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TKR crepitus in my knee

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I'm writing to let you know I am watching this thread. I'm in mid Vermont. I'm about to get a second opinion. My TKR was in late July. At 3 months I was (15,95) - suddenly the next day I was at (5, 100) or there aboust. Since then I've only made small gains. Its now 7 mo. and I'm about (3,105 or upto 110 if it is pushed.) I still can't do stairs though and I still feel as though there is tight netting inside wrapped around my calf. It was in my thigh,too, but that seems better. Sometimes it feels like there's a pebble like something in the knee joint, which also feels tight. Whenever I'm still - sitting long or lying in bed, I find myself twisting turning, and cracking away. Snap, snap, snap... but not clunk. At 6 mo xrays looked good. I think I'm finally starting to get better sleep. I've spent 7 months lying in bed and cracking my leg for a couple of hours before I finally get to sleep. Yes, I've been very tired.
 
I am glad that you are getting a second opinion, hopefully you will receive help then. But, 110 is not a horrible result from a tka. K
 
I think the way we measure progress depends a lot on our goals. We all have different "conditions" and "levels" we will or will not accept. e.g.., my goal was to become active again on my feet and be able to participate in low-impact sports, and keep my knees healthy. I think I have learned I can do that (for now) by making no changes. Mid-VT (above) appears to be worried about flexion and extension, stair climbing, noise, etc. I think you are doing a wise thing to get another opinion..... great when our replacements are in alignment (can be seen on XRay), but soft tissue issues (e.g., scar tissue) cannot be diagnosed by XRay and require expert opinions. I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble. I would find this level of issues not acceptable and would get a second, third, etc opinion to figure out the reasons. It appears you are seeking the reasons and a "fix"-? If you get experts to weigh in (and if you find a thread of concurrence - without you bringing one's opinion to another), then you can start making informed decisions about fixing your issues (or choosing not to). I hope expert bonesmart moderators weigh in on this for you.
 
Oh Elizabeth. I so agree. Informed decisions are so important. I am back to my OS on March 5 and am getting my questions and concerns organized. My last visit was emotional as I couldn't believe I had a set back that might require another surgery. If you or other Bonesmarties have suggestions as to what I should be asking my OS I am all ears. Thanks! Anne
 
Good to hear from you. Are there expert moderators that are assigned to watch this site? I've seen a couple of nurses that have made comments that also seem to have been patients that make comments with an added disclaimer. Yes, I'd love to hear from one of them, too. For now it is good to have stumbled upon this site and all of you who have been walking down a similar path. I wish I'd found you sooner. I asked my OS and PT's about something like this. It is such a lonely path when you are going it alone. My mother is 1.5 months post TKR and already doing better than I am. I'm curious. Do any of you know where this site originated? Yes, I am eager for my 2nd opinion. Thanks to all of you that continue to check in despite having your ordeal behind you.
 
I read the link. It doesn't mention where Bonesmart originated. Does anyone know?
 
Anne, it is hard to come up with questions about your "condition" - not knowing much about you, your issues and goals, except from our bonesmart forum. I can give you some EXAMPLES of what I would ask::
Is the scar tissue causing the issue? (have him draw a picture of the scar tissue - where it is in your knee) Why did it come on suddenly? Does the issue have a name (so you can google it for one reason)? If he says "no", I would ask if it is related to anything called "patella klunk" or "cyclops" syndrome? Is this issue common? How common? (percentile). How many of these have you seen or treated? (all OSs I have asked this question will answer it and gives me an idea of their experience in this) (Since the klunk is not common, it is possible, an OS may not have seen or treated it before)

What is the goal of the treatment plan to limit activity and use heat? - (e.g., stop the scar tissue from growing? limit its effect?) Why so many NSAIDS? (e.g., is there swelling? will the heat help the welling if there is any?) Are there other treatment options at this time? Why are we waiting for surgery if that is an option? Is there an advantage to waiting before surgery? Is there a chance the tissue would grow back? What are the potential results as well as complications of any surgical procedure? ETC... helps to organize questions by topic, going on to the next topic when I am satisfied


Besides a list of questions - I find the best approach (for me) is to bring a trusted person in with me. In this case, my husband. He knows what I will ask, and if I need a moment to think and ask the next question (as I get answers, I have more questions), he picks up and asks what he is thinking --- prevents OS from thinking we are done and walking out

I know my info here says I am from NH, but I did not have my surgery in NH

Keep up your courage - you WILL get past this - good luck
 
hilltop, I think that you should start your own thread.

Starting a new thread and posting.

That way you can tell us about yourself and people can answer your specific questions. This thread is from NHKneeLady and more about her specific issues.

I am not sure that it is important where an internet forum originated. As stated on the link that bottomshollow sent to you, the parent company of Bonesmart is located in California. The forum itself has posters from NZ, Australia, UK, US, India, Ireland . . . in short, the world community. It is very interesting to me to chat with folks from throughout the world who all struggle with knee issues, like me.

Josephine is an orthopedic nurse and is the administrator of the forum. There are some health professionals who post here and their posts do carry disclaimers since they are simply replying to someone's post---not making a medical opinion since that would be impossible over the net and without examining someone.

Basically, we are a bunch of folks who have had TKRs and THRs who are offering support and help to those who are going through these surgeries. I had a great deal of difficulty finding a site which offered reasonable info prior to my first surgery---Bonesmart was a godsend to me and to many others here on the board. We welcome you to our community and hope you will join us by starting your own thread. Kelly
 
NHKneeLady said:
Danger of arthroscope is that it may scratch the smooth metal surface of the implant that would eventually cause damage.
Click to expand...
A very real danger. But the other danger he didn't seem to have mentioned is infection. Secondary surgery with implants in situ would be much too risky for my tastes!
 
Thank you Elizabeth for your suggestions for my upcoming appointment with OS. I have started a written list of questions and concerns and included each of your recommendations. My husband will definitely be with me next week! Your professional experience really shows through in your posts.
My knee has not improved and in some ways gotten worse over the last three weeks. The rest,heat and NSAIDS have not helped. The clunk is very noticeable. With it, stairs and getting on and off a chair are difficult. Biking, my true passion, is out of the question.
Josephine in your experience do these kind of issues resolve themselves over time with rest or is surgery the necessary fix? Your remarks about infection where spot on. What a pickle!
 
I found that when my kneecap was scarred down and would not move, that I could not bike at all. I had to have surgery to free it up. You can always ask your doc what his infection rate is. My doc has a 1% infection rate over the last five years, so I felt the risk was worth it to me and my quality of life. It is a decision, however.

My doc said that he had better results with open than arthroscopy, so I did go with open. He told me later that when he opened my knee there was a less than 1 cm opening over my knee and that he would have had to open the knee anyway to get all the adhesions, so it worked out great for me.

Is my left knee perfect? no--there are still adhesions there, I can hear them, but, my kneecap does move and I can ride my bike---so, I will take that.
 
I'm struggling to figure out how to write anything in the box to start my own thread, so for now I'll carry on here.

NHKnee Lady, thanks for the great list of questions. I copied them into my MSWord and added some of my own. Where did you have your TKR - still in New England?

Kelly, my 110 measure is when my PT is pushing on my leg. My OS measured without pushing at 105, which partially explained why I still can't do stairs. On good days I can go up with minimal handrail reliance. On bad days, I haul myself up with the handrail. Good or bad, I still have to go down 1 step and then the other foot on the same step - repeatedly. Gets old, especially since I have to do them several times a day in my house.

PT today was more aggressive using Graston tools. We discussed my exercise routines I chart them daily. Being sore for a day is okay, but it's not okay if it persists longer. I'll probably be a bit stiff tomorrow and probably wake up some in the night, not my norm. I'm a bit anxious about getting the second opinion tomorrow. I've been stuck at nearly the same measurements since November. I WANT to be able to do stairs - up and down. I don't want to wait 5 more months to be a year after TKR and learn scar tissue is still impeding my progress.
 
hilltop----once you have created a thread, you will have to hit edit to add anything to the original box. Otherwise, you can answer just like anyone else. Kelly
 
I'm really getting frustrated about trying to start a new thread. Nothing allows me to start writing. It says something about buttons at the top and bottom and I've pushed everything I can find. Not sure what else to do???
 
Hey, this reply to a thread button worked. Now if I could only figure out how to start my own thread. I'd really like some input into my present situation - different PT's have different approaches, my knee is stuck at where it was 3 months ago and I still don't have good ROM, and the surgeon I met today doesn't want me to consider scar tissue removal yet - though it has twice been mentioned to me before as options...
 
hhilltop, Please start your own thread in the knee replacement recovery area. You will see a black oblong at the top right hand side of the page that says "Post New Thread"--when you click on it, it will open a title box. You determine the title you want for your thread and then go down to the dialogue box and proceed to type your post.
 
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