I had knee surgery a year back and still getting swelling and pain with movement. Why?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The swelling can happen if there is a recent surgery. You are doing physiotherapy to get your range of knee motion back to its normal. As the ligament and the knee capsule stretches, it causes inflammation and swelling. However, if the surgery was done more than a year back, it is not normal, and associated factors need to be considered. Is there instability of the knee joint on performing pivoting or rotatory movements? Is there any associated rheumatoid arthritis? Is there arthritis of the knee joint now or before surgery? Do you have any other medical co-morbidities? Is swelling your main problem, or is it associated with instability? Do you have ligamentous laxity? When you answer these questions, let me also know your date of surgery and exactly which graft was taken to do the ACL reconstruction?

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

So your ACL surgery was done a few years back, and the knee flexion injury is recent. Based on the mechanism of injury described, it is likely you can have a posterior horn meniscal injury of a cruciate ligament sprain or tear. Take rest for a few days for about one to two weeks. Do icing and start physiotherapy with gentle quads exercises and knee ROM exercises. Even after two weeks, if your knee does not get better, it will be justified to get another MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan done to see the damage. Painkillers like Codeine or Ibuprofen may help.