Total Knee Replacement ??

I'm about 3 weeks out from having my right knee replaced. Not sure what to expect.

Been thought open heart, by-pass etc. So I'm not a stranger to major surgery.

But I'd like to hear from those who have been though the knee being replaced.

Recovery times ? Therapy ? How long ? Driving, Sleeping? You get
the idea.

Let's hear your thoughts

Sal, I pray that you are in and out like Jiffy Lube and are back standing in front of your pizza oven in record time.

Never had it done myself. My buddy had both done. He told me they had been injecting chicken cartilage in his knees for a year or two every couple of months when he did it. He says it's the best thing he's done. The one thing he did say was that the physical therapy was extremely painful but the harder you work at it, the better the results. Yeah, they're gonna make you scream, but the finished product was worth it. Bite on a washcloth and do what the nice, sadistic young lady says, because she's gonna get you able to walk up a mountain again. Hoping for the best possible outcome. Good luck!

Brother had both done, a year apart. He’s a tough ***, but had lots of pain for a couple weeks. Says do your pt, and don’t cheat. Now he says best thing he’s ever done was get his knees fixed.

I've had both replaced

Do the pre-op exercises if they are offered
Stay the extra day in the hospital if that is offered
Do the pain meds as prescribed
Get off the pain meds ASAP
Get up and get moving ASAP
Do the home PT if offered
Ice, ice, ice your knee, it works
Stretch and bend your knee
When you think you can't stretch or bend it again pull and stretch it more
Ice, ice ice
Get moving
Do the breathing exercises as prescribed
Move, move move
Good luck
I think you got this

Have friends that have one replaced. Find the Best surgeon, period. Look online for reviews and talk to his patients. Do PT and bite the bullet, is well worth it.My Ortho. guy says my left needs replacing but started taking Osteo Bi-Flex and Turmeric plus wearing a el cheapo brace. No pain and can get around like I want but will get replacement next year after last move.

Spent 15 years as an Orthopedic Nurse running a "Orthopedic Camp" for elective knee and hip replacements. When the Camp first started we kept the patients for four days (Operative day and three post-op days). The three days Post-Op were rehab days with the Physical Therapists for six hours of exercise. They also taught the significant other how to help them at home and to see how the exercises were to be accomplished. Over the years the Camp post-op time has diminished to the point where you come in on Monday and go home on Tuesday. The patients are gotten out of bed and up to a chair with a walker within an hour of getting to their room from the Recovery Room. The next morning the patient works with their significant other and the Therapist for a couple of hours then goes home. The quick turn around time is driven by the insurance companies not wanting to pay for longer hospital stays. The best I can tell you is follow what the Therapist tells you and work hard at it. Yes, it won't feel real good at first, but it will get better. Take your pain meds if needed prior to your therapy sessions. We used 1000 mg of Tylenol four times a day for our patients, and 5 mg of Oxycodone for break through pain (one every six hours as needed). A lot of our patients did not take any pain meds post op. They said it did not hurt as much after surgery as it had before.

AJ

I'm sure your knee gives you constant pain. The difference is the that the post-op pain will end. It is well worth it.

I had both done three days apart in 12/2019. Just shy of 68 years old then. It was rough having both done, full custom replacements. I needed a lot more upper body strength than I had with no "good" leg to support me. Having only one done would have been far more doable, but the doctors all warned me too many won't come back for the second and then wear out the "new" knee by shifting their weight from the other bad knee.

The procedure was nothing. A little doping meds and then lights out in the OR. I woke up in bed, don't remember anything about the recovery room. Some doctors put you on a pedaling machine right away; mine did not use them.

I spent 8 days in the hospital, 8 days in a rehab center (because my wife could never have assisted me on her own), a couple of weeks of in-home PT and then about two months of out-patient PT.

They'll have you up walking a few hours after surgery, with a walker of course. Getting in/out of bed and up/down from a toilet were the hardest things. I heard horror stories about PT--people crying in pain, etc.--but mine was not bad. They definitely did not follow the no pain/no gain school of therapy. My surgeries were the first week of Dec, I was walking a mile around my neighborhood--with a cane--in late Feb, riding my bike in March. I could not walk around the neighborhood before the replacements.

Movement is essential to avoid scar tissue building up, which I have some. They told me it will take a year to reach the final recovery, which was pretty true. I had a bit of limitation in how much my knees bent, but I sit on the edge of my recliner with my feet pulled back and put pressure on them to force a bit move movement. Now I can get in/out of cars better, the only real issue being getting up from a sitting position is a real strain on the knees, but walking biking is no problem.

The incision will cut through nerves in the knee. I still have little feeling in my knees and will hit them on things and not feel it. When I walk, it feels like a tight wrap is around them, but no real pain as such, more a "feeling" I have not grown used to. I would say I have 90% improvement now over what I was before replacement. The right knee feels tighter then the left and gives me more problems overall, yet it bends further than the left. Others have said they never turn out the same, so...

Pain... Very individual. Most pain meds had little effect on me other than drowsiness. Tried them for my back with little help. Oxycodone helped in the hospital, but the issue was the nurses and the timing. The Doc said take it before PT; the nurses said I couldn't have it for another two hours. Constant battle over that. I took some until my second week of out-patient PT when I decided I really didn't need it anymore. Take what you need. No sense being miserable and in pain.

I had Medicare and Tricare to pay for it all. Never paid a nickel out of pocket other than the transfer ride to the rehab facility and a shower seat I hardly used.

I didn't drive until late Feb because of the difficulty in moving my legs. When I felt I was capable of operating the pedals, I drove. The riding mower was nearly a disaster the first time out!

I had both knees done with partials seven years ago. I can’t attest to recovery time for a full, but I would like to echo what others have said about PT. Easy to not give it your all, but you will pay for it later with less range of motion and more chronic pain. The exercises help to keep scar tissue from forming which restricts range of motion and causes chronic inflammation leading to the long term pain. I had to sleep on my back since I had both done, which was an adjustment since I’m a side sleeper. The pain meds really came in handy for sleeping, and after about a week, I was just using them to sleep since they would just put me to sleep during the day anyway. Pain wasn’t unbearable, mostly a dull throbbing ache that made me restless. Walking was really the best thing to manage the pain, though with a full, I don’t know how different your experience will be. Another suggestion would be to do anything to your house that will make your recovery more comfortable before your surgery. For instance, I didn’t want to have to depend on anyone to help me use the restroom. Sitting down was pretty hard, but getting up was damn near impossible unless you had handicap grab bars installed. What I did before my surgery was install an eye bolt lag screw in a ceiling joist directly above the throne and ran a short rope through it, doubling it and tying a few knots in it for a hand hold. Simple, but man did it make life easier.

I’ll keep you in my prayers for a speedy recovery. And keep us posted with your results and progress.

I had surgery on my left knee mid-March. Many have given a day by day account so I will give a few differences I encountered and a few highlights.

Overall it wasn't that bad. Stayed one night in the hospital and out the next day. This is considered "outpatient". Used walker and crutches for first couple of days then just a cane. Only use the cane now when out in the yard. Nothing needed in the house or on pavement, grocery store floors, etc.

I quit taking pain medication almost immediately because the pain just wasn't that bad. Throughout the two months recovery so far, still very little if any pain.

Truck and Jeep are automatics, so after about 3 weeks I could drive. That was a real red letter day! May take longer for you, right knee and all.

Swelling was an issue. My left knee down to my ankle looked about twice as big as my other one. Used ice like a mad man but didn't seem to matter much. Finally the doctor told me to sleep all night with the leg up on three pillows and wear a knee-high compression sock on that leg in the day. That worked wonders, although the first few nights I had to get up A LOT to urinate. Apparently a lot of fluid around the knee results from the surgery and it literally drains downhill to be absorbed and urinated out. Be sure to talk to your doctor about this, how soon to start, etc.

Nobody else has mentioned this, it's a bit of an unpleasant topic, but constipation has been an issue pretty much up to this week. Finally seems to be getting better. Some say the pain meds and other meds cause it. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference. Your doctor may have some words of wisdom so ask. My wife keeps telling me it's too much sitting in a chair / not enough walking. Well, I do my exercises, sort of.

Well, this was supposed to be brief but I've talked your ear off. In summary, the pain was nothing. Limited mobility, swelling and constipation were my main complaints. Good luck!

Jack Flash said:

I had surgery on my left knee mid-March. Many have given a day by day account so I will give a few differences I encountered and a few highlights.

Overall it wasn't that bad. Stayed one night in the hospital and out the next day. This is considered "outpatient". Used walker and crutches for first couple of days then just a cane. Only use the cane now when out in the yard. Nothing needed in the house or on pavement, grocery store floors, etc.

I quit taking pain medication almost immediately because the pain just wasn't that bad. Throughout the two months recovery so far, still very little if any pain.

Truck and Jeep are automatics, so after about 3 weeks I could drive. That was a real red letter day! May take longer for you, right knee and all.

Swelling was an issue. My left knee down to my ankle looked about twice as big as my other one. Used ice like a mad man but didn't seem to matter much. Finally the doctor told me to sleep all night with the leg up on three pillows and wear a knee-high compression sock on that leg in the day. That worked wonders, although the first few nights I had to get up A LOT to urinate. Apparently a lot of fluid around the knee results from the surgery and it literally drains downhill to be absorbed and urinated out. Be sure to talk to your doctor about this, how soon to start, etc.

Nobody else has mentioned this, it's a bit of an unpleasant topic, but constipation has been an issue pretty much up to this week. Finally seems to be getting better. Some say the pain meds and other meds cause it. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference. Your doctor may have some words of wisdom so ask. My wife keeps telling me it's too much sitting in a chair / not enough walking. Well, I do my exercises, sort of.

Well, this was supposed to be brief but I've talked your ear off. In summary, the pain was nothing. Limited mobility, swelling and constipation were my main complaints. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Either to many pain meds or not enough fluids or a combination of both can cause constipation. Also lack of up and walking around can cause constipation. So the least amount of pain meds, at least eight 8 oz. glasses of fluids a day (no alcohol) and get up and move. If you get constipated then use what our patients called "AJ's Cocktail". 45 CC's of Milk of Magnesia, 4 oz's of Prune Juice and 4 oz's of Apple Juice then heat it up like a cup of coffee and drink it down like a cup of coffee. This concoction usually works within a couple of hours, also it may make you go multiple times, but that is better than going to the ER and getting disimpacted.

Just do it. I could tell when I came out of the anesthesia that the nagging bone pain was gone. Should have done 2 years earlier.

Do the PT, it hurts,but you'll thank yourself later.

The cocktail didn’t work for me. Had both knees done the same day 4 years ago, best thing I ever did. Pain will be your best friend and the therapy is painful also. Each session of my therapy was 2 hours, 3 times a day. Most of the therapy is somewhat pain free muscle strengthening to get back what you lost during surgery and the bending is the painful part. The bending part and the pain caused by it will help the most years down the road. Sleeping was tough for me, took 6 weeks to get back in the bed all night. Slept on the recliner.

Time passed slowly for a change, the first 3 months was extremely slow. I wanted to get to 6 months post surgery because most of the BS would be behind me. Seemed to be forever. When I started to drive, went to the civic center for a year and used only the leg strengthening equipment and 3 for bending. We also walked each night weather permitting.

I also trusted the spinal for surgery. I could remember being wheeled out of the operating room into recovery. My recovery was getting the feeling bad in my legs. Good luck, you’ll be OK. If you need some help, PM me with your phone number and will call to offer support. Larry

Sal, I've not had the surgery and can't add to all the good advise already given.........just wanted to say that I hope all goes well and that you have a speedy and "pain-free" recovery.

Don

Here's an updated version of an answer I gave to a similar question a few years ago. Some of this does not apply to the OP, ditrina, who has already committed to surgery, but it may help others who are considering it:

I had both knees replaced (in one week ) in August, 2011 at the age of 67, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. They'd gotten so bad, I could not stand for more than 30 seconds without significant pain. Standing at the firing line at a range was not possible. Now I routinely spend two hours on the line and don't even notice my knees. Cold weather does not affect them in any way. The only pain I have experienced since the surgery was a few brief moments of endurable pain that occurred during post-surgery physical therapy.

Here are some things I learned from the experience:
1. Don't wait too long. I went to a highly regarded orthopedic surgeon who checked out my knees and told me he couldn't do the surgery, because my knees were deteriorated beyond his ability to help. He referred me to a "surgeon of last resort", who specialized in severe cases. Mine were the severest of the severe, because he told me after the surgeries that my knees were the worst he had seen in at least 6 months. If I'd had them done earlier, it might have been easier for all concerned.

2. Find an orthopedic surgeon who has had formal joint replacement training beyond what is taught in an orthopedic surgery residency. My surgeon spent an additional year honing his joint replacement skills at the Anderson Orthopedic Research Institute in Washington DC.

3. DO YOUR PRE-SURGERY PHYSICAL THERAPY! (I'm shouting this because I think it is critical for a good outcome.) I don't know if there is any research on this, but I suspect that a lot of people who skip this live to regret it. The "knee replacement" is really only "cartilage replacement". The rest of the knee components, the ligaments, tendons, muscles, and kneecap, are not replaced. Because arthritis causes them to shrink, shrivel and lose elasticity, they'll hurt like hell when the new artificial knee is installed, unless they have been pre-stretched by physical therapy. I spent four hours a day over 2 weeks prior to surgery doing physical therapy, and I attribute at least part of my successful outcome to having done so.

4. Plan on a month or so where you're "out of service". Three or four days in the hospital per knee, and two to three weeks flat on your back at home during recovery. During that time you'll have regular visits by nurses and physical therapists, and you'll be up and about on walkers and canes while they're there, but much of the time you'll be in bed. It will probably be five to six weeks before you're cleared to drive again.

5. Keep ahead of the pain, both in the hospital and at home. If you feel pain coming on, take your pain meds before it gets too bad. If you get all macho about it and try to tough it out, the pain will increase your misery and slow your recovery. Once home, I kept a log of my pain med intake. I could take up to eight Norco tablets (a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen) a day at six hour intervals. By the fifth day at home, I was down to four tablets a day, and over the next ten days, I tapered down to one per day, and was completely off them after 20 days at home. I experienced no withdrawal symptoms, but had narcotic-induced constipation. Prepare to drink lots of prune juice.

6. Be nice to your spouse/significant other/family members, because you will be pretty much helpless and totally dependent on them during the early stages of your recovery. Mrs. swsig was a godsend, waiting on me hand and foot during that time. I attribute much of my quick and uneventful recovery to her efforts.

7. Do your post-surgery outpatient physical therapy. Ask your home visit therapist to recommend some good physical therapy centers to go to after you're discharged from home therapy, then go religiously. Yeah, it can hurt some times. But after all, you have to live in your body, so you might as well make it as good as it can be.

8. I had a post surgery sleep disorder for a couple of months, possibly due to having two surgeries. Fortunately, being retired, I could sleep whenever I wanted, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

9. I was pretty much back to normal activities six weeks after surgery, and was able to fly to San Diego for my 50-year high school reunion 2 1/2 months after surgery.

10. If you have the surgery, you'll be taller (the artificial knees add about an inch), thinner (the painkillers slow down your digestive system and kill your appetite), and better-looking (at least I was ).

Best wishes for a successful outcome!

Lots of good info here, especially regarding PT.



One thing no one warned me about is that you can temporarily loose some muscle strength. When your body experiences a big shock, like from surgery, your brain says "let's block the nerve path to some muscles" to minimize further damage. In my case, my quad muscles shut down, and I had problems lifting my leg. Like lifting it to get in bed, or moving from the gas pedal to the brake when driving. No problem walking or most other activities. It took a couple months of "tens" electric shock therapy to restore that nerve path from my brain to the knee.



My hope in posting this is not to scare you, but to make you aware that this can happen. I was walking with a walker right after surgery, up and down stairs after the third day etc. Driving took an extra month or two to become comfortable with it.

You'll be a'ight . . .

I had my left knee replaced August 2020. Physical therapy was MUCH harder than the right hip that was replaced in 2010. My fault. I didn't do enough "at home" physical therapy that I was supposed to be doing between visits to the physical therapist. The biggest problem was bending my knee. You need 115 degrees. I struggled to get there but eventually did. I didn't like my first physical therapist so I changed to another one that I liked better. That helped. I went through a lot of painful bending with him. I was literally screaming in pain when he would bend my knee but it was necessary. I finally got to where I could bend it to 123 degrees and he discharged me. My best advice is do exactly what they tell you to do. I didn't, at first, and paid the price. I'm good now and love the new knee.