~ Knee Replacement ~ It's going to rain!

@amberpep If you are happy with the results then you should return to the same doctor. Do you know what type of knee he does? It helps if we are confident of our doctors I believe.

There have been many advances these days with the MAKOplasty (robotic surgery) and the Conformis knee, maybe he is doing one of those now too, they both have excellent results. My knee is a Conformis and I do personally know a couple of people who have robotic - @debbraw has had it.
Hopefully, your knee will not progress to the point of needing another TKR.

Since around six weeks I have had virtually no pain or discomfort from my Conformis knee except very minor, more like fatigue, when I overdo it. I have walked for very long distances with no problems at all though.

You are in a neck of the woods that I am familiar with -- I have stayed overnight in Frederick on our way to Fredericksburg when my daughter was in college so I am somewhat familiar with the general area there and also around DC because she worked and lived in DC/Arlington/Alexandria for a while after college.
JK

Hi everyone …. About 5 years ago I had a RTKR which seemed to heal pretty well. But, not totally because it always had some pain in it, which I ignored. I finally went to my Orthopedic Surgeon several times and after several x-rays he could find nothing. So, 3 years ago I had what is called a revision, where they take out the initial replacement part and replace it with another replacement knee, in which the posts are longer and go farther down and up from the knee. It was much better, even though he never could find out what happened to the first one. Well, when I get up out of a chair it "crunches" and hurts slightly. Now I'm used to being a good "weather forecaster" as when it's going to rain, it hurts, but I don't understand (nor like) this crunching that it does. It doesn't seem to be tied in with the weather. When that happens, I put on a soft elastic brace which is fairly tight and makes it feel more comfortable. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks, abby

@amberpep : Instead of a helpful answer, I want to ask you a question: how would you rate the pain that you had after your initial TKR? I had right TKR roughly 1 1/2 years ago, and while the knee works perfectly fine, great flex and extension, there is always a low-grade ache there. Gets worse with heavy use or exercise, but even in the best of circumstances it is never totally “normal”. I can live with that, but it gets annoying at times. So your new, revised knee has no pain at all? Sounds nice. Regarding the “crunching”, what I have is more like a clicking noise, but that is not limited to getting up from a seated position It clicks every step I take, and even when I’m doing crunches, somehow the knee moves enough to also click (or crunch, whatever the term should be). Best that I can isolate the location/cause, it seems like the tendon on the inside of the knee does not move smoothly over the kneecap. Not painful, but again, annoying.

Oh ellerbracke ….. you make me feel so much better. After I had both replacements, I really had a very low level of pain. In fact, I thought I was home free! Well,
after a few months, the crunching started ….. besides the pain when it does that (about a 5) I hate the sound. I think you're just may be right ….. no matter how good these replacements are ….. there's always pain, although not as much as before, that just lingers. The crunching makes sick! BLAH!
Thanks for replying to me. abby

Ever since I had the TKR 6 years ago, and then a revision 4 years ago (just before I moved to VA), whenever the weather is about to change - rain, snow, sleet, etc. - my knee hurts. It usually hurts when I get out of a chair, but this is pretty much all the time. So, then I put on my soft knee sleeve which provides just enough pressure to prevent that. I'll have to wear it today, and probably for the next several days. It's getting a bit too "stretchy" as I've used it so much, so I ordered a new one (a different type). I joke that I'm a better weather forecaster than those who get paid for it!
abby

@amberpep That made me smile. For 25 years, the screws in my leg where a new ACL was anchored have been my weather forecaster. So much so that when the TV meteorologists say it is going to rain, I can tell my husband yes, it's going to happen, or no, they're just wish-casting again. The same happened, for just a year, with my surgically-repaired right thumb 2 years ago. Today both my knee and my newly-operated-on left thumb are loudly telling my rain is coming soon - I hope they are right, we have had hot dry wind dessicating everything for a week, and it's really hard to haul hoses to my flower beds one-handed to keep my new plants alive.
My hip doc says this is very typical of hands, feet and knees...
Sue

@amberpep, @sueinmn, Yup.....I am a great weather forecaster. I just look at the barometer on my iPad. First I try to guess what the BMP will read for the day. Then I watch it when it changes. The barometric induced pain is all over my body not just on the peripheral areas, arms, legs, etc. Do you know what is happening in your body? And why does it take so long to change? Even my friends and family can take one look at me and guess the BMP is lower or higher.

May you have happiness today and the causes of happiness.
Chris

@artscaping - Oh, I know what's happening - I have metal parts and screws everywhere, and bone, muscle, tendons, and metal all react differently to barometric pressure changes - and then argue fiercely with one another. And, due to repeated surgeries, I always have nerves regenerating somewhere, another source of pain during both temperature and barometric pressure changes. This phenomenon was explained to me by a meteorologist 25 years ago after my first major knee surgery.
Today I am happy because I have much to be grateful for: the sun is shining, my daughter was finally notified she has a modified job beginning Monday (off work > 3 months due to Covid-19 dangers to her), I have a Zoom meeting with all my Master Gardener friends, and I have a video appointment tomorrow with the pain mgmt doc. Life is good.
Sue

Good morning @sueinmn, thanks for the reply. That all makes sense. I am a new MN resident and totally get how important the sun is for happiness and wellbeing to folks who live here year-round. My life partner and I pay homage to the sun in our meditation every morning. After living in Hawaii and CA, this is a whole new world. I do notice a certain crankiness that appears when the weather report shows day after day of clouds and no sun.

May you, my dear, have happiness all day!
Chris

Thanks for the info, I'm looking at a replacement this fall, and was considering the conformis as my first choice, how are you doing two years later, how was the recovery, were the costs more than the traditional surgery? Any more info would be greatly appreciated.