IT band syndrome after knee replacement

Have seen PA on two occasions. She stated it and takes time. PT etc. pain when trying to lay on left side sleeping. TKR was Right knee. Difficulty driving. Tried all positions. Painful applying brakes. Range of motion 0 and 115. swimming 3 times a week.
Nice to have someone with similar issue.
Tx

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@dickiedo, Greetings and good evening. It sure does sound like you are experiencing some pretty unwanted issues with your TKR. I had the very same thing happen. Everything was going along nicely....I was walking my 3 miles a day....and climbing up and down the river bank. All of a sudden kaboom! Unbelievable pain and limited mobility. I went back to my orthopedic surgeon. He was very concerned and jumped up and took me to X-ray. Everything looked very healthy. The implant was just like a fluid sculpture. He then told me in a very sad voice..."Chris, it's the fascia. I am so sorry."

I now know why he was so concerned. Chronic myofascial pain syndrome....is the official name. Pain city is my nickname for it. All of a sudden I was dead in the water.....and then I stumbled upon MFR, Myofascial Release massage treatment. It is only because of MFR that I am able to drive, to walk, to go out with friends, to attended play and concerts, to plays with my grandchildren and any other activity that healthy 77-year-olds with a new knee ought to be able to do.

To review the discussion on Connect follow this link.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

I think I would run, not walk, to the nearest MFR therapist to get an evaluation. Other contact information is on the discussion page. If you are unable to find such a person, please let us know and I will help you. My very best to you. May you be healthy and whole very soon. Chris

Jump to this post

@dickiedo, Greetings and good evening. It sure does sound like you are experiencing some pretty unwanted issues with your TKR. I had the very same thing happen. Everything was going along nicely....I was walking my 3 miles a day....and climbing up and down the river bank. All of a sudden kaboom! Unbelievable pain and limited mobility. I went back to my orthopedic surgeon. He was very concerned and jumped up and took me to X-ray. Everything looked very healthy. The implant was just like a fluid sculpture. He then told me in a very sad voice..."Chris, it's the fascia. I am so sorry."

I now know why he was so concerned. Chronic myofascial pain syndrome....is the official name. Pain city is my nickname for it. All of a sudden I was dead in the water.....and then I stumbled upon MFR, Myofascial Release massage treatment. It is only because of MFR that I am able to drive, to walk, to go out with friends, to attended play and concerts, to plays with my grandchildren and any other activity that healthy 77-year-olds with a new knee ought to be able to do.

To review the discussion on Connect follow this link.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

I think I would run, not walk, to the nearest MFR therapist to get an evaluation. Other contact information is on the discussion page. If you are unable to find such a person, please let us know and I will help you. My very best to you. May you be healthy and whole very soon. Chris

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@dickiedo @scgraham My physical therapist told me it's common to have tight illiotibial bands in your legs and I can imagine that after knee surgery, that may get even tighter. All surgeries create scar tissue in the fascia and because fascia is a body wide web of interconnected tissue, it gets tighter. That also happens when you stop moving and you loose your flexibility. Then we sit too much and our hips get tight because of not standing and walking around, and all of that pulls on your lumbar spine. The psoas muscles connect from the spine to the pelvis and get tight. That does happen to me, and my physical therapist works on them. All of this body tightness can cause nerve compression because nerves pass through some very small spaces and between bones and ligaments. I have not had knee surgery, but I have had spine surgery and I need to stretch out the incision area when it gets tight. I have been doing myofascial release for several years before and after spine surgery and it helps me a lot. It is something to try, and you need to be patient while you work through layers that took years to form. @ scgraham I think MFR can help you. I have been able to recover from my surgery without pain drugs, and having done MFR extensively before surgery helped me recover better. I was doing MFR for thoracic outlet syndrome which is a compression of nerves and blood vessels under the collar bone which is close to the area of my surgery. There are also some syndromes that happen when the pelvis is out of alignment that cause sciatic pain. Here is a link. https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/identify-treat-lumbar-plexus-compression-syndrome-lpcs/ This link shows the muscles of the hips and pelvis and how it attaches to the legs. https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/causes-hip-pain-how-to-fix/ This link shows physical therapy techniques, and you should get clearance from your doctor or physical therapist as to what is right for you. MFR is gentle and similar to stretches done in Yoga by holding a stretch and waiting for the fascia to start to slide. Some doctors don't recognize the benefits of MFR work, but many do recommend it.

Jump to this post

@dickiedo, Greetings and good evening. It sure does sound like you are experiencing some pretty unwanted issues with your TKR. I had the very same thing happen. Everything was going along nicely....I was walking my 3 miles a day....and climbing up and down the river bank. All of a sudden kaboom! Unbelievable pain and limited mobility. I went back to my orthopedic surgeon. He was very concerned and jumped up and took me to X-ray. Everything looked very healthy. The implant was just like a fluid sculpture. He then told me in a very sad voice..."Chris, it's the fascia. I am so sorry."

I now know why he was so concerned. Chronic myofascial pain syndrome....is the official name. Pain city is my nickname for it. All of a sudden I was dead in the water.....and then I stumbled upon MFR, Myofascial Release massage treatment. It is only because of MFR that I am able to drive, to walk, to go out with friends, to attended play and concerts, to plays with my grandchildren and any other activity that healthy 77-year-olds with a new knee ought to be able to do.

To review the discussion on Connect follow this link.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

I think I would run, not walk, to the nearest MFR therapist to get an evaluation. Other contact information is on the discussion page. If you are unable to find such a person, please let us know and I will help you. My very best to you. May you be healthy and whole very soon. Chris

Jump to this post

@dickiedo Like @debbraw, I too have had two TKRs but not had that specific problem. For me 2 months was a huge milestone on my last TKR in October 2017, I was in some extreme pain often before that, pain that even brought tears to my eyes, and that scared me. My orthopedic doctor was on top of it though and seeing me every two weeks until the pain finally subsided, almost overnight! We are all different and all heal at different rates so I hope you will have the same thing happen to you, that suddenly the pain will be greatly diminished.
I was extremely determined that it would be better because my daughter’s wedding was quickly approaching. I don’t know if determination can help, but it can’t hurt!

By the way, have you tried putting a pillow between your legs when sleeping on your side? It really helps. I did it after my TKR and I’m doing it again while my fractured femur heals. The orthopedic doctor suggested it.
JK

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Tried pillows. No change. As soon as I’m on my side with leg bent the pain is there. Hard to get out of that position.

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@dickiedo @scgraham My physical therapist told me it's common to have tight illiotibial bands in your legs and I can imagine that after knee surgery, that may get even tighter. All surgeries create scar tissue in the fascia and because fascia is a body wide web of interconnected tissue, it gets tighter. That also happens when you stop moving and you loose your flexibility. Then we sit too much and our hips get tight because of not standing and walking around, and all of that pulls on your lumbar spine. The psoas muscles connect from the spine to the pelvis and get tight. That does happen to me, and my physical therapist works on them. All of this body tightness can cause nerve compression because nerves pass through some very small spaces and between bones and ligaments. I have not had knee surgery, but I have had spine surgery and I need to stretch out the incision area when it gets tight. I have been doing myofascial release for several years before and after spine surgery and it helps me a lot. It is something to try, and you need to be patient while you work through layers that took years to form. @ scgraham I think MFR can help you. I have been able to recover from my surgery without pain drugs, and having done MFR extensively before surgery helped me recover better. I was doing MFR for thoracic outlet syndrome which is a compression of nerves and blood vessels under the collar bone which is close to the area of my surgery. There are also some syndromes that happen when the pelvis is out of alignment that cause sciatic pain. Here is a link. https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/identify-treat-lumbar-plexus-compression-syndrome-lpcs/ This link shows the muscles of the hips and pelvis and how it attaches to the legs. https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/causes-hip-pain-how-to-fix/ This link shows physical therapy techniques, and you should get clearance from your doctor or physical therapist as to what is right for you. MFR is gentle and similar to stretches done in Yoga by holding a stretch and waiting for the fascia to start to slide. Some doctors don't recognize the benefits of MFR work, but many do recommend it.

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Thanks for response. That’s first I’ve heard of MFR. Have new appointment with sports therapist next week. Observed him working on student athletes ITband issue so hopefully he’s aware of procedure. Will try messaging myself till then.

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