Foot neuropathy (numbness and pain) after total knee replacement (TKR)

Posted by norby @norby, Nov 26, 2018

I had a right total knee replacement 10 weeks ago and came out of surgery with numbness and intermittent pain on the bottom of my right foot. However, I do have good motor function in that foot. The knee has been healing and with PT, movement is on track, but the foot is a major challenge. The foot pain at times is worse than any from the knee. I have been able to generally manage the foot pain with gabapentin. My surgeon believes this may resolve in time but may take from 6-12 months. However there is a possibility that it will never go away. Has anyone else experienced foot neuropathy following knee replacement? If so, what was your experience with it?

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@amandajro

Hello @fourj. You will see that I have moved your post and the responses into an existing discussion on this topic, which I believe you have been already active in. You can find your post here now:
- Foot neuropathy (numbness and pain) after total knee replacement (TKR): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/foot-neuropathy-after-total-knee-replacement/

I see several members such as @ray666 @bitfiddler @pacer3702 and @eve38 have all joined you to share their experiences.

When is your appointment scheduled for?

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I don't necessarily think that those members that you mentioned have had a TKR.

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@sma2day

Hi what kind of treatments did the psysiatrist offer you? Would like to hear success people are having with massage or PT or acupuncture ! Please help!

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I had a few treatments of acupuncture but it did not help. Felt good when they were doing it but the pain came back at night like normal.

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@amandajro

Hello @fourj. You will see that I have moved your post and the responses into an existing discussion on this topic, which I believe you have been already active in. You can find your post here now:
- Foot neuropathy (numbness and pain) after total knee replacement (TKR): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/foot-neuropathy-after-total-knee-replacement/

I see several members such as @ray666 @bitfiddler @pacer3702 and @eve38 have all joined you to share their experiences.

When is your appointment scheduled for?

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Joint replacement isn't the problem. The neuropathy is.

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I tend to agree, fourj (@fourj). I have never associated my TKR with my PN. That's because my TKR was in the late 2000s, and my PN diagnosis wasn't until August 2022, a spread of roughly 12 years. –Ray (@ray666)

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I believe my tkr November of 2022 caused a nerve entrapment somewhere. .....but my tkr was a success. I just ended up with souvenirs. Lucky me.

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@ray666

I tend to agree, fourj (@fourj). I have never associated my TKR with my PN. That's because my TKR was in the late 2000s, and my PN diagnosis wasn't until August 2022, a spread of roughly 12 years. –Ray (@ray666)

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We're on the same me page Ray.

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I have had two total knee replacements. The first (left) was in November 2022 and the second (right) was this past February. It has been a long haul getting over the pain and swelling and discomfort of my new knees BUT they are slowly progressing and getting better. The first surgery was uneventful but from the moment I woke up in recovery for the second replacement my right foot has been greatly effected. I have had more swelling in my right leg but that is getting better. As for my foot, I don't have any pain per se but it feels like I am walking on a sponge with my right foot. It has never been totally better but at times it is not as bad, but then it will get worse, feeling like it is swollen when it does not appear to be. The best I can describe it is it feels like I am walking on a sponge. I have tried gabepentin to no avail. Nothing seems to help. I am only seven months post surgery so I am hoping it will get better with time. My surgeon says the right foot issue must be coming from my back but it started immediately upon waking up in recovery from my knee replacement. I do have some degeneration in my back but no back pain. It must derive from the knee surgery somehow.

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@pinsandkneedles

I have had two total knee replacements. The first (left) was in November 2022 and the second (right) was this past February. It has been a long haul getting over the pain and swelling and discomfort of my new knees BUT they are slowly progressing and getting better. The first surgery was uneventful but from the moment I woke up in recovery for the second replacement my right foot has been greatly effected. I have had more swelling in my right leg but that is getting better. As for my foot, I don't have any pain per se but it feels like I am walking on a sponge with my right foot. It has never been totally better but at times it is not as bad, but then it will get worse, feeling like it is swollen when it does not appear to be. The best I can describe it is it feels like I am walking on a sponge. I have tried gabepentin to no avail. Nothing seems to help. I am only seven months post surgery so I am hoping it will get better with time. My surgeon says the right foot issue must be coming from my back but it started immediately upon waking up in recovery from my knee replacement. I do have some degeneration in my back but no back pain. It must derive from the knee surgery somehow.

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My left foot problem was also immediately right after tkr. Drs all said give it time. Now it's like a little panic because my one year tkr anniversary is coming up. After one they apparently can't do much for you. Told them my symptoms, I guess they didn't think it was that serious. I knew it was.

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Hi, fourj (@fourj)

"Told them my symptoms, I guess they didn't think it was that serious. I knew it was."

That can be so damn frustrating. As patients, we're forever faced with choosing just the right words when speaking to our doctors: say too much, they may think you're exaggerating or gleaning exotic symptoms from Dr. Google; say too little, their minds may wander or think your symptoms are not all that serious. How to capture a doctor's attention? That is the challenge.

Years ago, I was in a play called Cold Storage. I played the younger of two patients who met every afternoon on the hospital sundeck. The older patient, who'd been in and out of hospitals for years, advised my character: "Make it sound interesting! When you tell a doctor what's bothering you, always make it sound interesting!" Those words have come back to haunt me in recent years. 😀

Ray (@ray666)

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@ray666

Hi, fourj (@fourj)

"Told them my symptoms, I guess they didn't think it was that serious. I knew it was."

That can be so damn frustrating. As patients, we're forever faced with choosing just the right words when speaking to our doctors: say too much, they may think you're exaggerating or gleaning exotic symptoms from Dr. Google; say too little, their minds may wander or think your symptoms are not all that serious. How to capture a doctor's attention? That is the challenge.

Years ago, I was in a play called Cold Storage. I played the younger of two patients who met every afternoon on the hospital sundeck. The older patient, who'd been in and out of hospitals for years, advised my character: "Make it sound interesting! When you tell a doctor what's bothering you, always make it sound interesting!" Those words have come back to haunt me in recent years. 😀

Ray (@ray666)

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Wowsa.....Ray, you've got this all figured out. You are spot on.

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