Learning to walk normal after knee replacement

I’m extremely unhappy and I don’t know who to blame I had my surgery at 76 years in 2020. I worked very hard on my recovery but although I am not disabled thankfully and am able to walk squat and bend well I’m left with chronic pain and severe stiffness especially when the weather is bad I’m unwilling to do further surgery which is what the surgeon advised He has told me he cannot do anything else for me. Cold and unfeeling

Hoping you will get a second and/or third opinion. You might want to order your records including X-rays,etc

Exactly, retrain the brain, difficult task! After walking, doing stairs so sympatheticly to worst knee, wow, really hard, especially stairs for me, and giving up the cane!

I’ve had my TKR back in 2021. I had so much trouble with walking and heat n swelling. PT could never get the swelling down. I did PT religiously. Well after a nerve block that didn’t help after a year and half. I finally asked if I could be allergic to something in there they put in? Dr asked are you allergic to anything, well yes, it’s in my file past 25 years. I’m allergic to Nickel. So the Dr tried to make it right and did a revision. It’s still messed up but not like it was. I’m 4 months out and doing more this time than I did first knee around. So I’m guessing I was right, about being allergic to whatever it may been. With walking, I do try to walk heal to toe, I’ve been using a cane for 15 years and right now I can manage to walk without it but you’d probably think I was drunk. I can’t walk a straight line. But my family tells me I never could anyway. (I believe they’re messing with me lol) but I know I don’t have the heat in my knee like I did with the 1st replacement. So something was fueling that problem. I think it was the joint or glue they had in me. It’s still a struggle to do things but I’m happy if I can get in the floor and play with my Grandkids. So I see it as I’m doing all the right things, exercises and walking, if there’s something that you think that’s not right or it’s taking to long for healing, like my knee had over 100 temp in the coldest days and other knee is cool, then there’s something going on with your body that’s refusing to heal. I’m so glad I told the Dr to take it out. I’m still just getting by but I know how long I dealt with the first knee and I know what things could be done. I pray things go well for you.
God Bless our Country

Right knee done 9/22....I still have issues with swelling and inflammation. Finally some secretaries of all people suggested seeing a sports medicine guy and he did an ultrasound. My quad muscle above my knee is 2x the size of the other, doesn't move like the other one and there is scar tissue and swelling still. Doing cupping, MFT and Iotophoresis and it's helping however I am hoping it is gone forever and doesn't come back. This is my third time in PT. I'm told I am walking better and I can't tell sometimes because of the soreness and stiffness I have when I get out of PT the next day...but I do think it's helping. Keep at it. Walking is so important and can affect so many other areas like our lower backs, hips etc...

I am so sorry to hear about your allergy to nickel!! I had TKR in 2020 in Boston but before the dr would do the surgery, I had to fill out a form concerning nickel. Whenever I would wear inexpensive pierced earrings or bracelet, my skin would break out. I wrote this on the form and the dr sent me for allergy testing for nickel. Sure enough, I came out with a very high nickel allergy. They also tested me for the bone cement that they use, but that came out okay. Because of that nickel allergy, a different type of replacement was used without nickel. (So many replacements have nickel!). I am so glad that the surgeon had the foresight to have me go through the testing! I have heard of people having replacements, like you did, and then having reactions. The surgery has to be done all over again! All my best to you as you heal from the second surgery. Knee surgery is one of the roughest surgeries that anyone can go through!

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have the earring reaction also. I can only wear 14K jewelry. I’ve had Nickel on my firms for over 25 yrs and I’m shocked to see that the Drs miss it. So now for any type of surgery I’m cautious because I’m also allergic to some tapes that they’d use for bandages, also Formaldehyde. I had cateract surgery this past summer on both eyes. Upon cleaning n prepping, they had used some type of cleaning solution which was formaldehyde and I broke out badly. My eyelids were swollen, and of course they said they didn’t use any such thing. Well I differ that. I’m sure not all drs n nurses review every single form of ingredient. Even some eye shadows have formaldehyde in it. Which is why I’m not able to play certain makeup w my lil granddaughter. So we all need to read and make notes. Be sure to ask Drs what they’re gonna use and to be sure n let them know we have issues. I’ve had so many surgeries that I’m on top of everything now. So when you fill out Dr forms of allergies be sure to write it big what ails you. I hope you do well w your problems. I thank you again for your time to write. I had 2 drs do my Knee revision. So glad of that, as I was loosing some faith in my knee Dr. cause I just wasn’t healing. It wasn’t getting better at all even at a yr and half. It seemed like I was still in the 1st week of surgery. I know it’s gonna take some time for this to heal. It’s only been 4 months but I’ve been here before w the first bout. Now if I can get some help with figuring out my internal Vibrations. Been over 3 yrs and still I can’t get a Dr to tell me what these are. Done all the tests n images, got a new Family Dr that’s taken an interest in my health. I just pray she can help me figure out what these are from. Back to the Nickel, I’m thinking that this might be a continuous ordeal with patients and that Drs are picking up on others mistakes n hear-say of surgeries alike n could be ordering the allergy testing to determine before hand on how to approach that surgery. Good Call !
God Gless our Country

You made me feel better! I had my TKR on Oct 2, I also had a Dvt and I’ve still got a little bit of a gimp. I’m just about ready to give up the cane, going to ask my Pt what she thinks!

Me too. Things are better but iam still freaked out

mine is the same,, stiff and wobbly on my non surgical leg,, thinking of stretching before getting out of bed and some leg slides, then get up for the first cup of coffee and not sit down for more than an hour, doing sitting excercises and the routine.. the swelling goes away at night and stays away for several hours, then rest an hour or two and walk for 20 min. then stretch again rest for a few hours and do your exercises..where ever you stop is where you end up