I am having my right knee replaced due to severe arthritis. It has started giving out on me, too. What can I expect and do any of you have advice for the recovery period?
I Can't Take It Any Longer
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ColbyBruce
Member
Choose your surgeon and PT wisely
A good Physical Terrorist is worth their weight in gold. Attend your appointments religiously and do your prescribed exercises at home as instructed. I worked with several men and women who had knee and hip replacements. The few failures occurred amongst the lazy. Good luck with this.
A good Physical Terrorist is worth their weight in gold. Attend your appointments religiously and do your prescribed exercises at home as instructed. I worked with several men and women who had knee and hip replacements. The few failures occurred amongst the lazy. Good luck with this.
I just replaced my right knee six weeks ago.The first couple of weeks were very uncomfortable.You will need to listen to your doctor. Get a ice machine and use it.Physical therapy is the key.Do your physical therapy no matter how uncomfortable do the home exercise they give you.I have at least two more weeks of physical therapy left but I started feeling and doing better about two weeks ago and have gotten better every day.I even worked a four day security job last week .My dr is so pleased with my progress we are scheduling my left knee for this summer.Mywifes Dr told her that her husband spent three months with a personal trainer before his knee replacement and at two weeks he has no pain.I do not like pain meds but do not be afraid to take them.Do not let pain get ahead of you or you will have trouble exercising knee.
Get your house ready for you.Built platform for my chair and ottoman to make it easier to get in and out of.Make sure your bed is not to low so you can get in and out of it easily.Wife and her son moved furniture and opened up house so I could get around on walker.I was still weak from cancer and radiation last year that their help was a godsend.Sorry this is so long if you have more questions ask me.(Do your physical therapy)
Get your house ready for you.Built platform for my chair and ottoman to make it easier to get in and out of.Make sure your bed is not to low so you can get in and out of it easily.Wife and her son moved furniture and opened up house so I could get around on walker.I was still weak from cancer and radiation last year that their help was a godsend.Sorry this is so long if you have more questions ask me.(Do your physical therapy)
NFrameFred
Member
THIS /\/\/\/\/\/\
Short term pain for long term gain. I had both replaced at the same time in January of 2021. Pushed myself, gritted my teeth, and tried to go past what the physical therapists asked (under their supervision). By May I was able to start back doing my own yard work and resuming a fairly normal routine. As has been said, the only folks I know that suffered bad consequences have been those that didn't apply themselves to the physical therapy because "it hurt too much and made them feel bad". Months/years later they're still having issues with loss of function, range of motion and quality of life.
I had both replaced in the same week, not the brightest idea. Recovery is really hard when you don't one good leg to stand on. I can definitely tell a difference in the outcome of both, both having been done by the same surgeon. The right has always been more of an issue than the left, but neither anything to be concern over. You can pretty well forget kneeling on a replaced knee. They cut through the nerves in the knee, so you'll probably have permanent numbness in your knees/lower legs. Sometimes it makes me feel a little unsteady/unsure of my footing but hasn't led to any falls or anything. I think my PT guy was a bit conservative. Never seemed to push thee "No pain/No gain" theory. Bones take 10-12 weeks to heal, and right at that point I noticed great progress in my recovery. Surgery the first week of Dec. 2019, taking mile-long walks by early/mid Feb. The only real strain I feel now is getting upright from a sitting position. Not pain, just knee strain. Walking/standing is a piece of cake. Should have done it much earlier.
Good luck with yours!
Good luck with yours!
Maddog 521
Member
Pull and then pull some more. Walk and then walk some more. Do what they say and then do it some more.
It has already been said, SO I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, ICE IS YOUR FRIEND.
It has already been said, SO I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, ICE IS YOUR FRIEND.
March 18, or 3 weeks ago yesterday I had my right knee replaced because of the extreme pain that arthritis had inflicted upon me, I dealt with it for about a year along with stage 4 aggressive prostate cancer at the same time.
I was very blessed in that my oncologist collaborated with my orthopedic surgeon and between the two of them, they worked wonderful together and got the job done. I have physical therapist / assistants that come to my home 3 days each week ( thank goodness for insurance ) to assist in my exercises. I use ice water therapy often and like other members here I agree that it takes some level of pain to see daily improvement and let me tell you I do see improvement because I work hard at it. Having a good attitude will be to your advantage as well. I was aware of the horror stories associated with the surgery but I believe it is what you personally make of it. My wife has had both knees done through the the years so I have her experience as well as her being a retired RN. All the folks who are helping me through this confirm that I am doing extremely well. One week on the walker, one on the cane and now just carrying the cane and pretty much traveling at a snails pace,,, not. to be a show off you know.
And where would I be right now if it were not for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who carried me through all of this.
The enclosed picture was taken 1 week ago or 2 weeks post op. Perhaps someone here can turn it as I do not have the know how.
terry
I was very blessed in that my oncologist collaborated with my orthopedic surgeon and between the two of them, they worked wonderful together and got the job done. I have physical therapist / assistants that come to my home 3 days each week ( thank goodness for insurance ) to assist in my exercises. I use ice water therapy often and like other members here I agree that it takes some level of pain to see daily improvement and let me tell you I do see improvement because I work hard at it. Having a good attitude will be to your advantage as well. I was aware of the horror stories associated with the surgery but I believe it is what you personally make of it. My wife has had both knees done through the the years so I have her experience as well as her being a retired RN. All the folks who are helping me through this confirm that I am doing extremely well. One week on the walker, one on the cane and now just carrying the cane and pretty much traveling at a snails pace,,, not. to be a show off you know.
And where would I be right now if it were not for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who carried me through all of this.
The enclosed picture was taken 1 week ago or 2 weeks post op. Perhaps someone here can turn it as I do not have the know how.
terry
Attachments
Just make sure you do the therapy 3 times a day, if one of them gets easy to do 10 repetitions then do 15. Therapy is important. Good luck, will be the best thing you do. I went to the gym for a year after, doing all leg exercises and stretching. I had both done the same time, Larry
I have had three knee ops so far, and am pretty sure I will need another to replace the partial in my left knee with a full in a year or two.
The advice above to begin PT before the operation is good. The stronger the leg is, the quicker you will recover. And keep doing the PT for a couple of months after the op. For me, after initial recovery at home, going to a local clinic/gym and receiving PT was a better option than trying to do it on my own at home
If you are overweight, which most of us who develop bad knees are, work on losing weight. My first surgeon would not operate until I lost about 45 lbs. I went from 270 to 225 in about six months by fasting for 36 hours once a week.
For the first two ops I just had ice packs. For the third I bought an ice machine. Much better! I think they cost about $200 but definitely are worth it for convenience and efficacy.
As everyone says — and every says it because it is very true — take the PT very seriously. Yeah, it hurts. But the pain is worth it.
Take the pain killers. Stay ahead of the pain. Early on, I took the max oxycodone doses at the minimum intervals my doc prescribed, keeping a careful record, writing down doses and times in a notebook. I did this to ensure I stayed within my doctor's guidelines.
A useful PT trick is to time the painkillers so that they hit max effect just as your PT guy is stretching the bejeez outta your traumatized knee..
(I have tried to understand why people get addicted to oxy, as I at no point felt it was a problem and tapered off easily as the pain receded with time passed. I think for people with chronic pain, with pain that does not lessen with time, it can become addictive as they need it for constant, long-term, severe pain. I don't think it is dangerous for those with temporary severe pain which gradually lessens — which is the case with knee replacements — and who carefully follow their doctor's dosage instructions.)
One final tip: To lift up, move, your leg with the replaced knee, stick your good leg under it at the ankle, and lift it with your good leg. Helps with getting into and out of bed, or changing your position.
The advice above to begin PT before the operation is good. The stronger the leg is, the quicker you will recover. And keep doing the PT for a couple of months after the op. For me, after initial recovery at home, going to a local clinic/gym and receiving PT was a better option than trying to do it on my own at home
If you are overweight, which most of us who develop bad knees are, work on losing weight. My first surgeon would not operate until I lost about 45 lbs. I went from 270 to 225 in about six months by fasting for 36 hours once a week.
For the first two ops I just had ice packs. For the third I bought an ice machine. Much better! I think they cost about $200 but definitely are worth it for convenience and efficacy.
As everyone says — and every says it because it is very true — take the PT very seriously. Yeah, it hurts. But the pain is worth it.
Take the pain killers. Stay ahead of the pain. Early on, I took the max oxycodone doses at the minimum intervals my doc prescribed, keeping a careful record, writing down doses and times in a notebook. I did this to ensure I stayed within my doctor's guidelines.
A useful PT trick is to time the painkillers so that they hit max effect just as your PT guy is stretching the bejeez outta your traumatized knee..
(I have tried to understand why people get addicted to oxy, as I at no point felt it was a problem and tapered off easily as the pain receded with time passed. I think for people with chronic pain, with pain that does not lessen with time, it can become addictive as they need it for constant, long-term, severe pain. I don't think it is dangerous for those with temporary severe pain which gradually lessens — which is the case with knee replacements — and who carefully follow their doctor's dosage instructions.)
One final tip: To lift up, move, your leg with the replaced knee, stick your good leg under it at the ankle, and lift it with your good leg. Helps with getting into and out of bed, or changing your position.
I had total knee replacements on both knees in the same week in 2011. The outcome was successful beyond my wildest expectations. I was able to stand and walk easily with no pain for the first time in years. I can tell you there's been some pretty good advice offered above. All I can add is to reinforce the notion of doing pre-surgery physical therapy. The reason is that your tendons and ligaments have shrunk from the arthritis. When the knee hardware is installed, it will stretch them to normal length again. If you haven't pre-stretched them with pre-surgery PT, you're likely to have more pain than is necessary. I spent a couple hours a day for three weeks doing simple pre-surgery PT exercises using printed instructions that my surgeon gave me. I had NO after-surgery pain as a result. If your ortho surgeon hasn't given you any such instructions, ask for some. I believe too many people think that all they have to do is show up for surgery, and they will emerge as cured. WRONG! The hard work of PT must be done before and after by the patient to insure a successful outcome.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Oldengineer
Member
I’ve had both of mine replaced. The above remarks are all spot on. One thing to keep in mind — after the new knee heals, you have to keep using it or you’ll lose the ability to walk! Maybe a bit overstated……but you get the picture.
Best wishes, Tom H.
Best wishes, Tom H.
simply stated...Do the therapy and do it right or you will not ever walk without a painful limp. It will be painful for a while but it will pass. Just do it. Good luck.
ColbyBruce
Member
You don’t want to swallow those pain pills on an empty stomach. Get a foot long sub sandwich, just meat and cheese, and have it cut into eight pieces. Eat one slice prior to taking a pain pill.
