2 weeks post-op, PT 2xday, pain in knee

[RUSS H.]

I'm 2 weeks post-op doing the lying, sitting and some standing exercises.  I get a lot of pain in my knee, sharp pain upon extension (leg raises from chair).  Also pain at the left of my thigh and hamstring area behind knee.  I walked today outside for the first time,  2 crutches.  I walk a lot around the house and do a lot of stairs.  Waking in the morning I have a lot of stiffness.  It takes me a while to get going and start exercising.  Am I complaining too much since its only 2 weeks or should I really have no pain in those areas upon exercising?

[obxpelican]

Russ,

I had a major pain in my knee when I moved it the wrong way probably up to 4 weeks, I was stiff starting off sometimes in the morning, and yes, you're complaining too much--- keep it coming though, we're the type that love the abuse of it all 

Walking is probably at this point the best thing you can do, of course as long as your doctor says it's good.

I still have pain here and there, nothing sharp, just some minor pain, nowhere near what I used to have.

Keep up the good rehab.

And everyone, don't forget, next Tuesday, happy festivus!



Chuck

[RUSS H.]

I talked to my MD and he said the knee pain was due to a tight iliotibial band that runs down the outside of the thigh from the pelvis to the tibia or shin bone. It runs lateral to the knee cap. I can push on it all the way down my thigh  with my fingers and elicit pain.  He said the PT can stretch it out,  but all  the stretches I looked up on-line show positions I put the operated leg in would cause a dislocation.  I guess I have to wait until my hip heals first , then address the knee.

Anyone else out there have this pain or been told it's the iliotibial band?
And what have you done about it?     Russ

[dvander]

I'm 4 1/2 weeks post-op of RBHR.  The first two weeks after surgery, I had pain on the inside of my op. leg - a line running about 8 inches long between knee and groin.  Figured it was the way they twisted and turned my leg during surgery - as someone said, the gorilla at the end of the leg helping the surgeon do his job, but not being so kind to us.

At 2 weeks, I developed the most severe pain on the outside the entire length of leg between knee and ankle.  The ankle felt like a tourniquet was wrapped around it - as tight and worse pain than hip prior to surgery.  After a week of this, my wife thought the knots on the outside of my leg could be blood clots (not sure why she waited a week to insist I go to the doc - many her conscience got the best of her) so I took a trip to my PCP.  He told me it was tendonitis.  I cannot find this stated anywhere else on this web site, but onto your question.

Prior to surgery, my hamstring felt like it would explode due to tightness and my IT band was as tight as it could be.  I had limped for nearly 3 years knowing I was headed for surgery 5 years ago.  I am 53.  After a week of minimal IB and tylenol and my wife's nightly massage of ankle and side of leg (trying to soothe her guilt complex - I jest, she is very loving still after 32 years), I am getting better.  I recommend alternating ice and heat on knee and IT band.  Massage really helps.  It is my guess that your problem is similar to many, your body recovering from surgery and relearning how to walk properly.  I think all my problems originated in the knee and spread down the leg.  When I get the massages, I feel it all the way up the leg and suspect the IT band connection to the kneee and thus the lower leg.

Best of fortune in your recovery!

[Mudpro]

I'm at day 12 post BHR and have the same pain running from my groin to my knee along the inner theigh of the surgery leg.  Don't notice it too much except during straight leg raises, then its a real killer.

[DarkMeatChicken]

Russ,

      I am at 11 weeks post-op, the last 4 weeks with PT. Two days after being released from the hospital, my knee swole up as big as a basketball and stayed that way for 20 days.  I called the ortho-clinic immediately and they told me that swelling is normal and to keep it elevated...as long as there was no numbness in the toes or pain in the calf, everything was ok. If there was pain or numbness, they told me to go to the ER.  Well, when I went back to have the staples removed, the nurse looked at my knee and said that it was common for this type of swelling and that to take it easy and everything would be fine.  Until the swelling subsided, I couldn't bend my knee hardly at all.  I could get up and walk with no pain, it was just that my knee, actually my whole leg up to my incision, was swollen. At my 6 week assessment, the Dr was shocked at how my quad was gone.  The top of my knee, the skin was like jelly.  I told him, the exercises were hard with a leg that weighed a ton.  He figured due to the lack of strength, that I needed some work with a PT and come back in 4-6 weeks.  Because of the holidays, I lost even more time rehabilitating my quad. Finally, I get a therapist and the rehab starts...

        With the knee pain, it was two fold.  When I gave up the walker for the cane, it was really scary because when I stepped, my knee would buckle. No pain, just weakness.  Then as I started therapy, my knee was extremely sore. Sore on the outside and on the top of the knee.  PTist said that the IT band was tight and that I should massage it regularly and with the soreness on top, she did some ultrasound therapy.  For the IT massage, she recommended some body butter and to take my thumb and rub top to bottom all the way down the band. Everytime I sat down, I massaged that sucker.  My gait was so sad, to refrain from putting my weight on my bad knee, my other leg began to kill me.  So, for the past week or so, Ive been wearing a knee brace, just to give that extra support and confidence to put weight on it.  It has definitely made a difference.  I do wall squats(back against the wall and squat, actually I do them against my fridge because I slide easier) now and one legged squats or toe taps just to get my knee used to the weight and it's helped my walking.  No more stiff-kneed leg drags.  The thing is though, You have to pace yourself.  I run a restaurant, and Ive been going back in thinking I can do all the things I used to do and I just can't.  I tire quickly and I notice I start draggin my leg or doing some of the bad habits I did pre-op.  Im only 35 and I think Im a pretty strong guy and I can't believe how long it's taken me to get where I am now.  Im new to posting, but I was on the site pre-op reading all I could and believe me it has helped.  I tell my therapist what I should be working on because of this site...luckily for me, she listens and has helped me tremendously.  Hope this post helps someone....

[Pod417]

Hi All , I had right hip done (anterior approach) 1/5/09  In the first 3-4 weeks I also had knee and hamstring pain. My problem and maybe yours is that your leg mucsels conditioned themselves to the old arthritic hip. In my case it caused my  leg to be a 1/2 inch shorter than my good side. The surgery restored the length in my leg and my body had to get used to a longer leg , which put stress on the tendons and mucsled until I did enough stretching and PT . Hang in there , at week six my knee and hamstring pain are gone. I do therepy exercises and stretching on my own twice a day and see a PT once per week.

[crowed]

Hi All , I had right hip done (anterior approach) 1/5/09  In the first 3-4 weeks I also had knee and hamstring pain. My problem and maybe yours is that your leg mucsels conditioned themselves to the old arthritic hip. In my case it caused my  leg to be a 1/2 inch shorter than my good side. The surgery restored the length in my leg and my body had to get used to a longer leg , which put stress on the tendons and mucsled until I did enough stretching and PT . Hang in there , at week six my knee and hamstring pain are gone. I do therepy exercises and stretching on my own twice a day and see a PT once per week.

I had BHR on left hip February 17th, 2009.  At twelve days post op my biggest problem is extreme tightness in IT band, tightness in quad of operated leg, and leg length.  I do rehab exercises 3 times daily which has made a very positive impact on my recovery.  I also go to outpatient PT twice a week.  My problem is IT band and Quad tightness when I first wake up in morning and in the evening...5pm until bedtime.  It loosens up about an hour after I get up in the morning.  My routine in the morning starts by getting out of bed to retrieve my crying 10 month old daughter from her crib at 5:30am.  I bring my 10 month old back to my bed and try to wake up and get my leg moving.  I find when my baby crawls near my left thigh or IT band by left knee, the pain is quite intense when ever she bumps it.  It is so tender that all she has to do is press lightly on it and I whince.  I am not complaining...just comparing notes.  I do every execise that has been recommended by PT (3Xdaily) and hope this tightness will eventually go away.  I am working on the leg length issue as well.  I think due to swelling and muscle tightness my left leg is about an inch longer than right leg.  Very strange sensation, but stretching is finally seeming to help with issue.  This website is extremely helpful and has addressed most of my post op concerns/questions.  It is good to know what I am experiencing is normal. 
A little background on me.  I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in both hips at age 33.  I am now 41.  Pain got to the point I could no longer golf midway through last season (2008). Golf is one of my favorite activities.  I gave up running completely over 2 year ago.  Running was a passion of mine.  I ran several marathons from 1999 to 2001.  I could no longer go on walks with my wife without having to stop and stretch left leg.  I started to get "foot drop" on left leg along with strange numbness sensation.  I quit biking this summer (mountain biking and road biking).  This winter I was unable to cross country or downhill ski.  Last year the pain was excruciating when I went out west to snow board.  It is time to get my life back.  I have a 17 year old step son, a 4 year old daughter, and a 10.5 month old daughter.  If for no other reason, I needed BHR just to keep up with my kids.

[Bionic]

Hi Crowed,

I had my surgery just one week before you, and I've also had some tightness in my IT band.  It was bothersome in the beginning but has gotten less severe over the past couple of days.  Massage and my daily Mobic (part of my post-op routine) have helped.

I have to wonder whether the tight IT band is related to the leg length issue.  If your operated leg is now longer than it was, even as a temporary condition until your muscles come into balance, then your IT band has a longer distance to span than it did before surgery.  So it could be a real, physical tightness as opposed to a response to handling during surgery or nerve irritation.

Try massage, stretching and anti-inflammatories.  Also, make sure to ease into walking slowly, to avoid straining the muscle or tendons.  Eventually, the muscles and related tissues will adapt to the new geometry.

[crowed]

Thanks Bionic,
Could you explain what Mobic is?