TKR Stabbing pain

[Pasta52]

Tomorrow will be four weeks since I had my TKR...My doctor use the robot and the first week was a breeze. He took a video of because I was doing so well!
I let that go to my head because I am sure I have been doing way too much. I go to PT 3 days a week although he said I could cut it down to two already. My incision looks beautiful my swelling has gone down considerably but something has happened! Some aliens are coming into my bedroom at night and won’t let me sleep I am up every two hours with knee pain and just being uncomfortable...and yes I am constantly iceing!!Tried going off the Oxy and taking tramadol which is probably just as bad and alternating with Tylenol arthritis strength.
Today a new problem… I’m having stabbing pain in my knee cap in the middle and on the side...comes it goes maybe every 10-15 minutes.... it’s not as bad now 4 hours later but I’m still getting it every once in a while. My doctor says it’s normal it’s all part of the healing process I really thought this is going to be a piece a cake what was I thinking? I am not a very patient person and I really thought by now I would well be on my way to being almost pain-free I cry all the time and I am totally depressed I don’t wanna go out and do anything not even go to dinner! I know this is going to pass but I just had to vent!

 

[valgriff2]

Totally understand. Sonetimes I feel like I'm having electric shocks. 3 weeks tomorrow...feeling down. Feeling as if people exoect me to be over it by now.

 

[Qdogpa]

Sounds like my story! I am 6 weeks on tuesday..and have experienced the exact things as you! Sleep? Not for any duration.. stabbing, zingers, stiffness, numbness, all have increased in last 10 days...not a constant pain, but a non stop ache, with doses of pain stabs... I believe the cause might be the nerves that were cut thru are trying to get back together! Time is our friend, but getting frustrated in how long this rehab will take!

 

[Jockette]

Hi and Welcome!

Everything you are experiencing is par for the course with this recovery. It’s a shame we are not told ahead of time what to expect.


I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Please read all the articles, but especially the one about Post Op Blues.

Hang out here with us, we understand what you’re going through because we’ve been there.

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 to these pages on the website

​

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[Celle]

Hello @Pasta52 - and

Please will you tell us the full date of your knee replacement and which knee it is, so we can make a signature for you? Knowing the exact date will help us to advise you appropriately in the future.
Thank you.

 

[Rubyroo]

That knee cap pain- I like to call the Welders torch knee cap pain! I cried quite a bit the first several weeks and had depression and anxiety issues. It is rough. I almost feel like I have PTSD from the whole thing. Know that everything your are going through and feeling is normal and we've all experienced it. That doesn't make it any easier for you- but know we are here for you. Hang in there dear! Baby steps!

 

[caredFL]

As others have said all normal. My sleep didn't improve until around 8 weeks but everyone is different. It's just so hard to get comfortable in those first weeks. Hang in there it will get better!

 

[Pasta52]

New pain!! Went to the doctor today everything looks great as far as the surgery went everything’s in place.... my new problem is I have nerve pain, I can barely touch my knee! Doctor said it was due to the nerve block I had during surgery. It’s going to take time to go away, treating it with topical ointment and possibly some acupuncture. Getting tired of this recovery

 

[sistersinhim]

Please tell us the date of your surgery and which knee it was.

 

[Pasta52]

Well...after reading the posts I guess I’m doing pretty good. Surgery was February 3, 2020. I am concerned about the swelling that I still have but I guess I’m not elevating and icing enough. Question, how do you elevate, I know that sounds silly but I just can’t get the elevation right with pillows is there a different way to do it? Also they say not to take anti-inflammatories like Advil or Celebrex due to Covid19... Is there any truth to this?I miss taking my Celebrex it did seem to help the swelling

 

[partialfixFeb]

I got sick of propping pillows and broke down a bought a pillow wedge from Amazon for about $30 and used it in bed and in my recliner. Others use wedges with a bit of a bend in them.

 

[sistersinhim]

You'll notice that I have merged your two threads together as we prefer that members in recovery only have one thread.

This is for three reasons:
1. if you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts others have left you in the old threads
2. it often ends up that information is unnecessarily repeated
3. it's best if we can keep all your recovery story in one place so it's easily accessed if we need to advise you.

Please keep all your questions and updates on this thread. If you would like a new thread title just post what you would like it to be and we'll change it for you



I will leave you a link with our elevating guidelines. Two things is to remember is you should a slight bend and that your toes are above your nose.

Elevation: Doing It the Right Way

Updated September 11, 2022 by Jamie Proper elevation is one of the best ways to help with pain and swelling following either hip or knee surgery. Many people elevate improperly, which can dramatically lower the effectiveness. In the weeks following your surgery, make sure you elevate your...

bonesmart.org

 

[Pasta52]

So to keep my posts together I just sign in?

 

[sistersinhim]

I stopped taking my NSAID, Diclofenac, because that class of drugs has serious side effects. I also read that they delay bone healing. I went back on Diclofenac about 3 months after my surgery and kept taking it. Then I broke my foot and ankle on the same leg. That doctor took me off of it because of it inhibiting bone healing.

 

[sistersinhim]

Up at the top of the page you'll see a light blue bar that has selections on it:

Clink on the Find Threads. It will give you the option of going to your own thread. You do have to be signed in for it to work.

 

[sistersinhim]

To find elevation pillows go to Amazon and search for Lounge Doctor leg elevation pillow. A lot of different examples will come up. Be sure and follow our examples. You need to have just a slight bend in the knee and nothing creating a sharp bend.

 

[Pasta52]

Surgery was February 3, 2020 the past week my knee is more swollen than usual hard to bend my knee and I'm having some pain behind my knee into my thighs anyone else have similar problem?
I have been going up and down a lot of stairs not sure if that would cause it? My surgeon seems to think it could be coming from my back, I don't really think so!

 

[Celle]

@Pasta52 - I have moved your post, above, from the February Valentines thread and onto your own recovery thread.

Please remember that the team thread is primarily to allow you to see who has had surgery the same month as you. Discussion of issues, comments, and questions regarding recovery must be kept in people's individual recovery threads.

 

[sistersinhim]

I have been going up and down a lot of stairs not sure if that would cause it?

I don't believe it is coming from your back. I think you can blame it on the stair walking. Your knee isn't ready for that much stair walking yet. It's not even 3 months old yet and that's asking too much from it.

 

[Celle]

the past week my knee is more swollen than usual hard to bend my knee and I'm having some pain behind my knee into my thighs anyone else have similar problem?
I have been going up and down a lot of stairs not sure if that would cause it?

I think you can be pretty sure that going up and down all those stairs has a lot to do with your increased swelling and pain.

It does take a full year for complete recovery of all your knee's tissues and doing too much, too soon, will usually result in increased pain and swelling. That's your knee, telling you to back off the extra activity, and give it a chance to settle down again.

If you can, increase the amount of time you spend resting, icing and elevating your knee, to help it to calm down again. At not quite 3 months post-op, it's only a quarter of the way to full healing, so treat it gently, like the young child it is.