TKR Click and buckle

[lizzie611]

Hi...I had a RTKR done 11/30/17 and am healing well. Have good ROM, incision closed and doesn't look too bad. I still walk with a cane as my knee buckles from time to time and I'm afraid I will fall. My question...does anyone who had TKR have their surgical leg a slightly different color? I have good circulation but I can sure tell there is a difference in color...sort of dusky...if that makes sense.

 

[sistersinhim]

The color difference will diminish and then disappear as times goes on. Mine stayed darker for about 6 months. We attribute that to the extra blood that is in your leg healing your knee. It's nothing to worry about. I will leave you our reading articles to help you with your recovery.

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. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for TKRs


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.

 

[Babushelen]

Mine is darker kind of purplish. I’m tanned so the difference is not that drastic but I can definitely tell the difference. I just noticed today while taking a shower and wondered if it was normal. I’m glad it is! One less thing to worry about.

 

[lizzie611]

Thank you both for your replies. I read and re-read several books on tkr but I guess they can't cover everything! Strange how this surgery has so many side effects.

 

[Jockette]

Welcome to Bonesmart!

I think you’ll find it way more informative here than in any books on the subject. The staff is awesome, as are the members, we’ve all been there.

 

[sistersinhim]

Welcome to Bonesmart. The difference between those books and us is we are here right now. We all have been through a knee replacement. That makes us on hand experienced. Spend time reading our articles that were left for you. Those articles are from people that know, those who have had replacements. We on here know what works and what doesn't work!

 

[lizzie611]

I had my RTKR on 11/30/17....not 2018 as that date hasn't come yet...lol
As I was skimming over these wonderful articles, I wish I had seen these when I had my surgery. Some things you can ask the dr or pt, but so much you have to find out yourself. I do feel that I have made good progress and am proud of myself. I was not able to take narcotics after surgery and the pain was bad. So many things I (and every one else!) went through...lack of sleep, being in rehab, isolation, etc...but it all worked out OK. This is a great site and I see so much support. Glad I found it.

 

[Steve4kids]

Wow. You are doing amazingly well

Colt goes away
Congratulations
Your a strong person....
You got to pass it on here to others that are battling these things

 

[lizzie611]

I am 3 months post rtkr. From what I've read, it is not uncommon to have a clicking feeling coming from the new knee when walking. How long does this last? Also I am still using a cane as my knee buckles from time to time and I am afraid I am going to fall. I do my exercises faithfully and have good ROM. One lady was surprised I am using the cane but I don't care. Any ideas on how long this buckling lasts?

 

[Celle]

I had my RTKR on 11/30/17....not 2018 as that date hasn't come yet...lol

I've edited that little typo and also corrected the date in your signature.

 

[noleg]

I noticed skin was slightly darker on right of the incision for a few weeks after surgery in November 2017 and has faded to the more normal tones.

 

[katchmo]

My surgical knee also turns dusky purple when I am up and around. PT said it was indicative of swelling.

 

[Pumpkin]

@lizzie611
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Pumpkin]

Clicking is normal. Clicking/clunking knee joint after surgery
Your quad may take a while to return, keep using your cane and keep walking. Your quad need activity to wake up.

 

[sistersinhim]

Oh my goodness, your knee is still a baby. I still carry a cane around in my car just in case I get in a crowded situation. You are only 1/4 of the way of a year long+ recovery. Please ready those recovery articles that Pumpkin left for you. If you follow our guidelines you'll have a much quicker and less painful recovery!

 

[Pumpkin]

Sistersinhim left the articles for you in post #2.

 

[SusieShoes]

Clicking and its cousin, clunking, are common for knee replacements. For some people they appear for a short while and then go away. Other times, they may be recurring visitors, or even steady companions. They don’t indicate anything wrong with the knee. It’s just the metal and plastic parts making themselves known.

My knees clicked at different times. The clicking coincided with a decrease of swelling in the knee. So my right knee clicked at about 3 months and stopped clicking a couple of weeks later. My left knee began clicking about two months later, also about the time swelling decreased. And it too stopped after a couple weeks. I was walking a mile to two miles daily at that point. The only thing I think might have changed to stop the clicking is that the muscles supporting my knees got stronger and thicker from exercise. It could just be that the parts producing the clunking got into a “groove” and got smoother at working together. It’s really hard to tell what’s going on in there.

Keep using the cane for as long as you need it. I still carry mine in my car, just in case.

 

[sistersinhim]

I still have clunking that I can hear inside my head. I don't think others can hear it since one one can say anything about it. It doesn't hurt and doesn't bother me. I had crunching before the surgery, so I've just traded one sound for another! This one is without pain!

 

[lizzie611]

To the Forum Advisors....thank you for your assistance and information. Being new to this site, I am trying to find my was around and you have made it easier for me! I have started reading some of the articles and find some of my questions answered. Thanks again!

 

[lizzie611]

@SusieShoes Thank you for your information. I am and have been walking daily and trying to strengthen my leg muscles thru exercises. I find the clicking seems to be more when my knee is swollen, as it gets as the day goes on. Usually by the evening my knee is so swollen I feel like there is a crunching noise when I bend it! Then of course by morning, all the swelling is down and I can move it well. Repeat every day....I call my leg Groundhog Knee!