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PKR Clunky Knee

dislocate said:
Ginger1210 said:
Hi I recently had a medial right PKR just over three weeks ago. Physio going well and improving a little day by day. The only issue i have is my knee now feels clunky when i walk its like its just not lined up correctly at times. This is not painful as yet it just feels strange. Is this something i should be concerned with at this early stage?
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Hi Ginger,
My left TKR was 03-13-2018. I can't advise you and only give you my experience. I also have a severe condition of a clunky knee and experienced it as soon as I arrived home following surgery. I alerted my surgeon immediately and all the following visits for 12 months. My doctor didn't think it was an issue. For almost 5 years now when I walk my left knee clunks when I lift my leg off the ground and again when it touches the ground. When the room is quiet my wife can hear my knee. I had my right TKR on 01-06-21 and it doesn't clunk/click. Don't let your doctor dismiss this issue and let him know some TKR recipients have clunky knees that don't heal. Best wishes!
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Hi dislocate that's great advice i am slowly improving but my knee still clunks but not as bad as earlier. I have cut back on my physio. Just stationary bike and swimming. I am looking at buying a new bicycle for this coming spring and summer. I definitely think i do have a small bone impingement in my knee i can feel some kind of grinding and crunching. My pain management is not too bad as long as i take my medication at regular intervals. This is the most frustrating part as i decided to go through with this procedure to help come off medication but over 18 months later still taking them in order to work and live a normal life.
Bonesmart has been a constant source of help and support for me and will continue to be. Just to know we are not alone in our struggles and journey`s is a source of comfort.
Like i said i am going to try more cycling this year if this does not improve my situation then a second opinion is needed.
We shall see.
 
I know you live in the North but said you could travel in the UK.
I would certainly recommend my surgeon Mr Alex Liddle- sees patients privately at Charing X and also King Edward's London. He does a lot of PKRs and did the research on PKRs versus TKRs which is quoted in the BoneSmart library. He also has a very good clinical manner and is able to explain things well and his figures on the National Joint Registry are very good. Have you had a look on the NJR to check out anyone you are thinking of consulting?
 
Happy new PKR, even though your knee is still a work in progress. I was surprised at how much soft tissue damage /strain occurs, and how long it takes to heal. And how unique each knee is. My left went exactly as predicted, with a smooth and brief recovery. The right was much more prolonged. It also took several years for the right to tolerate any biking--hated it. Walking in a pool was what helped the most, particularly in deep water wearing an AquaJogger belt for flotation. You might try omitting biking and seeing if the muscles/ligaments/tendons feel better--mine did. Lots of icing helped, too. Good luck.
 
marieltha said:
Happy new PKR, even though your knee is still a work in progress. I was surprised at how much soft tissue damage /strain occurs, and how long it takes to heal. And how unique each knee is. My left went exactly as predicted, with a smooth and brief recovery. The right was much more prolonged. It also took several years for the right to tolerate any biking--hated it. Walking in a pool was what helped the most, particularly in deep water wearing an AquaJogger belt for flotation. You might try omitting biking and seeing if the muscles/ligaments/tendons feel better--mine did. Lots of icing helped, too. Good luck.
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HI marieltha thank you for your advice. It is strange how certain activities either help or hinder. I was primarily thinking of cycling to get out and about in the summer. As walking any distance is difficult for me.
I will wait a little longer before i decide on cycling.
 
Sorry to hear you are still having issues. I am right there with you. What type of pain meds do you take? I take a Celebrex before I go to the health club to keep swelling down when exercising my knee. I also take Turmeric for inflammation. Both seem to help a little bit. Those two seem to be the only anti inflammatories that don't tear up my stomach.

I found the stronger stuff stopped working unless I kept upping the dose and when it was working it did not really relieve any pain, it just made me not care much about the pain and put me in a better mood. So not a long term solution.
 
@beesknee mentioned Celebrex. My experience is similar: No stomach issues.
I was told to take it daily at the same time(s), and give it 30 days before deciding if it helps. It's the only thing that helps with the stiffness I have from arthritis in my spine--no pain, thankfully, but very stiff. I did appeal to my insurance company to get the real Pfizer Celebrex. Long process, but successful and worth it. Higher copay, but worth it also. I tried numerous generics (6, I think ), over several years, and they didn't help at all. Within 15 minutes of taking the real Celebrex, my stiffness was melting away. Shocking difference, really. Turns out hundreds of thousands of users have the same reaction--documented on the Pfizer website.
Hope you're better.
 
beesknee said:
Sorry to hear you are still having issues. I am right there with you. What type of pain meds do you take? I take a Celebrex before I go to the health club to keep swelling down when exercising my knee. I also take Turmeric for inflammation. Both seem to help a little bit. Those two seem to be the only anti inflammatories that don't tear up my stomach.

I found the stronger stuff stopped working unless I kept upping the dose and when it was working it did not really relieve any pain, it just made me not care much about the pain and put me in a better mood. So not a long term solution.
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Hi beesknee. Thanks for the kind words. I take 600mg of ibuprofen twice a day and 30mg co-codamol twice daily as well. These do help, recently i have reduced co-codamol amounts with no significant difference. Not sure here in the U.K if you can get Celebrex. The best pain relief i find is my T.E.N.S machine i use it daily i find it really helps.
 
Ginger1210 said:
Not sure here in the U.K if you can get Celebrex. The
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I take naproxen prescribed by my GP in the UK. It is very similar I think to Celebrex
although you need to take omeprazole with it for prevention of stomach issues.
It was the only thing that really helped my arthritis pain. You have to take it for at least a week or two for it to kick in as an anti inflammatory. It doesn't work straight away as a painkiller.
 
Hi All good bonesmart people. Just celebrated my 50th Birthday. My Wife and i spent the weekend in Durham. Really nice market town with lots of shops and cafes. I managed 8,500 steps on The Saturday walking around town. However i paid for this big time. Icing as i type.
I am Still not where i would like to be i have developed a lot of crunching and grinding in the operated part of my knee. I am guessing this is scar tissue as i have no bone left there to crunch. This i can put up with but i still suffer with sciatica which is painful. Not sure as what to do to help prevent this. It will be 2 years this coming April since i had my PKR. I would like to return to normal one day but i am not confident.
 
Ginger1210 said:
It will be 2 years this coming April since i had my PKR. I would like to return to normal one day but i am not confident.
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I’m sorry to read you are still having these issues. I understand, as it’s been 6 years for me.

Have you had any second opinions yet?
 
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Ginger1210 said:
am Still not where i would like to be i have developed a lot of crunching and grinding in the operated part of my knee. I am guessing this is scar tissue as i have no bone left there to crunch. This i can put up with but i still suffer with sciatica which is painful
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Sorry to hear you are still struggling. Glad you enjoyed Durham- it is a beautiful city.
I had sciatica pre-op ( thankfully gone now my leg is straight) and it is the worst pain ever. I still have significant lumbar arthritis and spinal stenosis on MRI and some general lower back pain.
I would suggest the following which helped me:
A memory foam cushion which took the pressure off my sciatic nerve. This was a godsend and I still use it at home. I used to take it out but it is a little heavy so I now just take a light foam cushion for hard chairs out.
Pregabalin from my GP- I think this did help. It is for nerve pain- so different from the non- steroidal meds for arthritis.
Pilates was really useful for gentle exercises that released and eased the muscles around the sciatic nerve . My pilates teacher also gently used a spiky ball to massage the area when I was able to tolerate it.
I also tried seeing an orthotist and had some insoles made which did help a bit in relieving pressure on back/ hip/ knee. He also videoed my gait which was helpful in making me realise I needed surgery because I was so crooked.
 
Also agree with @Jockette that it might be time to get a second opinion if your knee still isn't right.
 
Thanks Ealingran that's good advice. I am due for a health checkup at my GP surgery this month. I will mention the Pregabalin.

I will have my 2 year appointment with my original surgeon in April and will express my concerns and views. He has referred me to one of his collogues for a second opinion but so far no news. He is a good person and is as frustrated as i am over my continued pain. I have improved slowly and it may be i am one of those people who just does not like implants. Thank you and all the great people on this forum for help and advice. It is invaluable to me.
 
HI all good people. I hope everyone is keeping well.
This week marks my 2 year PKR Anniversary. Its certainly been a roller coaster journey. Here is where i am.
I can do most things most days but this still comes with pain and stiffness. Walking on flat level surfaces is still my biggest challenge. Climbing steps cycling swimming are all ok. I am a engineer by trade but the knee changed that and my goal was to return to my trade but at this point it is still unattainable. My surgeon says everything is good and is reluctant to perform a arthroscopy to prevent the risk of infection.
I am going back to my GP tomorrow to ask for alternative options i am still taking pain medication daily in order to work.
I would love to get back to some kind of normal but at the moment i am not there yet.
Thank you all for the support and help.
 
Ginger1210 said:
can do most things most days but this still comes with pain and stiffness. Walking on flat level surfaces is still my biggest challenge. Climbing steps cycling swimming are all ok. I am a engineer by trade but the knee changed that and my goal was to return to my trade but at this point it is still unattainable
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Sorry you still have such pain at two years.
I must say it seems odd that walking on a flat surface is difficult if you can manage stairs and swimming. It is the opposite with me. I can walk 2-3 miles at a stretch and up to 5-7 miles/ day with no real pain but too many stairs or too much standing makes me a bit stiff and sore. I am almost 6 months - so still hoping it will improve.
I understand your surgeon's reluctance to arthroscope due to infection risk- but it seems from reading here that there are MRI scans that are possible after implants. I think I would be pushing for some further tests if I still had problems at 2 years.
 
I agree that you should consider another opinion, perhaps a sports medicine physician. My popliteus tendon was being shredded by the implant. This issue did not show up on an MRI, but it would have shown up on an ultrasound, particularly a dynamic ultrasound. I too could walk up stairs but could not walk on flat surfaces without pain and a twisted gait. There is a risk of infection after arthroscopy, but I was willing to take that risk to get my life back. I’m very sorry that you are continuing to have problems after two years.
 
HI All good Bonesmart people. Its been a while since my last post.

I have a scheduled appointment with another surgeon on the 19th of this month. He is a associate of my original surgeon. My original surgeon is still concerned that i am still struggling with pain and discomfort and recommended his associate have a second look at all my scans and X-rays.
I will have all my relevant questions written down and ready.
At over 2 years post op i would have liked to be back to normal but sadly i am not. The goal was always to be able to come off pain meds but that is currently not the case.
We shall see what this new guy has to say. Walking on flat surfaces is still my nemesis.
Thanks again for all your support and advice.
 
@Ginger1210 So sorry you are still struggling. You are right - it's time for a fresh set of eyes. I wish you all the best at this appointment. Do take your list of questions and write down the answers during the discussion. It helps to have a reference once you leave the consultation.
 
I'm so sorry you are still dealing with this. It can be so discouraging. I hope you get good answers and help at your new appt!
 
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