@Stiff knee NC You are more than welcome@@
I wish I had known about Bonesmart back in 2015-2016 and could have saved myself a lot of grief after my ACI Implant surgery. Yes, it wasn't a TKR yet, but there is so much here that could have given me peace of mind and a better way of approaching things.
You mentioned the weird area on the outside of your knee that feels like a tight wad of scar tissue.....I have an area just above the knee and on the outside that burns constantly. I can't find another way to describe it. My surgeon says it's a lingering pocket of inflammation, and I agree, as it worsens after too much standing/activity, and it's an area I'm VERY familiar with from my past surgeries. He said most people have that tight band feeling, but mine appears to show up more as pain/burning. In anatomical terms, I was told it's the lateral side (outer side) of the suprapatellar pouch, which is an area of the leg that tends to retain fluid for a LONG time after knee surgery. It's a huge pain in the behind, as that area has been problematic for me after 3-4 of my past knee surgeries...but this "burning" is like nothing I've ever experienced before, so (of course!!) it set off my anxiety. It's these not-so-little things that just make us worry, worry, and worry some more.
I've also had issues with a super tight IT Band after most of my knee surgeries, and the IT Band runs right across this burning area.
There are just
soooooo many individual aspects to this recovery based on our individual anatomy, or the state of our knees before the TKR, and how much/little each of us swells, just to name a few. I know I swell for MONTHS after a simple knee surgery, so it's no surprise I'm still having swelling/inflammation issues after something as traumatic as a TKR.
I hope you start to see some improvement soon, and please be good to yourself. Just know you're at that point in recovery where we tend to see improvement spread out across weeks instead of days....but you WILL get there. We're all still here rooting for you.