Smith & Nephew, my new right knee has behaved itself pretty well most of the time, until this week when it suddenly started misbehaving. This does NOT sit well with me, and just exacerbates knee replacement paranoia and makes me think I have done some type major dislodgement or something!
What to do when your TKR suddenly starts hurting? Panic? run back to the ER? I opted to email my trusty physiotherapist Joel and ask for advice. Do I need to run back to his clinic and get assessed?
I have no clue what I have done to p!ss it off whatsoever. This week I did an indoor bike ride on Monday and a 3km swim on Tuesday – racing mystery swimmer in my lane (unofficially) which knocked almost 10 mins of my 3km PB time.
Then on Tuesday afternoon, suddenly excruciating pain when I was bending it. My initial reaction is panic, but I knew that this far down the line it was unlikely (unless I had suffered trauma) that I had dislodged the implant. So I emailed my physio to ask for advice. I figured my GP would be next to useless on this occasion.
Joel advised I rest and wait. If it was still the same in a week, to go in and see him.
At the moment I am struggling with motivation (specially cycling) as it is. So rest was not the best plan – fearing a slippery slide to apathy, but rest is what I did.
I am now on day 4 of resting and this is what the bend looks like now.
I tried to compare this to the photo I took last week of the bend. It looks pretty similar again so I hope that means this stoooopid knee is recovering. From what, though, I have no clue whatsoever.
Thing is, I wish I did know, so I can make sure I don’t do it again!
Possible causes include
- My massive increase in massage hours at work, not impact but incredible stress on the knee being in a squat or lunge position almost all the time? I think this is a very possible cause.
- Pushing off the wall in the pool? I have built this up carefully from 1 leg to 2, so I don’t think it was this.
- Swimming? NOPE. I kick from the hip, not the knee (I should know how to swim freestyle properly, for goodness sake, I am swim teacher and a triathlon coach!)
- Overdoing it – whatever that means? Not likely, as my training schedule is a fraction of what it used to be before my working schedule went nuts in the last month.
Perhaps its like everything dumb ass knee injury related – I just might never quite know.
My long distance riding is not going to plan as it is, so I better get on that blessed bike again tomorrow and pedal for a while, I suppose.
I blooming hope the good weather comes soon because indoors is driving me completely insane and making me hate this bicycle!
knee is gradually starting to feel a little bit better again.
Knee Replacement Resource 
Which of these symptoms do u have?:
Pain
Swelling
Hot
Stiff
Red
LikeLike
Pain and stiffness. Hard to tell ref swelling as that knee / calf has never returned to the same size as my other leg. Not hot or red.
LikeLike
I too have the paranoia. My knee has been doing well but started hurting this week again. I believe it is a certain exercise I was doing so I’m dropping that one for a while and hopefully that’s it. Good luck to you. I tend to agree it may be your position doing massage.
LikeLike
It’s a right royal pain in the butt / head / knee!! Trouble with massage is if I don’t use legs, I end up using my back and that could lead to a completely different injury! Not sure there’s a simple solution!
LikeLike
Any of these:
Fatigue?
Fever
Chills
Night sweats?
LikeLike
Nope
LikeLike
Or
Bruising?
Unable to support weight?
LikeLike
Nope. If it was any of those I would get it looked at.
LikeLike
So from my reading it’s not rejection, infection, nerve damage, mechanical failure of implant so all that’s left is exercise that you are not used to and so rest sounds like the right path to follow, your Physio sounds great, lucky you.
Do you live in a snow city? If not, get out, go for a drive? Distraction? It’s very hot here in Sydney, so hot that I can only go outside for a short walk, warmest winter that I can remember.
LikeLike
We are on the south coast, nothing between us and the South Pole. So it’s pretty wild in the winter, and can be very wild and windy all year round, specially winter and spring.
No snow (being on the coast), but only just above freezing at the moment!
LikeLike
My Physio at gym rehab has me doing:
PNF knee stretches and I increased my ROM from 115 to 120°
Seated towel reins knee glides
Standing on operated knee 60 secs (ouch)
Straight leg raises
Calf stretches
Calf raises on operated leg (double ouch)
Resistance band leg extensions
Pool exercises:
Marching
Cycling
Tummy series- butt kicks
Balance 60 S
Stairs (ouch)
Seated leg extensions and raises
Toe taps
LikeLike
Well done!
LikeLike
I think distractions are essential after a knee replacement so I have started:
Regular coffee dates with friends
Online cryptic crosswords
Tidying up wardrobe
Revisiting old emails, messages to digest
Spreadsheets exercises
Updating pantry
Contacting old friends
Researching surgery techniques and post op treatments
All the things I didn’t do b4
LikeLike
Yes. Stay busy. The first 6 weeks till they allowed me to drive particularly made quite stir crazy!
LikeLike
Thanks Mel, very reassuring.
LikeLike