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Swelling Level at 3 months

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dw6928

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Feb 24, 2008
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I am almost at the 3 month post surgery on my 2nd TKR. There seems to be more of a swelling issue with this knee than the first. Much is do to the crepitus and the degeneration of the tibia (which had to be cut much more than on the 1st TKR). I was wondering what level of swelling others have had at this juncture. Some days I even wear the compression stocking to work ( I am on my feet all day) which keeps the swelling way down. MY OS is considering sending me to a vascular MD just to rule out anything unusual although he feels that it is due to the severity of the bone cutting. How swollen does your knee and areas below the knee but above the foot get? Just trying to get some sort of a benchmark. Thanks.
 
dw-
I am at just shy of 4 months and have considerable swelling. By Friday night I have trouble bending due to swelling. The majority of mine is isolated to the knee and upper shin and lower thingh - it has never really landed hard in my ankle. I actually thought about wearing the stocking again as well. Not sure how to dip stick a measurement. I have always had big knees - but the tkr one is large enough so the girls I work with still ask how come I am still so swollen. Pt sees me in the am now so we avoid working with after work swelling and the doc sees me on days I take off. Neither is concerned and they consider it functional swelling - their answer is rest ice and elevate - and quit being stubborn and take a rest now and again!

Good luck - sorry I couldn,t be of more help - from everything I have read and heard swollen is the new normal for us for about a year! Oh well -
I made it through years of knee issues - I can make it through a few more months!!!

Marianne
 
I'm at 10 months now. The new knee is a little larger than the other. Kind of just puffy.
I haven't had a swelling problem until last weekend when I was walking for the most part of 12 hours on Saturday.
I still have a deep soreness in it sometime. But no where near what I had prior to the tkr.
 
Thanks. I have found the compression stocking really lives up to the hype and keeps the 2nd TKR at bay. I can't imagine wearing it forever however. And I can't imagine how women wear stockings when it is warm. The highlight of the day is peeling it off!
 
Hi, I'm at 3 months (BTKR) and am still pretty swollen. I think it's hindering my ROM, and it is noticeable thru my (tighter) jeans and when I wear leggings. My OS said it will be this way until 5-6 months.
 
This is exactly why I made this post: most TKR patients are told that swelling is common w/in 6 months of surgery. I can't figure out why my OS is considering
a visit to a vascular surgeon to "put any worries to rest" when I am not even at 3 months yet.
 
Maybe he feels it is too swollen, too tight and there is something else he has noticed. Have you any tingling, pins and needles in your ankle/foot? Any numbness, any discolouration or paleness? Did he feel the pulse on the top of your foot? Perhaps he's not happy with the quality of the pulse. All of these are a matter of degree and whilst they may be normal for you, they could be a little bit off in the normal run of things and he just wants to be sure.
 
Thankfully, none of the above. He feels it is probably more than my own personal neurosis. My problem (some problem!)is that my first TKR was so flawless in recovery that I am spoiled. When I remove the compression stocking at the end of a day on my feet, there is virtually no swelling at all and no pain. Hardly seems like the ingredients for a visit to a vascular surgeon.
 
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