PKR Post surgery pain

Pjsposies

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I am 4 weeks post partial knee replacement. This was the second knee I had done. The healing process has been toitally different than the other knee which was done four months ago. I had very little pain with the first knee but this time around I am having quite a lot of pain my therapist says is muscle pain. It is often so bad I can hardly put any weight on it. The pain is in the back of the leg somewhat lower. The knee often buckles. Has anyone else dealt with a situation such as this?
 
Hi and :welome: to BoneSmart @Pjsposies!

It's not unusual at all for knee recoveries to be completely different even though they are on the same person. In my own case the first six weeks were pretty tough. Please tell us the dates of your surgeries and we will add it to your signature which will help us provide you better advise. I'll leave our recovery guidelines below.
 
The below guidelines are each relatively short and have great advice.

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
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
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
the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital


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.
 
My first knee would “buckle” after PKR. That was in May 2020. It took about 5 months before that feeling went away. My knee is doing great now. I haven’t had that “buckle” symptom with my second PKR.
 
Hello @Pjsposies - and :welome:

Please will you tell us the full dates of both your knee replacements and which knee it is each time, so we can make a signature for you? Knowing the exact date will help us to advise you more appropriately.
Thank you.:flwrysmile:

Your second knee may have needed more work done on it during surgery and that's why you have more pain.

It does sometimes take a while for the tendons and ligaments supporting your knee to recover enough to stop it from buckling, but this should improve as time passes.

If the pain is in your calf, do contact your surgeon, and have it checked, to make sure that you don't have a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
 
Welcome @Pjsposies. One thought of why the second knee is responding differently is as you were recovering from the first knee, your gait, posture, and balance all changed from what you were displaying prior to either surgery. That would have changed the torque, if you will, on the second knee, impacting some of the tendons and ligaments and possibly inflaming them a bit more. I had my second knee done just 7 weeks after my first and was quite aware of some of the differences. You had four months to impact the second. It will heal - be patient.
 

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