Has anyone had a tight band feeling after total knee replacement?

Just wanted to post an update at 5 months post replacement.

In brief it took me until about 12 weeks to finally start feeling somewhat normal. For more weeks than I can count I went through a stage of not being able to sleep more than an hour at a time. My physical therapist said I had swelling that lasted longer than usual and after therapy my knee swelled more than usual. I mentioned this because I believe it was directly tied to my inability to sleep. At about eight weeks I finally started sleeping 2 to 4 hours at a time. At about 10 weeks I was finally sleeping most of the night. I have always heard and read that sleep is the best anti-inflammatory there is and it is no coincidence that my swelling went down and my knee function rapidly improved in direct proportion to the amount of sleep I got.

It was at this point that I started feeling somewhat human. The thought I had made a horrible mistake having the surgery started to go away as I gained good mobility, was able to chip and putt at a golf course again and was also able to start bicycling. Pain had given way to General soreness and a feeling that things might return to normal was a huge mental boost. Even now at 5 months I still have swelling and a sense of soreness and occasional tightness. But I have returned to golfing riding in a cart and I’m bicycling daily as well as taking plenty of walks with the dog. The only meds I take are Aleve before and after golfing or heavy exercise.

I have my six month check up with the surgeon in a few weeks and I’ll be interested to hear his opinion. My knee seems to work well, is not Loose and I still need to work on strengthening all the muscles in the leg. I have had fairly regular massages which help greatly and I also highly recommend when you get tired or start to feel sore get off your feet. For me just standing or sitting for too long causes soreness or tightening but is easily fixed by taking breaks. One more thing… If you need to, now is the time to lose weight. It will make everything go much more smoothly.

Best wishes to all of you in recovery or considering the surgery. While it is not easy the first few weeks there is a light at the end of the tunnel especially if you follow all the doctor and therapists orders.

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I haven’t seen anyone mention it here, and maybe it’s the wrong place and someone would be kind enough to direct me to the appropriate place. But I’m needing knee replacement for my right knee and discovering that deciding who I want to perform the procedure is as difficult as the decision to actually move forward with it to begin with. And there’s the issue of whether or not to have it performed traditionally, or with robotic assist….????

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I haven’t seen anyone mention it here, and maybe it’s the wrong place and someone would be kind enough to direct me to the appropriate place. But I’m needing knee replacement for my right knee and discovering that deciding who I want to perform the procedure is as difficult as the decision to actually move forward with it to begin with. And there’s the issue of whether or not to have it performed traditionally, or with robotic assist….????

Jump to this post

I haven’t seen anyone mention it here, and maybe it’s the wrong place and someone would be kind enough to direct me to the appropriate place. But I’m needing knee replacement for my right knee and discovering that deciding who I want to perform the procedure is as difficult as the decision to actually move forward with it to begin with. And there’s the issue of whether or not to have it performed traditionally, or with robotic assist….????

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i had my left knee (Total Knee Replacement) performed yesterday. So far I am totally happy! My husband is a Dr also but not ortho. We did medical research and decided the MAKO was the only way to go. You can google and you will find many articles. You need a CT ahead of time and the robotic software & Dr calculate size, placement, etc. There is less soft tissue damage using the robot. There are studies you can find online w the same surgeon performing a TKR on cadavers using the robot and not using the robot. I am on Day 2 and yesterday (day of surgery) I only took 3 narcotic pills; today I have taken only Tylenol. I am very pleased so far. PT today I had 95 degrees of motion. I am walking well, using walker, but really feel I don't need it. If you are in the Tampa area I can recommend my surgeon. He also teaches other ortho doctors on the use of the MAKO robot. Best of luck but so far...on day 2..this is much better than I anticipated.

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Good evening @montecresto. A warm welcome to Connect is on its way to you. I think you are in the right place if you are in the Joint Replacements group. Does this mean you are actually scheduling your first TKR? What symptoms have you been experiencing? Have you had imaging done and the results explained to you?

I just had my second TKR last year. I am doing very well with no discomfort or swelling or buckling. In fact, I don't even recognize that I have had TKR #2. This might help you a bit. My first TKR was traditional and 10 years ago. The surgeon was excellent. The recovery was great and the pain and discomfort dissipated as expected. I was a trekker then and headed off to Europe for a week on the Ring of Kerry in Ireland within a year.

And then the other knee began to be bothersome to the point where I had to give up being a trekker. I could do 2-3 miles a day along with some Yoga stretches.....but no 10 hours of one foot in front of the other up and down the terrain.

I began to investigate the Mako Robotic system. You can easily view the actual surgery on YouTube. I also changed from metal to plastic. The robotic system makes the surgery more authentic. With a 3-D model and lots of images, the surgeon can map out the path for the surgery. Then as the procedure progresses, he/she can check to make sure that he is "staying in the lines" as they say when you get your first coloring book.

Then I chose an orthopedic sports clinic with required physical therapy that begins the day after surgery. Amazingly effective! We coupled the PT with MFR, myofascial release therapy, to handle the swelling and pain. I responded well to both types of treatment and was soon driving, walking, and even going up and down stairs.

I chose a surgeon by reviewing 10 or 11 for their philosophy of patient care as well as the number of successful robotic surgeries they had done. I was satisfied and happy with my entire team. The surgery was "same day" and I came home about 2 pm. (You do have to have a committed caregiver for 3 days.)

Will this get you started? You can read more about my experience by searching at the top of the page for "TKR #2, I am still learning."

When are you planning your surgery? Is this your first TKR?
May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Chris

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i had my left knee (Total Knee Replacement) performed yesterday. So far I am totally happy! My husband is a Dr also but not ortho. We did medical research and decided the MAKO was the only way to go. You can google and you will find many articles. You need a CT ahead of time and the robotic software & Dr calculate size, placement, etc. There is less soft tissue damage using the robot. There are studies you can find online w the same surgeon performing a TKR on cadavers using the robot and not using the robot. I am on Day 2 and yesterday (day of surgery) I only took 3 narcotic pills; today I have taken only Tylenol. I am very pleased so far. PT today I had 95 degrees of motion. I am walking well, using walker, but really feel I don't need it. If you are in the Tampa area I can recommend my surgeon. He also teaches other ortho doctors on the use of the MAKO robot. Best of luck but so far...on day 2..this is much better than I anticipated.

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