TKR Pain after 3 months

Pamsytam

new member
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
15
Age
79
Country
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Gender
Female
Hello. I've just joined. I had my knee replacement 14 weeks ago. I had a lot of pain for five days and then none at all. I was walking unaided at 17 days. I could easily straighten and bend my leg. I was soon walking a mile a day with no pain. After 2 months I noticed a clicking noise and a twanging on the outside of my knee but still no pain. For the last 2 weeks I have been walking a mile in the morning and one and a half miles in the afternoon. I felt great. 2 days ago a got a sharp pain at the clicking area and I find the stairs agony and walking quite painful. So upset and worried. What has happened and what should I do.
 
@Pamsytam Welcome to BoneSmart and the other side of surgery. Can you tell me the exact date of your surgery and which knee. I'll make a signature for you.

Sorry to say I think your problem is totally overdoing the activity. This recovery can take up to a year or more. Your new knee is objecting to all this activity so early out of surgery.

Are you icing and elevating? I suggest you stop all this walking for now and see if this pain eases.

I'll give you some guidelines. The activity progress (item 5) and the chart representation of recovery might give you an idea of where you are in this journey.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary

2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this Activity progression for TKRs

6. Access these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Left knee. Yes I am icing and elevating
 
Is it ok to go on my stationary bike. That doesn't hurt or do I need to rest altogether
 
I would recommend rest, ice and elevation until your pain eases. You need to confirm if activity brought on all this.

Note - unfortunately activity doesn't always bring on pain at the time. But a day or so later, that knee will complain.
 
If you're having a new onset of pain, I'd look back at what I'd either done differently lately, or what I'd been doing in general, then back off that activity for a time to see if the pain improves. Generally, our knees will be okay with some activity, but rebel when it's more than our knee is ready for. Even if it's something you've been regularly doing, your knee may just rebel out of the blue. When that happens, it's a good idea to back off, then spend a lot of time icing and elevating for a few days, to see if your pain improves. (don't forget to put a cloth between your knee and the ice or ice machine pad)

Most times it will get better with the rest; I suggest you then wait a while before trying the activity that caused the pain/swelling. If it's walking that caused it, back off the long walks for a time and take shorter strolls around your house and yard several times a day for a while after the pain levels drop, then very gradually add to your time and distance and see how your knee does. If it doesn't improve after the rest, a message to your OS is a good idea.
 
Pamsytam, sounds very similar to my issues. I was 9 weeks after tkr and was feeling great, swelling down, almost no pain. I was out twice a day walking 5 miles a day in total and 7km on the bike. Woke up one morning and ' BANG' pain through the knee, hamstring, shin. Couldnt climb the stairs . Totally puzzled by it, i sought help on here. It took others to point out id way overloaded the knee and it wasnt happy. For 3 days i sat elevating and icing. Slowly i started to walk again, nice pace rather that route march. Only now at week 12, im just back up to 1.5 miles twice a day gentle walking but no bike, and still in pain but reducing if i behave myself. Hope this helps you and you get better soon.
 
Yes Stuart sounds much like me. I was so happy I made such a quick recovery I thought the more I did the better. My pain just suddenly came on the outside of my knee surprisingly where it is numb. I am getting tingling etc. Wonder if my nerves are repairing. Been resting and icing for 2 days now. It's much better but gets worse if I walk and by evening. I am scared to go on my hike or walk in case it gets worse. We were never warned about doing too much.
 
Yip, sounds similar. Im getting the ' zingers' as they call them on here. Sharp, shooting pains lasting seconds. Just make sure any walks u take are not too long and at a slower pace than u did before, ice and rest when u get back. My main issue is my hamstring now, it s all just a slow process that we cannot speed up im afraid. Chin up.
 
By the way stuart do you have any clicking noises. I have a very loud click as I walk but apparently this is normal. I cant contact my OS because of lockdown. So nice to talk to someone.
 
Last edited:
I had a feeling of clicking but I didn't really hear it. It was all part of the healing process and gradually went away. It's kind of a weird feeling but not harmful.
 
I can hear and feel my clunking. Of course, I don't have a kneecap to cover over the noise. The clunking doesn't hurt at all.
 
By the way stuart do u have any clicking noises. I have a very loud click as I walk but apparently this is normal. I cant contact my OS because of lockdown so nice to talk to someone.
I get a clicking noise when i go downstairs, not painful just aware of it. Not had any when walking. Everyone on here says it s normal . It is a bit unsettling at first.
 
My clicking is really noisy. Everyone can hear it. Started at 11 weeks. Every step. Hope it settles.
 
I hope it does Pamsytam, it s quite a ride isnt it? Just when you think youve cracked it, bang, back three steps. It s my hamstring and behind my knee that are my issue i reckon, constant tightness and pain in both, only relieve i get is gentle walking. Hopefully we can look back in the weeks to come and help others because we ve ' been there'.
 
Just done half a mile. That's enough for now. So frustrating. I am also waiting for my other knee replacement so I think I was putting all the strain on my new knee.
 
Start u will never believe it I keep getting shooting pains in my hamstring and back of knee. Dont last long but agony at the time.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,180
Messages
1,597,062
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom