TKR pain after falling on tkr 10 weeks post op

Michouquette

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Hello everyone. A year ago I had my left knee replaced and on June, 30 this year I got my right TKR. Recovering follows pretty much the same pattern, so I am not worried about the loss of appetite, the nausea, the disturbed sleep and the total absence of energy in the first 4 weeks post-op. However, there is something that bothers me and that is the increasing sharp pain on the outside of my knee whenever I bend it and during walking. It feels like a painful electric shock and it disturbs my walking.

Meds: I had Lamaline (paracetamol with a little opium in it) and Celebrex for 10 days post-op, them had to switch tp 3x a day 1 gram of paracetamol, which doesn't do much. But since the pain over-all is very bearable and managable with icing and excercise, it is fine.

Hoping someone might be able to give me a little advice. Thank you'
 
Hi and Welcome!

At less than 3 weeks post op, You are still in the “angry tissue stage.” You are going to have pain show up in numerous areas, all of which are normal. Possibly you are doing more activity, including any exercises you were given, than your particular knee is healed enough to do.

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

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. At week 4 and after you should 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.
 
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However, there is something that bothers me and that is the increasing sharp pain on the outside of my knee whenever I bend it and during walking. It feels like a painful electric shock and it disturbs my walking.
Search IT Band on Bonesmart. They tried to fix the problem with my first surgery by using a button under knee cap. Only slightly better.
Hope you find help.
 
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Hi Ski_Bum,

Thank you for the info. I read up on IT band. It does not seem to be fitting with my symptoms, but I will keep it in mind.
 
It is also possible that during your surgery your surgeon did a lateral release. I had the same pain on the inside of my knee and ordered my surgical report. That's where I learned that my OS had done a medial release. That was the reason for that localized pain. It was a while before it diminished, but eventually, it did.

You can always call the hospital as ask for your surgical report. You will learn a lot from reading that thing.
 
Hi Sistersinhim,

Brilliant! I live in France where a patient always gets all their medical files to keep, including x-rays and scans. I checked it and indeed a medial release was performed. So I guess the knee needs to find a new stable balance.

Thank you so much.
 
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Yay! Now you have a reason for that particular pain. If it's like mine was, it'll take a while to heal. Those tendons are slower than other soft tissues, it seems.
 
Hi everyone. Had my right knee replaced on june, 30 and it is recovering nicely. Apart from slowly resorbing edema behind the patella, ROM is good and I can walk a nice distance, even uphill and I am back to driving since 5 weeks. However, yesterday I slipped on a wet spot on the kitchen floor, landed on my left thigh and my right knee. The impact was not super heavy. A red spot in the middle of my knee was all. It went away without turning blue. In the afternoon my PT assessed the knee. It was fully functional, not more painful than before the fall and no loss of ROM nor stability. I contacted my surgeon who, based on what I experienced, did not see any need for imaging. I had finished the training session with my PT without pain.

However, I woke up this morning with a sore and somewhat stiff knee. Although I could still do the normal bending and stretching, it hurt more. Also walking the stairs was more painful. Another session with the PT this afternoon was also more painful than usual. While bending the leg, holding it up in the air, I had a moment of excruciating pain, like something that blocked was forced. I repeated the excercis later on and it went fine.

It is a bit like the pains I had in an earlier stage of the recovery, have come back. I can stand on that one leg and then do mini squats and while I keep my balance, it hurts more than before the falling.

There is no swelling, no redness and the knee is not warmer than it was.

My questions: could this be protesting tissues? Should I keep on excervising or better stop it for a bit? Should I insist on imaging with the surgeon?

Thank you for yourhelp!
 
I’m so sorry you fell!

Yes, your soft tissues are upset, and often we feel worse a day or 2 after a fall. I would give exercises and training a rest for a few days at least, and let it recover.

If you would feel better to have imaging done, than ask your surgeon for it and see what he says.

By the way, I merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?

Best wishes on your continuing recovery! :flwrysmile:
 
The pain is worse today. It is now almost constant, radiating to my foot and to my buttock. When I contract my leg mucles to stretch, It get very sore under ans around the patella. Walking becomes more difficult because of the pain and the Ibuprofen does not help much anymore.

Still hoping for the best, but anxious.
 
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It's going to take a week or so to get over that fall. Your whole body, especially your leg, has been traumatized. Spend much more time icing, elevating, and resting. You need to baby that poor leg until it gets over this. Don't force anything on your knee. Let it recover, no matter how long it takes.

I fell on mine when it was just shy of a year out. I broke my foot and ankle at the same time. I had to go back to icing and elevating my knee along with my foot. My knee hurt badly for at least a week. It was healed but the trauma it received upset all the muscles and tendons around it. Yours is still a baby and your soft tissues are still upset from your surgery. Add to this your fall and they are throwing a temper tantrum. Time is the best healer of this.
 
The pain is worse today. It is now almost constant, radiating to my foot and to my buttock. When I contract my leg mucles to stretch, It get very sore under ans around the patella. Walking becomes more difficult because of the pain and the Ibuprofen does not help much anymore.

Still hoping for the best, but anxious.
Try a roller from the toes to the hip. Works for me.
But yesterday, both my knees were painful, got up this morning and the sky is full of clouds.
I can now predict the weather.
Good luck.
 
Surgeon sent me to radiology where they did imaging of the knee. It shows no damage, thank heaven. Unbelievably I fell again, on my way home from the clinic, this time on the left knee that was replaced 15 months ago. No harm done, luckily.

However, I still have that sharp and stabbing pain at the outer edge of the kneecap, worse than before. Standing on it, bending it, walking - it all hurts bad.

I am back to icing and elevating which does close to nothing. Appointment for routine check up with surgeon in 5 weeks. If the pain is not better, I will ask him to look further.

Thanks for your kind replies.
 
However, I still have that sharp and stabbing pain at the outer edge of the kneecap, worse than before. Standing on it, bending it, walking - it all hurts bad.
I’m sorry you fell again! It’s good your X-ray is fine, but you do have soft tissue “damage.“ Give it time to heal. :console2:
 
Are you still using a cane? With you falling the way you are, you probably should be. I used mine for many months when I was out in public. Not only did it help keep me steady, it also helped others to be more careful around me. Falling has always been one of our biggest fears. We should do everything we can to keep from doing that!
 
No, not using a cane. It would not have been of any help, btw, as the first time I fell, I just slipped on the kitchen floor (dog drool! I was prepping their brekkues) and the scond time I tripped while entering a shop with quite a high step and my foot hooked. I think I need a cut up car tire around each knee. LOL.

I do use a cane when I walk uphill, but that walk is now far too painful for me.
 
I had both knee replaced, 2021 and mid 2022 (R). This afternoon I fell down the steps outside, bumped my head on the wall, then landed on my right knee real hard. Went to ER where I got three stitches in my forehead and 2 x-rays of my knee. Doc said no fracture and prosthesis still intact and in place. However, my knee is horribly stiff and painful and somewhat swollen. walking with the greatest pain and difficulty. I reinstated the RICE routine because there was and is a bump on the patella. Up to now, no relief but it is early day. How long should I give it before returning to the surgeon for a second opinion? Thanks for sharing your view. PS - we are getting a guard rail installed which we should have done right away. :boohoo:
 
Hi there,
I am so sorry to read of your accidental fall. Thankfully, you weren't seriously injured by hitting your head on a wall. Sadly, you are struggling with pain. It is understandable that your knee would be stiff after the the impact of the fall. Since this accident just occurred, try not to worry, but treat the injuries as advised by the ER medical professionals. With any luck you still have access to an assistive device to help bear some of the weight until you're feeling a bit stronger. Adding the guard rail as an extra layer of protection sounds like a wise idea.
If it will give you peace of mind and you're not feeling better after a couple days, you can always phone your OS's office and let a member of his / her care team advise. Good Luck and lots of comfort to you! Stay in touch and let us know how you're doing.

We merged this post with your original recovery thread. Having all your info in one place will make it easier for you to reflect back on. Please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here.
@Michouquette
 

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