Help with swelling/ stiffness after TKR

Sorry to hear you are having such hard time ….I had a revision 76 days ago I did mfr therapy ….. I had no swelling after revision only when my therapist went away….look up dr barnes he gives a list of therapist…..put in your zip code can find one in your area….. this saved me still does …. I have a whole team I utilize to help me ….exercise and icing …..I know mua makes knee more sore and stiff at first …..for the nerve pain my chiropractor does all kind of cold therapy and laser therapy helps so much…. I hope you can find the right people to help

I'm sorry lawman. I really don't know what to suggest except find a new Dr.

Before I had my TKRs, I looked for surgeons in their late 30s, early 40s. I find they are more up to date and involved than their older counterparts. That's not to dismiss older surgeons. But try to find someone who may be more up to speed on developments in joint replacement.

All the best.

Joe

Like I was saying before you are only 4 months out of revision ..,when did you have mua? Why did you have revision 3 year after having tkr just a few things help figure out why you are swollen and stiff…..

Hi ezas,

I use a product called HurtSkurt to ice my entire knee, front, back, and sides. It's available on Amazon.

Best icing product I'be used. Better than Freeze Sleeve, although that's a good product too as it provides icing and compression. Also on Amazon.

Joe

I had TKR 8 months ago and I feel like I’m moving back instead of ahead. I have so much pain below my knee cap and my knee and thigh are always swollen. I can barely walk. Surgeon had x-ray taken and said everything was in the right place. Anybody have this horrible problem?

teak,

It sounds like you may have scar tissue build up. Have you asked your surgeon about this? In the meantime, stretching may help, but not a lot of it's a scar tissue problem.

All the best to you.

Joe

I had a total knee replacement 11 months ago. I did well in my physical therapy in spite of the feeling of a tight band around my knee, lots of knee clunking and pain.

I was able to achieve great range of motion and my leg is strong, however this knee tightness and joint clunking with pain still persists. My doctor doesn't want to cut on me again to explore what may be going on, and he doesn't want me to have a MARS protocol MRI to look at the soft tissues. He gave me two shots of cortosine and it did absolutely nothing.

I can barely walk 15 minutes before I'm in absolute pain, and I don't know what to do. This is a living hell and is destroying me financially since I'm unable to work.

My surgeon said he would have my back and follow my progress for the next few months, but I just feel that without a plan, I'm stuck. Can anyone make a suggestion of what I might do or questions I might ask, or is it time for a second opinion.

Thank you,

Good evening @marcia2023 @ezas123 @sueinmn

Welcome to Connect where you will be in touch with lots of fellow TKR patients. I can tell by your introductory post that you are disappointed with your current post-TKR surgery situation. Everyone prepares for surgery differently and I hope you did plenty of pre-surgery exercises to ensure that the muscles supporting your knee and leg were as strong as possible.

I am wondering: how long ago did you have the cortisone injections? They can take several weeks to reach full effectiveness. I would also like to ask if you had a robotic TKR. That can ensure the best accuracy placement of new materials.

If, in fact, everything went well during pre and post-surgery exercises with your PT then it might be helpful for you to hear from two well-spoken ladies. First, @sueinmn, a fellow mentor, has written one of the best descriptions of how traumatic surgery can be to all of the affected body parts. And secondly, @ezas123 has been the recipient of MFR, myofascial release therapy, which she found helpful post-surgery. MFR was also my personal resource for my second TKR last year. In fact, my introduction to MFR was in response to post-surgery scar tissue removal after my first knee replacement.

May I ask: did you have robotic surgery? That, in itself, can ensure greater surgical accuracy.
And did you use ice and elevation religiously during recovery? Are you using it to help with the pain you are experiencing now?

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

Hi teak sorry to hear you are in so much pain we do tkr hoping for less pain in …..my first tkr I had pain all the time so I can relate…..what not much I could do for my knee situation ….but I did find things that made getting through 6 months until revision more tolerable…..I know it might hurt to keep moving but I must say it is key …most important for me was artscapping introducing me to mfr I was so down and out tired of pain and stiffness and I was exercising everyday getting nowhere….helped so much with edema and stiffness I mean it came back but was so nice to get some relief…. water therapy felt amazing you might be able ask your dr they can prescribe for you….good luck I hope you find some relief … but definitely try some different things….. my last tkr I was at 65 before revision surgery now I am at 105 and getting more ever day …never thought I see that so please I know it gets frustrating it hurts but push through get some people on your team that can help you …. I had a whole team I brag about them all the tim

marcia,

I'm sorry for what you're going through. I've had both knees replaced this year, both using the Mako robotic assistant. It took a while for the swelling to go down, but it's good now. Please keep in mind that it can take a full year to recover from the trauma of TKR.

Have you tried simple, easy stationary biking? It doesn't have to be so hard that you sweat, just pedal at your own pace. I still do this four times a week. And pool therapy, especially walking in a pool, is great. And everyday use ice and elevate your knee above your heart. You can find memory foam products on Amazon to raise your leg while you're lying in bed. (See link below).

It may be a good idea to get a second opinion if your insurance covers that post-op.

All the best,

Joe
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFPQTM8/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=b54d703e8410dedd005b9c4110c7b684&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf8fc959-74aa-4850-a250-1b1a4e868e60%3Aamzn1.sym.cf8fc959-74aa-4850-a250-1b1a4e868e60&hsa_cr_id=9859292300001&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=a0d16cd4-2cd3-4488-91e5-f43337de743e&pd_rd_w=c47An&pd_rd_wg=5wdZQ&qid=1666360363&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_title&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124