Yes, you can injure a knee replacement through trauma like falls or accidents, causing bone fractures (periprosthetic fractures) or ligament damage, and even through wear and tear or infection, leading to loosening, stiffness, instability, or implant failure, often requiring surgery. While rare, serious injury or failure is possible, requiring careful activity modification and prompt medical attention for symptoms like increased pain, swelling, or instability.
Incidence of distal femoral metaphyseal periprosthetic fractures associated with total knee replacement has been reported to range between 0.3% and 2.5% [2–5]. Majority of these fractures occur following minor trauma after a simple fall.
Risks of damaging a knee replacement
Knee replacements are engineered to withstand a significant amount of stress, but they aren't indestructible. Over time, wear and tear, excessive strain, or injury can damage the prosthetic joint.
Fractures. A periprosthetic fracture is a broken bone that occurs around the parts of a total knee replacement. These fractures are most often the result of a fall and usually require revision surgery.
What are the signs of knee replacement failure? The most common symptoms of a failed knee implant are pain, decrease in joint function, knee instability, and swelling or stiffness in the knee joint.
For a total knee replacement, periprosthetic fractures can occur in the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), or patella (kneecap). These injuries can occur at any point in time following a total knee replacement and are usually the result of a fall or high-energy injury, such as a motor vehicle collision.
The following are seven common symptoms of a loosening knee replacement to be aware of:
Dislocation following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the worst form of instability. The incidence is from 0.15 to 0.5%. We report six cases of TKA dislocation and analyze the patterns of dislocation and the factors related to each of them.
The 7 most common symptoms of a loose knee replacement are:
Bone scans are less helpful in evaluating loosening in TKAs than in THA (26). Intense focal uptake after more than 6 months postoperatively suggests loosening or infection (51), but false-positive rates are high (up to 72%) (33).
Knee gel injections are a treatment for arthritis in your knee joint. Technically, they're hyaluronic acid injections. Hyaluronic acid is a natural lubricant found in many of your body's tissues. It's also the main ingredient in synovial fluid, which lubricates your joints.
5 things you probably don't know about getting a knee replacement
Luckily, revision surgery is often an effective treatment for a failed knee replacement and helps reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling, restoring mobility.
These symptoms often involve deep tenderness over the fracture, causing pain when touched. Leg muscle spasms may also develop around the knee as your body reacts to injury. However, with minor or hairline fractures, you may only feel slight pain or tenderness when pressing on the kneecap.
The distribution of maximum pressures generated within the joint was recorded with a pressure-sensitive film. Fracture of the patella or the femur occurred at impact loads of approximately 8.5 kN. The average P-F pressure was approximately 25 MPa for 8 kN of impact load on the 90 degrees flexed joint.
Crepitus after total knee replacement
Crepitus following surgery is quite common after knee replacement surgery on the knee joint. This type of crepitus is felt to be self-limited and benign, and no intervention is usually required. The noise comes from two artificial surfaces touching each other.
Key Symptoms of a Loose Knee Replacement
The #1 mistake making bad knees worse is excessive rest and a sedentary lifestyle, leading to weaker supporting muscles, stiffness, and a vicious cycle of more pain; instead, gentle, consistent movement (like walking, swimming) is crucial to strengthen the joint and improve function, though it must be balanced with avoiding activities that cause sharp pain. Other major errors include ignoring pain signals, carrying excess weight, wearing unsupportive shoes, and poor movement patterns, says Parkside Sports Physiotherapy and Coastal Empire Orthopedics.
The biggest cause for concern with worsening pain after knee replacement is infection. Typically, early after a knee replacement—within the first six weeks to three months—this presents with significant redness, swelling, and worsening pain that does not improve with ice, elevation, and rest.
your knee has changed shape. it becomes very swollen very quickly. you felt a pop or snap in your knee. you can see bone sticking out of your skin.
With cemented knee replacements, the cement can loosen over time the same way grout loosens over time from a floor tile. With cementless knee replacements, loosening can occur if you bone doesn't adequately heal to the metal surface. As loosening occurs, it can lead to destruction of the bone and surrounding tissues.
For hip or knee replacement failures, you may experience the following symptoms:
Symptoms of a Loose Knee Replacement
Knee pain can potentially range from mild discomfort to severe, constant pain that interferes with daily activities. You may experience this pain during movement, at rest or when bearing weight, and it may radiate into the calf or thigh.
Fractures following knee replacement surgery are a rare complication that might require revision knee replacement. Periprosthetic knee fracture might occur because of a fall/trauma after the surgery or might occur without any history of trauma/fall due to a loose component or mal-aligned component.
You have bad arthritis.
Most people who undergo a knee replacement have either osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type of arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition that causes joint pain and damage; or postinjury arthritis.