Hi All, I'm delighted to have come across this forum. I'm 64 yrs old and had a PKR of the medial compartment in my right knee a little over 3 weeks ago (21st October 2024). My recovery is going well. My pain levels are quite low at this stage and I'm walking without crutches. I have no issues with sleeping at night but tend to wake up between 5-6 a.m with some soreness in my knee, most likely due to sleeping position. The one concern I have is a pain that appears in the other side of my operated knee after a short walk or a period of time standing. This pain is very similar to the pain I felt on the medial side before the op, but not as intense. In other words it feels like arthritis. The consultant assured me that only one side of my knee was affected by arthritis. He said the other two compartments looked good during the op. Because of this pain I'm worried that I wasn't a suitable candidate for PKR in the first place. Has anybody else suffered pain in the unreplaced side after PKR? If so was it only there while loading the knee and did it resolve itself as you recovered? Thanks in advance for any replies.
PKR Dubliner's Medial PRK Recovery
- Thread starter Dubliner
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2023
- Messages
- 5,495
- Age
- 69
- Country
United States
- Gender
- Female
@Dubliner !I will let some PKR folks provide insight.
In general terms, we find that after any weight bearing joint replacement, total or partial, the sudden change in structure during surgery does result in various pains as muscles, tendons, and ligaments are forced into readjustment after years of (mal)adjusting to the arthritis.
Meanwhile, you're still in the early stages of a one year recovery and I'll leave you our Recovery Articles that have helped tens of thousands of other knee replacements. We are here to help you through this journey the best we can. The very best thing for your knee right now is to rest, ice, and elevate. Exercises can come later. There is no rush to achieve ROM because it will come naturally as your swelling decreases. Your OS was able to bend your knee while checking for movements during your surgery, so it will be fine. It just takes time.
Each person is different as is their recovery. Most find that the Bonesmart approach works best for them, but others find that a more aggressive therapy helps them more. It's your recovery and your choice on how you recover. As you read more on other members' recovery threads, you’ll get a better perspective of what to expect. The following are our basic guidelines and should help get you started.
KNEE RECOVERY 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.
If you want to use something to assist with healing and scar management, BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
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
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
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.
Hi and Welcome!
Even though only one side of your knee required a replacement, your whole knee area, as well as your leg, was affected by the trauma this surgery causes. And yes, as @mendogal said, this recovery takes an average of a full year, even for a partial.
Best Wishes for a very successful recovery!
Even though only one side of your knee required a replacement, your whole knee area, as well as your leg, was affected by the trauma this surgery causes. And yes, as @mendogal said, this recovery takes an average of a full year, even for a partial.
Best Wishes for a very successful recovery!
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2022
- Messages
- 2,127
- Age
- 68
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Gender
- Female
Yes. I had exactly the same issue as you- although I had a lateral PKR not a medial.
Like you I worried that my surgeon was wrong and that I should have had a TKR.
In my case the pain was caused by my MCL ( medial collateral ligament) getting overstretched for years before my surgery. It took several months and strengthening of my quads and glutes to resolve it.
I would trust your surgeon if he says the lateral compartment looked good, as he has actually checked inside your knee. It may well be a ligament issue like mine. As the medial side of the knee collapsed due to arthritis it could pull and overstretch the ligament on the other side. This can resolve with physio- but you need to go easy to start with until your knee is stronger.
@EalingGran, thanks very much for your reply. What you say makes absolute sense. I'm only 3 weeks into my recovery so can expect all sorts of pain and aches around my knee for a long time yet. What worries me is the similarity with the pain I felt on the inside of my knee pre-op. It feels and behaves exactly the same except I'm feeling it on the outside now. Hopefully it resolves itself with time. I'll come back in a few weeks with any changes. Thanks again.
