Soreness and stiffness 10 months post TKR

For all the people on here complaining about pain and stiffness, how much work did you put into your recovery (not to mention exercises prior to surgery - and yes, you can do exercises that avoid all or most pain prior to surgery)?

My surgeon told me a successful recovery from TKR is 10% the work/skill of the surgeon and 90% the work/commitment of the patient.

There is no silver bullet here, no magic pill. If you want a happy TKR recovery you have to work for it.

You note that you are doing "some strengthening again" - which tells me you stopped.

I'm curious - what was your exercise regimen pre-surgery to strengthen the knee as much as possible before surgery? And what has been your exercise regimen post surgery? When you refer to strengthening, what exercises were you doing?

I hear many complaints from TKR patients that their new knees are noisy and stiff. I have been in the gym 6 or 7 days a week since knee replacement. I have no noise coming from my knees and my legs and knees feel better than they have in 30 years (I'm 68 y/o.). I work hard on my quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes and I do stretching for my legs everyday.

What have you done and what do you do? That's probably where your answer lies.

Unfortunately all medication has side effects and what works for one does not for another. I've only experienced being sleepy but I take it at night for that reason. It has taken care of the nerve pain I experience from my neck, sciatica in my back and has helped with the knee pain. It has seriously been a God send for me. However it really does not help with swelling much and I can't take nsaids.

For all the people on here complaining about pain and stiffness, how much work did you put into your recovery (not to mention exercises prior to surgery - and yes, you can do exercises that avoid all or most pain prior to surgery)?

My surgeon told me a successful recovery from TKR is 10% the work/skill of the surgeon and 90% the work/commitment of the patient.

There is no silver bullet here, no magic pill. If you want a happy TKR recovery you have to work for it.

For all the people on here complaining about pain and stiffness, how much work did you put into your recovery (not to mention exercises prior to surgery - and yes, you can do exercises that avoid all or most pain prior to surgery)?

My surgeon told me a successful recovery from TKR is 10% the work/skill of the surgeon and 90% the work/commitment of the patient.

There is no silver bullet here, no magic pill. If you want a happy TKR recovery you have to work for it.

I bet to differ, if you have had success with your surgery wonderful. There is that small percentage that wont and no amount of physical therapy will change that. I had both knees replaced in 2018, within weeks my knees started getting stiff and I had the most debilitating pain. My knees felt like they were on fire and I constantly felt like I was being electrocuted. I was going to PT 3 days a week. 2 months after surgery I landed in the ER, my doctor had no clue why this was happening he couldn’t help. I went to another doctor, he was baffled and I went to a third. By 8 months I could straighten my right knee but only bend 60% and my left knee was stuck at about 45 degrees. He decided to redo my left at the 1 year mark, I came out of surgery and within weeks my knee was again getting stiff and the pain was unbearable. Within 3 months I had a manipulation and nothing changed. My doctor couldn’t figure out why my knee was not improving and got to the point where I was told I was making it all up to get opioids and I was dismissed as a patient. All of this while I’m still going to PT. One day my therapist told me I had really bad Arthrofibrosis and recommended me to a surgeon she knew. My first visit he told me I had CRPS and sent me off to pain management to get my pain under control before he could do anything about my knee. I ended up with a spinal chord stimulator, monthly visits to pain management, I was doing Ketamine infusions to combat the pain. After a few months he again revised my knee. I had so much scar tissue, in his words “ he gutted my knees” After surgery I felt some relief from the pain in my left knee but the pain in my right knee was almost unbearable. I was on a mission after this second revision to keep my knee straight, and have as much motion as possible. I kept my knee straight but I was never able to get more than 60 degrees flexion. Within 4 months I only had 25 degree flexion and 3 years later that’s where it’s at. During this time I started loosing motion in my right knee and it became worse than the left. The pain was so bad I was getting nerve blocks every 3 months. It got to the point where my knee was stuck at 40 degrees flexion and I couldn’t move it at all. No amount of PT was going to change that. I ended up with a mobility scooter. I went back to my surgeon who had done my last surgery and he was honest, he told me he would not do another surgery because he did not know how to stop the growth of the scar tissue in my knee which was the culprit. He referred me to another doctor and I knew they were going to do the same thing and within months I would be back in the same position I decided to start looking for better solutions and I ended up at the Mayo Clinic. This was a game changer. They have an ongoing research study to try to understand why scar tissue forms so rapidly in some patients and a protocol to treat said patients. I am a part of the research study, I had my surgery 5 weeks ago and my debilitating pain is gone, I can get out of a chair by myself, I have full extension in my knee and about 95 degree flexion. I’m working on it every day. This is the best I have felt in 5 years. Scar tissue is your worse enemy after TKR, for sone of us no amount of PT is going to stop it, I’m heading back next summer to get my left knee revised for the third time and hopefully I will have my life completely back. It’s been quite the journey. The last 5 years have been rough but finally I’m on the path to recovery.

I agree Joe that is if you have no complications…. Most people on here I find have complications of one kind or another….. and all the exercise in the world would not change the outcome….. i am thrilled to read stories like yours Joe gives me hope ….. you have so much to offer people going through these difficult times ….. Joe you are what I wish I was …..,I success story right from the beginning….. but unfortunately bad dr wrong size knee two surgery, I still struggle….. not from lack of exercise or trying new things …. So I come here read stories like yours gives me hope , you are always there with an encouraging word ….so Joe keep up the good work….

I bet to differ, if you have had success with your surgery wonderful. There is that small percentage that wont and no amount of physical therapy will change that. I had both knees replaced in 2018, within weeks my knees started getting stiff and I had the most debilitating pain. My knees felt like they were on fire and I constantly felt like I was being electrocuted. I was going to PT 3 days a week. 2 months after surgery I landed in the ER, my doctor had no clue why this was happening he couldn’t help. I went to another doctor, he was baffled and I went to a third. By 8 months I could straighten my right knee but only bend 60% and my left knee was stuck at about 45 degrees. He decided to redo my left at the 1 year mark, I came out of surgery and within weeks my knee was again getting stiff and the pain was unbearable. Within 3 months I had a manipulation and nothing changed. My doctor couldn’t figure out why my knee was not improving and got to the point where I was told I was making it all up to get opioids and I was dismissed as a patient. All of this while I’m still going to PT. One day my therapist told me I had really bad Arthrofibrosis and recommended me to a surgeon she knew. My first visit he told me I had CRPS and sent me off to pain management to get my pain under control before he could do anything about my knee. I ended up with a spinal chord stimulator, monthly visits to pain management, I was doing Ketamine infusions to combat the pain. After a few months he again revised my knee. I had so much scar tissue, in his words “ he gutted my knees” After surgery I felt some relief from the pain in my left knee but the pain in my right knee was almost unbearable. I was on a mission after this second revision to keep my knee straight, and have as much motion as possible. I kept my knee straight but I was never able to get more than 60 degrees flexion. Within 4 months I only had 25 degree flexion and 3 years later that’s where it’s at. During this time I started loosing motion in my right knee and it became worse than the left. The pain was so bad I was getting nerve blocks every 3 months. It got to the point where my knee was stuck at 40 degrees flexion and I couldn’t move it at all. No amount of PT was going to change that. I ended up with a mobility scooter. I went back to my surgeon who had done my last surgery and he was honest, he told me he would not do another surgery because he did not know how to stop the growth of the scar tissue in my knee which was the culprit. He referred me to another doctor and I knew they were going to do the same thing and within months I would be back in the same position I decided to start looking for better solutions and I ended up at the Mayo Clinic. This was a game changer. They have an ongoing research study to try to understand why scar tissue forms so rapidly in some patients and a protocol to treat said patients. I am a part of the research study, I had my surgery 5 weeks ago and my debilitating pain is gone, I can get out of a chair by myself, I have full extension in my knee and about 95 degree flexion. I’m working on it every day. This is the best I have felt in 5 years. Scar tissue is your worse enemy after TKR, for sone of us no amount of PT is going to stop it, I’m heading back next summer to get my left knee revised for the third time and hopefully I will have my life completely back. It’s been quite the journey. The last 5 years have been rough but finally I’m on the path to recovery.