My knee feels tighter each week after surgery instead of looser. Should I worry?

Normal tightness versus a warning sign

Some tightness, swelling and discomfort are expected after any knee operation, and progress can be uneven from day to day. What should not happen is a steady loss of movement you had already gained, or a plateau that lasts weeks despite doing your exercises.

The direction of travel matters more than any single measurement.

Signs that point to arthrofibrosis

• You could bend or straighten further two weeks ago than you can now
• The knee stays warm and puffy longer than expected
• Pain is out of proportion to the stage of recovery and worse after exercise
• The kneecap feels stuck and moves less when you push it side to side
• You walk with a bent knee because it will not straighten fully
• The knee feels tight like a band rather than sore

What to do now

Contact your surgeon or physiotherapist this week rather than waiting for the next routine follow-up. Keep doing gentle, frequent movement; do not stop because it is uncomfortable, but do not force it violently either. Control swelling with ice, elevation and the pain relief you were prescribed, so that exercise is possible.

Seek urgent care for fever, wound redness or discharge, or calf pain and swelling.

Review at Aman Hospital

In Doha, Dr. Gelber measures the range of movement, checks kneecap mobility, looks for fluid in the joint and reviews how the surgery and rehabilitation have gone. He may adjust medicines, intensify physiotherapy, or arrange imaging. If movement still does not improve, options include manipulation under anaesthesia or keyhole release of scar tissue.