Just hit 10 weeks after tkr. Swelling, pain and stiffness still present. Pain has migrated up thigh toward hip. Any suggestions?
This happened to me when I had tkr 4 and a half years ago. Dr said it would settle down and it did.
Hope this settles down for you as well.
This is still really esarly days for you so do not be discouraged.
Take care and keep in touch
Love Sarah xxx
Don't think any of us are doctors, but are you walking correctly. Walk towards a mirror, is your operated leg looking like the other leg?
I am also 10 weeks post TKR and still have stiffness in thigh, knee, calf areas and a little pain. Today I am trying to come off Tramadol and feel miserable: sweats, loose stools, a little shaky. I still take a muscle relaxant (Robaxin 500mg) every 6 hrs which helps with the tightness (stiffness) and Celebrex at night. I have 2 more days of PT left. I might have to take 1 Tramadol 50mg to get thru PT. Any suggesstions would also be helpful to withdraw from Tramadol!!!
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499
10 weeks is still very early but here are a few thoughts...
- Pain is normal at this stage. Expect it. Meds and ice.
- Extreme pain plus swelling usually indicate that you're pushing the knee beyond its current capabilities (walking too far, standing too long, over-exercising, etc.). Swelling is a clear sign of this. The knee is telling you to back off.
- Stiffness can linger for as long as 18 months post-op. For some, they'll feel a bit of it forever. My doc told me: "You have a giant mechanical device implanted in your body...what do you expect?"
- You have pain in your thigh because your quad has atrophied. Rebuilding that muscle takes time, effort (gym work) and an understanding that it doesn't come back overnight. I'm almost 10 months out and still working on it.
- Pain directly in your his can be referred pain from your quads or an indication that your hips are out of alignment. Very common in TKR patients because we have walked "funny" for so long to avoid the knee pain that we need a chiropractor to straighten us out again. My hip pain was caused by locked SI hip joints that gave me a case of sciatica. Again, very common. Ortho sent me to a chiro. Done with the pain in a few sessions.
Read the long post. Could answer a lot of your questions. Just remember...10 weeks is still really early. Think marathon not sprint. Do the latter and your recovery will only be longer and more painful.
Hi ,I too am at 10 weeks post op for a TKR.I still have really bad stiffness,and swelling,and st times pain they seems to be all over the leg.I am told this is perfectly normal,as long as it isnt severe pain,mine I would say is morea dull ache,sometimes as far as the cheek of my bottom.I am doing my exercises as instructed,hard but persevere.
I am told by various people including my Physio,thhat this is normal,and everyone proceeds with recovery differently,but I know hoe you feel you do feel so alone,but we must keep on and hope fully we will both be so glad we had it,but i'm told it will take a good year.
You are totally on point! Some people feel stiffness or a "band" around the knee...same thing. That feeling, along with very minor pain plus the popping and clicking sounds can last 12-18 months post-op. Personally, I don't think my clicking sounds will ever go away. Who cares...I can walk without pain.
Most people see a big difference around the 3-month mark when compared to the first few weeks...especially, no more writhing in pain! After PT gets your ROM back (0 / +120), ya gotta hit the gym to rebuild quads, glutes and core. Not easy...takes work and patience. Need to build your strength back to walk correctly and take the pressure off the new knee.
Hi there!
I'm over a year post surgery for my two TKRs and sometimes will get random pain in weird areas ( hip, sciatic nerve, outer calf areas, etc.) Moving, stretching, Ibuprofen, and wrapping up in my fleece afghan with a nice cup of tea are ways I deal with these weird pains. Refocusing on some project Yesterday it was trimming my red raspberry bushes and roses before the next round of snow was a good way to get my mind off my sciatic nerve issue.)
I hear from TKR veterans that random pain is often nerves that are regrowing and healing.
I had my last day of PT yesterday (9 weeks) and i only have 107 degree range of motion and -4 for straightening. They all reassured me the 120 degree and 0 straightening will come in time. I am thinking about starting back to Pilates in a couple of weeks. Apparently, time, healing, and exercise is the key.
I finished PT at -1 / +121 after 9 weeks of it. Did a lot of heel slides at home...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/tkr-heel-slide-exercises-526213
The gym got me to 0 / +133. People don't realize that there's a lot more work to this after PT...especially to rebuild quads, glutes and core. Recovery is a year-long process but no doc will tell you that before the op. Plus I still have some minor residual pain on occasional nights, stiffness and clicking/popping sounds. All very normal.
You may find that the endorphins generated by the gym work will also help overcome any lingering depression or anxiety. Gotta get back to real life or limp forever. Everyone makes their own choices.
Thank you Chico,it's so good to know you are not alone,and so helpful to be able to share.my next hurdle is to be able to have a bath,any tips.?.
Don't slip. Seriously... Don't know your tub but mine has a step into it plus flat surfaces around. So I put a non-slip rubber bath mat on the step and two suction cup handles on the top so that I can get in and out while maintaining a sure grip and footing. I always check the handles to make sure they're tight before every entry.
It has been 4 months since my total knee relpacement. I have severe thigh and knee pain. My problem doesn't seem to get better. I have to take tramadol with celebrex to get thruogh the day. Doctor tells me it should be ok in 6 months. Im getting depressed. Too much pain
Your "depression" is a result of unrealistic expectations. Didn't you see the sign on the door to the operating room that said "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here for a TKR." No? Haven't read Dante's Inferno? Shoulda looked...
At four months, you're entering a transitional period from the max pain that went before and a more normal life that you can likely resume at 6 months. After attaining your ROM, you have to regain all the strength in your now dead quads, glutes and core to support the new knee...takes months of hard work. Honestly...the whole thing takes a year...that's one thing you probably can expect...but there are no guarantees...
Hi there Chico...
The various accounts of post-op knee replacement problems are, collectively, replicas of my own experience. I am in the third month since a tkr of my right knee. Like many others, it took a while after the op for the muscle symptoms to develop. To add to the discomfort, I have considerable lower back pain on and off, and have to sit down periodically because of this. According to some folk, this is owing to realignment of other bodily 'bits' that were over-compensating for the defective knee. I also have pain if I apply pressure to the medial ligament to the left of my patella. Just hoping that painkillers plus the passage of time will alleviate these awful symptoms. The other knee also needs to be done at some stage but I'm not going to rush in until more healing of my right knee is in evidence. I've always had good ROM since the op. (130 degrees plus)
If it weren't possible to read the tales of woe of other people with similar experiences, I would become very depressed and probably paranoid. Thank goodness for a forum such as this.
Best regards,
Donald
I had TKR 6 years ago.
Before TKR on my left knee I had trouble with arthritis in my right ankle which I fractured when I was at school, 53 years ago! Since TKR my arthritis has improved in my right ankle. Simply because I am distributing my weight differently that is all it is really.
You are still in early stages of recovery and it does take quite a long time.
Hang in there. Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing.
Best wishes
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Many thanks for your encouraging input!
Best wishes to you,
Donald
Yup...overcompensating. I got sciatica at 5 weeks because of it (chiropractor fixed me up in a few weeks of re-alignment treatments) while some people report back, calf, ankle, etc. pain. It's only natural...our brain is wired to avoid pain so the body automatically compensates resulting in other muscle groups taking the stress they were not designed to support. Result? Ahh...Rocky III...
Interviewer: What's your prediction for the fight?
Clubber Lang: My prediction?
Interviewer: Yes, your prediction.
[Clubber looks into camera]
Clubber Lang: Pain!
Yeah...we all have to deal with it. For you, now it's time to rebuild those dead quads, glutes and core to support the knee and avoid that other pain. The program...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/post-tkr-exercising-565527
Have fun...
I’m 10 weeks out as well, experiencing the same as you described
One of my friends used to have lower back pain and some neck pain all the time. He went to treatments but the real problem was that at the end of his treatments, the pain came back. It wasn’t until he found kinesiology and made some improvements in diet that he finally got rid of the pain. He has not had back or neck pain now for over fifteen years.