HI
i had a tkr on 12/01 and still have a lot of pain and taking my analgesia regularly. The pain is mainly in the back of my knee now when weight bearing and a little under my knee cap. I find it difficult walking downstairs leading with my non tkr leg but can go upstairs consecutively. Does anyone else suffer pain in back of knee, is this normal? I'm beginning to think my knee will never be normal again.I just want to wake up in the morning and find that all the pain's gone and i can walk normal.
My surgery was 1/7/16 and I have all your symptoms: pain in the back, unable to go down statist when leading wig my good leg and one more-- severe pain over the lateral side of the knee (it primarily this pain that prevents going down stairs.
Hi Jilly
Recovery from this op takes much longer than you think. I only found that out myself on this forum.
Patience is the key word here. You will not get better quickly, unless your very very lucky.
Stretching, icing and hydration are all necessary, just dont overdo it, or you will learn the hard way ( as I did!) that you will set yourself back.
You will find loads of help on this forum, some will be of use to you and some not, but you can have a good moan/rant and one of us will reply to you and try and talk you through it.
I'm 11 weeks post op and still take painkillers to function properly, and have trouble sleeping, but this seems normal from what I read here
We have all felt as you do now at some stage.
You will get there.
Ann
Ireland
My chronic pain is at the base of the knee-cap, and has always been with this second TKR. The back of the knee is tight though and I can no longer straighten my leg.
Pain in the back of my knee is what started all my knee troubles! Eight years and two TKRs later I FINALLY seem to have finished that agonizing chapter of my life!
My physical therapist helped A LOT! One thing she said was that hamstrings can cause lots of pain IF they aren't slowly and properly stretched. Compensating for painful knees often causes us to walk with bent knees to relieve the BONE-ON-BONE pain. This bent knee method shortens the hamstrings which then can begin to hurt. We need to do many careful and slow stretches throughout the day to help prevent this.
She also suggested putting my legs on an ottoman and increasing the amount of time a little bit each day. At first I couldn't stand stretching out my legs for longer than a couple minutes at a time! While your legs are stretched out, engage your quad muscles in your thigh. Hold the position for a count of ten, and then release. This helps get the muscles working FOR YOU! Straighten your legs as much as you can as you are working those quads.
If it hurts, STOP! Wait awhile and try again.
I continually remind mysf that my knees didn't get in a bad way overnight. Progress won't happen overnight either. Be patient. It will come.
I do this every time I sit where I can put my feet up. It has helped me very much. Doing this often has virtually eliminated the PAIN in the back of my knees.
I hope this will help you, too!
I had mine the day before you (11/30) so we can compare notes. I also can go upstairs with no issues but downstairs requires holding the railing. I also have pain in similar areas such as you describe. I call them "thunder" and "lightening". Dull throbbing pain is "thunder" and the sharp quick pains are the "lightening".
Still taking some prescription pain meds (Tramadol), but only one at bedtime. I use aceteminophen or naproxen during the day mostly.
I think we are moving along but it's a slow process, as anyone here can attest.
Hi Jilly,
i had my TKR on left knee December 10! So we are at about the same post op. I did have some pain in the back of knee, so when I iced I put an ice pack underneath the knee as well as on the front. This helped.also raising ur leg up on a few pillows as helped me in general.
are u going for pt? If so, I would mention this to them and maybe they can help w/ some stretches. Sometimes I can do the stairs consecutively and sometimes not. I am still in pt 3/x week. It has been extremely helpful.
Hope this helps,
Damy
I'm 26th November.
Pains in back of knees is what got me here in the first place!
Can walk up and down the stairs.
Walk without a limp about 30mins before 'log leg' kicks in.
But if I sit with it down for any length of time it stiffens and throbs.
Can identify with the 'thunder and lightning pains' also.
Still having problems sleeping
Still taking painkillers.
Hi Jilly. I had a revision of TKR 11th Dec. All that you write about is normal I'm afraid! As the others here have said,it can take quite a while to recover from this op. Remember that it is a brutal,major op on limbs that do all the weight bearing,balancing and movement of your whole body. Your ligaments and tendons take longer than bone to heal as do your nerves (the "lightning"!). Try to keep up a positive mindset, be kind to yourself and do what ever is needed that helps....including a good rant/cry etc!
Thank you everyone for your invaluable help and advice.
it's so reassuring when you can come on here and talk to other people who are going or have been thro the same thing.
I would like to clarify that when i said I had a tkr on 12/01. I meant 12January. I am not from USA i'm in the UK.
THANK YOU ALL
I am in the UK, had TKR Dec 2015. I continue to have stiffness and pain but only take pain relief it is unbearable. I found coming downstairs a real challenge and try to do this once a day. I find walking tiring and yesterday I walked the further since the op. I felt the same pain in my unopersted knee and think I may have to have this one done. Not a decision to be taken lightly as I never really understood the enormity of having TKR. However I think I did so well in the first couple of weeks, I have now reached the stage where it is just recovery time . Patience I feel is the key to the success..
Hi Jilly
I had my tkr four days before you. Generally doing well with little pain, bend good, straight not so good.
You say you are having difficulty walking downstairs leading with non TKR leg. I am fine with this - actually live in a bungalow, but when confronted with stairs at people's houses I am OK. However, I was told at hospital and feel I have seen in on here that you lead with your bad leg "down to hell" and your good leg going "up to heaven". See if a change helps.
Good advice, I had my TKR a week ago and no problem going up or down stairs, BUT hell with my harmstring!
Hope you had a full recovery.
Regards
Wilma
I'm curious if the pain you feel is similar to mine. I feel a terrible pinching which feels like tendonitis in the back of my leg., it occurs when I try to bend knee with heel going towards my butt
Hi!
Sorry I did not find your reply until now!
Yes, I am doing GREAT!😁
Stretching, stretching, stretching seems to be the key to strengthen and lengthen those hamstrings. I was surprised when my physical therapist was able to help me solve a problem that had plagued me for so long just by STRETCHING!
I hope you are feeling much better now! ♥️
Hi Joan!
The pain felt like I had guitar strings in the back of my knee that would suddenly all become misaligned and would cut into one another, causing a sudden and sharp PAIN. It wasn't constant pain, fortunately, but the randomness of it was pretty scary. I never knew when it would happen. Also, AFTERWARDS the back of my leg could take HOURS to feel better again.
The stretches my physical therapist showed me have continued to help me keep my hamstrings stretched and pain-free.
Have you tried standing at your kitchen sink and holding onto the counter then gently and gradually lifting both legs to stand on the balls of your feet? I do this often which is another good stretch.
Hi Cheryl,
THAnks for your response. I went in for manipulation of the knee under anaesthetics 4 days ago felt positive and since yesterday really battling and seems that my range of motion is back where it was. Appreciate your advice, will stretch more.
Regards
Wilma
Hi Joan,
Yes, experience the same. Will definitely stretch more, Cheryl190571 advice stretches and more stretches. I must admit definitely seems to "release" the tense feeling of the muscles.
I have ups and downs 7 weeks post op now and still do not have a day without pain. Going for Aquatherapy 3 times a week.
But feel more positive when I read all the comments in the forum.
Take care.
Regards
Wilma
I had total left knee replacement on 05/09/17. I was allergic to the tape they used, to cover my incision. The skin around the incision was horrible look like I got burned. Second week I had this unbearable pain over the weekend, behind my calf, under my heel moved up to my incision. I called my Dr Monday, the nurse send me to the hospital, I had ultrasound done, where they discovered. I had developed a blood clot. I was put immediately on blood thinners. My pain level is still beyond a 10, I can't sleep well at night. I'm totally frustrated because I was coming along so good, dispised my pain. Don't know if anyone else having these symptoms. (:
Chery190571
Another but similar exercise is to lean on the leg effected and slowly rise up-count to five -ten times. Repeat two more reps of 10 each.
9 weeks from tkr and still have pain and hard time sleeping.
Good luck.