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After 13 months TKR knee still warm and slightly swollen

Posted by zoobird1 @zoobird1, Mar 18 4:02pm

I’m 70 years old and had total left knee replacement February 16, 2023. I had a partial right in 2019 and with both I did very well in Rehab. With this left one I was told it could take a year to fully heal.
Since the surgery I’ve always had some tenderness from above my knee to half way down my calf. It just feels bruised and scraped and I still have some pain in my knee area.
For a few weeks last fall it finally felt pretty good and at times the warmth was almost gone. Then in December it flared back up and at my year checkup appointment I saw my PA who said my x-rays look good. She was concerned about the warmth and tenderness and ordered a Sed Rate and C-Reactive Protein blood tests, both which came back fine. She put me on a 15 day regimen of Prednisone which helped a bit for a couple weeks but now I feel just as bad as before. Also I now have two bony knobby places that aren’t on the right one
Is this normal after 13 months?

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shawndm | @shawndm | Mar 20 10:58am
In reply to @cindymattern "I am also 16 months out and have the same issues....I feel tightness over the top..." + (show)
@cindymattern

I am also 16 months out and have the same issues....I feel tightness over the top of my knee and feel like I have a baker's cyst sometimes but my CT showed no baker cyst. Hardware is good and there is a very small effusion on top of the knee and then vascular calcification. Seeing vascular for an ultrasound next month, going to ask pain management what to do as I can't take nsaids, pain pills, Cymbalta or Lyrica (Extreme constipation), so what do I take for inflammation. I feel I still have inflammation. I'm so done with this knee replacement. somedays are better than others. I do take Tylenol 'arthritis with some relief but not much.

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I hear that. Long arduous process and now my revision, at two years old, is already to start to hurt more rather than less. I know they don't have the lifespan of a replacement, but I sure hope it's going to be more than two years. These knee replacements have not helped the quality of my life, I'm afraid. Disappointing.

REPLY
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Mar 20 2:04pm

Yeah first of all, tennis is an impact sport and is not recommended post TKR, at 2 weeks or 2 years.

And no one who has a TKR is playing tennis two weeks later. That is pure fiction.

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1 reply
zoobird1 | @zoobird1 | Mar 20 2:54pm
In reply to @greenacressoon "Have they tested you for MRSA? My brother-in-law had pain, swelling. and warmth in his total..." + (show)
@greenacressoon

Have they tested you for MRSA? My brother-in-law had pain, swelling. and warmth in his total knee replacement for 5 years after his surgery. He was told that he just needed to learn to live with it. He finally got a second opinion. The new doctor drew off some fluid from the knee and determined that he had MRSA.

He had the knee replacement removed and replaced with a temporary knee. After a month of antibiotics, the MRSA was gone. He then went on to have a new knee replacement. He was back in the tennis court 2 weeks later.

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Oh my. What an ordeal. Glad he’s doing much better!

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greenacressoon | @greenacressoon | Mar 20 3:05pm
In reply to @shawndm "two weeks? I could barely walk at two weeks. Lucky him." + (show)
@shawndm

two weeks? I could barely walk at two weeks. Lucky him.

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I’m sure he still had residual pain, but after 5 years of pain and inflammation he was ready to move.

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greenacressoon | @greenacressoon | Mar 20 3:38pm
In reply to @heyjoe415 "Yeah first of all, tennis is an impact sport and is not recommended post TKR, at..." + (show)
@heyjoe415

Yeah first of all, tennis is an impact sport and is not recommended post TKR, at 2 weeks or 2 years.

And no one who has a TKR is playing tennis two weeks later. That is pure fiction.

Jump to this post

Defiantly not fiction.

Some people recover better / faster than others. I did not say that his doctor encouraged him to play tennis 2 weeks after surgery. I said that he was back on the tennis court 2 weeks after surgery.

I am sure you will believe that this is fiction too. It is not. I had a robotically assisted left TKR in 2022. (I had done exceedingly well with a robotically assisted right TKR in 2018). My surgeon agreed that I did not have to stay overnight in the hospital if I could walk (with a walker) around the entire post op area. I did, and I went home. 3 days later I walked into PT without a walker. I did 2 weeks of PT and was discharged. Even my surgeon was surprised. A year after surgery I was walking 5 miles a day but I really wanted to get back to running. At my 1 year follow up, I asked if running would damage the knees. I was told that it would likely wear the replacements out a bit sooner, but if I really wanted to he was supportive of it. (My TKRs are both titanium.). I now alternate between walking and running every other day. I have been doing this for 10 months and my knees are in great shape. As I said, different people recover differently.

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greenacressoon | @greenacressoon | Mar 20 3:54pm
In reply to @codynike "I am into my 6th week post op and still have a lot of pain. Not..." + (show)
@codynike

I am into my 6th week post op and still have a lot of pain. Not only my knee but my hip and ankle. I do physical therapy 3x a week and probably should walk more. I am so worn out with the pain. Hoping to get a refill of tramadol. All those people that said to me you will be so happy you did it are full of it. Also who are these people that say by 6 weeks you will be back to your regular activities! REALLY?

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I am so sorry that you are struggling with your TKR. I was told by both my surgeon and my PT that some people’s bodies just cope with joint replacements better than others. It is nothing special or magical that they are doing differently.

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1 reply
rae1954 | @rae1954 | Mar 20 4:01pm
In reply to @greenacressoon "Have they tested you for MRSA? My brother-in-law had pain, swelling. and warmth in his total..." + (show)
@greenacressoon

Have they tested you for MRSA? My brother-in-law had pain, swelling. and warmth in his total knee replacement for 5 years after his surgery. He was told that he just needed to learn to live with it. He finally got a second opinion. The new doctor drew off some fluid from the knee and determined that he had MRSA.

He had the knee replacement removed and replaced with a temporary knee. After a month of antibiotics, the MRSA was gone. He then went on to have a new knee replacement. He was back in the tennis court 2 weeks later.

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I had fluid drawn from my knee to culture it. Culture was negative for bacteria but the fluid was bloody instead of clear. No idea why.

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1 reply
rae1954 | @rae1954 | Mar 20 4:04pm
In reply to @greenacressoon "I am so sorry that you are struggling with your TKR. I was told by both..." + (show)
@greenacressoon

I am so sorry that you are struggling with your TKR. I was told by both my surgeon and my PT that some people’s bodies just cope with joint replacements better than others. It is nothing special or magical that they are doing differently.

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I might agree with that except I’ve had both knees done by the same surgeon and with the same implant. One healed fine - no pain & full range of motion. The other one has hurt, swelled & has less range of motion since the day of surgery.

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1 reply
zoobird1 | @zoobird1 | Mar 20 5:05pm
In reply to @rae1954 "I might agree with that except I’ve had both knees done by the same surgeon and..." + (show)
@rae1954

I might agree with that except I’ve had both knees done by the same surgeon and with the same implant. One healed fine - no pain & full range of motion. The other one has hurt, swelled & has less range of motion since the day of surgery.

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When was your surgery?

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1 reply
zoobird1 | @zoobird1 | Mar 20 5:11pm
In reply to @rae1954 "I can’t take ibuprofen because I was put on blood thinners for blood clots in my..." + (show)
@rae1954

I can’t take ibuprofen because I was put on blood thinners for blood clots in my lungs after my last Covid shot. That also complicates another surgery. I use Tylenol and ice - which helps though not much. Ice is more effective with compression. Mostly at this point I whine a lot………….

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I’ve found that ice helps too. Tylenol and ibuprofen do not. At least not at this time.

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