Guest viewing is limited

TKR Suggestions needed for “tight band” feeling

With the help of Bonesmart staff, I found my thread and can give you info on tibial rotation.

Search online for The Bone and Joint Journal. Look up an article called “Internal rotational error of the tibial component is a major cause of pain after total knee replacement.” Authors are Nichol and Rawley.

It talks about having a rotation of more than 9 degrees can cause problems/pain. I had a CT scan which showed I had more than 9 degrees. Sadly it doesn’t address what can be DONE to remedy this (sigh).

Hope you find this useful!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Stiff knee NC - thank you! There is a gal who will be having revision for a femur internal rotation. She was dx by CT. Hers is 6 degrees off. Different bone!

What was the reason for your first revision?

Wishing you well! Did you get another opinion?
 
Stiff knee NC said:
I had left knee surgery in early August as a last resort to pain and arthritis. (I tried cortisone and gel shots, PT, and even had a meniscus surgery, to no avail). I am 14 weeks and 1 day out and it has been a VERY difficult recovery. What I’m struggling with the most is “tight band syndrome” from one side of my knee, across the front of my knee, to the other side. I can’t stand more than 30 minutes without pain...and my knee gets tighter and tighter the longer I stand. ROM is 115 (120 w/a push from my OT). My OS told me to do the stationary bike, elliptical, and use the hip abduction machine. I have been icing, elevating, and resting every day. In the gym 5 days/week. Got a deep-tissue massage, which didn’t help much but I have a few more scheduled. I’ve read the BS info on my tight band problem. Went to PT 3x/wk initially but am nearly done (my 40 insurance-approved sessions are almost done). May try water therapy. I am NOT getting better and am beyond discouraged. My surgeon says it just “takes time.” My experience seems very reminiscent of patient 99’s (Carol)....how I would love to hear how she’s doing all these years later. Please, if you have any suggestions, I’d be grateful if you could share them!
Click to expand...
If your surgeon is ok with it, try acupuncture. I'm 7 weeks out from my second surgery, and still have some of that band feeling in the 2nd knee. Each time I feel improvement the day after a session.
Talk with your surgeon to see if they are ok with acupuncture. Fortunately mine said I could get acupuncture in the surgery knee after only 2 weeks. A friend said her surgeon says no acupuncture anywhere for 6 months.
I was very skeptical of trying acupuncture. Started going a year before surgery because none of the conservative treatments helped, but I couldn't find a doctor who would do anything because of my young age. I don't think I would have made it to surgery without it, and it's helping with recovery.
 
@Irj: I tried 4 sessions of acupuncture about 3 years ago. Unfortunately they didn’t do a thing (except, interestingly, made abt a 1 inch part of my scar on my knee almost completely fade!)

I’ve tried EVERYTHING anyone can suggest. Seen multiple doctors, had every test. All that’s left is to do nothing, or have my dr go back in, take everything out and put in an implant that I can’t be allergic to (a blood test showed I was highly reactive to nickel, while a skin patch test showed I WASN'T allergic to nickel at all!) Frustrating!

Sure appreciate your suggestion! I really do think it’s scar again…it feels exactly like it did before my revision in April 2022.
 
I had my revision in April 2022, so almost two years ago. I had the “tight band” feeling ever since my August 2019 knee replacement. I’d tried EVERYTHING, got multiple opinions, etc. Most doctors said they thought getting a patellar “button” (getting the knee resurfaced) would help. I thought the button would help, and I’d just had it. Surgery was my last resort because I’d tried everything else.

My surgeon got in there, saw a massive amount of scar tissue and cut out what he could, put in a button and put in a smaller spacer. About 5 weeks after my revision, I woke up and had the “tight band” feeling, just like that.

You might want to read my thread in its entirety. It’s long and somewhat depressing but it does illustrate everything I’ve tried to get relief. Maybe one of them will help you!

Did the session with the chiropractor help you at all?

Take care!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Stiff knee NC - no relief yet. Back to my OS this week. I didn’t realize your revision was also due to the tight band. I’m happy you’re not in pain and can do your ADL. The tightness definitely worsens towards the end of the day. I hope this gets better.

Have you considered any injections?
 
Stiff knee NC said:
(a blood test showed I was highly reactive to nickel, while a skin patch test showed I WASN'T allergic to nickel at all!) Frustrating!
Click to expand...
A blood test is much more reliable than a patch test. We always advise our members to get the blood test, not the skin test. I think you should strongly consider your blood test allergic reaction, not the skin test negative reaction.
 
@sistersinhim: your comment made me think! The Duke dr I went to that did the skin patch test strongly said that the skin patch test was THE definitive test to determine nickel allergy! You can see my confusion…

What no one can tell me (and probably no one knows) is WHAT causes me to make SO much scar tissue?
 
I’ve thought of everything (haha) including injections. But my dr said they don’t do injections in a “new” knee…and I never asked when a “new” knee becomes an “old” knee. (My implant will be 5 year old in August).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That is what we have been taught here.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It’s not a case of blood test versus skin test where metal implant material is concerned. It is much more complicated than that and opinions are different about what is best depending on who you talk with. Not all labs that do metal testing with blood samples perform the same tests.

We recommend any blood tests for metal sensitivity be done by Orthopedic Analysis, LLC in Chicago. Samples are accepted by mail. The lab is certified for the quality of their testing and facility and they focus solely on testing immune responses to implant materials. Although their test is not currently FDA approved and not covered by most insurance, it is a highly respected test developed in Germany that has shown good results in identifying metal sensitivity related to joint implants.
 
Thanks, Jamie, for your clarification! I will dig through the massive amount of paperwork I have related to my knee to see which lab, specifically, in Chicago did my testing.
 
@demps: I’m doing ok! Hope you are, too!

I walked 45 minutes yesterday. For the past year or so I’ve been keeping my exercise to 30 mins….but I’ve increased it and it doesn’t cause me any additional tightness/pain. I WAS hurting some last night tho. The tightness/pain is right in the front, where my kneecap meets my shin bone. Plus I almost always have pain on the left side of my knee (as I’m looking down on it). It’s aggravating…

What brings on the stiffness? Standing for ANY amount of time (even for 1 minute!)… and exercising. Fortunately I don’t have tightness/pain WHILE I walk, for which I’m thankful. But afterwards…ugh. I usually sit and rest for 30 mins or so.

Today I’m water walking! Trying to mix it up a bit.
 
@Stiff knee NC
My tightness is in same location you are describing. However I still experience extreme tightness when standing & walking. Any weight bearing. I pray it gets better so I can do more. The worse is going from sit to stand! It’s the most tight & painful. I also have crazy sensations in the knee - it feels stuffed and at times like I’m standing on small rocks/marbels. My knees does pop & crack a lot & stuff in the knee moved around but always settles below the knee. I wonder if this is scar tissue? No one knows. I know this sounds very different. Don’t know if you recall any of these sensations or feelings?
 
no, I haven’t experienced most of those things…no noise from my knee, haha, no problem going from sitting to standing, no rocks/marbles feeling. I wish I knew what is causing BOTH of our problems! I’d wave a wand and poof! No more pain, tightness and odd feelings. Sigh. So frustrating.

I AM 4.5 years out from my initial replacement, so maybe that explains why I don’t have problems going from sitting to standing. (I’m almost 2 yrs from my revision).

The feeling of tightness I have now feels precisely like before, so I assume it’s massive amounts of scar tissue, again :(

Why oh why does my body create so much scar tissue??? No one knows…
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

Members online

Total: 537 (members: 3, guests: 534)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom