l had total knee replacement surgery 4 weeks ago.l am 49 years old.According to my physical therapist, l am doing very well and am ahead of schedule in my recovery and range of motion.However, l am still experiencing quite a bit of pain that requires a narcotic pain reliever.Is this normal?How long does the pain usually last?
Additional comments based on your :l am doing exercises in therapy and at home to strengthen my entire leg.l have tried over-the-counter pain relievers, and nothing helps.l will ask the doctor next week if this pain is normal. l am in PT three days a week and do exercises at home twice a day.That is what was recommended.

Total Knees can take a good 6-8 weeks to recover, but if you're still needing pain meds at 4 weeks post-op, u might need to talk to ur doctor about this. If ur PT thinks you're ahead of schedule, r u pushing ur knee too much? Have u noticed any signs/symptoms of infection: redness, swelling, increased pain, fever?

l think it would be worth mentioning it to ur doctor. It could just be that u have not recovered yet, but better to see the doctor & rule out something worse.

Most patients will be off narcotic meds by 6-8 weeks but everyone is different. Continue to work hard with your therapy as that is the most important thing at this time

This is very normal. You will have pain, unfortunately, for quite a while. Try not to take too much of the narcotic, it is addictive. Try Advil or something like that during the day and the narcotic at night so you can sleep. l have had 3 knee surgeries and the pain does get better, but it takes awhile. Keep at it with the P.T. they may have an alternative to the narcotic. But hang in there it will get better.
Good Luck

Unfortunately this is going to last until all of the scar tissue has been broken down & u can move the knee without any problems. The other aspect of this is that the muscles also have to improve in size & performance. As this happens there will be a decrease in pain. One of the things that u should be doing is working on the entire leg not just the knee. The hip & ankle musculature r also important in controlling what the knee is doing. The more walking that u r able to do the better. Riding a stationary bike is also helpful in controlling the pain. Use ice on the knee for fifteen to twenty minutes per hour to control both the pain & inflammation.

l had little pain with mine, but most people are like you so do not worry

This is normal at 4 weeks, although the amount of nacotic you require should be significantly less than what it was 4 weeks ago, it is still usual to be using them on occasion for up to 8 weeks or so.

The significant pain should subside by 12 weeks, but you may experience occasional aches and pains for the next year following surgery.