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Fluid retention after a knee replacement
Hi everyone! I had a tkr October of 22. Everything was going great until my knee started retaining fluid 6 months after. I had an aspiration performed & was checked for infection. None was found. Several months later I had another aspiration performed & things were good for 2 months. No tightness, pain until it filled with fluid again. I have been to 3 orthopedic doctors, they all look at me like I have some rare disease & have no clue what is causing this. Last doctor told me to change my way of thinking & accept that this is as good as its going to get. REALLY! Has anyone experienced this or know of someone. Any help would be appreciated.
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Could you elaborate on this? I’m going thru exact issues 5 years out
Wow that is just stunning. Sorry for your ordeal. The prostheses in my knees are all titanium. I wasn't aware anything else was used. Best to ask I guess.
Has anyone found a solution to post TKR excess synovial fluid, swelling, inflammation and yes, bone spurs growing on surgically shaved (clean) bone where the artificial knee was placed? It’s now been 3 years for me, have met with Rheumatologist, metal allergy test. (Very slight note on nickel), looked at interventional radiologist procedure (treatment to reduce excess production of blood vessels in the knees post surgery).
Waiting to see yet another orthopedic surgeon for third opinion other than I am stuck with swollen knees, constant pain and weaken muscles being tripped by knee pain.
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2 Reactions@clark1955
Sorry to hear about your knee problems. I am 2 years post TKR. The inflammation, swelling and severe pain have never resolved. I have been to 5 Ortho surgeons who can find 'nothing' wrong. Cortisone, Ultrasound and genicular nerve ablation have not helped.
I had partial revision surgery as the best diagnosis was instability and the poly insert was replaced to semicontrained. No luck.
If you find something to resolve your issues please advise.
I had swelling in my TKR knee and it was due to the Bursa bursting, which occurred three weeks after initial surgery. Before going back in to see up the Bursa, the surgeon aspirated the knee to check for an infection which was negative. Seven months later, I have very mild swelling and good range of motion.
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1 ReactionI too had fluid withdrawal from knees as part of the medical investigation a year after my second knee replacement and it showed no signs of infection.
So I’ve run the full range of known tests (in Seattle). No infection, no metal allergy, no form of arthritis and post surgery reviews of XRays show replacements went as planned.
Only my knees are still reacting as they are recovering from trauma. Hot, swollen, tender and post op X-rays of first TKR showed growth of bone spurs. It’s been almost 3 years from the first TKR. 🙁
Waiting appt with larger sports medicine group asking for new X-rays before scheduling.
Fear I’ve got more bone spurs growing in on the surfaces of what was cleaned bone for the artificial knees and an abundance of synovial fluid.
I must be that percent of TKR that fail?
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2 Reactions@dbduffer
I am sorry you are apparently in the same situation as me. Wished they had done the metal allergy tests before TKR as this was one thing they did post op. Slight elevation on nickel, but nobody in the group of professionals seemed to think it was the cause. So still wondering
MRI showed excess production of blood vessels in the joint area. Something that apparently should stop post healing. So body still thinks it’s dealing with trauma.
I haven’t had them aspirated nor cortisone. Suspect that might temporarily work.
Will let you know what new orthopedic group I am private paying to review my case.
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1 ReactionTKR 6 months ago and continued constriction, fluid, and pain persist. More continuous pain and activity restrictions than before the surgery. Any attempt at strengthening exercises results in severe pain and swelling but tests so far show no infection nor abnormalities in the artificial joint. Surgeon shows little to no interest in seeking solutions; that’s tedious and time-consuming so is not nearly as profitable as the surgery.
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1 Reaction@b13moore
Have you had a specialized test to see if you have any metal allergies? There is a remote chance your body is having a reaction to one of the metals in your artificial joint. This was just one of the tests (had to private pay naturally), but it helped rule out that as the source of inflammation and swelling
I am 6 months out of TKR and had not had one minute pain free since the surgery. I have experienced the swelling and fluid build up but draining of fluid only gave relief for about 24 hours and I was told they could repeat the procedure but that the fluid would continue to return. Very frustrated as almost all PT activities cause a painful reaction of swelling which then leads to nerve pain responses that prohibit further exercise for several days. Surgeon is very uninterested in finding a cause/solution. My PT recommended a second opinion, which I have scheduled, but in reading of others with similar symptoms, it seems there are many others who have not found a solution. I’m also looking into lymphatic massage therapy as well as myofascial massage therapy as alternate treatments and would like to know if anyone has gotten relief from these procedures.