I'm 14 weeks from tkr, had manipulation at 8 weeks to break up scare tissue. My knee is still swollen and stiff in the morning, though I am slowly regaining flex (115 degrees) and pain is mostly from the PT's exercises, but I don't need pain medication. I've tried icing and heat but they don't seem to make much difference in the swelling. Any treatment ideas?
If you've tried ice and elevation and still get swelling you can tape your knee up using kinesiology tape. I use the pro version which lasts 5 days and you can shower with it on. There are loads of YouTube videos showing you how to apply it x
Elevation....as long as comfortable put leg up near vertical against a wall on a regular basis and see if that helps? I found this helped reduce my swelling.
Swelling and tightness are absolutely normal. When you push the knee too far on any given day, it will swell. Heed the warning. When I hit a year, I could still see a very slight difference between the larger TKR knee and the other original one. Now I'm almost two years and it's still a tiny bit bigger. No swelling...just the way it is. Almost all your actual swelling problems should be gone in the 6-12 month range depending on when you go back to work, what your job entails and how much you push the knee.
Some minor tightness can last 12-18 months. Again at almost 2 years, I still feel a bit from time to time. You just ignore it. Small price to pay for a pain-free life.
My swelling is constant...doesn't change with exercise activity, icing or heating. Did the other knee six years ago...piece of cake...done in 2 months. I don't work, so that won't be an issue...I'm retired....should have mentioned that I'm an active 83. Usually off hiking, walking the treadmill...lack of activity is wearing at this point.
If it's constant, demand an answer from your doc. There have been people on here who talked about blood and/or fluid buildup that had to be drained.
The fact that #2 is different from #1 is not surprising at all. The vast majority of people on here who had a second knee done after a first one reported both better AND worse experiences with #2...very few had identical recoveries.
I am 12 months post TKR and my swelling only disappeared a few months ago.
Stiffness is still there weather dependant.
One day you’ll just wake up and realise like magic the swelling has gone
Yup. Normal. Docs say the stiffness (tightness, "band-like feeling" can last 12-18 months. By 12, the worst of it should be gone, but it does "linger" in many of us. I'm almost 2 years post-op and I still feel it from time to time. Gotta keep walking and hit the gym to regain all your leg strength. It all helps. This is a lifetime recovery...