Should I cancel my TKR surgery?

The 6-8 weeks physical therapy increased my quads etc which made for speedier recovery post op

I think your logic is sound and wish you well.

I would I’m 78 I have more problems now tha before surgery

I think excess weight is as bad as any disease. I am five-feet, seven-inches tall and weighted 202 pounds three years ago, when I was 78 years old. Through diet and exercise over a year, I dropped my weight to 150 pounds. It has since crawled up to 160 pounds, but I still feel great. I will watch what I eat and take dog on longer walks.

I am an active87 years old with osteoporosis, not overweight and quite fit otherwise. I have been scheduled for knee surgery in about three weeks. I am concerned because at the moment I can drive, I can walk a little awkwardly because my knee is pronated about 15° away from my other leg. I do get a little stiff after sitting for long periods of time, my pain varies from 0 to occasionally a 7 on a scale of 0 to 10. I have a stent for arteriosclerosis, and I have no other medications other than one baby aspirin daily . I have not tried any of the other interventions, including medication or painkillers, just toughing it through when it gets painful. My walking on the treadmill for more than 20 minutes, does create pain the next day. I would appreciate any suggestions as to what I should do? I cannot make a decision as to whether I should go through with the TKR which requires several months, probably of inactivity pain etc. besides the risks during and after the surgery. I eagerly await your feedback. Thank you.

I am 67 and had right TKR 4 weeks ago. I wished I had not had it. The pain is unbearable. I am miserable and not the same person I was before surgery. I feel I could have worked around my bad knee. Now with that being said I may not feel the same way 6 months out. I might be glad I had it. I can only hope. But right now "no".

How long did it take you to heal?

I'm 66 and have had both knees replaced. With my right knee after 6 weeks I was full-time back to work and basically no real pain. I did exactly what the doctor & others told me to do though. I was faithful about the at home exercises, kept it elevated and iced every 90 minutes and walked even if initially it was throughout the house until I felt comfortable walking outside on uneven sidewalks. My left knee was a different experience due to the perineal nerve being compressed under a muscle in surgery. This resulted in drop foot which cause me not to be able to exercise to the extent I did with the right knee. It's 2 years since that surgery and that knee doesn't give me pain, but I noticed it has some stiffness the right knee doesn't. I'm pretty sure that if I could get some better exercise, that would subside, but I'm still dealing with residual issues from the drop foot. To me it's been worth the surgery (even with the drop foot issue) as my pain was so unbearable prior to surgery to the point I was missing out on so many family events and my quality of life was suffering. I wish you well in your decision making.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. It is much appreciated.

Hi there. Ok so I am now a little over a year out on both knees and am skiing! I can kneel easily (as long it is not on hardwood) and get up easily. My husband said he never saw me ski this well. I did all my PT for 3 months prior to 6 months post surgery. About a year of PT. I continue to stretch daily. The cold wet weather makes them feel funky, but not painful. The scars are fading. The only thing that was an issue was I developed Restless Leg Syndrome - but even that I am weaning off the ropinirole and it is WELL managed with the meds.