FranceHello all, I had my left knee joint replaced (TKR) on 11 Feb 2020. So today is 4 months later and I am still having problems. I have the tight band feeling around my knee, like an iron band tightening. It is still numb on the outside. I am also very aware of the replacement at all times and can feel the outline of it. Can anyone else feel the replacement like I can? I have just finished physio session 19, and have 21 to go. My knee is more flexible (110 degrees today!) but it is slow progress. It almost feels like everything has been pulled too tight. I saw the surgeon again after 1 month and after 3 months. He was disappointed and said I should be better than this, which is why I got more physio sessions. He was happy with the x-rays. He said other people operated on at the same time are progressing better than me. Covid closure of physio didn't help (but we all had that). The physio is great, gentle but is now being more demanding after the surgeon gave me 20 more sessions. I go twice a week to physio. Each day I do 2 sessions on the bike, each 15 minutes, walk 30 mins and do my exercises religiously (heel slides etc). I ice and elevate two or three times a day. I actually find walking OK, but it is when I sit or lie down that I get this tightness. I have trouble sleeping, unable to get comfortable. I use a cushion between my knees at night. I need to have my right knee joint replaced as well but want the left one to be better before I commit to a date. I don't want two tight knees. The physio thinks my bad knee is holding up the recovery of my new knee. The surgeon told me I need to do more exercise on my new left knee, but less on my bad knee. They are connected! I know it takes up to a year to be fully recovered, but please tell me that it does get better and this tight feeling goes. I have looked at this site over the last few months and would appreciate hearing positive news from people who may have had a similar experience and can offer light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you!
TKR 4 months on
- Thread starter Alifrance
- Start date
Tykey
big-cheese
Hi, welcome to Bonesmart. All I think you are suffering from is lack of patience, where you are in recovery seems typical of many.
Tight band? This will go if you don't do too much exercising, which I think you are doing, albeit gentle. I wouldn't even bother going to any more sessions, most of us had no physiotherapy and have progressed very well. You can't beat your knee into submission, that never works.
Numb on the outside? May be permanent, mine has been like that for 10 years. For me it's a great benefit when I walk into a coffee table, or more importantly the towbar on my car. Why care? Why worry?
Never, ever, compare yourself to others, you should know the story of the tortoise and the hare
It will all come right don't worry. We all recover differently, but I think around 4 months the recovery gets easier and faster.
You are doing fine.
Oh, I forgot, I can't feel my implant because I've got fat legs!
Tight band? This will go if you don't do too much exercising, which I think you are doing, albeit gentle. I wouldn't even bother going to any more sessions, most of us had no physiotherapy and have progressed very well. You can't beat your knee into submission, that never works.
Numb on the outside? May be permanent, mine has been like that for 10 years. For me it's a great benefit when I walk into a coffee table, or more importantly the towbar on my car. Why care? Why worry?
Never, ever, compare yourself to others, you should know the story of the tortoise and the hare
It will all come right don't worry. We all recover differently, but I think around 4 months the recovery gets easier and faster.
You are doing fine.
Oh, I forgot, I can't feel my implant because I've got fat legs!
Hello @Alifrance - and 
All you are feeling is normal. Although someone told you beforehand that recovery from a knee replacement takes a long time, it's hard to adjust your expectations to that. Complete recovery can take as long as a full year, although you will be able to do most things long before then. It is a trial of patience, though.
The tight band feeling is very common. It lingers for several months, but it will get better, gradually. As for the numb feeling, that happens because nerves have to be cut during your surgery. It will probably fade gradually, but sometimes this takes a long time. Here's an article about it:
Numb area after TKR: how long will it last?
In spite of what your surgeon said, bending your knee to 110 degrees is OK. It will continue to improve as time passes, as long as you don't do anything to keep your nee irritated and inflamed. To that end, I suggest you stop those physiotherapy sessions and just let your normal activities of daily living be your exercise from now on.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
In any case, it's not exercising that gets you your Range of Motion (ROM) - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee has the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start, but it's prevented from doing so by swelling and pain. As it heals and the swelling goes down, your ROM (both flexion and extension) will gradually increase.
While your surgeon may advise more physio, it's your knee and the decision is yours:
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?
All you are feeling is normal. Although someone told you beforehand that recovery from a knee replacement takes a long time, it's hard to adjust your expectations to that. Complete recovery can take as long as a full year, although you will be able to do most things long before then. It is a trial of patience, though.
The tight band feeling is very common. It lingers for several months, but it will get better, gradually. As for the numb feeling, that happens because nerves have to be cut during your surgery. It will probably fade gradually, but sometimes this takes a long time. Here's an article about it:
Numb area after TKR: how long will it last?
In spite of what your surgeon said, bending your knee to 110 degrees is OK. It will continue to improve as time passes, as long as you don't do anything to keep your nee irritated and inflamed. To that end, I suggest you stop those physiotherapy sessions and just let your normal activities of daily living be your exercise from now on.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
In any case, it's not exercising that gets you your Range of Motion (ROM) - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee has the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start, but it's prevented from doing so by swelling and pain. As it heals and the swelling goes down, your ROM (both flexion and extension) will gradually increase.
While your surgeon may advise more physio, it's your knee and the decision is yours:
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?
Here are the recovery guidelines we give to everyone with a new knee:
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:
3. Do what you want to do BUT
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. Try to follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website
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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
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
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
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
5. Try to follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website
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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
Many of us never took formal PT or did exercises. I am one of them. I had 12 knee surgeries, 2 of them kneecap removals, and 1 tkr. Even after those I never took formal PT. But, I didn't just sit around and do nothing. I used my knee as it was intended to be used by walking around to take care of my daily needs. As I healed I was able to do more. Icing and elevation were a huge part of my recovery.
Listen to your knee. It will tell you if you're doing too much by increased pain and swelling. When that happened to me, I found that resting, icing, and elevating helped. Your knee knows how to rehab itself without being told what to do.
I was blessed to have a surgeon that never pushed PT. He gave me a prescription for it, which I threw away and never went. When I went for my 3 return checkups, all he wanted was to see what my knee would do. Never one question about PT! Of course, he knew I was a single lady that had to take care of myself, so obviously he trusted that I would not be just laying around all the time.
After 12 knee surgeries, I know that I do not need PT, and neither does anyone else if they do their own daily activities. My knee recovered just fine all on its own with only my daily activities. I didn't have the terrible swelling or agonizing pain that so many have after taking formal PT either. I knew the Bonesmart way worked before Bonesmart was even thought of. My surgeries started in the early 80s and I never went to PT even back then. I just didn't see the need for it. Bonesmart was formed around 2004. By then I had already had 6 knee surgeries and rehabbed the Bonesmart way!
Listen to your knee. It will tell you if you're doing too much by increased pain and swelling. When that happened to me, I found that resting, icing, and elevating helped. Your knee knows how to rehab itself without being told what to do.
I was blessed to have a surgeon that never pushed PT. He gave me a prescription for it, which I threw away and never went. When I went for my 3 return checkups, all he wanted was to see what my knee would do. Never one question about PT! Of course, he knew I was a single lady that had to take care of myself, so obviously he trusted that I would not be just laying around all the time.
After 12 knee surgeries, I know that I do not need PT, and neither does anyone else if they do their own daily activities. My knee recovered just fine all on its own with only my daily activities. I didn't have the terrible swelling or agonizing pain that so many have after taking formal PT either. I knew the Bonesmart way worked before Bonesmart was even thought of. My surgeries started in the early 80s and I never went to PT even back then. I just didn't see the need for it. Bonesmart was formed around 2004. By then I had already had 6 knee surgeries and rehabbed the Bonesmart way!
Hi! Here is my thoughts from my experiences. I had my right knee replaced 8 months ago. It is still numb in some areas. I had the tightness you are talking about. It will eventually go away. I also have the feelings of the hardware inside. It's a weird feeling. 3 weeks ago I had my left knee replaced. I wanted to be sure my first was strong enough for the help I needed. When I did pt before my second replacement they ended up putting me in a heated pool for therapy. This helped me immensely because the bad one was painful during therapy. This also helped prep the second surgery. They ended up being totally different surgeries but performed identical by same surgeon and hospital. At 3 weeks and 2 days I'm glad I did it when I did. Now they both feel weird lol. I'm here for you.
Thank you so much for your encouraging messages. I need to think carefully about what to do now. The heated pool sounds great! Our pools have started to open up now so I will pay a visit. Interesting that Txknee72 had very different experiences with her two knee surgeries. I am glad someone else acknowledges this uneasy feeling of feeling the implant - all I have had are blank looks until now. A lot to consider! Thank you all again.
That feeling of the implant will go away. My tkr is totally mine with no thoughts of it being false. It is my knee and I love it!
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