Arthroscopy Has anyone else developed it band syndrome after knee surgery?

jrvalpo86

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Hi everyone,

I underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in March 2021 to address outer knee pain that I'd been having for over a decade. I injured my knee as a teenager kicking a heavy bag which resulted in a loss a cartilage and loose body that I just lived with for a long time. My first knee surgery was in 2017 and all they pretty did then was remove a massive loose body that was floating around in my knee joint. Fast forward to 2021 and I can't live with the pain anymore so I schedule an appointment with my surgeon and he determines from my mri that I have a full thickness injury to my lateral femoral condyle and a subchondral cyst. I point out to him the pain that I'm having pain all the way from my knee to my ankle and he just disregards it as a symptom of the issues in my knee and never really addresses it. Here schedules me for a microfracture surgery shortly after that. He went ahead and did the microfracture on the lateral femoral condyle and told me that I could start walking sooner than other patients because my case was less severe.

I waited a year before scheduling another appointment to find out why I was still having pain. I read that it can take up to that long for pain to subside after surgery. The thing is that the knee pain is as bad as it's ever been and the pain that shoots up the entire side if my leg is even worse. I went to my ortho back in January to see what was wrong and he though it could be sciatica but an mri showed that wasn't the issue. I have a burning pain from from my thigh all the way down to my ankle. Sometimes the ankle pain can be worse than the knee pain, but I've never had any obvious injury to my ankle. What can this be? Can these just be secondary symptoms of my knee issues? Maybe I have a pinched nerve somewhere?

Btw, can I have a mod contact me to change my username?
 
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Hello and welcome to the forum! I will pass your request on to a moderator.. not a problem.

Sorry to read about your situation. You must be so frustrated and exasperated. I will say that when my hips were deteriorating my foot was so painful.. felt similar to a fracture.
 
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@jrvalpo86@gmail
Administration has been contacted to change your username, we are having JRAD (Joint Replacement Awareness Day) tomorrow so there may be a delay in contacting you.
If you would like to attend JRAD online you can sign up here.

Your ankle pain could be referred from your knee, I have referred foot pain from my hip.
Once your knee is taken care of, your ankle pain should resolve.

I am going to leave you are pre op reading, you will find a score chart, be sure to take it so you and your surgeon can see just how limited your life has become.

Sounds like you have quite a lot going on with your knee, suggest you seek a second opinion before agreeing to any surgery. You will want to find a surgeon who has no relationship with your present surgeon, not even golf buddies.

Good luck and keep us posted about your next appoint with your surgeon.

New BoneSmart members like you are in various stages of their journey to joint replacement. Making the decision whether or not to have surgery and preparing for surgery can be easier once you have done your research and know what lies ahead. Here are some tools that can help you decide what is best for you.

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:

Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic knee?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?


And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:

Stories of amazing knee recoveries
 
@jrvalpo86@gmail ... I'd be happy to change your username. Please post what you'd like it to be and I'll make the change for you. I'll also be going in and editing any tags to your new name.

It sounds to me like you need to seek out the opinion of one or more new surgeons. Please let me know if you require any assistance locating someone.





 
@jrvalpo86@gmail ... I'd be happy to change your username. Please post what you'd like it to be and I'll make the change for you. I'll also be going in and editing any tags to your new name.

It sounds to me like you need to seek out the opinion of one or more new surgeons. Please let me know if you require any assistance locating someone.





jrvalpo86

Thank you
 
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I've been researching some of my symptoms and a peroneal nerve injury sounds like it could be what's causing the pain that shoots down from my knee to my ankle and even down to my toes sometimes. This pain has been present since I injured my knee over 15 years ago, but it got much worse after my first knee surgery to remove a loose body. Would this type of injury not stand out during an mri or during the actual arthroscopy?

Is it common to have to undergo surgery for this or is it something that can be healed with injections, medications, or other things? What were your experiences? Can anyone describe the pain the were having? What treatment did you do?
 
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Here is a member with the same question, on the Recovery Forum:

 
@jrvalpo86@gmail Since you have recently had surgery, I moved your thread to the Recovery Forum. I also merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?
 
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@jrvalpo86 , any progress on dealing with your peroneal nerve problem? I have it as well and am seeing the doctor tomorrow.
 
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I’m currently dealing with IT band syndrome and I’m not sure how I’m supposed to be treating it. I was diagnosed with it after my 2nd knee surgery which turned out to be unnecessary. I went to my doctor because I was still experiencing pain and through the process of elimination I was diagnosed with itbs. I did some pt which didn’t do much. I’d just show up, do some generic exercises, and go home feeling like there was more that I could be doing to improve. I’m currently going to the gym and doing exercises which I feel like are helping but I’m just kinda doing random exercises with no real structure. It’s like most of the information out there for itbs is for runners and not for those who developed this condition through injury or post surgery.

I’d like to go back to a pt but that gets expensive quick. Are there any good resources online for itbs? What exercises I should be doing?
 
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I’m sorry you’re still struggling. Have you seen a different orthopedic doctor about your pain?

I understand having pain that no doctor helps with, it’s very frustrating.

I’d like to go back to a pt but that gets expensive quick.
I would call around to some PT offices and ask what they can do for you, to find someone familiar with this issue. Maybe they can show you enough things to do in a few visits for you to continue on your own.

By the way, I merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?

Best wishes on your continuing recovery! :flwrysmile:
 
You could try stretches for your legs particularly glutes. Maybe you could try massage. Myofascial release cpuld be particularly helpful.
 
I have been having some IT band issues that caused knee pain and foam rolling the IT band has given me a lot of relief. You can find instructions to do this online. It’s fairly painful but worth it in my case at least.
 
I’m currently dealing with

I’d like to go back to a pt but that gets expensive quick. Are there any good resources online for itbs? What exercises I should be doing?
My pilates teacher says it is quite a difficult area to exercise/ stretch.
I don't have any real issue with mine but she sometimes does a release for ITB by massaging gently along the length with a spiky ball. You could easily do this yourself once you had seen it ( try YouTube) or had one massage session.
 
I have a burning pain from from my thigh all the way down to my ankle.
I have the same, for me it’s sciatic nerve pain. Lower back disc issues…

You might consider having that looked at if all else fails…..
 
have the same, for me it’s sciatic nerve pain. Lower back disc issues…
I have had and it was the worst pain I have ever had. I remember periods when I was lying on the floor at night trying to find something that helped.
This is what worked for me:
Pregabalin ( or others on this forum have used gabapentin which is very similar) definitely helped a bit but it wasn't a total cure.
A special memory foam pressure relief cushion was a godsend. I work very part-time but have to do up to 3 hour online meetings where I am scrutinised closely. I remember one when my sciatica was bad and I didn't have the cushion and I was trying to writhe surreptitiously!
 
Has anyone else developed this after knee surgery? It’s mostly associated with runners and other endurance athletes, but there are cases of people developing this after knee surgery. I’m currently going to a physical therapist for this but I’m not seeing much progress. The pain has even started radiating down my calf and into my foot. For sure it’s because of my very weak leg muscles and structural imbalances.

I’m curious how people here dealt with it. 99% of the content regarding it band syndrome has to do with running and overuse but I haven’t seen much on how people who developed it after surgery dealt with it.
 
Yes, I'm having trouble with my IT Band. It has originated with bursitis in my hip which is irritating the IT band that is, in turn, causing tightness in my knee (at least that's the current thought on it).

I started PT this week doing exercises to strengthen my glute medius and minimus. However, after just one PT session my hip and IT band are further aggravated and very sore and stiff. Today, I'm going to have an injection in my bursa which will hopefully help. I'm also alternating Advil and Tylenol, but may go back on Meloxican to see if that works better.

I have a couple of exercises for my IT band specifically which I've been doing for a couple of weeks without any success thus far. According to my OS the IT Band is tricky and will take a while to see improvement.

Good times.
 
IT Band Info You probably already know this but just in case you don't, here's some info for you. I hope it helps.
 

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