How normal is severe knee pain?
Hi all. I am writing this as a concerned girlfriend who does not know what steps to take next, so any feedback is appreciated.
My boyfriend had his right hip replaced 19 days ago. He had hip dysplasia and bad arthritis, so he did a full hip replacement. He did not get a nerve block and has been in pain the moment he became conscious after surgery. He is in his early 30’s, very healthy (we watch macros, calories, processed foods, etc.), physically active (gym 5 days a week, triathlons, backpacking, etc.), and has a high pain tolerance. He does not have a history of knee injury or pain prior to his surgery.
He has been seeing PT 2/3 times a week and they have been doing typical exercises and said he is doing well, but also that this knee pain is not normal. They said the activity he is doing is great and he is doing a good job of moving while listening to his body to know his limits. The therapist did soft tissue manipulation and it seemed to relieve it slightly in one area, but soon after he has still been having immense pain from the knee down on the outside part of his calf. He has been using the ice therapy machine on his hip that cycles every 30 minutes while he is down (most of the time because of the pain) and also keeps ice packing his knee and leg at the same time. His knee and leg down are not swollen. He originally was taking Percocet and ibuprofen for the pain, but after calling back about the pain, he is also taking gabapentin and muscle relaxers.
However, nothing is touching the knee and leg pain. He has not been able to sleep because of it, despite sleeping aids. The doctor at the follow up said the more muscle that is there that they pull to the side, the harder the recovery; however, this pain after this long does not seem normal and I am lost at this point. We have called the doctor and left another message asking for them to look at it to see if there is something they can do to alleviate this pain.
Does anyone out there have a similar experience or any ideas on what it is? If it is normal? I understand they have to pull the muscles to the side, so the muscles are angry in that area, but by now I would assume they would return to normal. I feel so helpless because he has been in so much pain and starting to get really depressed. If anyone can provide any insight, suggestions, or share their story on this it would be greatly appreciated.