TKR Clicking, Clunking post op...anyone?
- Thread starter Gibsco
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Just to clarify: are you saying that your TKR was on the left, not the right, side? Or that your upcoming surgery will be for leftie?
I noticed the "clicking" after my right knee replacement in 2016. I think it was at least two years before the parts 'wore in" and it mostly went away. I only notice it how when it is on the upward (unloaded) stroke on the bike when my left leg is pushing down.
My orthopedist says that my new left knee should not click or clunk as much since it was a cruciate-retaining design. He feels that the post stabilized designs are more prone to the spacing which allows that type of phenomenon.
My orthopedist says that my new left knee should not click or clunk as much since it was a cruciate-retaining design. He feels that the post stabilized designs are more prone to the spacing which allows that type of phenomenon.
Rockgirl4
Former BoneSmart staff member
I had a right TKR back in 2019. I had the clunking for at least 6-7 months, and I had the thigh pain upon standing up from sitting for at least 6-7 months too. I'm a slow healer though, and I've had 11 knee surgeries to figure out my body. It simply takes forever for my thigh pain to go away, and I get a lot of rebound swelling from any and all activity. I was told the lingering inflammation/swelling will make your quad hurt too. I remember I had to do A LOT of quad strengthening to get my leg happy again, and I was still noticing improvement into my 10th/11th month. That knee was trashed though and in super bad shape, so I'm thinking my upcoming left TKR has to be a better experience.
Thanks for everyones input.
Update: It's been 5 months since right TKR. Quad pain is lessening, but I think my hip arthritis is contributing to all the discomfort. Right knee is working properly but it is stiff in the morning and gets stiff throughout the day. Swelling is moderate and is off and on depending on what activity I do. Plenty of knee strength. Standing for moderate periods is the most uncomfortable; better when I walk. I try to do all my normal activities, like yard work, house and car cleaning, shopping, errands, etc, and can successfully do all of theses things but after a few hours the knee can get pretty sore. I will take Tylenol or Celebrex from time to time to give me some relief. As mentioned above, hip pain is my biggest discomfort at the moment and some previous X-rays indicated that I would need both replaced in the near future. Left knee replacement scheduled early December. So, grand scheme, both knees and both hips to eventually be replaced. Lucky me. Any opinion on having the hip(s) done before or after the knees?
Update: It's been 5 months since right TKR. Quad pain is lessening, but I think my hip arthritis is contributing to all the discomfort. Right knee is working properly but it is stiff in the morning and gets stiff throughout the day. Swelling is moderate and is off and on depending on what activity I do. Plenty of knee strength. Standing for moderate periods is the most uncomfortable; better when I walk. I try to do all my normal activities, like yard work, house and car cleaning, shopping, errands, etc, and can successfully do all of theses things but after a few hours the knee can get pretty sore. I will take Tylenol or Celebrex from time to time to give me some relief. As mentioned above, hip pain is my biggest discomfort at the moment and some previous X-rays indicated that I would need both replaced in the near future. Left knee replacement scheduled early December. So, grand scheme, both knees and both hips to eventually be replaced. Lucky me. Any opinion on having the hip(s) done before or after the knees?
almostready?
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Thanks for your report! It’s so helpful for me to see others’ experiences who a couple months ahead. How’s your clicking/clunking now? I feel like I need to start accepting these sensations which is hard to do…my brain gets stuck on it. I hope you’ll find that getting your hips done is a much easier experience if that makes a difference in your timing at all.
Clunking still there and is greatest when knee is not swollen, which makes sense. But no pain or weakness or wobbliness. Getting used to it. If this is all I have left to deal with after full recovery, I'll consider myself very lucky.
I agree! As long as there is no pain or weakness, it's nothing to worry about. And, it will lessen with time.
My right knee -- now almost 3 years old -- clicked and clacked a lot during the first year or so of recover. Now I barely notice it at all.
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I like your attitude!
One thing my surgeon's PA shared with me early on is that while the prosthetic gets very close...it will never match the natural joint we lost. We are lucky and blessed to live in a time where we have this second chance.
Enjoy and have a great week!
I am 5 months post op and I have good ROM and moderate swelling. But I still have pain only when bending the knee. Surgeon said to take Tylenol. I find that Celebrex works better than the Tylenol so I take that pretty regular and it helps. I must say that I am getting a little impatient at how long the recovery is taking.
@Gibsco, I moved your post out of Andor's thread. We don't want to railroad it.
It's good that Celebrex works well for you and I think it's OK to continue it take it until your knee is healed. At 5 months, you aren't even halfway through this year-long healing, so swelling is normal. You can also continue to ice, and elevate as much as you need to, to keep that swelling down.
It's good that Celebrex works well for you and I think it's OK to continue it take it until your knee is healed. At 5 months, you aren't even halfway through this year-long healing, so swelling is normal. You can also continue to ice, and elevate as much as you need to, to keep that swelling down.
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Hang in there.
Somewhere between 3 and 5 months most members really feel "done with it already!" and slack off icing and elevating.
As long as there's swelling, a couple of daily 45 minute sessions of ice/elevation toes over nose really will be beneficial. Or at least one session in the evening!
With my R knee I had great ROM but
continued to have R knee pain with flexion, especially if the hip was also flexed - this posed challenges with getting into the driver's seat to drive and with using a stationery bike at the gym for quite a while, then one day... fine.
Somewhere between 3 and 5 months most members really feel "done with it already!" and slack off icing and elevating.
As long as there's swelling, a couple of daily 45 minute sessions of ice/elevation toes over nose really will be beneficial. Or at least one session in the evening!
With my R knee I had great ROM but
continued to have R knee pain with flexion, especially if the hip was also flexed - this posed challenges with getting into the driver's seat to drive and with using a stationery bike at the gym for quite a while, then one day... fine.
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Agree with @mendogal on this.
I had pain on stairs especially for several months ( in my case it was due to a long overstretched MCL that took a lot of muscle strengthening work to support it).
I was icing up until about 7- 8 months.
I’m at 6 months snd sitting outside the physiotherapist’s office feeling very much the same. It’s depressing and causes some anxiety for me, so I reslly sympathise with your impatience. I still need both paracetamol and ibuprofen regularly and I know it if I haven’t taken the full amount. But if I’m honest I am definitely doing more and not being attentive to icing as life gets busier so probably only have myself to blame!
Having read the helpful comments on your post I will try and behave myself for a couple of weeks and will report back. Hope it works for you too- let us know!
All best wishes
It's been a little over 6 months now since right TKR. Pain in general has diminished. Walking over a half mile almost every day. I still have nerve awareness and numbness on the outside of the knee cap and some stiffness all the time. And some mild pain if I do too much activity. Swelling is still there but I would say only mild. Can I consider this TKR a success?
Certainly sounds like a success to me! Remember that you are only halfway through this year-long recovery. Many of us continue to experience episode of pain, zingers and numbness well past the six month mark. I'm at 10 months post-op on my second knee and the lateral side of my knee still has a pretty large area that is numb. I also have occasional stiffness when I sit too long, but episodes of pain and swelling are rare.
Since this is my second TKR, I have my other knee as a benchmark and know that things do continue to improve -- not just for the first 12 months, but well into the second year.
Keep moving. Slow and steady. This is a recovery that requires time and patience.
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It’s been a little over 8 months since my right TKR. The knee is strong and I have very good ROM. No pain at rest. However, on the outside of the knee it feels like there is a tight band around it when it bend it. This can be a little painful at times. And there is still some soreness in the muscle above the knee. The doctor says the tight band feeling is due to the nerves being cut and still trying to reconnect. He could give me no idea how long this feeling would last, or even if it would ever go away. Does anyone have any experience with this?
