Other than the usual pain for a week Im off meds, walker, and walking 1to 2 miles a day. Finally after the Covid restriction to stay at home lifted a little I was able to go to an osteopath who took an xray, measured me for a brace and told me to go back to the surgeon. Some of these risk factors are modifiable, which means that improving these conditions lowers your chances of developing them in the future. Passive Range Of Motion My specific question is the swelling. If you are just a few weeks out from surgery, I think you may be walking a bit too much. I had tkr in January 2019, and know we are in april 2020. Your knee swelling should significantly improve. The technical term for this is. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Bookshelf The skin incision can be as small as 3-4 inches. My knee feels klunky and snaps in the back a lot when walking on it. Surgical intervention with revision and debridement can have good functional results. 2016-2023 Christopher Gorczynski, MD, PLLC. Metallosis is a phenomenon most commonly associated with hip replacement. Knee is moderately warm but no redness, Incision has healed well., Have endured consistent pain in hamstirngs, particularly medial insertions at tibia. Careers. Other than some time, there is really no downside to this test. That I would have to learn to live like this. Our orthopedic surgeons understand that when it comes to knee replacement, making the right knee choice is a very personal decision. Any sudden decline in function should be closely managed by your surgeon. It is worse than previous knee pain, and getting worse as more time goes by. Currently am at 130 flex, 2-3 extension. Thank you very much for your detailed and informative response- it is very much appreciated! A year later I went back and the same Dr. did an in and out surgery. Would wearing a knee brace when I went for walks hurt it or would the support help with the inside healing? Skin Discoloration Following Total Knee Replacement Skin Discoloration Following Total Knee Replacement Skin Discoloration Following Total Knee Replacement Dtsch Arztebl Int. The question of metal sensitivity is legitimate- It is much easier when done as a primary knee replacement, as a non-modular, all polyethylene tibial component could be used. The red area seems to be changing and I am concerned it might be related to issues with the surgery even after such a long time. Very few times in the last 10 years which I did not consider this keg had a problem when to chose which leg to operate on. The American Academy of Obstructional Surgeons stated that athletic activity loosens small pieces of wear debris in the joint, resulting in pain and fluid buildup. The repeated bruising suggests possible bleeding, tissue could be getting pinched, if you take anticoagulants, the dose needs to be verified. The lower limb was disfigured after wear bone on bone. The pain I have is soft tissue, burning, soreness and weakness - Glutes, sides of the thighs and occasionally the groin. This is because they were not adapted to that level of activity and became acutely inflamed. Early debridement and revision should be considered to limit the amount of involved soft tissue. Im discouraged with my progress fearing Ill never be the the same. The best way to stretch is to hold the knee at the endpoint of motion while attempting to relax the thigh muscles. I went to therapy the next day lightly. I am 61 years old, and had a TKR on my left leg almost 18 months ago (Oct 2017). Copyright 2015 Narlaka Jayasekera et al. Becker R, Hirschmann MT, editors. It gradually did. 2014 Sep 3;96(17):1476-84. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.M.01248. 2020 Nov;140(11):1791-1808. doi: 10.1007/s00402-020-03560-x. During the surgery, damaged bone and cartilage are replaced with parts made of metal and plastic. I would encourage you to avoid high impact activities for another month or so. You need to have a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon. According to WebMD, increased redness or discoloration after surgery is the most common sign of a blood clot. Poorly controlled glucoses, as a result, suppress the immune system and increase the risk of infection by causing infection. Clinical photograph of the discoloured soft tissue and large effusion secondary to metallosis in the replaced knee. Because titanium allergy symptoms may be the result of other factors, it is critical to rule out any other possible causes before concluding that titanium allergy is the source. Is this something to be concerned about at this stage, or is this normal? I am confused can you please explain? Disclaimer. The next day I had a PT session and after about 10 minutes of light therapy, it swelled again. I'm 68 years old and I had total knee replacement on my right leg more than 2 months. Knee joint is very stiff, but PT does not think it is scar tissue. Copy the link into your browser window if you'd like to read it. Thanks so much. Generally, a well rehabilitated total knee should become close to, if not completely, pain-free. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This is quite common, particularly with patellofemoral problems. He said he could do revision surgery and replace the nickel with another metal but the titanium is in all devices so it could not be changed out. Hill AM, Ross-Adjie G, McPhail SM, Monterosso L, Bulsara M, Etherton-Beer C, Powell SJ, Hardisty G. BMJ Open. LVPG Orthopedics and Sports Medicine-Station Circle. If the drainage is from the deeper part of the wound or is potentially infectious, surgery will likely be necessary for treatment. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. I was told no joint swelling, though knee was still mildly purple, and mildly painful and swollen. It. I try my very best to have patients understand that the best total joint replacement results happen when patients take responsibility for their own rehab. Blood clots within the legs, a condition called deep vein thrombosis, are a common side effect of this type of hip surgery, AAOS reports. 2019 May 10;116(19):343.doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2019.0343. Warmth after knee replacement surgery is normal and expected to persist for several months, sometimes even for nearly the entire first year. Revision procedures were performed by a single experienced arthroplasty surgeon. My surgeon isn't really saying anything that just give it a chance be patient. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. My problem is at bed time. I had a partial knee replacement two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I can not tell you exactly what to do. I have been mobile since day 3 with no walker crutches and have not ever needed pain meds. In general, patellofemoral replacements tend not to last as long as total knee replacements, but should be considered in the younger patient with isolated patellofemoral arthritis. After knee replacement surgery, it is common for the skin around the incision to become discolored. I recommend you have your orthopedic surgeon evaluate the wound as soon as possible. Thank you cary. Your surgeon should have corrected the malalignment (deformity) and made sure your range of motion under anesthesia was completely unrestricted at the conclusion of surgery. I should have done this surgery a year ago as I was bone-on-bone when i had it done. Therapy started2 weeks after surgery. I also think it is reasonable to use some pain medication before bed to help you get the rest you need while your body recovers. My knee is still quite hot, swolllen ( 1 inch> right) and a bit discoloured. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hoping you have go advice for me . In the hospital, the healthcare team may give you a blood thinner to prevent deep vein thrombosis, which may add to the bruising. So they did a Western Blot test for that and it came back negative. She is now healing and should be able to start more strenuous PT next week. At just 2 weeks- heat and pain is normal and anticipated. My knees are still warm to the touch and I am often awakened at night with pain. If you are finding it more difficult to sit down, stand up, or climb stairs without pain, stiffness, or assistance, you should take note. It is not uncommon for this to happen and will have no negative impact on the knee replacement. It does not sound like you are reporting this. Wounds have a warm and red spot on them. He said-worse case - i need another knee replacement. I had a total knee replacement nov 7 2018. This should solve your problem. In some cases, you may need additional surgery. Aljawabra A: Skin discoloration . Thus, please call your orthopedic surgeon ASAP for an urgent visit. Then, usually 6-8 weeks later, a new prosthesis can be implanted. Could you please comment on this as to whether you think I am right to be tested further for the viruses and metal before I proceed with the knee replacement? In the deeper joints, for example, the hip, metal deposits are mostly only seen intraoperatively. Have went for second opinion and surgeons report the rarity of metal hypersensitivity. This is not normal. Please tell me if you know of other people with similar difficulties. Roger C, Debuyzer E, Dehl M, Bulad Y, Lamrani A, Havet E, Mertl P. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. There are some technical issues (alignment, rotation, soft tissue balance) and some biological issues (low grade infection, allergy) that could be causing more inflammation than normal at this point. Thank you I was questioning it was my knee replacement why it gets hot and looks sunburn. I don't think scar tissue itself is painful, but the resulting stiffness can be painful, swelling/inflammation resulting from poor range of motion can be painful as well. Nothing seems to work very long. I struggled with continuing pain and swelling post-op, but was beginning to make good progress when Covid interruptions to rehabilitation impacted progress. Within hours of their surgery, my patients are often able to begin walking with the assistance of a physical therapist and a walker. If you have any concerns, it is best to pursue evaluation prior to any surgery to your satisfaction. The Unhappy Total Knee Replacement: A Comprehensive Review and Management Guide. J Bone Joint Surg Am. Six months is the average time required for knee replacement surgery to heal. A positive LTT may not indicate that an immune reaction is the cause of pain and stiffness post-TKA. Lateral hip pain, particularly tenderness to palpation could indicate bursitis. Some days when I work hard at PT it is blown up like a balloon and others not. The inflammatory process associated with healing after surgery will often make the skin somewhat pink for a couple of months. Most reports estimate the prevalence at between 1% and 11%. I recommend you contact your surgeon for an urgent appointment ASAPeven if it only results in reassurance that all is well. DVT is widely recognized as a major risk factor facing patients who undergo total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). 54 yrs old with osteogenisis imperfecta. 2012;4(4):84-91. doi:10.1016/j.jccw.2014.03.001. When I had PVNS the knee would be very swollen, currently I have no swelling just a hot knee. 2020 Jan-Feb;11(1):165-170. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2019.04.010. When she attempts to push, no pain, but a wall. I would encourage this study if your knee continues to give you trouble. Cortisone Schaffrath DigitalMedien GmbH, Skin Discoloration Following Total Knee Replacement. I have and still do some therapy at home. Surgeon and PT are surprised by my continued pain, swelling and stiffness and both expected better progress at this point. Dark brown skin is frequently associated with thickening of the knee joint. The doctor ordered chemical analyses of my blood/fluid and determined that I was highly sensitive to the metals, nickel and titanium. -, Vivegananthan B., Shah R., Karuppiah A. S., Karuppiah S. V. Metallosis in a total knee arthroplasty. I do believe I'm still recovering getting better but I do know people who have seemed not to have the hurt I still feel at times. There are a variety of options for managing post-operative symptoms following a total knee replacement operation. My knee is still warm and somewhat swollen but everyone says I am doing well at 72. Non-operative treatments should be maximized prior to making the decision to proceed surgically. I have not been back to my dr. Went to him the end of August 2021 he did an x-ray and the Tibia implant on the sides were black under them just on the sides though and he ordered a 3 phase bone scan. A rash around a surgical incision is fairly common. That is not the same thing as avascular necrosis (or osteonecrosis) which can cause a degenerative knee as well. The adverse reaction to metal debris, termed metallosis, may cause loosening/osteolysis of prostheses (Figure 2) secondary to metallic corrosion and release of metal wear debris [3, 4]. Formal physical therapy then serves only to help reduce inflammation and encourage patients. I am at 130 degrees in both knees, so movement is good. This problem will gradually fade away as your body recovers from surgery over the next few months. My therapist had never seen this in 25 years. It contains abundant references. The best way to do this is by CT or MRI scan with metal artifact reduction sequencing. Sometimes I think if they would just cut off my leg I would be better off. In my experience, a well balanced knee that has 0-120 degrees of motion will become pain-free. As far as pain control- NSAIDS tend to work better than narcotic pain medication for post-surgical inflammatory pain. A 74-year-old lady represented to orthopaedic outpatient clinic. I realize some of the above discussion gets a bit technical, but this can be a complex problem. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. My knee x-rays at 4 wks showed small amount of effusion and demineralization.. Could this be causing my pain? 2- Have you begun any new activities? 329, supplement, pp. A primary ligament-guided knee joint prosthesis was implanted in the patient 14 years ago. To do this procedure well is technically demanding. Knee replacement done because of playing traveling softball and too many slides! Epub 2020 Jul 26. Stiff Total Knee This allows perfect alignment of the femoral component in all planes, restoring the patients unique anatomy as accurately as possible. I am having a tough time increasing my range of motion despite doing my exercises 2-3 times daily and going to physiotherapy three times weekly. I just wrote a new blog post discussing this issue further, and have a bibliography attached beneath the article. Nice article.thanks for sharing.. Have you? Cartilage I found out the week that I had surgery that I am highly allergic to oxycodone, so I spent 5 days post operatively being unable to exercise because I was so sick. Generally infections cause pain, swelling, poor range of motion, drainage from the wound, fevers, chills, etc. The doctor took x-rays and said everything was good there also did blood work and Sedation rate was high and also Protein was high. About a year ago I sought a second opinion. Also consider workup for material sensitivities. Typically patients will experience continued improvement in pain, motion, strength, and endurance for an entire year or more. It did not, in fact it got bigger. 2006;(452):166170. But for 1.5 years I had heat, swelling, and stiffness, which worried me a lot (and also worried my PT) because everyone else i talked to seemed to heal much faster. Maybe there is scar tissue formed? I ice it twice a day and after therapy, but the swelling doesnt look like it going down. It is highly unlikely that a knee with range of motion like you describe is infected. 1977;11(2):157164. I have lost all trust in doctors and surgeons. I showed the surgeon the xrays that were taken from the back unlike the previous ones which were taken from the front. J Clin Orthop Trauma. It is usually hot first thing in the morning and after I have been sitting for a while. A stress fracture should also be considered based on the history of going great for a couple months. Have you considered aspirating/injecting the cyst? 3- How is your range of motion? The most common symptoms are swelling of the face, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. I had significant nerve pain at 1 and 1/2 yrs out which was cured by several sessions of acupuncture. Apparent Skin Discoloration about the Knee Joint: A Rare Sequela of Metallosis after Total Knee Replacement Case Rep Orthop. I was doing extremely well up until a week ago. Smoking slows blood flow in the body, so it is best to quit cigarettes before surgery. Clinical photograph of the discoloured soft tissue and large effusion secondary to metallosis, Lateral radiograph of the replaced knee demonstrates the loose patella prosthesis and surrounding, MeSH Perhaps prior to this revision you could also be tested for sensitivity to titanium, oxinium (zirconium), and polyethylene- just to make sure some alternative materials will be well tolerated. Clinical photograph of the discoloured soft tissue and large effusion secondary to metallosis in the replaced knee. I have had similar issues. The rotation of the components must be proven to be appropriate. Judy. What can happen to my knee? I had a TKR on my right leg over 3 years ago in Dec 2015, and although it is doing well now, I required a small revision at 14 months to trim away part of my patella because i was experiencing pinching pain during flexion. I just don't think they should still hurt. It is unusual to have a major setback as you describe at this stage of the recovery period. https://www.yourorthomd.com/orthopedic-knowledge/metal-sensitivityallergy#108747411520362981 I do everything I need too, I do not let my knees hold me back but they still hurt. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME???? My knee still feels a little warm, but I know I am blessed to have recovered so quickly. I I was progressing well for the first 3-4 weeks but have lingering effusion and hamstring pain and slight limp. The pain I have in my replacement knee has got worse and the heat of my knee is terrible. Your history of early infection, and ongoing pain, heat, and swelling suggests to me the possibility of ongoing low-grade infection. Large-defect resurfacing: a comparison of skin graft results following sarcoma resection and traumatic injury repair. If you were to see me I would examine your knee, test the stability and range of motion. Redness, heat, and tenderness around your wound or incision site can be normal. It's just those feelings that I mentioned that irritate the heck out of me. I am glad to hear about your rapid early recovery. This type of surgery, also known as knee arthroplasty, involves the use of plastic and metal components to permanently attach the ends of the bones that make up the knee joint. Neither LTT stimulation index as a continuous variable nor as a categorical variable (mildly reactive, moderately reactive, highly reactive) was correlated with ALVAL score, pre-revision function (as assessed by KSS-clinical, KSS-functional, and range of motion), or change in function at the most recent follow-up (0.015 < r < 0.30, 0.13 < p < 0.95). It is widely regarded as a safe procedure and has a high success rate. A plain radiograph revealed loosening of the patellar prosthesis. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Is your recovery otherwise going well? I have been back to my hospital and they xrayed my knee and it has been damaged. In the deeper joints, for example, the hip, metal deposits are mostly only seen intraoperatively. Specific issues should be directed to her orthopedic surgeon. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help After surgery, it's typical for the knee to technically be able to bend between 70 and 90 degrees, though it may be difficult due to pain and swelling. See him at that time. I went to a desk job can you tell me if that can make my knee less stronger? The challenge is the correction requires bilateral revision surgery. 26 Station Circle. I would not recommend simply taking the prosthesis out and putting a new one in. I am currently achieving in the low 70s. This test will help to evaluate for infection. Thomas S, Gouk C, Jayasakeera N, Freeman M. Surg J (N Y). I would recommend patience. Make sure your hips are as strong as possible (check out the patellofemoral article on this website), consider patellofemoral stabilization bracing, and injections (cortisone, hyaluronic acid, and even platelet rich plasma.) Maybe I am exercising too much? BMJ Case Reports. Introduction. I apologize, I haven't been able to get on this website as often as I would have preferred lately. This is because there is often some bleeding into the soft tissues- this would appear as a deep bruise or simply darker skin. new orleans crime family allies,