
Suffer Cellulitis And Red Skunk On Leg. Having Itchy Rash On Body. Prescribed Antibiotics. CAT Scan Showed Staph Abscess. Cure?

I suspect INSTABILITY as the cause of symptoms.
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing to XXXXXXX
As a general rule, the pain and inflammation should become better as the days pass by after a primary or revision total knee replacement. And the knee should be totally symptom free after about third month onwards from the day of surgery. Any symptom persisting after 3 months period from the surgery date always suggests some problem inside the prosthetic knee joint.
My primary suspicion in your case in INSTABILITY. The points that goes infavour of this possibility is swelling in the knee (effusions) after walking, falling frequently, unable to get up without assistance, walking with a limp, difficulty in walking up and downstairs.
The only other possibility is INFECTION. The symptoms which favour this are soreness in the XXXXXXX bone, frequent bruises in the knee and a past history of an infected TKR.
A detailed clinical examination is necessary to establish Instability and Investigations are needed to diagnose an Infection.
In either case, the definitive management is always a Revision surgery.
Hope I have addressed your query. Happy to help further
Regards


No immediate Revision is necessary.
Detailed Answer:
Hi, Nice to hear from you.
DON'T TAKE IT GRANTED THAT YOU HAVE INSTABILITY. It's only my suspicion that the cause of your symptoms could possibly be Instability and this has to be confirmed by a direct clinical evaluation only without which its practically impossible to diagnose based only on the symptomatology.
Yes, as i said the definitive management for instability is always a revision surgery. This revision is not needed immediately. If the symptoms are hampering your daily activities in a very severe manner, then only it is indicated.
Always the success rates in a joint replacement surgery declines with each revision incrementally. It is very hard to tell whether you get the same problem after another revision because one has to define the cause of instability first and that cause is to be addressed during the revision surgery.
Simply performing a revision surgery without knowing the cause for instability will inevitably ends in failure.
Hope I have justified your query. Good day

Answered by

Dr. K. Naga Ravi Prasad
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement
Practicing since :1996
Answered : 2148 Questions
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
