Knee Won't Straighten After Knee Replacement? It May Not Be "Just Stiffness" |Dr. A.K. Venkatachalam

Three months after your knee replacement, your knee still won't straighten, and you've been told it's "just stiffness" and to keep doing physiotherapy. Sometimes that is reasonable. But sometimes there is a mechanical reason a replaced knee cannot reach full extension, and no amount of physiotherapy can remove a physical block inside a joint. In this video, orthopaedic surgeon Dr. A.K. Venkatachalam explains: Why the last few degrees of straightening matter (the screw-home mechanism) What a flexion deformity (flexion contracture) does to your quadriceps, your walking and your stability Why a knee may not straighten after surgery: the extension gap, posterior osteophytes, tight tissues behind the knee, and the bone cuts Why "just cut more bone" can leave a knee straight but unstable When a constrained implant is a planning decision, not a rescue The trial-component check before the final implant is fixed, robotic surgery included What changes if your knee was already bent before the operation A knee that still won't straighten months after replacement deserves a diagnosis, not just the word "stiffness." Not every knee that lacks extension at three months has a surgical problem. Pain, swelling and scar can hold a knee bent, and some contractures improve with time. The real question is why it isn't straight, and whether it is improving. 📌 More in this series: Is Your Pain At Three Months Normal? →Knee Replacement Pain at 3 Months: When Sh... Pain After Knee Replacement: The Kneecap Cause Your X-ray Can't See →Pain After Knee Replacement: The Kneecap C... Do You Actually Need a Knee Replacement? 4 Honest Signs →Do You Actually Need a Knee Replacement? 4... Next: The Risk Nobody Puts On The Brochure, Sunday 27 September. If you've been told your bent knee is "just stiffness," get a second opinion before you accept it. Bring your X-rays from before and after the operation. Time-stamps 00:00 – Introduction & Why Knee Extension Matters 01:10 – The Biomechanics: Screw-Home Mechanism & Full Extension 02:04 – Real Patient Case Study: Stiff Knee Post-Surgery 03:40 – Gait & Range of Motion Analysis (Side Walk Demonstration) 04:03 – Strain & Load Distribution in Flexion Deformity 05:27 – Surgical Causes & Flexion-Extension Gap Balancing 07:00 – Bone Spurs & Posterior Osteophytes Demonstration 09:00 – Constrained Implants & Ligament Stability 09:24 – Technology in Surgery: Robotics & Navigation Limits 10:26 – Pre-existing Deformity vs. Joint Preservation Options 12:16 – Getting a Second Opinion & Summary Madras Joint Rejuvenation Centre (MJRC) Kasthuri Hospital, West Tambaram, Chennai 📞 Call / WhatsApp: 095661 43108 🌐 orthobiologicsurgeryindia.com ✉️ [email protected] This video is for education and does not replace an individual examination by a qualified doctor. #KneeReplacement #TKR #KneeStiffness HASHTAGS / TAGS #KneeReplacement #TKR #KneeStiffness #FlexionContracture #FixedFlexionDeformity #KneeReplacementRecovery #KneeSurgery #OrthopaedicSurgeon #KneeReplacementChennai #MJRC Contact details - https://maps.app.goo.gl/cDvbzhx8csFoX...