TKR Low back pain after TKR

[Jockette]

I agree! If they would just be honest with us, we’d have less stress that something is wrong!

Thankfully, there’s Bonesmart, for those of us who have found it!

 

[SusieShoes]

I agree surgeons downplay the intensity of the recovery experience. I love my OS, but he never mentioned energy drain or sleep disruption, both of which were major annoyances. I knew about them only because I'd been reading on BoneSmart.

 

[MEPil]

I feel very blessed to have found Bone Smart, this information and all the great people to help all of us on this Rocky road to recovery, is amazingly helpful.

 

[pamkat]

I also had back pain a few months after surgery. I think my body was so used to walking "funny" to keep painful knees at bay, that when I began walking correctly, my back revolted. I actually had to be carried out of a store one day because I couldn't move. But a few trips to a chiropractor got me all straightened out. No problems since. It may be as simple as your getting a spinal adjustment. Good luck!

 

[beachy]

I just read your entire thread. I've had chronic back pain for a few years. I have scoliosis and it was aggravated by limping. I never took pain meds aside from Tylenol for it.

At 4 weeks post it reared its ugly head again.
Physical therapy helped it pre op. I have a doc who specializes in back pain and she wanted to do a cortisone shot a few months ago. If I can't get this back pain worked out I may have the shot. After the OS clears me.
Lidocaine patches, ice, tens unit have helped in the past and I'm ready to try them again.

It's insult on top of injury, isn't it?

 

[MEPil]

Beachy, it sure is. We get so worn out from trying to deal with everything.

 

[MEPil]

Went for my check up with my OS and he was very pleased with my progress. I told him my concerns about this frustrating limp but he just said I'll have to work at it. . Here it is 9 weeks, I replaced my shoes, exercising, trying to do the heal first walking and I'm still limping. I could cry, I'm so frustrated. I don't feel like I'll ever get off this cane. My knee is still sore too.

 

[MEPil]

My lower back pain is better but not completely gone. Only thing I'm taking is Naproxen every 12 hours as needed.

 

[Jockette]

Time. Just give it time. It’s hard to walk properly with a sore leg. (even if you haven’t had a knee replacement)

You still have lots of healing to do. Where you are now is not where you will end up.

Rest, ice and elevate so the swelling can go down.

Keep in mind, it’s not exercising that gets our range of motion back, it’s Time:

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Exercise as in strength training is counter-productive and in the early weeks does more harm than good. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[MEPil]

Thank you, this knee is just a whole different journey for me than my left one was and I just want it to be well. Guess I'm tired.

 

[Jockette]

I know how you feel. I’ve only had one replacement, a partial, and it has not gone well. I’m 20 months post op and I’d like it to be over, too.

 

[sistersinhim]

It's very possible that this knee was a whole lot worse off inside and more work had to be done to it than the old one. That's why we say to never compare knees cause they're each different. At nine weeks you are only a little over 2 months out of a 12 month recovery. That's 1/6 of the way through. Please take it easy on that knee and rest, ice and elevate it as much as it wants!

 

[MEPil]

Jockette, 20 months is along time to deal with what you have gone through. What does your doctor say could be causing you so much trouble and is he doing anything to help you?

 

[MEPil]

Sistersinhim, you are probably right about maybe it was worse than the other one. The doctor told my husband after my surgery it was in bad shape. It was 10 years ago since I had the other one replaced and that makes me 10 years older, even if my mind wants to fight that. I have been so concerned over still limping and getting so frustrated with it. I hope as more healing comes, the limp will leave. Thank you for this advice.

 

[Jockette]

At my one year check up my surgeon hardly said anything and offered no further tests. I have not gone back to him.

I had a second opinion at 15 months and he didn’t offer any tests either. I have held off on any further opinions for the time being.

Part of me hopes continued patience and time will help, but at this point I don’t think that’s the answer for me.

 

[Mom2Lucy]

@MEPil , my lower back pain is still with me, and it’s increased a lot this week. A chiropractor told me long ago that lower back pain is often referred pain from other areas of the body, so aggravating when a sore leg is more than enough to contend with. But maybe it is indeed all part of the healing process?

 

[sistersinhim]

Ten years ago for your first replacement means you had 10 more years of destruction on this new one. That's bound to have made it worse.

 

[montanagal]

I hurt my back doing the straight leg raises every day. Raise and hold 5 sec - arghh - my big ol leg, not realizing how I was hurting myself. Long history of injury that way, but on the painkillers I just thought I was bulletproof..

 

[Celle]

Long history of injury that way, but on the painkillers I just thought I was bulletproof..

That's exactly why we recommend people don't take painkillers so they can do PT!
The pain killers mask the pain that would be a warning sign you are doing too much, and need to stop.

 

[MEPil]

Yes, I agree, I definitely believe some of the theraphy we are taught to do bring on more problems. It takes our bodies time to get well and pushing ourselves or trying to do what we are told to do at theraphy make us worse for a lot of us.
Yesterday I feel like I pushed too much. After Church, we went shopping for awhile, although it wasnt too terribly long but guess it was a bit more for me yet. I was very sore in my knee, so back to ice, elevated, and rest for the rest of the day.