TKR Effusion after tkr

[Josephine]

Here y'go then!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how swollen is your leg compared to these?

4. what is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

5. are you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?

6. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

 

[Hshdobb]

I agree with Pumpkin...I am 12 weeks into my bilateral knee replacement...I stopped pain meds four weeks after..tramadol 50s, 2x a day...but once I became active, used a cane, and by 5 weeks no cane, and driving by 8 weeks, I went wild...shopping, running errands, doing all my housework (no vacuuming) ..food prep..I wound up with pain again but only at night. I had had insomnia for 10 weeks because I had no good side to sleep on so we treated the insomnia or tried to. What I needed a week ago was to go back on tramadol at night and Wow! Sleep....two tramadol at night first week, now one and just tylenol again and soon hopefully, none at night.

Everyone is different, but I still have trouble eating...I can only eat small meals, get exhausted easily, and tend to overdo, but each week I feel better. So just one day at a time and know you will have some difficult days for no discernible reason and some with more energy. As to the warmth of the knee and the chills, I always feel follow that up, especially if you have a fever. Sooner rather than later. My surgeon’s assistant is there to answer all my calls. I called with questions about all kinds of things early on. Better safe than sorry. Hope all goes well for you!

I’m glad you can call your surgical asst. My surgeon is “0” on communication. When I saw him the one time after surgery, he basically blew past my questions and said I don’t need to see him anymore.At least reading on this forum, I feel in the company of people sharing a similar experience.thanks.

 

[Hshdobb]

ok .

1. any where from 3 to 8 or 9. Can get up to 9 with shooting pain on inside of knee. Especially late in the day.

2. Taking Tramadol 50 mg. Try to take only one with an Advil and Tylenol 3 x day. Sometimes I have to take two Tramadol.

3. not swollen

4. my ROM is at 135 and extension is 5

5. I ice knee with large gel packs for about 40 minutes 3 x daily

6. elevate couple hours a day. I should probably do it more but elevating is not always practical or I forget.

7. I’m able to drive and do some things in and around house. My girlfriend who lives with me, cleans most of the house.

8. I go to pt 3 days a week

Bicycle for 8 minutes
ball and strap exercise to bend knee x20
adduction and abduction with ball and hoop x15 each
hamstring pull on machine 25 lbs x20
hamstring pull with strap and weight on pulley machine x 20
toe extensions standing x20
shuttle x 20 both legs then 10 each with one leg
Up and down steps both knee x15
squats x 20
foot pull with strap sitting on table x20
stretching by pt

I go to gym 3 times a week. I do upper body weight machines, bicycle for 8 minutes, duplicate shuttle and hamstring

 

[Jean3600]

I am a six weeks out from my surgery. I too have noticed that my new knee is feeling from warm to hot all of the time. I have good range of motion, but there is still some swelling and redness all over the kneecap. I am seeing my doctor this afternoon and I will ask him about this. I also seemed to have pulled something on the inside of the right knee. It was very painful when I did it - think it is a pulled tendon or ligament. Anyway, it wakes me up with a sharp pain when I turn over at night. So, that's another thing I will look into today.

 

[Hshdobb]

How did you do with the Doctor this afternoon, Jean? I get a sharp main on the insid3 of my knee as well. Was wondering what his response was. Thanks, Bill

 

[Benay]

I get pain on the inside of the knee too. I asked OS who said he had done a significant amount of bone work in the area. It seems to be getting less at almost 7 weeks post op.

 

[Woodpusher]

Same as several others here, can get a quick pain at night when turning the knee the wrong way.

 

[Benay]

Case in point, last night I turned over and it moved my knee cap, compressed/scrunched, woke me up with intense pain. I think that knee cap and the inside area of the knee are the last (I hope) problematic spots. I have an ice pad next to my bed in a freezy bag, it stays cold all night if I need it so I was able to ice which is my go to.

 

[dogwalker2]

That's the most painful point for me too (day 15 postop). There must be something done there as part of the normal tkr that is causing it. Must Google it!!

 

[Celle]

@Josephine - Hshdobb has answered your questions, in Post #23.

 

[Benay]

@dogwalker2 can you let me know if you find anything. In my case the bone was beginning to displace and I think that's the side that hurts because OS 'repositioned' it. I'm always looking for the reasons why and it's so difficult to get my head round maybe there isn't one, just is. Knee's the boss.

 

[Josephine]

I go to pt 3 days a week

@Hshdobb You don't do any exercising at home?

 

[Hshdobb]

Not much... a little stretching but I go to gym three days a week.

 

[Josephine]

And can you give me a list of what you do at the gym, please?

 

[Hshdobb]

At the gym, I do a lot of the things I do in Pt plus upper body which I won’t go into.

Bicycle for 10 minutes set on.
#6 for hills, leg presses.
40lbs for operative leg x 20 and 80lbs for both legs,
hamstring pull machine set on 25lbs
big ball with leash
I set lower leg over the big ball and attach loop in leash to ball of foot pull back and hold 20x.
Lately I use the stair climber on slow and take steps like a normal person one after the next for about 20 steps up and 20 down.Thanks

 

[Josephine]

2. Taking Tramadol 50 mg. Try to take only one with an Advil and Tylenol 3 x day. Sometimes I have to take two Tramadol.

I forgot to ask about this: What doses are you taking of these three meds?

 

[Hshdobb]

I take one 50 mg tramadol 2x day,one 500 mg Tylenol 3 x day, one Advil 375 mg. 2x day

 

[Josephine]

I am getting to responding to your answers, I promise! But I just noticed this which has me a bit puzzled

So these are what you do at PT?

8. I go to pt 3 days a week

Bicycle for 8 minutes
ball and strap exercise to bend knee x20
adduction and abduction with ball and hoop x15 each
hamstring pull on machine 25 lbs x20
hamstring pull with strap and weight on pulley machine x 20
toe extensions standing x20
shuttle x 20 both legs then 10 each with one leg
Up and down steps both knee x15
squats x 20
foot pull with strap sitting on table x20
stretching by pt

And this is what you do at home but you've not said how many times a day you do them?

Bicycle for 10 minutes set on.
#6 for hills, leg presses.
40lbs for operative leg x 20 and 80lbs for both legs,
hamstring pull machine set on 25lbs
big ball with leash
I set lower leg over the big ball and attach loop in leash to ball of foot pull back and hold 20x.
Lately I use the stair climber on slow and take steps like a normal person one after the next for about 20 steps up and 20 down.

And you've not told me what you do for upper body stuff?
Do I have that all correctly?

 

[Hshdobb]

I had left TKRs in April and still have stiffness and pain. My surgeon ( who is not gifted with personality) only saw me once personally after surgery and said I don’t need to see him anymore. His P.A. Saw me twice before that. I went to another Dr. who is a pain specialist for a series of 3 gel shots on my right knee. During the 2nd one today, I brought up the pain and stiffness in my left knee which is, now, 4 1/2 months after surgery. She did an ultra sound on it and said there is a lot of effusion. She said she didn’t want to drain it because the surgeon is responsible for it and if I had an infection, she didn’t want to be caught in middle of it and I understand that. She gave me copies of the ultrasound and told me to see him and she would also write him a note.
Has anyone ever experienced something like this? And how did it turn out for you? Thanks

 

[alexthecat]

@Hshdobb
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
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