Burning pain 6 years after TKR

Posted by grahamg77 @grahamg77, May 16, 2022

I have burning pain in the front of the knee. It came on from walking up the stairs and was initially quite sharp. I took all weight off and the pain gradually faded, but is still there on a low level. Ther was no twisting or turning involved. The TKR was 6 years ago and to date has been successful and uneventful. I bike 3 times a week and play golf once a week. I do 10 to 15 flights of stairs daily. My guess is that this is inflammation from over use, but I am concerned that it could be a structural problem or the start of one. Any suggestions or similar experience?

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Hello, @grahamg77, welcome to Connect. As a group, we are committed to sharing our experiences so that we get feedback and suggestions from other members. I understand the pain in the front of the knee. You may be more than correct about overuse being the cause of your pain and discomfort.

You are very active and that is great. I have a question and then a memory to share with you. Do you participate in a Yoga class or do a set of Yoga exercises every day. You may want to look at "Legs up the Wall" and see if that helps at all.

And now for the memory. It is the response from my surgeon when I asked him how long my TKR would last. At the time I was a "trekker" traveling to beautiful places with a group of ladies and walking, walking, walking. We did the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.....the back hills of Vermont......Sechelt island, and 14 miles of sandy beach near Monterrey. Our practice was at least 3 miles a day and usually 5 or 6 around the hill village I lived in at 6000 feet.

Here was his answer, "Chris, your new knee will last a lifetime if all you do is walk uphill. It will only last about five years if you choose to walk downhill." That's all he had to say.....I got it. When I see that you do 10 to 15 flights of stairs daily......I assume that is up and down. If so, you may not realize how much pressure you are putting on that knee when you take a step down, especially when leading with the TKR foot.

And now for your bonus........when I had done a bit too much and was beginning to experience pain, I was introduced to an MFR therapist and the rest is history. It took six weeks or more to rid my knee of the pain. It never has happened again. And to make sure I keep that knee healthy......I also had to have the other one done last year. It is doing extremely well. I no longer live at 6000 feet because I live in MN. No hills to climb or come down.

(a helpful PS.........you may even have built up some scar tissue that can be removed with MFR.

May you be free, protected, and safe from inner and outer harm.
Chris

Please let me know if this sounds like it is worth a try.

REPLY
@artscaping

Hello, @grahamg77, welcome to Connect. As a group, we are committed to sharing our experiences so that we get feedback and suggestions from other members. I understand the pain in the front of the knee. You may be more than correct about overuse being the cause of your pain and discomfort.

You are very active and that is great. I have a question and then a memory to share with you. Do you participate in a Yoga class or do a set of Yoga exercises every day. You may want to look at "Legs up the Wall" and see if that helps at all.

And now for the memory. It is the response from my surgeon when I asked him how long my TKR would last. At the time I was a "trekker" traveling to beautiful places with a group of ladies and walking, walking, walking. We did the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.....the back hills of Vermont......Sechelt island, and 14 miles of sandy beach near Monterrey. Our practice was at least 3 miles a day and usually 5 or 6 around the hill village I lived in at 6000 feet.

Here was his answer, "Chris, your new knee will last a lifetime if all you do is walk uphill. It will only last about five years if you choose to walk downhill." That's all he had to say.....I got it. When I see that you do 10 to 15 flights of stairs daily......I assume that is up and down. If so, you may not realize how much pressure you are putting on that knee when you take a step down, especially when leading with the TKR foot.

And now for your bonus........when I had done a bit too much and was beginning to experience pain, I was introduced to an MFR therapist and the rest is history. It took six weeks or more to rid my knee of the pain. It never has happened again. And to make sure I keep that knee healthy......I also had to have the other one done last year. It is doing extremely well. I no longer live at 6000 feet because I live in MN. No hills to climb or come down.

(a helpful PS.........you may even have built up some scar tissue that can be removed with MFR.

May you be free, protected, and safe from inner and outer harm.
Chris

Please let me know if this sounds like it is worth a try.

Jump to this post

This is great, Chris. I do stretching with some yoga in the morning, but not Legs up the wall. I will look into that. Avoiding down hill, down steps makes so much sense. It is a great tip. I will give the MFR a try too. Thanks so much! Graham

REPLY

Good luck. Let me know how it goes and what else you learn so that others can benefit from your experience.
Chris

May you be content and at ease.

REPLY

I had been very pleased with my 2 knee replacements for 12 years. Recently, I started to get a burning pain in the front of my right knee. I do not think I have changed my routine but may have and not realized it. I do hang my legs over the side of the bed when I type on my computer. But I had done that before just not as much?
Does anyone get the same problem many years out from a TKR? What do you suggest?

REPLY

Hi @marsher1 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sorry to hear you are having troubles.
I moved your post here so you could socialize with other people who have had burning long after their knee surgery.
Burning pain 6 years after TKR: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/burning-pain-6-years-after-tkr/
You might also like to read this discussion.
Severe Burning Pain after Knee Replacement: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/severe-burning-pain-after-knee-replacement/

Are you currently taking anything to help with the burning? How long does it last?

REPLY
@amandaa

Hi @marsher1 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sorry to hear you are having troubles.
I moved your post here so you could socialize with other people who have had burning long after their knee surgery.
Burning pain 6 years after TKR: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/burning-pain-6-years-after-tkr/
You might also like to read this discussion.
Severe Burning Pain after Knee Replacement: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/severe-burning-pain-after-knee-replacement/

Are you currently taking anything to help with the burning? How long does it last?

Jump to this post

I take ibuprofen and tramadol from dr for my arthritic hips. It was only
short time but now seems to be intermittent in day and last longer at night.

REPLY
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