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Pain and Stiffness 6 months out from TKR
I have a lot of pain getting up from a sitting position but subsides after a few steps. Wondering if this is normal. Also, it is very painful to go both up and down stairs. Its almost worse than before my surgery. any ideas?
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Hi, @knighthawk11. I combined your discussion with an existing discussion titled "Pain and Stiffness 6 months out from TKR" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pain-and-stiffness-6-months-out-from-tkr. You can read other experiences similar to yours from members @mrnomad, @cindymattern, and @afladland who are in varying stages of their recovery.
It's been 16 months since my right knee TKR and the only thing I am glad about is that I didn't do both knees. I still cannot bend more than 90 degrees, cannot ride a bicycle (a life-long love), and the pain & imflammation never ends unless I don't use the knee. I am not overweight, exercise 3-4x per week at a gym and active other days.
The most recent "remedy" was using Ultrasound to identify massive scar tissue and long needles to break it up. After 4 painful treatments, I gained 1 degree of bend and the loud click is quieter.
One thing I'd like to pass along is not all cortisone shots or doctors are alike in their skill. When my GP administered cortisone to my left (unmolested) knee, it lasted 2 months but when the sports doc administered cortisone, it lasted longer than 4 months. I assume the sports doc's trajectory is better and his mixture more effective. After all, he does this 50x per week whereas the GP does it less often.
My best non medical advice is to wait until technology improves and make sure your surgeon will "tuck the saphenous nerve", NOT cut tendons too short, and basically gives a damn versus rushing to get more procedures in 1 day.