To cyndi2013
Everyone's experience is so different. The best advice I ever got was the comment my physical therapist made, "Everything is connected." If you consider everything that affects how the knee moves, such as your spine, posture, muscles, tendons, ligaments, circulation, and everything that your knee influences, such as your spine, posture, hips, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, you can see how positive feedback loops can happen for good and ill. Anything that gets injured drags down everything it's connected to. Anything that's in good shape helps support an injury while it's healing. If you're thinking about joint replacement, first list what your healthiest and sickest body functions are. You can develop a good idea of what can hold back your recovery that way. There are bad surprises when the doctor makes mistakes, when you have another ongoing illness or injury, or when there's an underlying illness you haven't discovered yet. All of those factors come into play. How physically active you have been over the years matters A LOT going into joint surgery. Active, healthy, younger people heal better and faster. Older, frail, weak, or sick people have a lot more trouble getting through the recovery period. Then there are the differences in skill and experience of the doctors and physical therapists who treat you. They have a tremendous impact on recovery, and that can be amazing or devastating. The surgery is so hard on the body that it can lead to illness and injury, which slow your recovery. A lot of us seem to spend a lot of time, frustration and desperation trying to find more doctors to help with all the consequences of knee replacement surgery. It's a daunting experience. Your family will pay a price because of the long recovery. Patients need a lot of emotional support and a lot of physical help. It's a hard surgery for families to get through. Don't do it unless you find a surgeon who offers pretty substantial patient education classes ahead of the surgery. Avoid a surgeon who won't answer your questions ahead of time about possible complications. Be sure your surgeon has done the operation hundreds of times so they will have the experience to avoid mistakes. Get the second team ready to support you before the surgery happens, including a physical therapist experienced and trained in knee replacement recovery, a really dependable and kind coach, a good patient portal like this one so you can talk to people who understand, and a good family doctor who can see you on short notice when things go south (DON'T COUNT ON THE SURGEON TO BE AROUND TO HELP YOU AFTERWARDS!) Don't ever take on knee replacement surgery alone. Get a walker and a cane and maybe a transport chair ready at home before the surgery. Buy a physical therapy style ice pack and maybe an ice machine because ice will be your number one daily painkiller and swelling reducer. Get on the internet and dig into the research articles and major hospital education pages for the public. Check out all the information that is available from professional organizations and foundations for orthopedic procedures and pain management. There is a ton of stuff to learn. The more you learn, the better questions you can come up with to squeeze true answers about of the doctors. They will just hand you bland euphemisms or not bother to tell you anything if you don't confront them assertively. Get yourself in the best physical shape you can manage ahead of the surgery. Preparation and knowledge and self-discipline will really help you. Good luck! I hope you have no complications and heal well and quickly. Will be thinking about you!