Ask a PT Response: "Sorry to hear that your wife continues to have problems despite undergoing the bilateral knee replacements. This can be very frustrating for a patient since surgery was performed so that it would help alleviate pain and improve function. From what I know as far as the scientific studies conducted, individuals with diabetes seem to take a longer time to recover from surgery as they are more likely to develop scar tissue. The scar tissue can result in a limitation of range of motion and increase pain with motion at the joint. Since it has been a year since her surgery and she continues to have difficulties, it might be a good ideal for her to consult with a physical therapist again and to develop a new plan of care. Your wife might need to continue to work on achieving additional ROM or strength and decreasing tissue irritability or edema in order to obtain better outcomes. Participation in an aquatics therapy program my be beneficial as well. http://www.cyberpt.com/aquaticpt.asp - http://www.cyberpt.com/aquaticpt.asp . I hope this helps and wishing your wife the best."