are still suffering, you will likely have to wait another week or more...
Good luck.
Sue

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It could be muscle weakness. But, try edema massage with leg elevated. You gently massage your leg from toes to torso. Stop when the soreness is gone. Magnesium helps. But, get to the Dr, ask for images and PT to help strengthen and loosen the tendons that are annoying. https://youtu.be/jR2yNLb_BF4

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I'll check out the massage. I massaged my knee and believe it helped reduce the swelling. Quite a bit actually. I'll check out the link you gave me and post in a few days if I think the massage is helping. Thanks

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@sueinmn

Good morning - I am sorry you have a new pain - just when you thought things were going so well! I agree the @bonniethompson1234 and @artscaping that you should at least make contact with the doctor to rule out anything that needs immediate attention.
My fear is that if you only rest, ice and elevate for a week, you may prolong your recovery. At the very least, you would lose a lot of forward progress. And remember, if you make an appointment today, it will likely be a week or two before you can be seen, so if you feel better by then, you can always cancel it. If you are still suffering, you will likely have to wait another week or more...
Good luck.
Sue

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Thanks Sue. Ill probably give it a few days. Its a little better today and I want to see what happens when I walk any distance. That's what sets the pain off. Will post what how it goes.

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