Your knee may still hurt after arthroscopy for a few different reasons, including ongoing swelling, insufficient rehabilitation, and infection.
This article explores these and other reasons you may have persistent pain after knee arthroscopy.
If more serious problems related to surgery have been eliminated, treatments for swelling may include:
Ice application Anti-inflammatory medications Compression wraps and bracing Physical therapy
Persistent swellingWarmth of the jointRedness around the incisions or draining fluidFevers, chills, or sweats
Early treatment with antibiotics is essential for the best chance at recovery. In some cases, a lingering infection can require additional surgery to clean out the joint.
In order to protect the joint and reduce pain, you may unknowingly limp or develop an abnormal gait (the manner in which you walk).
You may need physical therapy to correct these problems with knee function once the injury is taken care of. Correcting these issues is important to prevent further injury.
Insufficient rehabilitation can be a cause of persistent knee pain after an injury.
This complication of knee arthroscopy is thought to be the result of microscopic fractures of the bone around the knee joint. These fractures cause inflammation within the bone and significant, persistent pain, typically along the inner (medial) side of the knee. The pain is typically worsened by activity and relieved by rest.
SONK is most often found in middle-age women.
Treatment of SONK can be very frustrating. Many patients find the pain is worse than the pain they had before arthroscopy. While the pain eventually settles down, often the only way to find relief is to use crutches for weeks or months after knee arthroscopy.
Braces and medications can also help with the symptoms. In some patients, the symptoms can be so severe that they end up having either a partial knee replacement or full knee replacement.
That said, in rare cases, people whose arthritis is so severe that they cannot fully bend or straighten their knee due to arthritis may get some benefit from arthroscopic surgery.
But that may fuel false hope. Arthritis pain can most certainly persist after arthroscopy because it has not been shown to relieve the pain associated with cartilage damage caused by OA.
Summary
Arthroscopic knee surgery is often used to treat knee conditions including meniscus tears and ligament problems. While the surgery is less invasive than other surgeries and often involves a quick recovery period, it doesn’t always improve knee pain.
Swelling, infection, inadequate rehabilitation, spontaneous osteonecrosis, and existing arthritis in the joint are a few of the factors that cause continued knee pain after surgery. Luckily, there are a variety of treatments to help you find relief.
