TKR Roller coaster recovery of Jas

[mannbub]

luvcats, sistersinhim, ElanorG, marieltha, kneeper,

Thanks guys for all your suggestions. I will find a podiatrist first thing tomorrow morning and make an appointment. I am really disheartened with all this pain I am dealing with. Hoping and praying that this resolves

 

[Celle]

@mannbub
I've removed all the tags from the start of your post, above, because having so many at the start of a post makes it difficult for people reading on small devices.
That's explained more fully in this article:
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

 

[mannbub]

I went to see a podiatrist today and he told me I have a heel spur at the bottom of my heel and a heel spur at the back of my heel. He told me that it’s easier to treat the spur at the bottom with a steroid shot but for the one at the back of my heel all I can do is Ice, do stretching exercises and wear orthotics. But he does not think that the pain that I have in my upper calf when I walk is related to my heel issues. He thinks it’s related to knee replacement. I tried to look up in the forum but didn’t seem to find anyone with the same issue I am having. It’s my upper calf right below the knee bend that hurts when I walk. Any tips as to how to deal with it?

 

[Celle]

That pain could be because you're stretching the tissues at the back of your calf as you walk. It's not a bad thing and it may well resolve in time, as your knee extension gets easier.

 

[mannbub]

@Celle I hope what you are saying is true. I hope it resolves. I am really concerned.

 

[mannbub]

Hi guys I am 3 months post op as of today. My knee is good. Issue is the pain in my calf and my heel/foot pain in the same leg. I am released to go back to work part time for the next four weeks(requires lot of walking) and I am nervous due to the pain I am having especially in my heel. My Ortho prescribed Gabapentin. Any thoughts on this drug? Little nervous about taking it. I think he wants me to take it for couple of months.

 

[Jockette]

I was prescribed gabapentin for a possible nerve issue in my knee and I gave it up after not quite 3 weeks, I didn’t like the side effects I had from it.

I’ve had tinnitus for years and it’s at a manageable level, but on gabapentin it was taken to an unacceptably bad level. Gabapentin also caused me bad constipation and I felt very drugged while on it.

It didn’t help my knee issue and with those side effects I didn’t have the patience to stick it out longer to see if it would help.

 

[Jockette]

We do have this article about gabapentin in our Bonesmart library:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/gabapentin-what-is-it-for-and-how-does-it-work.43865/

Here’s a link to the whole list of articles in the Bonesmart Library. Lots of topics there!
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/library-index.14830/

 

[mannbub]

@Jockette Yes that’s what I am worried about. Unwanted side affects of it. Any suggestions as to what can help me with calf discomfort and heel/foot pain.

 

[Jockette]

I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and posterior tibial tendinitis last March. I’ve done some calf stretching, but of course I did it wrong and a little too aggressively and messed my knee up a little bit (it’s on the non operated leg) so I’ve backed off the stretches, but I found that almost always wearing my shoes has helped it quite a bit and I rarely have the heel pain now. (I was always a barefoot girl around the house before this!)

My shoes/sandals have an orthotic built into the footbed of the shoe with extra support in the metatarsal area, and as long as I have these on my foot is ok. I’ve worn this type of footbed since 2010 due to other issues with this same foot.

 

[mannbub]

@Jockette Do you mind telling me what brand you wear or type of shoes you wear. I never walk barefoot even in my house. I always have something on. I do the calf stretches twice a day. Strange thing is that I never had issues with my foot before my knee replacement. It’s the surgical leg. I wonder if something happened to my foot during surgery. My xray shows heel spurs but I am sure they were there before surgery.

 

[Jockette]

I wear the brand Abeo. I buy it from The Walking Company. It’s about the only brand I’ve found with the orthotic built right into the footbed of the sandal/shoe. It’s the only footwear my foot likes.

There’s a shoe thread in The Social Room that you might find helpful.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/shoes-for-recovery.42383/

Do you think maybe your gait is different due to the TKR? That is addressed in the shoe thread. Some members have had to buy new shoes because of the wear pattern of the shoes worn before TKR isn’t compatible with the new post surgery gait. If the surgery did such a correction then maybe your calf is also still adjusting. Let’s ask @Jamie if I explained this right.

 

[Jamie]

You've been given all the right things to do to try and improve heel and lower leg pain after a TKR. New shoes is a must. The stretches are what worked for me - especially the one against the wall

and this one - both are good for your calf muscles and the tendons at your heel.

If you haven't seen a therapist to have your gait checked, you could ask your GP to order a few sessions for you to get this done. Sometimes after years of walking in pain with a bad joint, our body tries so hard to compensate for the problems in the joint that it changes your alignment and your gait.

If you want to take Tylenol for the pain and your currently have no liver or kidney issues, just be sure you take 1000 mg doses each time and no more than a total of 4000mg in a 24 hour period. Be sure and count any other meds with acetaminophen in them (like cold and flu medicines) in that 4000mg total. You could also try Aleve - 1 tablet in the morning when you get up. It can help with the inflammation.

 

[mannbub]

@Jockette Actually I wear sneakers at my job. Couple of months before surgery I had bought a brand new pair of Asics so I thought my shoes should be ok. But seems like I should try some other brand like Hoka or Brooks. I am sure my gait has changed.

@Jamie I do these stretches twice a day and I will continue to do them. I am still in therapy and PT works on my tight calf muscles. I will try Tylenol or Aleve. I was trying to address this problem without any pain medication but I guess Aleve/ Tylenol is better than gabapentin. Thanks for your advice ladies. I hope I find some solution to this issue I am having.

 

[luvcats]

Hopefully something simple like replacing your shoes will fix the issue. I need to get some new sneakers too, after having both knees done, even though my current shoes aren't very old. I know my gait is completely different!

Did you know that Bromelain has an anti inflammatory effect? Like the enzyme in pineapple? Give it a google. I used it a lot before surgery and I found it very helpful. I also found curcumin, from the spice turmeric to be very beneficial, if that is a direction you're interested in researching.

 

[mannbub]

@luvcats Ya my sneakers are pretty new. Didn’t feel like dishing another $140/$150 on sneakers buy I guess I need to to see if that will help with my foot issues. I was taking curcumin supplement before surgery but ended up with a big bruise on my arm as my blood became too thin after taking this supplement. I will definitely look into Bromelain.