Knee hurting and issues post TKR continue....please help

I was dismissed from PT December 31 after 3 months. I am experiencing knee soreness more than usual however at my December 22 appointment all X-rays looks normal and was told see you in 9 months.
I do notice that if I wear a knee sleeve that my knee isn't near as sore and I have much more stability. I am able to bend to 120 degrees and have 0 flexion.
Could it be that at 16 weeks because I am more active (walk 4-6,000 steps a day, ride my recumbent bike 15 minutes a day for over 2 miles etc..) that is why I am feeing more sore. By the end of the day I am done and I ice before I go to bed, I also notice more clicking in my knee (more so without the knee brace). Does all this sound normal? I did have Covid for a few weeks but it doesn't seem anymore sore than it did before.
Thanks....

@cindymattern Cindy, when you said "The triage nurse told me that my knee will hurt if I do too much and I should ice anytime I am sitting or at rest. Is that correct as I'd be icing 3-4 hours a day..." I chuckled. I was just about to respond "ICE! Ice! and ice some more." I use ice for a LONG time after any surgery or injury. My daughter had a complex wrist/arm fracture over 1 1/2 years ago, and she still ices when it aches or after therapy.

Some things to remember:
Your body is still healing from a tremendous assault. You were cut, sawed and hammered on, then sewn up. You blood vessels, nerves and muscles were all disturbed.
Now you are feeling better, but your body and mind are in different places. Your mind says, "Aah, 4 months, incision healed, all better!" Your body says, "Ouch, 4 months, just starting to heal, come on bone, finish grafting to this chunk of metal! Come on nerves, time to regenerate!"
So you keep on going and going and going --- until your body says "NO MORE! Stop!"

Some things to try:
Rest & Ice - for 15-20 minutes after the following: riding your bike, taking a walk, doing your therapy, going grocery shopping or vacuuming. This serves 2 purposes - it paces you, allowing your body a little time between activities.
Ice & Elevate - for 15-20 minutes at a time while watching TV or reading in the evening. Alternate with getting up and walking around for a few minutes to keep from getting stiff.
Ice when you go to bed - use a nice BIG ice pack that will stay cold for a while, then toss it back in the freezer in the morning.
If allowed, take Tylenol or an NSAID at bedtime to help keep you comfortable for sleep.

So, have you been doing what most of us do - going like the Energizer Bunny until your battery wears down? Do you think you can try pacing yourself a little?
Sue

Thanks....I actually do take 600 mg Gabapentin at bedtime (I did this before my surgery for neck issues) so I sleep pretty good. Unfortunately I can't take nsaids but can do Tylenol. If I"m really bad I do a Tylenol 3. I have a SMI cold therapy that uses two ice gel packs the hospital gave me and have 8 of the gel packs for it. I am trying to ice more during the daytime but being winter that is so hard. Easier in bed with my heating pad keeping me warm lol. You are right...I am walking 4-6,000 steps a day, doing my duties around the house etc... and doing what I used to do just at a slower pace. I was very active before surgery and hard to slow down now that I can do more. I will try icing more than I have been. The shin pain is what really slows me down along with knee soreness.

You are only 4 months out and it takes a good year for mostly complete healing. I am 18 months out and have sharp pain on the outside of my kneecap. Not sure what the issue is but suspect scar tissue pressure on nerves. Try myofascial release therapy although you are very active and rom is good. Give it more time.

Cryocuff cuff machine awesome for icing

@cindymattern, you may also be interested in these related discussions:
- How well is pain controlled after total knee replacement? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-well-is-pain-controlled-after-total-knee-replacement/
- Skiing and returning to sport activities after TKR? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/skiingsports-after-tkr/

I have posted before, so I hope that I am not repeating myself! I had knee replacement in Sept of 2021. I had a terrible time with it because I couldn’t tolerate the pain meds, so had to resort to Extra Strength Tylenol. They put me on regular aspirin for three weeks and that did a terrible job on my stomach. I became very depressed, and as I look back, it was due to the intensity of the pain that comes with that surgery! The surgeon told me that it would take two years for my knee to feel “normal”, but it would never be the knee that I was born with! After two and a half years, it feels so much better, but the only thing that I miss is trying to bend my knee when exercising or kneeling down when I go to church. My PT told me to ice as much as possible…….She was fantastic and truly brought me to healing. She said that you just can’t ice too much! Continue icing, walking as much as possible, and getting on the stationery bike, which is great for bending and flexing the knee. I know all that you are going through and I am wishing you all the best with healing. It WILL happen, but some knees take longer than others! Mine was one of them!!

Your numbers are awesome ….good work …. But I agree with everyone…. I ice after every exercise and mfr session and I am 6 months out of revision…. I still get sore if I do to much of anything….good luck keep up the good work

I had both knees replaced last year and I iced a lot. Don't know if it was 3 to 4 hours/day, but after every exercise session so at least three times/day. I would also ice when I went to bed. Try "Hurt Skurt" available on Amazon.

Your ROM at 120 is excellent. That is the goal ROM after a TKR, congrats! I don't know why your quad is sore though. Too much exercise, not enough ice?

Be well!

Joe

I am now just short of 5 months out of my right TKR. The further out I go I am having pain in both my feet to the right top of my ankle bone and on the top of my feet. Just really sore and sometimes get a stabbing pain for a few. Still having shin pain and the feeling that band around my knee. Lower back pain as well. Clicking in knee sometimes as well. This all just started about a month ago. Is this normal and do you have suggestions. I stopped my PT the end of December after 3 months. ROM is 115 and with the band 124 so that is good.