My knee-replacement thread; comments and suggestions welcome.

So, I decided to bring the laptop down to the living room and sleep on the sofa tonight, sort of a trial run, to see if I need anything I hadn't thought of.

I still have to do two more antiseptic scrubbings, one tonight and one in the morning. I am supposed to arrive at 8:30, and drink only water after midnight.
 
Infection is probably your greatest danger. Germs love metal. l don't know why. The knee is the largest joint in the body, so it is the biggest target of the germs.

I met a guy at Boeing. He'd had his TKR. A year and a half later, he was still struggling, all because of the infections. They took out his artificial knee and put in packs of anti-biotics. I think he went through two knee replacements...and they were looking at amputating his leg when I saw him last.

Chris
 
Thank you.


That would be me.

First was waking up with a catheter inserted. It was so nice being able to ignore having to go.

Second is paying attention to the range-of-motion limitations, if they still have those.

Third is when they have you get up to walk around. You'll be surprised at how little it hurts.

Until fourth, when the pain blockers wear off, you'll be surprised at how much it hurts.

That takes about one to two days, so as the others advised, be well into your med routine.

For me, walking wasn't as much about pain as it was weakness, but you do have to start easy.

The pain was mostly constant, at and around the incision site. Ice packs make a difference.

I tell myself: "The first thousand steps are going to hurt. Get them over with, don't drag it out."

As for steps, remember to keep the operated leg straight, so bring it up second, and down first.
Thanks Larry, I have some equipment to help me coming today, sock putter-onner, trolley to move stuff around and a higher toilet seat etc.
 
Good for you Larry - best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I had a total knee on my totaled right knee :)laugh-2x: ) in Jan. 2019 and while the first 10 days or so were pretty tough, I worked my butt off on the exercises, cut off the meds after day 8-11 or so, and kept bashing away until I had 145 deg. of flex and OEM strength, flexibility and no pain. The key is to do your exercises relentlessly, endlessly, and ad nauseum—and the whole procedure will pay off. I can now charge up and down stairs, climb ladders, kneel on the ground, and for the first time since I injured it in a fall at age 14, I have no pain in my right knee. I can ride a bicycle and even skate (roller or ice) which, at age 66, ain't too shabby IMO.

The best time for a knee job is the dead of winter as you must not slip and fall in the first week or two and should have nothing else to do except your physio and exercises - at every available opportunity. If you are considering a knee replacement, my advice is to do it as it will change your life - but only if you do the exercises, relentlessly etc. etc. I didn't bother with swimming pools - just do the following:
  • sit on your bum, wrap a belt around your ankle and pull your foot as hard as you can stand (ideally until your heel hits your bum) - 20 reps ~ 10 times /day.
  • stand next to a kitchen counter and hold onto it - and then using your ankles, rise up on the balls of your feet - and do that about 30-40 times ~10 times / day.
  • sit on the floor with your heel pressed down, drape a 1-2 lb bag of sugar over your ankle and flex your knee to raise your heel off the floor ~ 10 reps 5-10 times / day.
  • twice a week, I went to the physiotherapist who would massage my knee and put me on a stationary bike for 20-30 minutes.
My doc told me that I could pull as hard as I liked on my ankle to force the knee to bend and I could not / would not dislodge or break anything. The only way I could damage the new knee installation would be to put my weight on it - and twist my upper body. That could turn out to be very bad.

By 2-3 weeks I could climb stairs and walk around quite well, by five weeks I could drive a car, and by the end of March (about 8-9 weeks post-surgery) when the crummy weather cleared off (Canada ya know) I could get on my bikes and ride without any difficulties.

Cheers and all the best,

Pete
 
Last edited:
How long between the first one and riding, and how is the new one so far, and compared to before?

I waited way too long for my second (left) hip, and I have permanent limited range of motion.

Before it, I could not straighten my left leg. I can now, but not get my left ankle on my right knee.


I can not straighten my right knee all the way, but I can bend it greater than 90 degrees.

The problem, besides motion aggravation, is keeping it bent during longer bike rides.

I start out okay, but the stops get closer as the day progresses. One hour, then less and less.

Thank you, too.
It was about 10-12 weeks before I attempted to ride. Doc would have preferred another 4 weeks. It was still pretty stiff getting my left leg bent enough to reach the peg and shift. That continued to improve over the following months.

As of today I’ve finished my home PT and will next move on to outpatient PT. Just trying to verify the referral has been approved.

Progress seems similar to last time but I can’t honestly remember exactly. At least I’m at expectations, I’m not going to push it past that. I tried that last time and set myself back a few weeks.
 
I want to walk some more while I’m still on pain blockers, but they don’t want me to walk much because I’m still on pain blockers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Obo
Back
Top Bottom