TKR Spinal osteomyelitis after TKR?

[Deamo]

I just had my LTKR surgery on 12/19/19. Excellent results. I've only been on gabapentin and extra strength Tylenol since. No pain at all while icing and maybe a "4" level pain while walking w/walker. PT is going well. My extension was perfect right after surgery. Bending has gone from 55 to 85 in 3 days. They want me at 90 which I should hit soon. I've got this!! Happy Holidays to all.

 

[Celle]

to recovery, @Deamo .
I'm glad things are going well so far.

Here's your Recovery reading:
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[Starsfan22]

Good for you!

 

[jaybird]

You go!

 

[Suz]

Congratulations & Happy Holidays to you as well @Deamo!! This is such a great support group, should you have questions or just need to be amongst those who understand what you are going through.

Sending positive healing thoughts your way! -Suzie

 

[Helizabug]

Wow! Good report indeed! Stick with the icing and pain relief, and enjoy the good outcomes!

 

[sistersinhim]

 

[InkedMarie]

Congrats on the less pain but please don’t let your PT be fixated on numbers. Pain or no pain, it takes time to gain ROM.

 

[LD of Michigan]

Awesome report! My surgery was the 16th.

 

[Deamo]

I am post-op 10 days and started getting a zapping electrical pain every once in a while. It hurts but goes away as quickly as it came. Is this just the nerves repairing? It doesn't happen constantly. Thanks

 

[Jockette]

Yes, that’s what it is and it’s very normal.

 

[Deamo]

Yes, that’s what it is and it’s very normal.

Thank you. I figured but needed the confirmation. <3

 

[Celle]

Those electrical zappers are what we call zingers. They are little electrical messages sent out by the ends of nerves that were cut during surgery, as they try to re-connect, or make a new pathway.

 

[Deamo]

When I had my TKR the Dr also did a knee stem cell replacement. The hospital does it for "free" because the Dr said that they feel it really helps with his patient's recovery. They used my own stem cells during the surgery. Has anyone gotten this? Did it help? Just wondering. Thanks

 

[Rockgirl4]

Are you talking about a PRP injection where they used your blood, spun down the platelets in a centrifuge, then injected that back in? It's been suggested they help with healing, but they never did much for me after former knee surgeries. I had one in an elbow once with no improvement at all. :(

Most stem cell procedures in the knee are BEFORE someone get's a TKR, trying to regrow the cartilage, avoiding a TKR altogether. I hope a moderator would correct me here if I'm incorrect.

 

[Deamo]

Are you talking about a PRP injection where they used your blood, spun down the platelets in a centrifuge, then injected that back in? It's been suggested they help with healing, but they never did much for me after former knee surgeries. I had one in an elbow once with no improvement at all. :(

Most stem cell procedures in the knee are BEFORE someone get's a TKR, trying to regrow the cartilage, avoiding a TKR altogether. I hope a moderator would correct me here if I'm incorrect.

It was explained to me just like you said (PRP) but I'm pretty sure they called it stem cell replacement. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Jamie]

That's exactly the process. It is normally used before a TKR, but I've read of some surgeons injecting the platelets into the incision area before closing at the conclusion of a knee replacement. However, I don't know any information about how effective it is. I would guess at this point it's not something that has enough history to draw any good scientific conclusions. So, @Deamo....keep us up to date on your recovery.

 

[Macknit]

There is a study that was conducted in 2015 - in the NCBI - PMC US National Library of Medicine; National Institutes of Health
Rev Bras Ortop. 2015 Mar-Apr; 50(2): 186–194.
Published online 2015 Mar 12. doi: 10.1016/j.rboe.2015.02.014

Conclusions
"In the manner in which the platelet-rich plasma was used, it was not shown to be effective for reducing bleeding or improving knee function after arthroplasty, in comparison with the controls. There was an advantage on the postoperative verbal pain scale." (My emphasis added)

This might be why @Deamo has had minimal pain as mentioned in her thread!?

Of course, this is just one study, I found another that was a systematic review published in 2017 from the following data bases: MedLine, EMBASE, Science Direct, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. This review had the same conclusion: "However PRP has been shown to have short to medium-term benefits in pain control after TKA and activities of daily living in patients with OA."

Maybe we'll see an improvement in pain management now that there are tighter opioid uses! Let's all hope so, especially here in the US.

 

[Deamo]

I am now almost 1-month LTKR post-op. I've suddenly got dumbness (like a band) around my knee. Is this normal? I am feeling extra tightness in the morning for sure.

 

[Helizabug]

From my experience, it’s normal. It can come from overuse, so it might be a sign you need more ice, elevation, and rest. There’s so much going on in there!