TKR Long Term Soreness, Numbness, Stiffness post TKR

gafay1

new member
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
1
Age
76
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
I had tkr over 9 months ago and, while I have good ROM I also have constant soreness, stiffness after periods of immobility, swelling, numbness and hot spots as well as zingers from nerves. I am one of those patients whose surgeon and pt subscribed to the the no pain, no gain treatment and my knee was constantly forced into severe positions from day 2 post op until I was released at 4 months. My knee swelled grossly from day one and my pain was severe with little pain management. My surgeon doesn't prescribe anything but Tylenol past week 2. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice. I do all normal activities; walking, climbing stairs, driving, housework and gardening, etc. Plus I try to keep up with gentle exercises to maintain my Rom but I pay a price daily! Is this permanent?
 
Sorry you are having so much trouble. I know it can be frustrating. I have always had problems with 1 knee more than the other. I had a ton of swelling post-op for all the time I was in PT. It still swells some. Anyway, hopefully, others will jump in and give you some good advice.
 
Hello @gafay1 - and :welome:

Please will you tell us the full date of your knee replacement and which knee it is, so we can make a signature for you? Thank you.:flwrysmile:

it sounds to me as if your surgeon's "no pain, no gain" policy has left your poor knee with chronic inflammation. Your knee wasn't lazy or unfit, needing an aggressive exercise routine - it was wounded by major surgery and it needed rest and gentle treatment, so it could heal.

All the soft tissues around your knee were moved around and irritated by this surgery and they now need to calm down.

I suggest you stop all exercising and just use your knee in your normal activities of daily living. While you may lose a little ROM at first, it will come back. There's no need to keep exercising in order to maintain ROM.

As well as cutting back on the exercise, spend time icing and elevating your knee, to try and calm down those angry soft tissues.

It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your knee had the potential to achieve good ROM right from the start, but it was prevented from doing so by swelling and pain.

These articles may help you;
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
Knee recovery - Lose the Work Ethic!!
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
elevate
ice
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • EalingGran
    Staff member since January 23, 2024
  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023
  • Jamie
    Staff member since Feb, 2009
  • djklaugh
    Staff member since December 30, 2020

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,180
Messages
1,597,057
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom