Post TKR Muscle Issues

I’m 10 months post TKR and feel that things have gone well. However, I still have issues with my hip flexor, hamstring, and inner quad….is that common?

I realize that everyone’s journey is different, and patients enter the TKR process with different levels of pain and mobility issues. Therefore, it is only logical that outcomes and the road traveled post TKR can also be different. That said, I have no perceptible pain in my knee, but my upper thigh, hamstring, and hip flexor still are not what they were.

I’ve heard many people, to include medical professionals, suggest that years of a degenerated knee cause all kinds of muscle imbalances and weaknesses. I understand that as well, but I became an avid cyclist more than two decades before surgery because it was the one of the exercises I was able to tolerate. As such, my quads were well developed prior to surgery, as was my hip flexor…can’t really say the same for my hamstring. I did have notable knee pain, but my muscles, or lack of leg strength was not the issue.

I fully participated in physical therapy and have worked with a trainer at my local gym. I’ve clicked off 6 bike rides of about 20 miles, have a 5 mile walk under my belt, and have had several days of 12,000 plus steps. However, I still get weakness and discomfort in my muscles that push me back to my Tylenol & Celebrex regiment….and the less active I am, the greater the weakness and discomfort.

I’ve shared all of this as background, but my questions are quite simple, is the muscle weakness to be expected, do other TKR patients have similar experiences, and how long does the total healing process (“this is as good as it is going to get”) really take in other’s experiences?