TKR Mechanical feeling?

[bikerchick1958]

I had major knee surgery about 30 years ago, and the numbness never went completely away. The area continued to get smaller for all that time, though. Also the weird thing about touching it in one place and feeling it in another went away about about 20 years. So strange that the nerves were still repairing themselves that much later!

 

[shr]

The replacement knee is mechanical, but then so is the original, just different mechanics. My RTKR feels clunky compared with the natural knee, but is strong and functional and is now the better knee. I can feel a mild "clicking" in it but have gotten used to it. I've had some numbness that seems to have subsided. I think it's gone now, but I've thought that before, only to see some improvement that revealed what I was missing.

 

[danendeb]

So here I am at just over 8 months. Thought things were looking up but now I'm back to miserable. Three weeks ago I did a lot of walking around on loose silty dirt and sand. Only thing I can trace this back to. By days end, I can hardly walk without horrible pain and swelling. I'm bummin.

 

[maryo52]

It's amazing how "touchy" these soft tissues can get after surgery. They give the illusion they are all better, and then we go and try to live our life normally and get demoted to the rest, ice and elevation stage!! It's really all a matter of time, which is easy to say looking back. When I was in the midst of it, it was pretty frustrating.

 

[50yrold]

Sorry about your setback, dananddeb. I hope rest and PT will make it better.

I am in my 5 th wk postop rtkr. I have had a great recovery thus far, but I am grateful for this thread, and have something to contribute, I think. My dislocation, and the resultant surgery, 26 yrs ago, resulted in a total loss of surface, or skin, sensation from just below my knee to my ankle. It was explained to me then that the emergency surgery to save my leg sacrificed some nerves. It took a couple yrs to get used to, but i finally decided I was more glad to have the leg. When the band aid surgeries stopped working, they put a cadaver achilles in to replace my pcl. No additional sensation loss then, but the reality that I (gratefully) have some other kind, departed soul's parts in me was a psychological hurdle, to be honest, even if it seems selfish to say so. But, you'd better believe I am an organ donor!

My rtkr 5 wks ago was precipitated by much anxiety and consternation. What? Me give up my real parts, however broken they are, for man-made replacements? Well, i am sitting right now, soaking my knee in a tub as I came down on it hard and wrong last night getting out of my car. It will likely take the weekend to recover from that. But, that said, I am thus far thrilled with the abilities I have regained. I am doing things, like picking up after myself, putting storage away, etc., that I wasnt doing before, but in no way was I attributing that to my knee. I also am walking farther than I used to be able to without the pain i had before.

Yes, sleeping is weird with the significant knee numbness. I kept waking up last week for two nights thinking that as I tossed and turned in my sleep that I would leave my lower leg behind and spin my upper body (which is the mechanics of my original injury, while skiing). I had bad dreams about it. But I slept well last night.

My knee clicks like there is no tomorrow. Part of it is the remaining swelling keeping the patellar button from tracking directly on the other replacement parts. But, the sounds are not accompanied by pain.

This is a long, slow road of recovery. I urge you to seek out the positives, and learn to live with the other changes, and consider your new knee a new lease on life. And that, my friend, is a decision we all must make.

Best wishes to all!