Alternatives to knee replacements

I've always thought the recumbent exercise bikes were easier on the back and I have lower back pain from arthritis. I had a combination recumbent bike and elliptical combination (Proform Hybrid Trainer) - The one I had was an older and less expensive version of the current one here - https://www.proform.com/hybrid-trainers/hybridtrainer. Last summer I replaced it with a Teeter FreeStep Cross Trainer to get a more natural like walking up and down motion with my legs and also better to help with upper body strength which I need - https://teeter.com/product/freestep-lt1/.

All of the before and after exercises were specifically to help with the rehab of the knee after the surgery - the stronger the leg and muscles/tendons around the knee, the easier it will be to get back to normal after the surgery. I don't think it would have helped to avoid having the surgery.

That's great info and I thank you. Did you use less resistance, rather than more. May I ask what you paid for the Teeter cross step??

I ordered the FreeStep LT1 directly from Teeter.com since the cost was lower and they offer free shipping. I paid $749+tax. A few other places were selling it for $799. I vary the resistance but probably use the lower resistance the most.

Thanks. Too expensive for me, but I am requesting that you keep me informed on how you are being helped, God Bless!!!!

@rorygrbowsky: even though you addressed the question regarding pain/activity to John, I want to tell you that the worst pain - during the day, at least, not counting while doing the rehab exercises, gradually got better over the span of about 6 weeks. At night I still had quite a bit of pain for at least 4 months. However, after the initial 9 days of Oxycodone, and maybe another week of X-strength Tylenol, I never took any kind of pain reliever. My choice. Lots if icing, though! Activities: walking on relatively level surfaces pretty much immediately after surgery. Walking up and down stairs possible, but painful for a while, and about 6 months before it felt safe doing it without holding on to railings. But I still prefer a railing when there is one.... Walking on uneven surfaces (trails, or, in my case, doing yard work, lugging dirt/mulch etc.up and down backyard slope) took about 3 to 4 months. Swimming: backstroke within 2 months, breaststroke another 4 weeks after that. I don’t do butterfly or freestyle. Kneeling: pretty much forget it. Some people can do it with knee pads or pillow under knee, but for all practical purposes, not realistic compared to what your own knee is capable of. Getting in and out of car - about 6 to 7 months of swiveling butt in seat, and stepping out with both feet at once. This refers to right-knee replacement, and the leg twisting motion most people do without even thinking about it when exiting car hurt for the longest time. Getting in, no problem. That about covers the basics, as I remember them. Hope that helps. One more comment: it really depends a lot on your current lifestyle, and limitations because of the knee pain. I am pretty active, and was tired of the pain each time I got up out of a chair, or was walking down some stairs, or down a hill, or just plain walking. So even if I could have waited with the TKR and taken a lot of pain medication perhaps, I wanted to get back to something approaching normal function.

You are so generous and I thank you. Would you ever go thru the procedure if there was an alternative like injections of a material to cushion the knee and or stem cell replacement. If you explored those and or any other alternative, I would welcome that info.

@rorygrabowsky, I'm not sure if your question was to me or @ellerbracke but for me if there was an alternative that would provide relief and it would last several years I would probably do the alternative unless the cost was prohibitive and not covered by most insurance like stem cell therapy. I think most of the alternatives are really more useful for younger adults but that's just my non medical opinion.

Thanks again for your valued info

@rorygrabowsky My TKR had to be delayed for a few years due to platelet problems. During that time I exercised my knee a lot and got to the point where I had much less pain. A number of people did not understand why I still went through with the TKR but I figured that eventually I would need it and the current thought seems to be not to wait until you can't manage without, but to get it when you know do need it. If you wait until you are in very severe pain the rehab is more difficult. That being said, I do not have the flex I would like to have, and for me as with most people, replacement knees are not as good as natural knees, so I am not sure if I jumped the gun or not.

I think it's really a personal choice and if you manage to get your pain under control I think delaying the TKR may not be a bad idea, unless your orthopedic doctor has reasons that would contradict that. My doctor is pretty honest so I would trust his opinion. There are doctors, I am sure, who would want to get it done and not be as honest about waiting.
JK

I would absolutely try stem cell therapy or similar before having a knee replacement if my other knee should get to that point. No matter how good the artificial knee works, and in my case it works extremely well, super flexible, occasional aches when overdoing things, or big weather changes, otherwise just fine - it is not the same as your original. Unfortunately, no surgeon will tell you about alternatives, and I did not do enough diligent research to know about them.