knee replacement pain after surgery

[bubbagolf]

I had TKP about a year ago,the problem is there is still a great amout of pain. The bone scan says the knee is lose what is the doctor waiting for he says I weight to much.  This is causing me to be very uncomfortable and pain on a daily basis.  Restricting me everyday activities. Is anybody out there have of had this issue.  Please help..  Wish I HAD NOT DONE THE TKP.

Bubbagolf

[nick30]

I'm not saying that your weight will prevent surgery being done again, but what i would say is that being overweight does put more stress on your body and can increase pain. I used to be overweight and since losing my excess weight(through diet, not excercise) I have noticed definate improvement in my pain levels, mood and general health.
Regardless of whether you find a new surgeon to redo the TKP, you should still consider if there might be some benefits to be gained by losing weight through diet, and later through excercise if you are up to it.
It helped me with my back pain, and my knee pain. It can help others too.
best of luck mate.

Nick.

[AudioChick]

You should find a different surgeon. I am a surgical technician and have first assited in knee replacements. Let me tell you,the glue must not have "attached" the bone to the implant or they could have put the wrong size implant in. As for him saying you need to lose weight, how can you do that without exercise? You can't exercise if your knee is painful. Most people who have knee replacements are overweight so not sure why he would have said that.

[Tuckamore]

Hello Bubbagolf,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I'm glad that you found us but sorry to hear about your knee pain and problems following your TKP.

I agree with the member that said your surgeon is not correct. It use to be that they would not do a TKP on someone that was over weight. There may still be some surgeons out there that hold to that old concept. I know a number of ppl that have had this surgery that are more than just a few pounds over weight and all have been successful.

I suggest that you see another surgeon. I do know the doctors unwritten code that often keeps one surgeon or physician from "fixing" another ones work. However there are plenty out there that will go forward with a repair if that is truly what he needed in your case.

Some TKP patients have little to no pain or problems following surgery, a small number of patients are left with chronic pain in varying degrees. I haven't a good answer to why this occurs though I think there are a number of reasons and some times no obvious reasons. I have a very over weight cousin that had this surgery 4 years ago and no longer has any significant pain. She does have some stiffness which is not unusual.

Here's my opinion for what it's worth. Never forget that physicians are service providers, not Gods. We hire them to perform a service for us much like we hire a plumber to fix a leak. If the plumber does not fit our leak than we fire them and hire another plumber. Physicians should be no different. Don't get me wrong, there are many physicians out there that are priceless. However those are the ones that provide a great service and add some humanity into the process. I too suggest you get a second or maybe even a third opinion.

Best of luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing. And as always, take care, Tuck  

[Red931]

I had a right knee injury back in high school while playing football. There was a surgery done but I don't remember what was done. I have a three inch scar on the inside of my knee. Anyway it has not bothered me since until I had an ankle reconstruction on my left ankle in late February. Now I am getting a painful pop at the knee when I try to straighten out my leg after it is has been at about a 35 degree bend. If anyone knows what this could be from please let me know. I have to see the surgeon that did my ankle tomorrow. He also did the knee about 28 years ago.

My uncle has had three total knee replacements on both knees, six all together. He is always in alot of pain but since they were both last replaced he has been able to lower is daily dose of pain medication by more than double. I know that he was having problems similar to what you are describing as well as the early replacement joints were not as good as what they use today.

I hope you are able to get it fixed soon as I too am fimiliar with what it is like to be in pain everyday. It is terrible to have to limit your activity because of pain.

[kiddthekatt]

Hi;
  I'm truely sorry that you are going through this. Like you I had my right knee replace in Oct 2007. But before then I had a partial in March and a revision in May. As for your doctor saying that you weigh too much is a crock!! What he is waiting on is for is to see if the bone will grow around the implant. But I know from experience that when the implant breaks loose it's loose.

  I'm not a surgeon. but if you wait too long to have a revision, the more problems you'll have. If you don't trust your surgeon find another and get a 2nd opinion. I did after the 2nd revision, and he did the best he could with what he had to work with. I still have problems with my knee and live with pain every day. The 3 major surgeries that I had in the 7 months also caused many other health problems. Like you, I wish I had never had it done, never again. Good luck.

gentle hugs
Angel

[ChronicPain1]

Sorry to hear that man, I have Patellar Tracking Syndrome, or one of the varied names it's called and it *****. I had a Lateral Release done to fix the off-line knee cap, and it failed as well. All of my cartilege was gone, and my pain is just as bad, although different.

My other option was literally sawing through the bone and resetting it, but like you wish you hadn't done it, that's what I'm afraid of. What if it fails and is even worse? Not to mention the extensive recovery time that I cannot afford.

I'm truly sorry to hear that, I wish it had worked for you. Knee pain is no fun.