Common situation
Pain after joint surgery
Had surgery and still in pain, or recovery is not going the way you expected? An independent review can help work out why.
Understanding your options
What you have probably been told
You have had knee or hip surgery, whether replacement, arthroscopy or another procedure, and weeks or months later something still is not right: pain that has not settled, stiffness, swelling, or a sense that the joint is not working the way you expected. You may have been told this is normal and to give it more time, referred back into a physiotherapy programme, or you may not yet have had a clear explanation of why the pain is still there.
A guide to the discussion
Make a clear timeline of your symptoms
Before surgery
What was the original problem and intended benefit?
The operation
What procedure took place, and when?
Recovery
What improved, changed or became more difficult?
Now
What is limiting you today?
Bring the findings together with your goals.
No single finding decides the right treatment for everyone.
Your clinical review
What a second opinion looks at
Professor Lee reviews your original imaging, the operation notes from your surgery, and any follow-up scans or letters, then examines the joint and compares it with how it is meant to look and function after that procedure. He is checking whether this is a recognised part of recovery that simply needs more time, a specific and treatable problem such as stiffness, infection, a mechanical issue with an implant, or unrelated pain being generated elsewhere, for example the back or hip when the knee was operated on.
Clarify the next step
Questions to explore with your consultant; these are not individual treatment recommendations.
What you can take away
The realistic range of outcomes
Some patients are reassured that what they are feeling is within the normal, if slow, range for their procedure, with a clearer timeline of what to expect next. Others are found to have a specific, identifiable cause that can be addressed, whether through targeted rehabilitation, an injection, or in some cases further surgery. Occasionally the pain is found to be coming from somewhere other than the operated joint entirely. A second opinion here is about understanding what is actually happening, which is useful whatever the answer turns out to be.
Make the appointment yours
Questions worth asking
- Is what I am feeling within the normal range for this operation at this stage?
- Is there a specific, identifiable cause for my pain?
- Could this pain be coming from somewhere other than the joint that was operated on?
- What would need to happen for this to improve, and on what kind of timescale?
- Is there anything in my original surgery or recovery that is relevant here?
Second Opinion Clinic
Talk through your next step.
£400 · 45 minutes · Monthly clinic sessions
Confirm the next clinic date, location and available slot when booking.