Revision TKR 3+ months LK Revision

[sistersinhim]

Have you increased your activities? You're not quite halfway through your healing and adding anything extra that your knee isn't ready for will cause swelling. Swelling causes a decrease in your bend. Try slowing down what you're doing for a few weeks and see how your knee does.

 

[grey j]

Thank you....No...I have been doing as you previously suggested, “doing less“, just daily activities and trying to walk a couple of days a week.

 

[sistersinhim]

How long have you been cut back on your activities? It takes a while for our knees to calm down after being angered.

 

[grey j]

Hi... for several weeks now...I am not doing anything that (hurts). My concern is limited flexion now, since limiting my PT exercises.

 

[grey j]

What information do you recommend for limited, 90 degree, knee flexion at 6 months post surgery...working on heel slides, any other good exercises?

 

[Rockgirl4]

@grey j My surgeon's advice to ME was to ride my stationary bike for no more than 5 minutes a day, every day. This will keep what range you have without inflaming the knee further. If I'm extra stiff that morning with limited flexion (meaning less than my usual, which isn't much), I use a heating pad to warm it up. Then I ride for 5 minutes. I don't use it for exercise at this point, as my range of motion isn't enough to ride comfortably past 6-7 minutes, but it does loosen the knee up some for the rest of the day. I have loads of experience with a stiff knee, so I know where you're coming from. :(

 

[grey j]

7 months, post op today.....my knee is very stiff..morning to night..I walk with a “peg” leg and can’t figure out the problem.. Continuing with PT and therapist has tried/suggested many exercises, so far, none have worked. Flexion is still a problem, can bend to 90 degrees easily, but beyond that cannot. I have knee and ankle swelling still...
6 months post op visit with surgeon, said “knee is fine”...surgery was successful BUT, i can’t walk or sit for any length of time.....very discouraging...
Any thoughts from the group?

 

[Jockette]

Continuing with PT and therapist has tried/suggested many exercises, so far, none have worked

Sometimes extended PT/exercises work to our disadvantage, and instead of helping like we expect it to, it over taxes our knee, keeping it upset and stalling healing.

Since these things don’t seem to be helping anyway, I suggest stopping them and treat your knee gently and just let the movements you do in every day life be your “exercise“ and let your knee continue healing.

 

[Pumpkin]

@grey j
Looks like it is time for you to start searching out an OS that specializes in revisions or complex joint reconstruction. You will want someone who has no relationship with your present surgeon, not even golf buddies.
You can use the Surgeon Locator at the top of the page. You will find information on the surgeons web site, for some you may need to call the office and ask about revisions or complex joint reconstruction.

In the mean time Jockette has given you very good recommendations. You may just be one of the people who are on the slow train to recovery, and gets there later rather than sooner.

 

[grey j]

thanks, but just the thought of another surgery makes me, literally, sick!

 

[Pumpkin]

With a second opinion you may learn something to help you with your continuing challenges and have a better idea of how to respond.

 

[Jockette]

but just the thought of another surgery makes me, literally, sick!

I still feel this way and I’m more than 3 years post op!

My recovery seemed to be slower than most and I actually had a lot of improvement in my second year. At 6 months post op you still have lots of time to see improvement.

 

[grey j]

What are your thoughts on massage therapy, including the replaced knee, to help with continued stiffness in the knee?

 

[Jockette]

You can try massage, but the nice feeling may not last. Your stiffness/tightness is very likely part of the healing process. Tightness is a normal occurrence after this kind of major surgery. Your surgeon did major carpentry work and disturbed every millimeter of soft tissue in this area. You aren't tight because your muscle is underused and needs to be stretched and rehabbed. You're tight because your tissue is healing...and full healing takes a full year or more.

 

[grey j]

10 months post opTKR and I thought I had turned the corner..less swelling, able to walk 20 min without pain. Friday I was stung 5 times on the recovering knee by wasps. I ended up in the ER with anaphylactic shock, ”close call”, never had allergic reaction previously. My knee is now swollen, double normal size. So...seems like a never ending nightmare!

 

[Jockette]

Oh my, that’s awful!

 

[sistersinhim]

Thank God you got treatment at ER. It might take a while for the swelling to go down. Be sure to ice and elevate.

 

[grey j]

Almost 11 months post OP...does the stiffness and swelling ever go away? I am so discouraged...I try to go,about my daily routine, my knee is so stiff, everything I do is difficult...walking is still painful and my knee and ankle are swollen at the end of the day. I have PT 1 time a week and do daily stretching. Surgeon says, that surgery was successful..everything (X ray) looks good....he suggests that I take a couple of Advil for the swelling......would really like some input, if this is or is not a common occurance....thanks

 

[sistersinhim]

Swelling this late in isn't unusual. Many of us take longer than a year for all those soft tissues to heal.

 

[Jockette]

What do you do at PT? Have you been going to PT since your surgery?

It might be worth getting a second opinion about your knee, someone in a different practice, that has no association with your surgeon, to get an unbiased opinion.

Sometimes it just really takes a long time for some of us to heal. I had a very tough first year, but I did continue to improve. My partial is still not great, but it’s better than it was at 11 months post op. In my second year my ROM continued to improve as I continued to heal and my whole leg relaxed more.

I‘ve had 2 second opinions, one at 15 months and one at 2 years post op, and neither doctor looked past my “good” X-ray, to find a reason for my poor outcome. But, as I said, I’m better then I was, so I’m living with it, because, as you mentioned earlier, more surgery makes me feel sick.