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TKR My recovery begins...again!<

I got sciatica the first week I was home from my LTKR and didn't know what the intense pain was. It was located on the outside of my knee and calf and hurt more than the knee. My OS said it's fairly common after TKR surgery as patients are lying on their backs or in a reclining position so much of the time. OS prescribed Flexeril, which is a muscle relaxant that helps sciatica. My home PT told me to ice (no heat) on lower derrière/backside where the nerve root is located. She suggested I do the hamstring stretch with a strap (I used my bathrobe sash) and told me not to do straight leg raises, which aggravate it. I'm now almost 4 weeks out and things improved so much that I stopped the Flexeril a few days ago. I have a slight pain in my outer calf so I'm still icing, doing the hamstring stretch and not doing the straight leg raise but it's minor now. Take care, it's a tough one but the pain does subside.
 
Thank you, TML! I will switch from heat to ice on it. Plus, I'll start doing the stretches and mention all of this to my PT whom I see n Wednesday. I see my OS on Friday as well.

Again, thank you for your input!

Katrina


Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 & May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
Hi Katrina, we both had surgery on the same day.

I too have sciatic pain on my replacement side. Prior to my surgery it would wake me and I would have to stand up for relief. I let my OS know after surgery that I was still experiencing the sciatic pain and he just said that walking would be my friend.

I think the pain pills must help a little as I don't get near a jolt as I was getting prior to surgery. It's still there however, and I use the heating pad which relieves it temporarily.

Here's to being in zero pain someday down the road.


Diane
RTKR 7/12/16
 
Diane,

I agree about the pain meds taking the "edge" off of the sciatica pain. Prior to surgery, a trip to our nearest city (we live in a rural community) proved to be so very painful. I resorted to using the heated seats in one of our vehicles, even with the triple digit Texas temps!

Hopefully, we will both experience a relief I both the sciatic and knee pain soon!

Katrina


Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
Just wondering about pain meds. With my RTKR, the doc mentioned something about taking me off of Hydrocodone (caused severe drowsiness while trying to recuperate, trying to teach, or simply trying to think.) He suggested Ultracet, I believe, to which the nurse responded that, since I was taking an anti-depressant, I wouldn't be able to switch. Have you heard of this? I know that, years ago, when I had my ACL surgery, I took Ultracet and did so much better.

As I said, I'm just curious. I'd like to try it again at some point, if possible. I wondered if @Josephine might have some ideas about this.

Katrina


Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
Ultracet has tramadol in it and it does interact with certain antidepressants. I found this out because I'm on one of them that at least makes the tramadol less effective and actually can have some serious reactions with others. Though I haven't had a major problem taking tramadol it just does not work very well for me because of the other med.
 
Hello all,

I hope everyone is doing well on your TKR journey.

I am almost at the three-week mark and can't remember this intense pain I'm having from my first TKR. The pain is horrible when I attempt to walk---both with the walker and without it.

The pain is below my knee cap and on the outside of my leg by my knee. Each step is excruciating. This just started about four days ago.

Also, I went to get my staples out on Friday (three days ago) and asked the PA about the sciatica issues I'd been having. He prescribed Gabapentin to be taken three times per day. Yes, it definitely relieves that nerve pain, but it adds to the sleepiness I have from the Hydrocodone. Maybe it will eventually keep the pain at bay.

I'd just like to know if this knee pain is normal. I went to my first real PT appointment Thursday, but the pain had really started a couple of days before---the intensity just became worse.

I am feeling whiny and frustrated. Any ideas ?

Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
It sounds very much like my experience. The pain on the outer part of my leg below the knee and on the side of my knee was excruciating, starting with my first steps after surgery, with any weight, such that I could not walk at all. I couldn't lift my leg without pain, also. This pain went on for nearly 4 weeks until I went to my OS for my check up and he said it was peroneal nerve irritation. I started Gabapentin 3 times a day and it provided almost immediate relief...not total but a great deal of relief. By then I was at 4 weeks and felt like I was starting from scratch.
The OS said that, in my case, the most severe damage was on the outside of my knee and therefore there was a lot of manipulation by him and that's where the peroneal nerve runs.

I don't know how normal or common it is but it is a complication and certainly complicated my recovery. I was on some big doses of Oxycodone (3 every 4 hours) and MS Contin twice a day, before I started Gabapentin.

Yes, the gabapentin made me very sleepy too. I'm still on it, still a bit sleepy too. I've lowered the dose but I'm afraid to completely withdraw. It also seems to be elevating my mood!

I hope your pain will decrease soon. It's not pleasant, to say the least. It seems that recovery is less complicated if there is no nerve pain. But stay on the gabapentin for now, if it is agreeing with you. Sleep is good at your early stage.
 
Thank you, Mamazipp. I appreciate knowing that you have been through a similar experience. It is odd to me that this pain has just recently manifested itself. After retreading my post, I am wondering if it is somehow related to PT. I thought I had the pain prior to PT, but that may not be accurate. I do hope that I didn't allow the physical therapist to do too much.

The physical therapist was supposed to see me twice a week, but, when I saw him for the first real session, he wanted to do three times a week, so he can help me get strong enough to start back to school. We may have done too much last Thursday.


Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
I take gabapentin too. I take most of the dose at bedtime and a lighter dose in the morning. Check with your OS to see if that would work for you
 
@newlybionic
that is very interesting.....I take my bigger dose in the morning and lighter dose at night. Maybe I'd be less sleepy if I reversed it!

@katgonmom yours didn't start from the very beginning so I don't want to imply that the cause is the same, but the pain sure sounds similar. If the Gabapentin helps, though, that's good. Check with your PA or OS. I'd hate to think its from your PT, but maybe it was Too much of the wrong therapy. Hope you feel better soon!
 
I went to PT today, and he was alarmed. He suggested it's my gait that is so different from my previously "wrong" gait. He also wonders about surgery issues.

Whatever it is, I am in terrible pain unless I'm sitting in my recliner.

One good thing is that the sciatica is definitely waning.

I go to my PA Wednesday, and I will ask her about the Gabapentin.


Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
I'm glad that your sciatica is not bothering you as much. Hopefully the PA can give you something to help your pain.
 
Thank you @newlybionic and @uva55 !!!

Big concern! Please respond if you have some ideas: I am having terrible pain in the front of my leg directly below my incision. It is a bit to the left of the incision.

During my first TKR, I used the ice machine constantly. This time around, the tubing from the wrap that goes around my knee hurts my knee so badly. It feels like something is pressing down on that area with a great force. When I check it and put my hand there, it doesn't feel as if there's any pressure at all.

Then, when I get up to walk, with or without the walker, each step is a sharp horrible pain. The PT yesterday said that shouldn't be occurring and checked my knee for extra swelling and fever. Nothing noted. He surmised that it is from having bad gait habits for so many years. He also feels as if it's surgery pain.

Please help me with some possibilities. This pain is debilitating. I have cried several times in the last couple of days from the severity of it, and it takes a lot for me to shed tears.

Thank you in advance!



Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
Hello @ katgonmom
Sorry you had such a ruff time of it after surgery:sorry:
As I'm reading through your posts, thinking.... will I have all this much pain again when I have my second knee replacement come Sept? :flabber: My R TKR was 4 months ago, now getting ready for the Lt. one!
I can honestly say tho, I'v learned a lot from Bonesmart on how to do it the right way!
Wishing you better days ahead :console2:
 
I'm sure it's probably surgery pain, it's only been a couple of weeks for you, I had one spot on my right side towards the end of my incision that was so tender and painful, I told my PT, she suggested I massage it a couple of times a day, and now it's gone, my calf, and thigh muscles are still achy, this is just a very low process!
 
Thank you @Majella. I don't recall this particular pain with the first knee. I seemed to have had dull pains once I got to the second week and on for a bit.

I guess what is really hard is that I had NO pain in this knee before surgery. My theory is that the two ACL surgeries had done a number on my nerves, so I didn't feel the severe damage. The OS said my knee was a hot mess. He didn't know how I had been walking on it. Like I said, though, I felt very little, if any, pain. But now... I have PAIN!

I know it will get better. I know that a year out from now, and even a few months, my mobility will improve. Patience is needed.


Katrina
Two ACL surgeries on left knee (March 2001 &amp; May 2006)
RTKR ---15 December 2015
LTKR--- 12 July 2016
 
It sounds like you're under medicated. I think you should call your doctor.
 
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