TKR Patella Tendonitis after TKR - Have you had this?

[Josephine]

Oh well Mobic will cure anything, of course ...... Of course it's over use! Rest is the answer as your PT and surgeon seem to be agreeing on. As for not having the patience for 'months of this', seems like your body has other ideas. Remember what I said before, recovery is not something you do, it's something that happens to you. You are just along for the ride.

 

[ladyfleur]

I, too, have patellar tendonitis in the knee i had replaced in March. It has been giving way quite worringly and , at last has been diagnosed with this. My Pt has laid me off all exercise for the moment, I am resting, icing and elevating, and taking regular anti-inflammatories at present it appears to be getting a little easier but i am also frustrated with the roller coaster recovery i am having.
It is, however, true to say that I have been a lot better than this and therefore tried to push myself too far, to my regret . I have learned that my knee is in charge not me, I just dont understand why some patients recover so quickly and others appear to take forever. I was so positive before having my surgery but now I am just plodding on !!1

 

[jenkneefur]

at present it appears to be getting a little easier but i am also frustrated with the roller coaster recovery i am having.

ladyfleur, Oh I completely hear you! I am glad to hear that you are seeing some improvement, albeit a small one. Time sure can draaaaaag on while recovering.

My PT also backed me off all exercises that would aggravate the patella tendonitis. Are you using ultrasound or other therapies for relief? I have noticed some improvement since starting to use kinesio tape (here's a video of how you apply it for patella tendonitis:

).

Getting up from a chair is definitely less painful since using KT tape.

Do you have visible swelling and inflammation? I don't, which is strange.

 

[ladyfleur]

thankyou jenkneefur for your comments > I am sorry that you have the same problem as me but also glad to find someone who is suffering like me. I am having ultrasound treatment and it is easier. My biggest problem has been my knee giving way but this has been less this week with very little exercise and rest . I have , however re-started very gentle exercise in the pool with my PT so heres hoping . I did nt know recovery would take so long. I am waiting for the day to dawn when I will be walking normally again without pain or stiffness and without the dread giving way

 

[ladyfleur]

By the way I dont have visible swelling or inflammation but it sure burns inside . I will give give the kinesio tape a try Thankyou for your support

 

[jenkneefur]

By the way I dont have visible swelling or inflammation but it sure burns inside . I will give give the kinesio tape a try Thankyou for your support

Yes!!! That's exactly what it is...a burning pain. Just to compare notes, this is what doesn't hurt: Standing, light walking, light stationary bike, and bending without weight. What does hurt: Stairs, rising from a chair, squatting (starts to hurt at about 45 degrees of bend), and when I use a "Shuttle" machine in PT where one lies flat with knees bent at 90 degrees and pushes off of a platform with resistance.

Please stay in touch and let me know how you are doing!

 

[jenkneefur]

So, here's my pathetic update: For the past few months since my first RTKR in February I've seen very little pain improvement in both knees. Squatting, rising from a chair and using stairs are still excruciating. If I walk around too much or spend too much time on the stationary bike I pay for it with deep aches for a couple of days.

While I have recovered very good strength and great ROM, my quads, hamstrings and IT band are very tight, lumpy, tender and achy. I still go to PT 3x/week and take pain killers, especially before PT. When my PT massages those areas with a roller he can feel deep lumps where it is the most painful. I really feel that my PT is doing the best he can to help me, but he's just as frustrated as I am that I've hit a plateau in my recovery.

The other day I saw one of my surgeon's fellows and he referred me to a physiatrist, which he said is like a PT that is also a doctor. We're hoping that he will have a better idea of a game plan going forward. I just pray to God that he doesn't blow off my concerns. I will see him in early January. The x-rays look great, so no problem with the implants. The surgical fellow seems to believe that the soft tissue is rebelling from the realignment of my Q-angle. For almost four decades my legs had a valgus (knock-kneed) alignment, which caused patellar maltracking and the resulting severe osteoarthritis. Well, running and skiing didn't help. My bad. Now that my legs are straight the soft tissues are being stretched and pulled in ways they've never been before. I can only hope and pray that this *will* eventually improve with time and a better plan for therapy and exercise.

As I've read a bit about TKRs on valgus knees I've noticed that most people with this also had a lateral release at the same time. My surgeries didn't include this and so I wonder if that is making my recovery that much tougher. Do any of you have any first-hand knowledge of TKRs on valgus knees with lateral release? I had a lateral release in 2006 which didn't really help as it didn't fix the root cause. I later learned that surgeon failed me and should have recommended a Fulkerson osteotomy with the LR.

Anywho... I'm so sick and tired of being unable to return to a decent level of activity. It's driving me crazy. I feel 99 years old, not pushing 40. (insert pity party here) Hoping your recoveries are on the right track! :o)

 

[maryo52]

I still contend that one of the things ot try to get over a "speed bump" in recovery is to do a trial of no PT or exercises for several days or a week. Maybe you need to "grow into" this TKR.

I think your idea re: lateral release is worth exploring. Sometimes a second opinion is needed.

 

[ladyfleur]

Hi
So sorry you are having such a rough time . I am afraid I am experiencing very similar problems to you. My PT has been my rock and has been massaging areas of my knee with deep friction as she could feel tightness etc and then giving me ultrsound therapy. Sadly none of this has worked so far so I have finally been referred back to the surgeon in the hope that I can have MRI scan to determine the cause for all this. I am still experiencing generalised pain, severe tenderness over patella area and gross tightness around the whole knee. I cant walk at all well I have had to return to using a crutch when going out. As I said before I also have the ongoing problem of my knee 'giving way' which is still very worrying.
I too am at my wits end, feeling depressed, was hoping to be fine by now especially seeing others who have recovered so well,please keep in touch i do feel that i have found someone at last that i can relate to and lets hope the new year will bring us some answers. I dont know anything about lateral release but i will certaily ask the surgeon about it .

 

[maryo52]

Ladyfleur, I don't have answers. But I want to re-assure you that you're right, at last you have people who can relate to you, even if we do not share the exact same issues you do. We've been through this tough journey, and many of us has encountered significant obstacles to recovery.

I have noticed in myself and others a process of bouncing our thoughts and feelings off the forum, seeing our doctor, letting time pass, and trying different things . . . and eventually it gets worked out. In 2013 I think you will figure your way through this maze. Best of luck!

 

[jenkneefur]

Ladyfleur -- I sure can relate to how you're feeling...the frustration, depression and pain. Ick! You had your TKR just days after my RTKR...it's sure been a long road, hasn't it. Even though my knees were replaced three months apart, they are pretty much in the same shape and with the same exact pain symptoms that we both seem to be enduring.

When are you scheduled to see your OS? When were your last x-rays, and did the implant look okay? What are you taking for pain? Thankfully, I have a pain doctor for the painkillers, but I hate to have to be on them this long. Have you tried any muscle relaxers? Flexeril does help me. I still have pain on it, but much less than without it. Moist heat packs also help, albeit the relief is temporary, but it does help with stretching exercises. I'm lucky that we have a big whirlpool tub for taking hot baths with the jets to massage the knots away. I'd spend all day in there if I didn't turn into a prune.

I've felt that my OS kept brushing me off with the whole "it takes time" merry-go-round....no clear explanation for what was happening to me, and no plan to fix it. Then he tried to brush me off with the "15% of patients have permanent pain that we can't do anything about." I wanted to punch him. Instead, I made it clear that defeat was unacceptable...that I will not stop looking for a cure until I find it. I really hope that your OS will give you a clear idea of what is going on with your recovery and a plan of action of how your pain can be resolved. If he/she gives you the brush-off, then keep fighting and be the squeaky wheel until you get the care you deserve.

Please keep me posted. And hang in there! As Mary expressed, all of us are in your corner and here to help you, as you help us.

 

[jenkneefur]

Does anyone know how to change the title of the thread (since we are required to only post one thread and the topics change throughout recovery)? And why does everyone seem to have a fancy TKR badge except me? Afterall, I went through this twice!!! I feel left out.

 

[bottomshollow]

Any mod or admin can change your title and put the prefix for TKR in front of it. Just tag one of us by typing @ before our user name with no space in between. Be sure to get the user name spelled correctly or it doesn't work. Let us know what you'd like to the title to be and we'll get 'er done!

jenkneefur