1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

Foot problems after TKR

Posted by topdog11 @topdog11, Apr 1, 2018

Hey guys, I am new here and have had some of my concerns answered just by reading your questions and peoples replies. I see my PT tomorrow and will be asking him, but thought I would ask this of others who have had TKR. I am 2 1/2 weeks out. The next day after surgery I pulled my calf muscle. It has slowed me down with my straightening of my leg. But I am still progressing. But my question is. I have been walking basically straight leg and flat footed on my left leg for at least 20 years. Now I am trying to relearn how to walk heel-toe. My ankle is swollen, just a little and across the top of the foot it almost feels like I sprained it. Plus, when I hang it down it almost feels numb. I think this might be because I am now using my foot in a whole new way. Walking heel to toe and bending the foot. Any one else have any foot problems on the leg they had surgery, and did it turn out to be anything to worry about. Thanks everyone.

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Sep 6, 2022
In reply to @tani "Thank you! Since my surgery I saw a foot doctor 2x, family physician in between. The..." + (show)
@tani

Thank you! Since my surgery I saw a foot doctor 2x, family physician in between. The foot doctor did not treat anything...sent me to an imaging center to make sure there was no blot clot. I had to research to find that many people with TKR where the leg had to be straighten had foot issues. Why in the world did the foot doctor not know this. I even asked him if it could be an issue because they had to turn the leg. He didn't even acknowledge it! I spent a few dollars to come full circle to absolutely nothing. And quite a few medications which didn't help the problem. No one address the "gait" problem, I had to read it online. May I ask what kind of shoes your wear (you mentioned you bought new ones) Thank you for replying and affirming I have a problem from the surgery. No one I went to would even address that. I guess they were afraid to say that.....I don't really know, but I'm not trying to point a finger I just want them to find the problem and help me recover the foot. Its so bad now I had to quit driving. So I called and they are sending me to a "foot specialist", but he is full and will call when I can get an appointment. Hope its soon. Have a good day!

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I have found Skecher walking shoes with memory foam work pretty well, even figured out how to slide my orthotics under the insole so my foot is padded. Or Bernie Mev woven elastic shoes. Sometimes I find Alegria athletic shoes on sale. With 2-3 pairs to alternate, I get about 1 year out of each pair. For dress up I wear Naot sandals with a cork footbed and at least 3 straps, and anchor my orthotic to it with Velcro. Two pairs last me 4-5 years, wearing 9 months of the year. Or I occasionally wear Rieker shoes which are narrow enough for my foot, and deep enough for orthotics. So...I have very expensive feet, but without the good shoes, the rest of my arthritic body cannot keep moving.
Do you have a favorite?

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Sep 6, 2022
In reply to @tani "Oh my I can relate to that. I was so anxious to start walking and doing..." + (show)
@tani

Oh my I can relate to that. I was so anxious to start walking and doing things like years ago before my knee got so bad. the first couple of months seemed promising. I no longer had any pain in my knee after a few months. The knee was great. Then I started to have swelling in the surgery leg in my foot. The surgeon said they had to turn my leg and that the muscles needed time to adjust. It seemed to get worse and they sent me to a ortho foot doctor who had no clue what was going on and sent me to imaging center to see if I had a blood clot. Then he fit me with a brace. Why he didn't know that this was a common thing I don't understand. To make a long boring story short.....I went to several doctors none seem to have a clue, I was given prednisone, antibiotics and many other wrong diagnosis. I started researching for myself and found out this is a common problem. plantar fasciitis and neuropathy is just one of the problems that can develop from having your leg turned in TKR surgery. So I am going to go back to a foot doctor and discuss what I found. Hopefully in time the foot problem will resolve enough to have good use of my leg again. I'm in my 8th month since my TKR. Also the foot on my surgery leg was always a flat foot, so when I discussed this fact with the doctor as an additional possibility for problems, he dismissed it saying "it just needs time"!! I find you have to be your own advocate and research as much info as you can. :[

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@tani I have been doing a lot of physical therapy because of recovering from an ankle fracture 2 years ago. The alignment of everything through the pelvis, hips, knees, and ankles is very important. I lost a bit of cartilage in my injury, and my ankle isn't as stable now. If I circle it around, it cracks a lot, and there are slight differences in alignment that cause pain and I can't step on my foot. My PT showed me how to release it when it gets locked up and push it back into better alignment. Some of it could be caused by weakness for not having normal use of muscles during recovery, or that it also is weak enough that it just gets tired and slips a bit.

The muscles can also be too tight around the pelvis, and this happens from sitting too much causing the hip flexors to be too tight. Tightness can pull on everything down the leg and cause uneven pressure on joints. My physical therapist also does myofascial release which can help balance the body and stretch out the places that are overly tight. You may be interested in our discussion on Myofascial Release.

Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

REPLY
1 reply
tani | @tani | Sep 6, 2022
In reply to @sueinmn "I have found Skecher walking shoes with memory foam work pretty well, even figured out how..." + (show)
@sueinmn

I have found Skecher walking shoes with memory foam work pretty well, even figured out how to slide my orthotics under the insole so my foot is padded. Or Bernie Mev woven elastic shoes. Sometimes I find Alegria athletic shoes on sale. With 2-3 pairs to alternate, I get about 1 year out of each pair. For dress up I wear Naot sandals with a cork footbed and at least 3 straps, and anchor my orthotic to it with Velcro. Two pairs last me 4-5 years, wearing 9 months of the year. Or I occasionally wear Rieker shoes which are narrow enough for my foot, and deep enough for orthotics. So...I have very expensive feet, but without the good shoes, the rest of my arthritic body cannot keep moving.
Do you have a favorite?

Jump to this post

I have been buying Ortho feet shoes online. Along with the foot problems from TKR, the foot is also flat has been all my life. The other foot is not. So I have double trouble. Great shoes for all kinds of problems

REPLY
2 replies
tani | @tani | Sep 6, 2022
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@tani I have been doing a lot of physical therapy because of recovering from an ankle..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@tani I have been doing a lot of physical therapy because of recovering from an ankle fracture 2 years ago. The alignment of everything through the pelvis, hips, knees, and ankles is very important. I lost a bit of cartilage in my injury, and my ankle isn't as stable now. If I circle it around, it cracks a lot, and there are slight differences in alignment that cause pain and I can't step on my foot. My PT showed me how to release it when it gets locked up and push it back into better alignment. Some of it could be caused by weakness for not having normal use of muscles during recovery, or that it also is weak enough that it just gets tired and slips a bit.

The muscles can also be too tight around the pelvis, and this happens from sitting too much causing the hip flexors to be too tight. Tightness can pull on everything down the leg and cause uneven pressure on joints. My physical therapist also does myofascial release which can help balance the body and stretch out the places that are overly tight. You may be interested in our discussion on Myofascial Release.

Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Jump to this post

Yes so many things can happen in other areas. I have been sitting a lot since all this and even had to quit my job. I am retired but for the last few years I was driving a school van, loved it but recently as the foot pain got so much worse on my drivers foot, I couldn’t do it anymore. Very frustrating.

REPLY
willw | @willw | Jan 24, 2023
In reply to @tani "I have been buying Ortho feet shoes online. Along with the foot problems from TKR, the..." + (show)
@tani

I have been buying Ortho feet shoes online. Along with the foot problems from TKR, the foot is also flat has been all my life. The other foot is not. So I have double trouble. Great shoes for all kinds of problems

Jump to this post

Thanks I had TKR 9/22...I like those shoes. Yesterday I may have walked too far. Woke up with cramped top of foot. Took a while to settle. Scary actually. I may be dealing with foot neuropathy for...a long time...not sure...knee is getting better...

REPLY
1 reply
sheilad1 | @sheilad1 | Jan 25, 2023
In reply to @tani "I have been buying Ortho feet shoes online. Along with the foot problems from TKR, the..." + (show)
@tani

I have been buying Ortho feet shoes online. Along with the foot problems from TKR, the foot is also flat has been all my life. The other foot is not. So I have double trouble. Great shoes for all kinds of problems

Jump to this post

Those are great shoes. However you may want to also look into custom orthotics by a podiatrist.

REPLY
zev | @zev | Jan 30, 2023
In reply to @willw "Thanks I had TKR 9/22...I like those shoes. Yesterday I may have walked too far. Woke..." + (show)
@willw

Thanks I had TKR 9/22...I like those shoes. Yesterday I may have walked too far. Woke up with cramped top of foot. Took a while to settle. Scary actually. I may be dealing with foot neuropathy for...a long time...not sure...knee is getting better...

Jump to this post

I had the TKR surgery on one knee 3 years ago. There is still some pain but I find that walking and doing exercise is the best medicine and I will feel better after doing so.

Keep walking and feel good and most of all keep smiling

REPLY
willw | @willw | Jan 30, 2023

Thanks Almost 5 months. Surgeon did some extreme straightening. I have been able to walk, 1/4 mile ish. Recumbent bike 2x day. Lots of discomfort but not what I'd call pain. Meanwhile wife need total hip and ACL on knee. I'm improving just in time to caretake

REPLY
kitkidders | @kitkidders | Mar 21, 2023

I had TKS on my left knee on November 1 of 2022 . Just this month of March, 2023, I noticed my left foot became pinched and uncomfortble if I was ony feet for some time. At first, I thought that my left foot might need a bigger shoe. After studying that foot for a few days, looking at the arch, the ankle and finally the toes, I could see my third toe was now squished behind the second toe and the fourth toe. I bought toe sleeves and taped a wedge of cotton beside the toes at night. Seems to be improving.

REPLY
kp6350 | @kp6350 | Jul 15, 2023
In reply to @tani "Oh my I can relate to that. I was so anxious to start walking and doing..." + (show)
@tani

Oh my I can relate to that. I was so anxious to start walking and doing things like years ago before my knee got so bad. the first couple of months seemed promising. I no longer had any pain in my knee after a few months. The knee was great. Then I started to have swelling in the surgery leg in my foot. The surgeon said they had to turn my leg and that the muscles needed time to adjust. It seemed to get worse and they sent me to a ortho foot doctor who had no clue what was going on and sent me to imaging center to see if I had a blood clot. Then he fit me with a brace. Why he didn't know that this was a common thing I don't understand. To make a long boring story short.....I went to several doctors none seem to have a clue, I was given prednisone, antibiotics and many other wrong diagnosis. I started researching for myself and found out this is a common problem. plantar fasciitis and neuropathy is just one of the problems that can develop from having your leg turned in TKR surgery. So I am going to go back to a foot doctor and discuss what I found. Hopefully in time the foot problem will resolve enough to have good use of my leg again. I'm in my 8th month since my TKR. Also the foot on my surgery leg was always a flat foot, so when I discussed this fact with the doctor as an additional possibility for problems, he dismissed it saying "it just needs time"!! I find you have to be your own advocate and research as much info as you can. :[

Jump to this post

Hi I had my tkr’s 5 and 6 yrs ago. 3 months after 1st knee both balls of feet and toes started to get numb. PT for “tarsal tunnel syndrome seemed to subside issue. After second knee 12 months after first numbness came back after a week and never went away. Has gotten much worse over time. I have flat feet so I’m thinking my gait after surgeries. Been to several drs and have had 3 yes 3 decompression surgeries in my tarsal tunnel one order foot. No improvement at all from day 1 of each of the surgeries. Both feet feel same on this day only left foot sympthoms are much more prominent. Always has been that’s the reason for decompressions. My both feet are numb, tingly, burning and STIFF. Traveling up my leg. No one knows why. You think in this day they would be able to spot issue. I suffer every single day. Can’t enjoy anything in life anymore….

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