What if total knee replacement does not relieve knee pain?

Pain may come from normal recovery, stiffness, muscle weakness, altered walking, or irritation around the knee. A clinician also considers infection, a problem with implant position or stability, a fracture, or pain referred from the hip, spine, or nerves. The timing, exact location, swelling, warmth, clicking, and change in walking pattern help distinguish these possibilities.

Contact the orthopaedic team that performed the operation or arrange an orthopaedic assessment. Take a record of when pain began, what makes it worse, and whether it occurs at rest or with steps. Bring medication details and any discharge instructions. The review may include an examination, movement assessment, and imaging or blood tests when indicated. Do not increase exercise, stop prescribed rehabilitation, or alter pain medicine without advice.

Seek urgent medical help for fever, increasing redness or drainage, rapidly worsening swelling, severe pain after a fall, a new inability to move the leg, calf swelling with breathlessness, or a cold, pale, numb foot. These features need prompt assessment rather than waiting for a routine appointment.

Could the pain be coming from the knee, the implant, or another joint? Is my range of motion and walking pattern progressing as expected? Which examination or imaging test would clarify the cause? What activity and rehabilitation plan is appropriate now?