6 weeks sore knee

[mrsgibbo]

At last I am at the 'magical' 6 week mark!!:yes 4: Glad to throw away the socks and hoping my OS will get rid of all restrictions when I see him next week. All going really well apart from one thing.
I have a sore knee. The pain is on the inside of my operated leg. I did have trouble with the other knee before surgery ( different sort of pain ) but my OS gave me a cortisone injection and it is now fine. The pain I have is at its worst when I have been in bed and then bend my knee. It is also sore to touch. I massage and ice, but not seeing any improvement. Wondering if I'm doing too much or if there are any stretches I could try to help. I have stopped pain relief as rest of leg ok.
Any ideas would be gratefully received.
Cathy

P.S. Is it true that cortisone injections only last up to 3 months and you can only have 3 in a lifetime? Hope not

 

[Jaycey]

Hi Cathy - all very normal unfortunately. You are now walking a bit differently and using muscles you haven't used for awhile. Are you elevating when you are icing?

I would take some pain relief as well. It is still early days and you need to be mobile. Just a bit of meds to get you moving again.

Yes cortisone is temporary. I'm not sure about the lifetime limitation though. I am sure Jo or Jamie will be along to comment soon.

Take care!

 

[Josephine]

No stretches, just rest!

 

[Jamie]

I do believe there are some guidelines about the amount of cortisone you should have, but I'm not sure what they are. Jo may know.... @Josephine:

 

[Josephine]

P.S. Is it true that cortisone injections only last up to 3 months and you can only have 3 in a lifetime? Hope not

Sorry, I missed this!

Well, if it is true that you can only have 3 in a lifetime, I'm in serious trouble because I must have already had around 20 and I'm soon to have more. :LOLL:

Of course it's not true. What is true is that it's best to have at least a 3 month interval between shots.

As for how long they last that's more to do with how long the effect lasts which can depend upon an awful lot of things:
~ the nature of the condition (some are more resistant than others)
~ how long you've had it
~ how extreme it was (chronic conditions are much more difficult to get a result from than recently developed ones)

If the condition is resolved or improved by the cortisone, it might stay that way for weeks, months or even forever.
Then again, it might not.

In other words, it's another one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions, I'm afraid.

Relating from my personal experience, most of the shots I had were for bilateral rotator cuff impingement, meaning I had two at a time, which eventually rears its ugly head again after a few months. But the effect from my last shots lasted me almost 2 years and I am about to have more. The shot I had for my trochanteric bursitis in January 2011 thus far seems to not only have resolved the condition totally but also the piriformis syndrome that was making my life a misery at the same time! It seems to me that this resolution is more complete that it has ever been for my shoulders but only time will tell. :WINK1:

 

[sweetcaroline]

Hi Cathy!
I'm a hippy too and had the same thing happen to both of my knees last summer right before a 4 week vacation. I was packing our camper and doing a lot of stepping up and down while carrying things. The first two weeks of our trip my knees were very painful, exactly the way you described. (I could barely touch the inside of my left knee! ) I called my OS and, without seeing me, said I probably had developed tendinitis. I took Advil and did the ice thing and was also very careful getting in and out of the camper for the duration of our trip. The good news.....the knee pain went away after a month all by itself and I've been great ever since!! I'm sure the same outcome will be for you too! :THUMB:
Caroline
PS: I haven't been on the site in a while and I LOVE the new smileys!! :wub2:

 

[mrsgibbo]

Hope you are right Caroline. I've been icing and resting. It's a bit frustrating when the hip feels ok but a new ailment is holding me up. My husband is very good and massages my knee for me. Thanks.
Cathy

 

[forbesy]

Hi Caroline never heard of Advil is this a form of pain killer.

 

[Brad]

Hi Caroline never heard of Advil is this a form of pain killer.

Advil is a brand name for ibuprofen.

 

[Josephine]

It's the US name - we don't use that in the UK.

 

[sweetcaroline]

Cathy, I know how frustrating it is to have gone through the surgery and then develop another problem. I remember crying thinking "What...do I need new knees now too??" I'm sure this will soon work its way out. It sounds like you've got a great hubby helping you too!
As Josephine has said many times, our bodies need time to adjust after surgery. My surgeries were in 2009 and I still get an occasional tweak or a twinge somewhere! Hang in there! :THUMB:

 

[Jaycey]

Hi Cathy, just wondering how you are feeling. Any better? These things to ease off with time. Your body is still adjusting to the new hip and a new way of carrying your weight.

Hang in there!

 

[mrsgibbo]

The knee is still very sore to touch. Having a quiet day at home today. Icing as I type. Hope its just a question of resting. I have been quite mobile and walking a fair distance the last week. Also leaving the exercises for a few days as dont want to aggravate the situation. Hard to get a happy meduim. Too much or not enough exercise!!!
Not taking any anti-inflamatories. Would these help?
Cathy

 

[Gum168]

Oh poor you, Cathy. I agree with what some others say, you're probably walking with a different alignment down your whole leg with your new hip, it could easily affect your knee.

Can't offer any help or advice, although I'd be inclined to use pain relief from time to time just to give yourself a break sometimes. Pain can really get you down when it's relentless.

Good thing about this place is it's like a big cyber handhold. Everyone understands your pain. :grouphug2:

 

[forbesy]

Well, if it is true that you can only have 3 in a lifetime, I'm in serious trouble because I must have already had around 20 and I'm soon to have more.

I have had a couple of court-ozone injections and people always said that you were only aloud three, I remember how stupid i felt when I was told by my son's physio I had tennis elbow I hadn't heard of it and thought it was an excuse for a lazy person getting a day off work.:DOH:
Funny enough since I have travelled to the local shops over the last couple of days I have felt a wee twinge in my knee will this be to do with the alignment
of my leg.

 

[lisanewmc]

Sorry to hear about your knee. You need to get it sorted so you can boogie on your jollies!! I would be taking anti inflammatory drugs if I was you. Hope the rest and ice helps.

Take care

Lisa

 

[Jamie]

Cathy, you certainly could take anti-inflammants as long as you don't go beyond the recommended dose of whatever you take.

 

[haldox]

Ahh, the knee pain! Its no fun at all , especially when your new hip feels great! I definitely say take some anti inflammatory and ice the knee.

I had massive knee pain pre op and quite a bit post op, also my back was out of whack. Things will settle down shortly.

Everything has to readjust again. Like Jo says everything is connected, so if 1 thing is out of alignment it tends to mess with everything else.

Please be patient and remember great days with your shiny new hip are getting closer!

 

[lisanewmc]

Is it any better Cathy? Hope so.

 

[mrsgibbo]

Thanks Lisa. Better some days than others and cant work out why. Thought maybe I was doing too much so rested. Stayed about the same. Went swimming and walkiing. Stayed about the same!! Who knows! I'm seeing my OS tomorrow so will mention it to him. I think it is just tendons and muscles that will settle enentually. It is worse first thing in morning when my leg has been still all night. After an hr or so its not as bad and I can get on with normal things.
Feeling a lot better in myself. Coloured my hair today and feeling good. Off to meet a friend for tea this afternoon.
Hope you have had a good weekend.