Hi, I am back with a question. , it's been2 1/2 months since RTHR and my right knee seems swollen and stiff, it was recommended to do more strength exercises, and stretching which I have applied to my workouts , but the stiffness and swollen feeling is still there. I apply ice and moist heat ..
What is,causing this? I have no pain it's just becomes annoying trying to bend my knee.
Has anyone else have this happen.
I am going back in for my second replacement and want this problem cleared up before I do.
Thanks for your help..I always seem to get answers here ..
My next doctors visit is July 6. And want to have some,answers sooner then that.
Terrie, post surgery I had a swollen knee and thigh, and had great difficulty in bending my knee at all. My surgeon attributed this to quadriceps tendonitis, which he said was a side effect of my surgery (anterior right hip replacement). It took about five weeks of work (twice a week for physical therapy and my exercising at home on non-PT days) plus icing the area several times every day, but it did resolve and my knee now bends normally. Hope your problem ckears up soon!
Thanks you, I've been using moist heat at night and ice during the day with no relief, I am no longer doing PT, only because my insurance won't cover any longer.
I am having a LTHR in September and need to use the rest of the 12 visits for that .
Is there a site to go to so I can get the exercise to help this along.? Thanks
You're in the hip replacement forum, not the knee. However I had my left knee replaced 11 months ago and my left hip replaced 5 weeks ago. My left knee is STILL stiff and sore, while my hip is not at all. I have leg restrictions because of my hip for 8 weeks and I think that has made the stiffness worse. I am not a terribly active person and I notice if I do not bend the knee often, it becomes stiffer and more painful. I find that massaging my kneecap also helps. I don't have swelling any longer. I also have noticed that if I walk more then I am used to, I can become quite sore. It's a fine line to get enough exercise but not too much at this point. I would not be concerned with swelling and stiffness at 2 ½ months. Ice and raise it often and exercise it some. We all heal at different rates. My knee has taken a long time but my hip has been super fast. My neighbor was the opposite, so you never know. I bought some knee gel pads for my knee and used them a couple times a day. Also be sure to go to physical therapy! It helps!
Terrie, the two exercises that I did at home to facilitate knee bending: (1) sitting on a bed or platform that was high enough to allow me to dangle my surgical leg freely, and using my other ankle to bend the dangling leg back, thereby bending the knee; (2) lying on my back, with both legs straight out, and sliding the heel of the surgical leg back, thereby bending the knee. Hope these help!
Thanks for the exercisesnow I'll give them a try . I plan on staying home tomorrow this will be part of my PT I do on my own. Thanks,again and stay well.
I think most people can relate to some knee issue/s after hip replacement/s as we put strain on our knees. I found walking in a heated pool or even having a spa concentrating on the knee area very helpful. Of course there is voltaren rub and knee support bandages too.
well ..... you still might be doing too much too soon - I read your previous posts and apparrently you are like a Little Speedy Gonzales going with a vengeance -
It must be challenging for you to slow down but I think your body is asking you to .. strenghtening exercises are great when you slowly build it up -
Any type of major orthopedic surgery causes disruption to the rest of your body.
A new hip prothesis might also affect the pelvis , causing the femur to bear weight differently and also might cause some knee pain as a result.
With time it will go away as your body re-adjusts to the new alignment.
Please come back here and let us know how you are getting on, okay?
Hi,personally I think your doing remarkably well,I'm 3 years post op and still having knee issues after walking , although I do have other medical issues.Its very early days for you and you've had invasive surgery ! Your tendons,ligaments, nerves etc have been cut and disturbed ,these can take longer than broken bones to heal and settle. What disturbs me about some of the letters on here is the short recovery time from the first replacement to the second replacement,whether it's hip or knee!
Whilst I understand that your physiotherapy is no longer funded by insurance I'd advise going to a physio even if you have to pay. Not being able to bend a knee fully is annoying though probably not a major disability. Not being able to straighten it, however, can create problems over time. In the country here in the UK I pay £42 for a session but I'm sure it is more expensive in cities.
My surgeon told me that it takes up to a year to completely get back to "normal". My TRHR was far from normal, so I can't really be a good judge of that. i was the .00001 % with issues. I won't go into them, but even with a revision due to a fracture and another hairline fracture found after revision- three surgeries in two weeks- I can tell you that it was just about 6-7 months until I started feeling better. Your stiffness can be the surrounding tissues being affected by the procedure and rod. I'm told this also causes inflammation that takes time to go down. I've heard that from people who have had knee replacements as well. Just keep up with your exercises. If you're anything like me and get lazy or forgetful, ask for a prescription for PT. HOPE this answer helped you. I'd say that it will be a bit different having another replacement. Favoring the other side is common, so it might take a little longer for you to feel 99% better. Good luck with your surgery. 😃
There seems to be a pattern with knee problems following hip replacements. I still have problems with my knee,I'm nearly 5 months post op. After seeing the consultant at 7 weeks he lifted the restrictions. Due to the fact that having to straighten the leg when sitting, the knee was hardly bending. When I could bend it,it wouldn't bend properly and was stiff,tight and swollen.
My knee remained swollen for arond 4 months and very painful.following lots of exercises from the physio it now bends, swelling has gone,still slightly painful.
The excersises that helped were squats against the wall, not deep ones and going up one step and down, putting your operated leg first.although painful at first,this does go and worth persevering theese really helped.
I have paid private for physio but has definitely been worth it. Keep up the excersises and the problem should eventually go if it's persistent and becomes very painful an MRI scan is worth looking in too.
Hope your recovery is going well besides your knee.