Debilitating pain 6 months after knee replacement

I am 7 weeks out of TKR and lateral side of knee has a grind and a pop about half through my stride. No matter what I do I can not get the pain to go away. Surgeon is saying he thinks it is my IT band. The pain makes me cry it is so intense. I did not have that before surgery. How long till it goes away?

@tjohnson73 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You will notice that I moved your post to a discussion where there are several other members talking about their pain after their TKR. I did this so you could connect with people like @contentandwell, @saeternes and @babette.

I thought this article was very informative if you would like to read it.
https://www.newyorkhipknee.com/general/crepitus-knee-serious/#:~:text=Crepitus%20following%20surgery%3A%20Crepitus%20is,joint%20to%20remove%20any%20debris.

When did the popping and grinding first start?

I have had it since 2 days after my TKR

@tjohnson73 @amandaburnett
I did not have any significant pain after my TKR. I of course had some pain simply from having surgery but that resolved in a reasonable amount of time. I purposely chose a customized knee, the Conformis, because it was said to have an easier recovery since it was made to be an exact fit.

That all being said, I have had pain for a while now. My TKR was in October 2017. I can't say exactly when it started but I think I have finally figured out the cause. Prior to the pandemic I walked on a treadmill or used the elliptical at my health club, and occasionally walked the track that has a shock-absorbing surface. I have been walking a lot on pavement now. I stopped walking about a week ago and the pain seems to be resolving so I guess it was the pavement. I am missing the outdoor walking so I will look into some more shock-absorbing sneakers in hopes that will help.

I'm sorry, I realize that does not answer your question about popping and grinding but that is not something that I have experienced.
JK

The grinding and popping can be normal, or a sign of a problem. Since the surgeon has pointed to your IT band, has he prescribed any PT to work on it? Did he do an xray to be sure everything is still properly positioned?
IT band syndrome can be an ongoing issue, with or without surgery, although the trauma of surgery can set it off. There are a number of exercises and techniques to deal with it. I have not had TKR, but I did have hips replaced, and when it happened afterward the exercises and stretches I was given, plus massage and myofascial release therapy finally resolved it. It is worth the effort to get rid of it.
Sue

I know exactly how he feels. I had knee replacement in my right knee in April 2015. Since then I have had THAT knee replacement redone 4 more times, for a total of 7 surgeries. The last was to put hose clamps on my tibia as the implant split it open lengthwise. That was in 2018.

I have had CONSTANT pain in the 5 or higher range for the entire time. The pain is like a railroad spike being driven into my knee. I cannot walk 10 feet without crutches.

The VA has authorized Coolief to see if that helps.

My question is, does it?

Getting tired of hurting all the time.

Hi Amanda, I'm coming up on my TKR with the conforma, and am looking for lots of positive posts of how well it went and tips to keep it that way. All of these horror stories are worrying me. I've had a hip replaced...no problems at all, was golfing in 6 weeks. 3 knee surgeries on each knee went OK (acl and miniscus). Are there lots of good results out there? Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, attitude is everything.

Please keep in mind - most of the people coming to visit this site are looking for help with adverse issues after a knee replacement, not reporting success. There are thousands and thousands of TKR success stories out there too, we just don't happen to see them on this site.
I would suggest taking a look at the results (and preparation) reported here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tkr-2-lessons-i-am-learning/
Also, you can go to the Joint Replacement Group and post a new discussion, maybe titled like "Please share your TKR success stories" and tell people about yourself, your upcoming surgery and that you want tips and reports about successful TKR.
Just to let you know, I have not had TKR (yet) but had 4 total hip replacements and 1 revision. You would think I would be firmly in the "No way! Never Again!" camp regarding joint replacements after my experiences, but 10 years later I am still grateful I did it. I am mobile and my hips are pain free. I can do everything I want except downhill ski (my choice to quit as I am too daring & don't want to risk injury.) When the day arrives, I will have my knees replaced by the best surgeon and facility I can find.
Sue

@tahoerider1 - "Are there lots of good results out there?"

Yes, as Sue said there are thousands of good outcomes which get people back to near normal use of their knees, otherwise doctors would quit doing these surgeries. But there are no 100% guarantees on any surgery, so it's mostly those with problems who post here.

I had my right knee done two years ago, and my left knee done one year ago. Though my knees will never feel the same as real bone, I am happy with the lack of pain and there are no limits to what I can do, other than common sense. I can kneel on a cushion for gardening if I keep most of the weight back off the knee cap itself, which pushes back like the hard metal object it is. I can do light jogging if I need to, but don't feel that is a good use for my artificial joint because of wear and tear. But there are serious runners who run with TKR's, knowing they may need future successive replacements.

Before I had my 2nd knee done, I noticed in photos that I was standing very pigeon toed, and asked my surgeon if there was a way to straighten that leg with the TKR. He said he would, and a bonus result was that I quit having the sciatica pain on my left side, which was likely influenced by the leg twist and side tilt in my gait before surgery. In three weeks, I am scheduled to go in for reverse shoulder replacement with the same surgeon, and I hope that will be as successful as my knees have been.
I think the key to having a good outcome is first, a good surgeon, second, knowledgeable physical therapists, and third, making yourself put in lots of time and effort in doing the all the prescribed rehab exercises even when you are hurting and don't feel like it. The exercises I hated most and was tempted to skip were probably the ones I needed most. Before surgery, I faithfully did the toe flex and knee back tighten exercises they told me to do at home before the TKR, and continued to do them in the hospital bed after surgery, and for weeks at home at night when I was trying to go to sleep. If I did enough repetitions they dissipated some of the unused energy in my legs and I could fall asleep a little better.

Thanks Sue, I hope to be able to hit the slopes again after the surgery, but will have to wait until I get the other knee done also, I think I waited to long, but on the bright side, almost anything will be an improvement.