KNEE ARTHRITIS - Total Knee Replacement :
Total Knee Replacment - - Posted by clive (clive), 15 September 2004
Hi Im Clive Im hoping that you may be able to help me with some advice.
I had a T.K.R. 6 mounth ago and only have 70 degrees bend the knee is very stiff and painful. I t is amost impossable for me to climb and desend stairs properly.Has any one had this problem if so how have they got on with it.Or is there any further surgery that I can have to increase my range of movement?
Thanks for reading my plight.
Posted by Jan_L. (Jan_L.), 18 September 2004
Hi Clive,
I am sorry to say but I have the exact same problem. I had my TKR Dec. 04, and have never been able to bend my knee more than 80/85 degrees. I developed a hematoma right after the surgery and this was followed with the developement of arthrofibrosis (scar tissue) which now prevents the knee from bending. I had two MUA which helped a little but not enough for my knee to be functional. I have a lot more pain now then what I had prior to surgery. I am waiting to see a specialist and expect I will be having surgery to remove the scar tissue so my knee will bend again and hopefully lessen the pain.
Have the doctors told you why your knee won't bend? Have you gotten a second opinion yet?
Jan
Posted by Teresa_S (Teresa_S), 18 September 2004
My total knee was on 10-07-03, and has never been right. IT IS SO encased in scar tissue, it is like a- giant rubber band surrounds it, and barely lets it move to bend with this thick thing around it. NOW my prosthesis has had the safety screw break off and it is floating in the knee. I would think the force of the adhesions, and it trying to bend probabley broke it. but AS MY OS SAYS I AM NOT A DR> or at least that is his best excuse yet. HE TOLD ME IT BENT fine when I did the scopes. I reminded him he only did one in Jan 04, and he told me he found"tons and tons of scar tissue, to excise and lysis" and didn't bother to say "YOU CAN BEND ANYTHING UNDER GENERAL ANESTHESIA that is the reason it is used!!! Teresa
Posted by clive (clive), 19 September 2004
hello Jan
Thank you for taken the time to give me some hope. My OS said that it was scar tissue stopping my knee from bending and that there was nothing he could
do for it. MUA was out of the question it could break a bone in my leg. I was really down in the dumps when I left him, but you have given me hope.Im seeing my own Dr Friday to get a second opinion booked up.
Thank you again Clive.
Posted by Jan_L. (Jan_L.), 20 September 2004
Hello again Clive,
Now that I know your problem is arthrofibrosis (scar tissue), I can make some other suggestions. Apparently scar tissue can be very difficult to treat. There are numberous reports here of people having surgery for scar tissue only for the scar tissue to return much worse. Your doctor was right, it is too late for a maniupation under anesthesia (MUA), instead of the scar tissue breaking free your bones or the implant would probably break first.
There appears to be a few people here that are very knowledgeable on this topic. Most of the info will be found under the topic of "Soft Tissue Healing Problems".
I'd like to recommend that you take a look at a particular post, I think it might be heldful.
Take a look under the topic "Soft Tissue healing Problems"
under that topic take a look at the sub-topic
" Scar Tissue and Patella Problems"
in particular take a look at Heather M. reply, she has listed three sites I have found to be helpful.
I am in the process of changing doctors only becasue I want to find a doctor that has had a lot of experience treating this with some sucess. Arthrofibrosis occurs less than 1% of the time, so I don't think most OS's have had a lot of experience dealing with this even though they may be wonderful at doing TKR, dealing with removing scar tissue is a whole new ball game.
From what I have read, no one really knows why the excessive scar tissue forms, so there's no one to blame, not you nor your doctor, it just happens.
Now, I think the hard part is finding a doctor who knows how to treat this without making it worse. So be careful, do your homework before letting anyone operate on you for this. I am waiting to see a doctor who's practice is limited to problematic joint replacement. I haven't talked with him yet, but I am hoping that he has seen this and REALLY knows how to treat it.
I hope this info is somewhat helpful. You are not alone, when surgery goes wrong, people start looking for answers and support and there are many of us here with that condtion. Dealing with arthrofibrosis is very difficult and painful.
Is your pain being managed?
Write back if you have any more questions. Good Luck
Jan
Updated Sat Nov 21 2009
