Hi,
I am posting here to see if I am in an exclusive club with my ongoing issues following knee replacement. My initial total replacement was a little over 3 years ago. Other than the typical PT experience with getting to full extension and 120 plus degree bend, all went as expected for the initial 3-4 months. At that point I started experiencing increased pain in the joint especially climbing and descending stairs. My surgeon recommended different PT and other exercises but I continually went downhill getting progressively worse. He had me do a wide range of imaging, infection and allergy tests all inconclusive. Other that hope it would remedy itself, he had no plan of action. After a year or more of increasing pain, I went for another opinion.

After another series of testing it was concluded that my replacement was loose and needing a complete revision. I did that 14 months ago and the new surgeon said that among other items he would have done differently, the first prosthesis just about fell out with zero effort required to remove it. The new implant is much more aggressive. This time around I had no flexibility issues and was over 110 degrees by my first visit to the PT facility. All was great for the first few months and then again, I started experiencing increasing joint pain. I have great stability, no flexibility issues, can walk miles but I have constant pain with simple knee bending movements and stairs. The diagnosis is excessive scar tissue or sinovitis. After another range of tests I had an arthroscopic “clean-up” about 8 weeks ago. I had immediate pain relief but 2 weeks later the pain returned and continues. I am having PT to break up scar tissue but my therapist says he has never felt a knee grinding like mine does. To me it is almost like I have a bag of marbles in the joint. So much so that at times you can hear the grinding.

Last part of my story is my older brother is a retired knee and hip replacement specialist. Both he and my current surgeon are somewhat stumped on why I continue to have excessive scar tissue. They are confident the scar tissue is the problem. I am considering a 4th procedure to inspect and remove the scar tissue but there is no promise that this would not happen all over again.

I am curious if anyone in this group has experienced anything similar and what you did or are doing. Although few, there must be others with an experience similar to mine as I am hoping to get ahead of the problem and start to experience life as I expected it to be when I had the initial replacement over 3 years ago. Any replies are greatly appreciated.

JW