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TKR Sharp pain 9 months post-op

It was the third root of a pre-molar tooth. Not infected. The dentist put that metal rod in the other two roots last week and this third root was just finishing the job. I think the decay was in the other two roots, but the entire tooth had to be done. So, in all probability, the nerve to this last root was still functioning.

I didn't take antibiotics - current practice doesn't require them - and I wasn't prepared to have a root canal last week, as I hadn't even had toothache. I don't think I have an infection. It hurts when I bite down on the tooth, but my gum isn't swollen or sore.

We'll see what Monday brings.
 
A year before my TKR I broke a tooth. When I went to the dentist she said the tooth was cracked down to the root and I infected into my jaw bone. The dentist asked if I had been in any pain, but I only had an ache in my jaw one day 6 months before. They had to clear the infection, pull the tooth, insert bone and tissue so I could have an implant because there was nothing wrong with the teeth on either side. Weird that I also felt no pain in my knee when it was infected. If it hadn't been for the fever and drainage I wouldn't have known.
 
KarriB so this was after you had your right knee replaced? I saw that you had an infection to this knee any chance it was related to tooth? Wasn't sure when this happened to you? Sounds terrible!
 
It was a year before my TKR. My dentist and oral surgeon couldn't believe I wasn't in more pain. I was taking Aleve or Tylenol for knee pain, so maybe it masked it. There's no telling what caused the knee infection. Three months before TKR I had a bad cut on my right leg also. But both the OS and infectious disease say there's no way of knowing. Of course, I'll always wonder.
 
Root canals are no fun to say the least. I usually had pain for a few days afterwards but if it's still bothering you then by all means give a call. My dentist could tell but the Xray and then when he was working on my teeth if an infection was present.
 
I am probably not doing this right for I have posted other threads. Sorry if not!
Have a question I am 13 weeks out from tkr. Doing great, I am quite active, back teaching and biking on trainer with post op exercises. I do get swellingon knee if I over do but gone by morning. I eat very healthy. I am having a lot of inflammation throughout body and think it is coming from knee. I do not get in ankles or feet. My knee leg is swollen more especially around knee and calf by end of day. But I have put on about 12 pounds from time after surgery and feel it is water weight. I only drink water and at least 64oz a day. Surgeon did have me on meloxicam When I first started back to school but I have been off for a few weeks for a side effect was fluid retention.
Has anyone else had issues with this? Could it be stress of the surgery? Pain meds though I have been off several weeks. How can I rid this, trying so hard to keep weight in check. No heart issues I am a long distance cyclist, my doctor said I am at optimal health!
I had my rtkr two years ago and actually lost weight!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@violinone .... you will notice that I merged your latest new thread with your old recovery thread. We do prefer that members keep their updates, questions and concerns regarding their recovery in a single thread. This makes it easier for us to go back and review your history if necessary before making a response. It also gives you a journal of your recovery so you can look back and see how far you've come. So please post in this thread when updating or asking questions about your own recovery. If at any time you want a different thread title, just post what you'd like in your thread and we'll get it changed for you.

It's perfectly fine to post in other members' threads too, but just be sure when you do you're focusing on their recovery with your comments.

I do have a question about your post. You indicate that you "have a lot of inflammation throughout your body." What makes you think that? If this was the case, it would not be likely to be caused by your knee swelling. When you overdo things, you'll get localized swelling in your knee area itself. Since the knee compartment is really compact, you might not even notice swelling there. But, I can guarantee you if you see swelling in your knee, you're doing too much for this stage of recovery and it would be best to scale things back for a while. Even if the swelling returns to normal overnight, you really want to avoid this cycle.

If you think you're retaining water, especially if it is in areas other than your legs and feet, it would be a good idea to talk this over with your GP. Twelve pounds of fluid retention would be significant and should be investigated.
 
Thank you so much for your reply. I will take your advice and scale things back. I am always so conscious and trying to build up my strength I know therapy is the key to success unfortunately I have other obstacles such as teaching upkeep around here etc. I use my bike as a form of therapy at this stage to just keep knee moving and it does help a great deal at the end of my school day to get rid of the swelling. Even though I do long-distance cycling and hope to get back to that at this point I am not beginning to train to get back to that level at all for one my body will not let me ! So I do try to listen to my body I just figured the swelling was the norm at the stage when trying to add things .
My right knee I had very little swelling so this is definitely new to me and my therapy was Much the same.
As to the inflammation I am assuming it had to do with water retention I eat healthy and I just felt that 12 pounds of weight over 3 months had to do with stress related from surgery and having swelling in one area of body etc. will try and back off and see how things go. Thanks so much
 
violinone said:
I am always so conscious and trying to build up my strength I know therapy is the key to success unfortunately I have other obstacles such as teaching upkeep around here etc.
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You know, most people give up PT when they start work again. Just the exercise associated with going to and from work and work itself is plenty of exercise for a new knee. Your strength will build up gradually, just with what you do in your life.

Therapy is not necessarily the key to success and it can work against you if you do too much.
I did no PT at all after my last TKR - and only three formal PT sessions after the previous TKR. Both my knees work very well, and have full extension and a bend of over 125 degrees.
 
It sounds to me like scaling back the amount of time biking and taking days off from the biking now that you're back at work would be helpful.
When I went back to work and for several weeks, I did very little exercising on top of my day at work. Though I think you're right that a few minutes of biking can ease some stiffness.
 
I lose 10 pounds after knee replacements (surgery + lack of appetite the first week). But then, due to not moving around much, that weight slowly comes back as I recuperate and my appetite picks back up. Even when I eat healthy, the weight still slowly comes back. So your weight gain might just be from having a lower level of activity the first 2 months after surgery. I know that have to watch to make sure that I don't regain too much weight, as my activity level is lower after surgery.
 
I have a recovery thread already but cannot figure out how to add to thread Sorry! Little over 4 months out. Can some please.......help!
Since I have been back to school I have put in long hours for I am a music teacher so up on feet, concerts after school etc. my early recovery went really well. I felt that my knee was strong doing my PT and light cycling. I try to listen to my knee but I am having struggles finding out what my limitations are. Last week or more I have had swelling and lots of heat. PT and OS said to back off all extra exercise which I already had a week ago. So when I get home I ice and elevate. This weekend I really tried to rest and see a big difference no swelling and heat is down considerably. I might add that I still ice each night all night with my ice machine since surgery. By morning swelling is gone but very stiff. I am so afraid I will lose what I gained in strength. I am a cyclist and want to be ready to ride knowing that I won't be able to start strong. PT is so important. I have 125/0 . I can go down and up steps with little pain, going down is only difficult with swelling.
I know you can't compare two surgeries but my first tkr on right knee was doing much better with same activity. The only difference is I had a scope prior on that knee. On this knee from the start after surgery I had so much more swelling and bruising. Just seems like I have had a lot of hurdles with this knee and getting discouraged. My PT before consisted of leg lift, squats at incline on total gym, walking lunges, step ups on small step hip combos and some yoga but only a few stretch moves and cycling 20 min 2x a day. Exercises 3x a week cycling 5. Did great no swelling until my school activities picked up. When I posted b4 suggestion was to back off exercise and I did but I do not feel as strong
What does the intense heat mean why hotter with more activity? Thank you would appreciate anyone else's stories
 
Are you over-doing it? Of course you are!!! So am I, unfortunately some of us must work. Yes, going back is difficult, especially when you're on your feet a lot. I'm 5, going on 6 months post op and I still have rough days and bad weeks. I'm a cyclist also and have had to cut back on that activity for now. On days off I do easy hikes, lite gym workouts, or just catch up on sleep. I pedal my spin bike a bit every day, but I must conserve some energy for work- brutal 12 hour shifts that knock the stuffing out of me. I know cycling will be there when I'm ready.

Why not go easy on youself for another couple of months? By then the weather will be lovely and you'll be ready to ride!
 
I've merged your threads for you. Here are instructions on how to find a thread on the forum. This information is always available to you under the Help & Info tab at the top of the page. Just click on the How To Use This Forum link from the drop down menu.

How can I find my threads and posts?

I think you know the answer to your problem. You are pushing your knee beyond its capacity to function at this stage of your recovery. Clipless is right on target. You're going to have to slow down. That heat and swelling are the indicators that you're inflaming your soft tissues by being on your feet too much.

I suggest you take a really hard look at what you're doing with your job and find some accommodations for the remainder of the school year. They might be things like:

* Getting special parking so you park close to a door near your classroom
* Arranging for an assistant to help you in the classroom so you're not on your feet all day
* Getting a chair or stool to use at least part of the time in class
* Only doing assignments that are absolutely required...no extra concerts, lunchroom or study hall details or other things that could be assigned to someone who is not trying to recover from major surgery
* Find time to day to ice and elevate between classes or at lunch
* Ask students to run errands for you to the office or other places so you're not walking around as much during the day
* Go straight home after school to ice and elevate your knee ..... no errands or home chores on days you work

You get the idea. I know you're unhappy. Sometimes one knee is more difficult than the other. Yours is. If people at work don't understand, enlist your surgeon to write a list of permitted activities for your workday. Most are very happy to accommodate what you feel is the amount of activity you can tolerate.

I need to warn you that if you continue to push yourself and have this level of pain and swelling, you risk having the pain become chronic. You don't want this. Your health is so important.....please don't risk it.
 
The heat that you feel is from inflammation. So, when swelling occurs--and you are walking on a joint that is not ready to support your leg, the soft tissues around the knee get angry---and generate heat from the inflammation of the tissues. The swelling and inflammation cause more liquids to form in the knee and thus the swelling.

Actually, I also found that the recovery was up to me. I could keep on being a bull and exercising despite the swelling and inflammation or---I could accept the fact that I was asking my joint to do more than it was able to do. I slowed down and gave the knee more rest. I think that if you allowed those tissues to heal more with rest and not constantly firing them up with too much activity, then the knee will heal more and your muscles will be able to kick in and support the leg. Right now, the knee is telling you that it is not ready to do everyhting and you, like me too, are choosing to ignore it and press on. I made my recovery extra long and my doctor pointed out that when you exercise a hot, swollen knee you cause adhesions (scar tissue) to form. THAT I did finally listen to!!
 
Thank you I know your right. Just difficult for you work so hard to get to where you are and then All of a sudden your back stepping due to work. I have modified at school by icing at lunch, on breaks and from my post several weeks ago i scaled back on bike etc. I guess I didn't realize that being up on your feet this late in recovery would cause this much heat and swelling especially when you have no pain! . Days that I can I come home to rest but with performances ahead i have long days.
Wow didn't think about chronic pain or adhesions!!
Thank you for the wake up call I will have a better handle on what to do. Hopefully by summer I will be back on bike.
Jamie thank you for moving my thread again. I usually am computer savvy but for some reason I have trouble with this forum This site is so helpful!
 
violinone said:
Just difficult for you work so hard to get to where you are and then All of a sudden you're back stepping due to work.
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Try not to worry about this. Almost everyone suffers from increased pain and swelling when they first return to work.
It will gradually get better. Meanwhile, try to plan to do nothing at all on work days, except for coming home, grabbing a very simple meal and then spending all evening resting, icing and elevating your knee.
 
I went back to teaching part time for six weeks then full time by mid March. I was still so tired I had to come home to rest, ice and elevate every night and most of the weekends. But when the next school year came around I was ready to go.
 
Karrie how far were you after surgery when you went back full time in March? I appreciate everyone's advice took it and doing soooo much better! I laid off all my extra exercises and just did what I needed to do to get through school day and night performances. Tried to do more sitting and ice more during day. Weekends I just did what I had to do. Knee has calmed down still have little swelling but intense heat has gone away. In fact I feel I am walking better too.
like to start on bike for about 15 -20 minutes each day ligh cycling and see how that goes.
Thank you!
 
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