I’m scheduled for knee replacement but read so many negatives ?

Why are you scheduled for TKR?
I couldn’t walk around the block with so much pain. I tried nerve ablation then consulted about Genicular artery embolism but bone was already deformed so I had the TKR April 2025. Yes it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and gone through but I’m able to Zumba! I’ve been in touch with a doctor about a future clinical study for - well - Google Stanford university and shot for knee cartilage

@dsmit8 I would make sure to investigate robotic surgery. Especially if you have osteoporosis.

Just make sure you have PT and definitely do your exercises at home. I made the mistake of not doing home exercises and now don’t have a 120 bend. Pick a doctor that does robotic surgery.

Along with myself having both TKR knees done a year apart, I know of at least four other acquaintances or family members that have had at least one TKR per person. None regret their choice and are happy or at least content with the results. As with any surgery, there is a small chance that something may go wrong either during surgery or the healing process and if you are that person, the majorities good results are of no consolation.

Going into surgery knowing exactly what will be done to you, and what the self-care recovery steps and PT will be like is important. I would be suspicious of any ortho office that does not give out detailed printed material for the patient to take home as well as verbal instructions. Our local ortho department requires pre-surgery attendance at a 1-2 hour TKR/THR presentation given by hospital staff of anesthiologist, surgical nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, which covers the surgery steps and timeline and home prep and recovery. Tips on making life easier in dressing etc. They encouraged lots of questions, presentations are scheduled several times a month in the evenings. But even if your surgeon's office is skimpy with info, it's still up to the individual to check for info on reputable medical websites which offer relevant preparation info online if you take the trouble to search for it.

@andoman

After both TKR are done, my back pain is gone. Hope it works for you too.

Hi andoman.

I live in the states and have Medicare. I have some control over picking the surgeon and hospital system, but both have to be part of the network covered by Medicare. I have been very fortunate with Drs and surgeons.

Thanks for explaining how healthcare works in Australia. It sounds like you have a good surgeon and it certainly helps to believe in the person doing the surgery.

All of us are different and each operation is unique. In my experience, the knee replacement got rid of all the bone-on-bone pain I had. Recovery isn't simple, but it is straightforward. A good physical therapist is necessary, as is your willingness to follow all post-op directions from your surgeon and your PT.

I wish you all the best!

Joe

@SusanEllen66
I am 9 months in my TKA. Please make sure you are not allergic to the glue generally used for incisions. Although my allergy chart listed latex and bandaid adhesives, glue was still used and the allergic reaction was mind blowing, debilitating and shocking. Blisters and raised rash all over the incision. I could not apply any type of scar treatment for 4 months. For the last 2 months, I have been using silicone scar tape to improve appearance. Not noticing too much difference, but will keep using tape. On a positive note, I have full flexibility in my knee.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that since day 3, after nerve block wore off, I have been getting sensations of burning, stinging and zapping morning, noon and night on inside of calf since the beginning. I was told it would go away. Again, 9 months in. I work out 2-3 times a week, stretching and PT exercises in between, and I can ride my bike albeit not up inclines. From AI NIH website … following TKA, human peripheral nerves—such as the saphenous or common peroneal nerves—regenerate at a highly consistent rate of approximately 1 mm per day (or roughly 1 inch per month). I am trying to be a patient patient. When we are told TKA full recovery can take a year or more, plan accordingly. This surgery is major. Take care.

@andoman I'm sorry to alarm you. But I had three elderly aunts in AUSTRALIA who were having to wait long periods for simple procedures in their healthcare system. All three were able to obtain private health insurance, so managed to get what they needed and all three lived into their 90s. I see the effects of gov't healthcare with my hubs, who is 79 and enrolled in USA Veterans Admin. Healthcare. Just too much bureaucracy and impersonal treatment. Plus, there is no "competition" if we get to the point of total gov't healthcare. Right now, we have ACA (Obama's "affordable care act") which is twice as expensive as our former system; but we also have privately owned doctor offices. The hospitals must organize to fit with ACA, so all the medical procedures have increased twofold. That is why our healthcare costs are so high. No competition in the hospital setting. Some Doc.offices have their own surgery theaters, which is great, but not available to everybody. Sorry. Gov't can't provide everything unless they tax the population into poverty (witness: Cuba, Russia, et c.)

It depends upon your definition of bad. Most studies have said somewhere around 90% of knee replacement recipients are satisfied, not equally numbers. If you mean 50% have pain during recovery, you are probably low in the other direction.

A TKR is a traumatic event. Even if the surgery is minimally invasive, the surgeon is still cutting off parts of two bones and attaching something artificial to them. If the surgery is traditional, as most still are, the surgeon also cut the tendon and muscle to gain access creating even more trauma. Once in there, the surgeon cuts and removes the ACL and often the PCL as well.

So one should expect some pain. But the end result is worth it. I recently had my six month checkup and my surgeon told me I had no limitations. Before the surgery I was in constant if endurable pain in my right knee and extreme pain if I stepped the wrong way from a nerve impingement caused by my severe misalignment. Now I can do things with my grandkids such as walking around the zoo for hours or going to a trampoline center with them.

@dna41
Is it a better surgery ??