So, a new pain (for me)

[Gretchendz]

My first TKR was April. My second was Oct. 15.

After surgery on #2, I had some sharp pain to the side of the knee cap. At my 10 day check-up, I asked my OS and he said it was exactly where he had done a second under-the-skin incision and it should pass. It did.

Then the other night, I got up from a chair to go to bed and, in the same area, I suddenly had an excruciating pain. I'm someone who reserves a 9 or 10 on the pain scale for having a limb severed in an accident. Even after surgery I rarely called a 7 or 8. Well this was an 8 or 9 and very sharp. It was the kind of pain that makes you want to pass out. I was literally three feet from my bed and I had to ask my hubby to get my walker so I could get to the bed. Once in bed, I iced. It took awhile but I finally found a combination of ice, pills, and pillows and such where I could stand it.

I rested it that night and the next day and it got mainly better. However, I still get stabs of pain there, especially in PT. My PT suspects adhesions that are breaking loose. He rubbed it (ouch!) and showed me how.

I read through some past posts & didn't see too many similar complaints. I didn't hear the "velcro" sound or feel that Rowdy described earlier.

I'll be seeing my OS next week and will certainly discuss it.

Does the adhesion theory sound correct?

 

[JudyS]

I am a hippy, but what you describe at about 4 weeks, I experienced. THe pain coming down the stairs was so bad that day, worse than any after surgery pain. It was on the side of my hip, not knee. It was at 4 weeks. I had the home pt coming and she checked everything out and did not think I needed to see the doc.
I know I had started walking a lot more and had switched from crutches to a cane. Anyway my pt stated massaging it . (hate to use that word massaging as it hurt like h.ll)
I hope yours passes quickly. At outpatient pt they always looked to see if they had brought tears to my eyes.

Judy

 

[Josephine]

Sounds more to me like you have an inflamed tendon or ligament there. That CAN be excruciating but you are doing the right things, whatever it is. Healing is an odd thing - all sorts of curious things can happen. Don't fret unless it gets worse or refuses to get better.

 

[Gretchendz]

Thanks Jo...that was actually my first thought. Anyway, I'm confident it will get better

 

[Simon]

I also been having a pain on the outside of the kneecap but it is on top of the fibula. It was driving me nuts, worse than my old knee pain which was more of a dull ache that I could block out. When I saw the OS last week he said it was either an inflammation of the muscle where it inserts or more likely inflammation of the lateral collateral ligament. Since the problem was not in the joint, he injected it with cortisone and some novacain and that made it feel great while the novacain lasted. A few days of rest and it has gotten better.

Simon