TKR Post op swelling and stiffness<<

[Josh1303]

@sistersinhim and @Josephine

Thank you both for your replies again.
I’m going to look into this further as I need to know if he put anything in place of my knee cap.
Also, if I have had nothing put in place and he’s had to shorten the tendon does this make getting a good bend harder? Or would it have affected the back of my knee?
I get a lot of pain in the back when trying to bend further than 115

 

[Jockette]

115 is a good bend at 5 months. I also had trouble bending pain free at that point. Your leg is not even halfway healed yet.

My bend continued to improve well past the one year mark as it continued to heal and relax. Where you are now is not where you will end up.

If I knew then, what I know now, I wouldn’t have worried so much about ROM, but my surgeon put a big emphasis on ROM, which included bending my knee to a painful place at every appointment, up to and including my 4 month check up, that was the check up he hurt me the most. My next check up was at 7 months and that was when I finally had the nerve to refuse to let him touch my leg.

And all that focus on ROM for nothing, it came along in its own good time, and at now 2 years post op I have had a poor outcome that has nothing to do with ROM, and my surgeon is no help at all in these other areas. My records show “great ROM” but those numbers are from his pushing it, not what I could do myself.

It just goes to show that ROM is not the whole picture.

Yours may not feel like it bends much, but it’s still healing. I really believe you will have a more relaxed bend as time goes on. Try not to worry about it, and just be kind to your leg. Do what you can in your regular activities, treat it gently, and try to accept it for what it is right now, and know that it will improve as you heal more.

 

[Josh1303]

@Jockette

Thank you so much for your lovely reply.
It is very encouraging
Thank you

 

[sistersinhim]

Also, if I have had nothing put in place and he’s had to shorten the tendon does this make getting a good bend harder? Or would it have affected the back of my knee?

Actually, with a shorter patella tendon it is harder to get a straight leg. My bend wasn't affected by it. If you think about it, the quads are what pulls your leg up. If it is shorter then it's harder to pull up your foot and leg. Having pain in the back of the knee is normal for a tkr. Most of us found that icing the back of the knee, too, helps with the pain there.

 

[Fastpuls]

Josh, there are tendons that attach the patellar to the shin bone and the quadriceps muscle, it’s a big deal. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery

 

[Fastpuls]

No. That wouldn't have happened.

It happens.

 

[Josh1303]

@Fastpuls
Hi
I had to have an ultrasound on my knee because of the pain I was getting at the back of the knee when bending.

It didn’t reveal what was going on at the back of my knee and radiographer said I need further imaging.

BUT it did reveal I have a tear in the quadricep muscle above the knee.
This area is still puffy and tender.

 

[Fastpuls]

This is quite a roller coaster ride isn’t it? I wish you the best of luck in your recovery.

 

[Josephine]

Also, if I have had nothing put in place and he’s had to shorten the tendon does this make getting a good bend harder? Or would it have affected the back of my knee?

It's most unlikely he would have removed the patella. If it was arthritic, he would have used a patellar button. I saw your xrays (somewhere!) and you do definitely have a patellar button. No doubt about it.

But don't worry that this will import something serious for you. So far as I can discern from this thread, you're doing just fine.

there are tendons that attach the patellar to the shin bone and the quadriceps muscle

Yes, we have an article in the library explaining this but here is the primary image

Patellectomy or why can't a patella be replaced?

 

[Josh1303]

@Josephine

I have never posted a photo of an x ray as I have never had a photo of it

 

[Josephine]

Ah - must have been someone else's! My bad!