Welcome Tammy @dinterman, I also have idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy. I only have the numbness and was a little concerned with having my right knee replaced a few years ago but all went well and it didn't make my neuropathy worse. It's definitely a good question to ask your knee surgeon team prior to having the replacement. @artscaping and others with neuropathy have also had joint replacements and may have some experience to share with you.

When I had mine replaced, I was at a point where the pain from moving was pretty bad all day long and I was more concerned with my knee than my neuropathy. One thing I would concentrate on if you have a knee replacement, is to do the pre-surgery and post-surgery exercises so that your recovery goes smoothly. How bad is your knee pain now?

Hello, Tammy

I understand your trepidation. I have one knee replacement (my right knee), but it was done 10+ years before I received my idiopathic sensorimotor neuropathy dx.

I've recently been concerned because I've started to have bad days with my left knee. I've known for some time that it's chockful of arthritis. When I last saw my orthopedist, he assured me that my knee was not yet at the point where a replacement was my best option. I've received periodic gel injections ever since, which have made a big difference. I still wonder, though, what about when these injections no longer help? I had a good experience with my earlier knee replacement but didn't have balance issues due to neuropathy back then. So, like you, I wonder what a recovery would be like for someone for whom simple walking from here-to-there is already problematic.

I look forward to reading what others say in response to your post.

Cheers!
Ray

@dinterman Hi Tammy, I’ve had both my knees replaced and it hasn’t caused me any problems. The pain I had from my knees was horrible so there was no choice. I had them done one year apart.
My neuropathy has recently increased, but it is not related to the knee replacement surgeries.

Good evening @dinterman and welcome to Connect. It kind of looks like you and I have some sharing to do. First of all, I love your name. My daughter has the same name although she spells it Tami. She will be 59 next month. However, she's still my adorable little girl. We used the Russian princess name of Tamarra.

However, she did not inherit my propensity for joint surgeries. I have had two TKR surgeries. The first one was 10 years ago........on the left knee because it was more painful than the right knee even though the right knee was quite a bit more of a mess. That traditional TKR was done well by my surgeon and yet it took quite a while to become a part of my body again, The second TKR on the right knee was done in 2021 by way of a robotic surgery. With the improvement in the technology and the attention paid to pre and post-surgery exercises, the second knee was an absolute "textbook" example. I was driving, climbing stairs, and walking along the Mississippi River very promptly.

Now for the relationship with my SFN (small fiber neuropathy), diagnosed by a skin biopsy in 2013. Before the recent TKR, my surgeon spent some very valuable time going over the TKR process and the interaction with my SFN. He shared videos with me and explained the benefits of the robotic TKR.. We also spent quite a bit of time discussing and making shared decisions about pain medication. Since 2013 I have controlled my neuropathy pain with carefully measured doses of medical cannabis tinctures and topicals. Together we made decisions about the medication issues and it worked much better than I expected.

What areas of your body are impacted by your neuropathy? Do you do regular exercises to keep everything "up and running"? Are you worried about the pain and numbness? Here are the biggest gifts you can give yourself. Ice.....Ice......Ice. Elevate, Elevate, Elevate. You can get a specially fitted ice pack for your knee or use an ice machine. I actually purchased a special wedge pillow for the elevation process.

Do you have your TKR scheduled yet? Don't hesitate to let me know of any concerns and questions. I am here for you.

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