Knee Stiffness

I asked my family doctor about this a few years ago. At the time I was complaining about how stiff I was anytime I would get up after sitting for a longer time, (this was before I had any TKR's.) He said that as you age your muscle fibers lose their ability for instant flexibility like you had when you were a child. When you sit or stay in one position, those unmoving muscles shrink and contract, and when you first get up, it takes a while to stretch them out to where you can move normally. I guess there is no cure for aging. All we can do is try to keep active so we don't completely go to pot!

Thank you for an excellent explanation for knee stiffness. At 89 years old it makes a lot a sense. I still have an issue with my one year old revision TKR knee still being stiff with so much activity and bending while my successful TKR knee is 99% normal with very little stiffness after only 3-4 months. Thanks again.

Hi Im 10 months out from my TKR which was a horrible experience, I had many issues that I won’t go into.
I have the same stiffness problem, my ROM has stayed at 115 and it won’t budge as hard as I try.
My new issue is numbness in my big toe and a little into the ball of my foot,
has anyone else experienced that.
I can’t complain though, I’m thrilled with my better quality of life with my new knee. Good luck to all of you
Keep moving!

I’ve had a total knee replacement in 2018, followed by a knee manipulation. In 2019, I received a total knee revision on the same knee followed by another knee manipulation. During that I was also during land and water physical therapy as prescribed. After going thru a year of therapy and no progress because like yourself I was unable to ride a bike nor was I able to straighten my leg. I saw eight different Orthro doctors trying to get answers. The eight Orthro doctor I saw which specialized in senior reconstructive surgery diagnosed my condition as a knee contracture (scar tissue). Due to my age (over 60), having too much trauma done to my leg and no guarantee that the procedure he would performed would be successful. Still today, I can’t mentally or physically go thru another surgery/rehab. To say the least, I’m disabled without being officially diagnosed as one. The pain whether it’s the knee one or both, leg, back, or nerve pain never goes away. Each day you just try to tolerate it a little better and remember It could be worse. Good Luck.

Your story mirrors mine, as I also had my first TKR (left knee) in 2018 and followed up with a revision in 2023. It is probably the worst decision I ever made. My right knee turned out better but not 100%. I walk with a bad painful limb and a constant awareness that I have a prosthetic knee. When I'm asked about my quality of life I think to myself they must be kidding when my mobility is limmited. A video of me struggling to put on a pair of pants will put that question to rest.
One day they'll look back on today's TKR and say "they did what," somewhat how we see Civil War surgeries.
For those that are satisfied with their TKR be thankful.

I was beginning to think I was the only one with this condition. I’m not alone. Being able to come to terms with this life changing incident is sometimes worse than dealing with the everyday pain.