@melfair - i haven’t posted in a while but I still check in sometimes. I totally sympathize with you, my friend, since I had total left knee replacement surgery on Jan. 2017. I still have pain, swelling and some heat on the lateral side when I roll over, go down stairs, walk very far or even ride the stationery bicycle in our building’s gym. At my one year check up, my surgeon said my xrays looked perfect, my range of motion was great, I was walking well and my knee and scar looked good. She said she would not “open that knee up again” to do a revision. She said she believed my pain was real. Then she told me to take Tylenol, use Voltaren, keep exercising and going to physiotherapy. And she added, “See you in two years.” So maybe she thinks that three years after my TKR, I will be happy with my artificial knee. I’m certainly not yet.
I have been frustrated and depressed at times about having worse pain than before surgery, but I continue to experience small improvements. I was discouraged because, after more than a year, I had to use a wheelchair in both airports on a January trip to a resort in Jamaica. I had to use my cane around the resort - and even down to the beach. I did actually dance one night, but regretted it the next day! I’m not icing my knee or taking Tylenol as much. I’ve also cut down on physio because of lack of any real progress there, an increase in the hourly rate and lack of health insurance coverage! My therapist does believe that most of my pain is coming from my IT band. But after months of physio and stretching exercises, I don’t know why there’s been so little improvement.
This is all a very long way of saying, “Hang in there!” I would not discourage you from checking out an infection, metal allergy or other cause of your discomfort. I’m actually on a long waiting list to see a totally separate orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion.
We are a minority, but there are still some other TKR patients who continue to have remarkably similar symptoms and similar reactions from their OSs (e.g., “perfect xrays,” etc.) many months after surgery. We all support each other herw through what has become a drawn-out recovery. Many people post here for a few months, then stop posting after three or four months when they recover. Some lucky ones claim they don’t even think about their new knee(s) anymore. And there’s that five per cent of us or so that are still having a hard time of it. (My OS said fiver per cwnt of TKRs will always have pain - I’m determined not to be one of them!) But most days I’m hopeful that some day I’ll be able to walk pain-free again. That’s the whole reason I had this TKR in the first place! I am using my cane less (but if I’ll be walking much I still wear my neoprene brace). I try to practice going downstairs, but I still have to hold on to a railing. I think I’m quite a bit better than I was at my one year review this past January. I will continue to do my exercises, but not overdo, and Inlook forward to a long-planned trip to Hawaii - maybe next year. I was hoping to do that trip on two painless new knees...but I’m not in a hurry to have my bone-on-bone arthritic right knee replaced
for some time to come! Maybe I’ll go after my three year review...when I hope I’m finally healed and without pain.
People like us are called “slow healers”. I just hope we do heal eventually. Then maybe we’ll say the surgery was worth it!
Please keep posting and letting us know how you progress and what your surgeon in the States has to say about your symptoms and recovery. Some of us on Bonesmart will be thinking of you - and rooting for your recovery!
United States
