I have a question: would it be ok to use lidocaine 4% patches on ether side of the incision as long as it does not touch the incision. I'm having a helluva night and my pain meds haven't kicked in - it's been 1 hour since I took one oxy 10/325 and no relief in sight.
TKR Boogaloo is back!
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skigirl
Former BoneSmart staff member
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I would make sure you are not near the incision---give it wide berth. I used aspercream---the lidocreams did not exist when I had my knee replaced. I think they would help with the pain, but be careful that nothing is near your incision. You can check with your doctor's nurse in the am.
It is important to take your pain meds on schedules so that you don't get into extreme pain. It is hard to bring the pain down once it arrives. Ice is your friend for pain too---are you icing the knee and elevating it above your heart? Both of those will help with the pain.
I am going to give you the list of articles f from our library that we recommend to new knee owners. They are all short and have a lot of info for you about pain and how to manage it.
KNEE 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. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Closure
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.
It is important to take your pain meds on schedules so that you don't get into extreme pain. It is hard to bring the pain down once it arrives. Ice is your friend for pain too---are you icing the knee and elevating it above your heart? Both of those will help with the pain.
I am going to give you the list of articles f from our library that we recommend to new knee owners. They are all short and have a lot of info for you about pain and how to manage it.
KNEE 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. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Closure
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.
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Hi @skigirl,
Yes, I had elevated and iced my knee over and under as much as allowed without freezing my knee. I was exhausted and close to the end of my emotional rope. I cut one Salon Pas lidocaine4% patch in half and place each half on either side of the incision about 1 inch away from the incision. I felt relief from the knawing, burning feeling within a few minutes and I got a good night's sleep.
Yes, I had elevated and iced my knee over and under as much as allowed without freezing my knee. I was exhausted and close to the end of my emotional rope. I cut one Salon Pas lidocaine4% patch in half and place each half on either side of the incision about 1 inch away from the incision. I felt relief from the knawing, burning feeling within a few minutes and I got a good night's sleep.
Hi everyone,
I'm 23 days post OP. I'm managing well with one exception. The skin on either side of my incision feels painfully burned and chafed. I can't stand the sensation of anything touching my skin, not even the softest and lightest sheets I own. It looks very red, like a diaper rash. I tried lidocaine 4% patches and they work to relieve the burning and stinging pain but they don't allow the skin to breathe and they get warm very quickly. I also placed cool clean moist cloths on the affected areas and they provide a little temporary relief but it doesn't last. This has been going on for the past 5 days. Has anyone had this experience and is there anything else I can do to get some relief?
I'm 23 days post OP. I'm managing well with one exception. The skin on either side of my incision feels painfully burned and chafed. I can't stand the sensation of anything touching my skin, not even the softest and lightest sheets I own. It looks very red, like a diaper rash. I tried lidocaine 4% patches and they work to relieve the burning and stinging pain but they don't allow the skin to breathe and they get warm very quickly. I also placed cool clean moist cloths on the affected areas and they provide a little temporary relief but it doesn't last. This has been going on for the past 5 days. Has anyone had this experience and is there anything else I can do to get some relief?
luvcats
post-grad
Not for your actual incision, but for scaly or blistered skin my go to is pure aloe vera gel. It is perfect for burns of all types and I have also had good luck with it in hives.
I hope you find relief somewhere.
I hope you find relief somewhere.
Thank you @luvcats. I got some aloe vera gel today. It's helping. The skin around the incision is feeling better. I don't have any problems with the incision itself.
Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well with your recoveries.
I haven't been updating lately due to some family "events" that have taken place recently. First, I became a great-grandmother this Monday July8! It's a beautiful baby boy!
Then my oldest son and his wife closed on their first home! I'm over the moon about my great grandbaby and ecstatic for my son and his family.
Yesterday made 4 weeks post OP for me. I'm not sure how well I am doing. At home PT ended a few days ago and I was at 100 flexion but I wasn't given the extension number. I start outpatient PT on Monday.
I've been having burning, stinging issues around the incision. I tried several remedies that helped a little. I found that gently massaging the area with Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter has helped calm down the burning and stinging. The body butter contains a bunch of fruit and herbal extracts. My skin feels so much better after each application and massage. I am very careful not to get any on the incision.
The incision is healing but each section at different rates, if that makes any sense. The upper third of the incision has shed its scab and is healing nicely, the middle third still has a little bit of scab hanging on, and the bottom third has a thick scab still firmly attached.
Inside my house I'm able to walk without assistive devices except when I use the stairs. I use the cane when using the stairs and when I am outside of the house.
Yesterday was also my first full day alone in the house. My daughter went back to work a week ago and my husband went back to work yesterday. It wasn't bad, but I did get tired by early evening and went to bed right after dinner.
I am still taking Oxycodone 10/325 and Gabapentin 400mg every 8 hours. I take a Tylenol 500mg between doses of oxycodone for breakthrough pain. I'm still icing and elevating.
I bought a pillow that has an indentation in the middle which sort of snuggles the leg so it won't slide off. It helps tremendously while icing after I do my exercises.
Emotionally, I feel a little down because recovery is so slow in my case. I know recovery is different for everyone. I try to be patient but it's hard sometimes.
I haven't been updating lately due to some family "events" that have taken place recently. First, I became a great-grandmother this Monday July8! It's a beautiful baby boy!
Then my oldest son and his wife closed on their first home! I'm over the moon about my great grandbaby and ecstatic for my son and his family.
Yesterday made 4 weeks post OP for me. I'm not sure how well I am doing. At home PT ended a few days ago and I was at 100 flexion but I wasn't given the extension number. I start outpatient PT on Monday.
I've been having burning, stinging issues around the incision. I tried several remedies that helped a little. I found that gently massaging the area with Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter has helped calm down the burning and stinging. The body butter contains a bunch of fruit and herbal extracts. My skin feels so much better after each application and massage. I am very careful not to get any on the incision.
The incision is healing but each section at different rates, if that makes any sense. The upper third of the incision has shed its scab and is healing nicely, the middle third still has a little bit of scab hanging on, and the bottom third has a thick scab still firmly attached.
Inside my house I'm able to walk without assistive devices except when I use the stairs. I use the cane when using the stairs and when I am outside of the house.
Yesterday was also my first full day alone in the house. My daughter went back to work a week ago and my husband went back to work yesterday. It wasn't bad, but I did get tired by early evening and went to bed right after dinner.
I am still taking Oxycodone 10/325 and Gabapentin 400mg every 8 hours. I take a Tylenol 500mg between doses of oxycodone for breakthrough pain. I'm still icing and elevating.
I bought a pillow that has an indentation in the middle which sort of snuggles the leg so it won't slide off. It helps tremendously while icing after I do my exercises.
Emotionally, I feel a little down because recovery is so slow in my case. I know recovery is different for everyone. I try to be patient but it's hard sometimes.
Rockgirl4
Former BoneSmart staff member
I am so sorry I am just reading your recovery thread. I'm now 7.5 wks post-op from my right TKR and not online as often. 
I know the burning/stinging pain next to the incision very well though. When my initial dressing was first removed by the Home health nurse on Day 3, she commented how the areas on both sides of my incision looked as if severely sunburned. It worried her. I had to speak to my surgeon on Day 5, as the pain kept worsening, and it turned out I did have a severe inflammatory reaction to the surgery. My surgeon put me on full bed rest until Day 8-9---only bathroom trips allowed and NO PT of any kind. I also ended up with an unusual complication known as fracture blisters because of the swelling. The worst of the fracture blisters were located on those reddish "burn-like" areas, and each area was about 2.5 long by 2.5 inchs wide, but on BOTH sides of the incision.
She told me to keep close watch to see if the redness worsened, and to call if anything changed. Luckily the redness did NOT get worse, even though the fracture blisters continued forming through Day 5-6. The surgeon wasn't worried though, as the redness never spread. It was a rough couple of weeks though, and the pain meds barely took the edge off, even at high doses.
Even now though, these are the most sensitive and sore areas of my knee----not the kneecap, not the incision, and not the muscles around the knee----but those areas that had the "sunburn" and fracture blisters.
It makes me suspect that's where most of the mechanical work in the knee was done during surgery. I plan on asking my surgeon at my 8 wk follow-up, as I forgot last time. I know I had large bone spurs removed from both sides, and the boney "knobs" are now gone, giving my knee a whole new profile---but those are the "burned" areas too. I can't help but think it's all related.
I know the burning/stinging pain next to the incision very well though. When my initial dressing was first removed by the Home health nurse on Day 3, she commented how the areas on both sides of my incision looked as if severely sunburned. It worried her. I had to speak to my surgeon on Day 5, as the pain kept worsening, and it turned out I did have a severe inflammatory reaction to the surgery. My surgeon put me on full bed rest until Day 8-9---only bathroom trips allowed and NO PT of any kind. I also ended up with an unusual complication known as fracture blisters because of the swelling. The worst of the fracture blisters were located on those reddish "burn-like" areas, and each area was about 2.5 long by 2.5 inchs wide, but on BOTH sides of the incision.
She told me to keep close watch to see if the redness worsened, and to call if anything changed. Luckily the redness did NOT get worse, even though the fracture blisters continued forming through Day 5-6. The surgeon wasn't worried though, as the redness never spread. It was a rough couple of weeks though, and the pain meds barely took the edge off, even at high doses.
Even now though, these are the most sensitive and sore areas of my knee----not the kneecap, not the incision, and not the muscles around the knee----but those areas that had the "sunburn" and fracture blisters.
It makes me suspect that's where most of the mechanical work in the knee was done during surgery. I plan on asking my surgeon at my 8 wk follow-up, as I forgot last time. I know I had large bone spurs removed from both sides, and the boney "knobs" are now gone, giving my knee a whole new profile---but those are the "burned" areas too. I can't help but think it's all related.
luvcats
post-grad
Congratulations on all the wonderful additions to the family! A 'new baby' for both your kids!
I'm pretty sure that even if your recovery was going at lightning speed, you'd still feel down and frustrated because recovery just isn't fun and it always takes longer than we want.
@Rockgirl4 your situation sounds similar to mine but 10 times worse! I feel so bad for you! I hope all of that pain is behind you now. I have that redness on either side of the incision too. It has faded a little but it still looks like a sunburn. My skin is also peeling off, like a sunburn. There are also two faint burn lines about 1.5 inches from either side of the incision, exactly where the tape held down the dressing. I think I might be allergic and had a reaction to the tape.
Today was a pretty good day. I was up and about in the house doing small chores, nothing heavy. Knee pain and burning, stinging was minimal. Felt a bit of the old lower back pain creeping in. I have severe lower lumbar arthritis. I sat with my knee elevated when the back pain came up. Icing my lower back helped too. I hope the progress continues!
A 100 bend at 4 weeks is amazing! You don't even need outside PT with that number. I'm glad the burning and discomfort is easing up some.
I had a lousy time today from this morning til late afternoon. Nausea and headache - I think it's due to the weather. My knee feels ok but my back, hips and pelvis hurt badly. I finally ate a little vegetable soup and some bread at around 3pm which helped settle my stomach and headache but I feel so tired, I just want to stay in bed and sleep. I hope I'm not coming down with something.
Hi everyone. I hope you are all well and recovering nicely. My knee is feeling much better. The burning stinging pain has calmed down a lot. I'm having a new issue however. It's morning nausea. Have any of you had to deal with this after 5 weeks post op? (And no it's not morning sickness. Lol!)
KarriB
Former BoneSmart staff member
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Are you taking your pain meds with food? I got nauseous if I didn’t take pain meds with some little snack or meal.
