Suggest Treatment For Swollen Joints In A Person With Dementia

Posted on Fri, 30 Sep 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 Answered on

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : My mother is 88 with dementia & in memory care facility. She had a knee replacement on her right leg. Last night it was giving her pain, but not swollen or red. This morning RN called to say the pain is still the and there is redness/swelling above and below the artificial joint & the calf is red swollen and hot to the touch. Nobody saw her fall or hurt it. They made an appointment with her orthopedic surgeon to look at first. I am worried about a blood clot in the calf. Does an ultrasound of calf be needed to rule out blood clot?

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Could be a clot. Need a 2D Doppler study

Detailed Answer:
Hi there.

Thanks for the query.

If there is significant swelling of her calf without significant increased warmth, then it could be a blood clot. The limb may be cooler to touch and also develop pitting on pressing against the shin with your thumb.

Other possibility could be infection or cellulitis, in which there would be increased warmth and fever.

Best to get a 2D Doppler study of the limb to look for Deep vein thrombosis. Keep her limb elevated and avoid massaging the limb.

I hope I have answered your query.

I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Regards,

Dr. Aashish Raghu

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T