Skiing and returning to sport activities after TKR?

@babette, I love that your motivation to recover from your surgery is sports. I was also an active person when I had mine, so returning to golf and working out were my main motivators. Each of us are different, and each of our surgeon's have a different viewpoint on what we should and should not do after our surgeries. Did you ask your surgeon if he or she was comfortable with you skiing once you recovered and gained enough mobility? I was given only a few no-no's from my surgeon: don't kneel directly on it on hard surfaces and don't jump on a trampoline! Outside of those two rules, I was told I could do mostly what I wanted pain-tolerated, but was warned that if I were to run on hard surfaces, it would wear the knee out faster. Since I had many other joint issues, running wasn't really something I did anyways.

@babette, here is another conversation you may wish to check out as well as it is members discussing rehab for a TKR, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/in-pt-for-tkr-started-having-severe-pain-in-the-back-of-my-knee/.

My surgeon supports skiing! (He's a jock, so ...). Also, my PT was psyched that this is my goal (especially at my age, let's just say I'm a woman of a certain age). Skis have been radically redesigned over the past 20 years and while hips and knees are still involved, feet are more involved in actually turning the ski. I've always loved skiing even when not fit (I am NOT fit now) because I secretly believe that gravity does most of the work! I won't be skiing on moguls, but will be really happy to just cruise the beginner and intermediate runs for now. Another plus of getting older: the motivation to ski is different and, I think, better. I'm much more interested in the whole experience now.

Whatever your age or situation, it is so helpful to have a like-minded physician. A few decades back, when exercise for pregnant women was frowned upon, I was lucky to find a female OB that was a runner and herself a new mom. When everyone else was telling me to take a break from dance and aerobics, she understood that was essentially a jail sentence. She simply told me to listen to my body and that I would know when to slow down and join the "low intensity" crowd. I danced until the day before my son was born and was back at it just a few days afterward -- all with the encouragement and support of my doctor.

1. Skiing: After seven years of dealing with an injured and worn-down knee, I had it replaced at age 63. Went skiing in the alps 4 months later and had total control. Skied like in my twenties.
2. Tae Kwon Do: 20 years experience at age 63. Back to practice after six weeks - felt like a beginner. Another three weeks or so: back to normal. No more kicking trees, but heavy bags without problem.
No signs of damage 11 years later.

@pittkd Wow - that's an inspiration. Yours is not the first experience I've read about where skiers describe skiing as good as/even better than pre-knee replacement! Winter's coming. 🙂

@pittkd, you went skiing in the alps 4 months after your total knee replacement!? That is pretty awesome and must of took some serious dedication to rehab quickly.

Sorry about the Florence-related delay in responding to the last two posts. Minor correction: the fabulous skiing happened _seven_ months after my first knee replacement and four months after a supraspinatus (shoulder) reattachment. However, skiing four months after my second knee replacement felt similarly good. Physical therapy after both replacements had its painful moments, but noticeable progress is a good motivator. It also helps to be in good physical shape before surgery.

@pittkd I'm dedicated to my physical therapy and hope to be skiing by December (surgery was late July). I've been bothered by my PT's wanting to physically push my bent knee to reach 120 degrees. I'm at 114. I think I can get there myself and am, of course, trying to avoid use of force/pain. Thoughts?

I remember how the ph. therapist after the second tkr pushed too hard so that I actually got sick afterwards. (Happens to me sometimes after intense pain.) I quit after five or six home visits and worked on the flexibility on my own. Force with well-dosed pain appears to be necessary, though, to achieve a reasonable range of motion.

Have seen a previous series of messages re: above topic, but cannot get into that group for some reason. I would be grateful for some feed-back. I am a 71 year old man, quite fit and at four months after my TKR. My [very good] surgeon at post-op. meeting, suggested not to ski, but didn't say "ever again". Re-hab is going well. I feel fit and strong, ready to venture onto easy/intermediate runs in the Alps this winter. Look forward to your views and experiences.