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TKR Almost 5 years post RTK, still having issues

I had RTK in June of 2015. It is still swollen and feels like I have a tight ace bandage wrapped around it. I have more discomfort than I did preop. I have gained 20# despite being more active and tracking calories so I stay at 1500/day. I am soooo frustrated. Walking is my primary exercise since all the gyms have closed, but even an hour at the gym—treadmill, recumbent bike, and lots of upper body work, I can’t lose weight. And the extra weight isn’t muscle weight I can’t do any exercises on the floor because my knee is super sensitive to kneel on. No squats as my knee won’t work right to stand back up. X-rays are “perfect” according to the OS. I don’t want to even think about revision as my husband was such a pain to deal with the first time. He thought I should be back to normal in 3-4 weeks. I elevate the leg during the day, sleep with it elevated at night, and ice when it gets really uncomfortable. Has anyone else had these issues? What worked?
 
I had TKR in December of 2011 and a total revision in Sept of 2015. I have similar issues to yours. I have tried Physio, massage, exercise, no exercise, etc Last year I connected to a wonderful specialized pain clinic. They offered prolotherapy injections, basically dextrose and sucrose. It’s sort or experimental and sounds weird but there are basically no side effects and I have had three sets of shots with huge relief for months after each. The last time they found a great deal of swelling and removed 10 cc of fluid which helped hugely. I Still get tight and swollen occasionally after walking a lot and when I twist my knee, but it doesn’t persist as it used to. I am having an MRI on Friday to see if there any tendon or muscle damage. Not sure if anything will show, but at least I know there is some relief at least for me from this unorthodox approach. I’m curious if anyone else has tried this
 
@sdgrandma
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your 2 original recovery thread, as they are relevant to your present challenges. 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.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
 
sdgrandma,
I agree with Randi's suggestion to ask for a referral to a pain clinic, they may be able to help you with your continuing challenges with your TKR. While treatments vary there are different approaches that may help you with your knee's, continued swelling, pain, and tightness.

Have you tried a TEN's unit, they are available with out a prescription.
TENS machines for pain management
 
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I am 3 years post op with a Patellofemoral partial replacement. While I have “recovered” since the day of surgery, I also still have more discomfort and limitations than I did before surgery.

My original surgeon and two second opinions say my xray is fine and there’s nothing to fix, so I am living with it. Like you, I’m not in any hurry to do this all over again. Thankfully I don’t have major swelling or pain, just a lot discomfort at times. I’m fine at rest, thankfully.
 
Thank you Pumpkin for helping me to merge the threads. I couldn’t figure out how to do it. The app is different since I last used it and I couldn’t find my original. Maybe it would be easier on my computer than on my iPad.
 
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