Consultation prior to total knee replacement

@buickturboman, I'm sorry to hear you have had a bad experience with both of your knee replacements. I had a consultation with my Mayo Clinic surgeon prior to having my right knee replaced and he did go over risks of the surgery with me including possible nerve damage. At the time, my knee was killing me with pain and I didn't care about the risks, I just wanted it fixed. I had several cortisone shots prior to the knee replacement but they didn't last long. I have to be careful going up and down stairs and I can't kneel on the ground without struggling to get up but I'm OK with my new normal.

Have you considered or discussed knee revision surgery with your doctor or surgeon to see if that might be an option to help you? @babette may be able to share her experience with knee revision surgery. Here's some information that might be helpful.

Knee Replacement Revision Surgery: What You Need to Know: https://www.healthline.com/health/total-knee-replacement-surgery/revision

@buickturboman : I was in a similar situation as John, a really painful knee, that initially got cortisone shots, then arthroscopic surgery in hope of avoiding replacement. Pain persisted, so TKR. Surgeon did NOT give a lot of details and I was too uninformed (and in too much pain, and under time pressure due to some circumstances), so I never asked the right questions. I was lucky that other than the painful aftermath of surgery, and equally painful rehab, the end result was good. No nerve damage, no scar tissue, great flex.
However, I am still very careful going down stairs (no pain, just cautious), I absolutely cannot kneel without a pillow or some such, and even then it hurts, and I was cautioned against walking steep downhills (up is fine), and no more singles tennis, and doubles only of clay courts. And antibiotics before each dental treatment.

@buickturboman I actually cannot remember if my surgeon did go over all of that but I suspect he did. I know that I went into it fully realizing potential problems and made the decision that I would be better off anyway. I had tremendous trust in my surgeon, he is very highly regarded.

I'm sorry you are going through so much now. My only problem is less flex than I would like. It tends to hover at around 20°. I did not research the surgeon who did my first knee quite as well and that knee does give me some discomfort after a lot of exercise but I would not call it pain.

As @johnbishop mentioned, @babette did go through a lot of problems and then had a revision and was much happier. Hopefully she will see this and chime in.
JK

I had TKR and my surgeon never once mentioned anything about possible leg length discrepancies. My knee replacement made knee a half inch longer. As a result I now suffer from SI joint pain that I never had before. There is no cure for this.

I think because everyone recovers differently and at a different pace, the surgeon cannot anticipate every problem that may arise. And they don't want to tell everyone about all the possible complications for fear of worrying them about something that may not happen. Traditionally, my surgeon requires his TKR patients to attend an in-person session called Joint Academy. Since my TKR was done during the time COVID-19 protocols were still in place, my surgeon's office created a video version of the Academy that we were required to watch. The video told us exactly what to expect and how to prepare for surgery. I had a follow-up appointment a few weeks after surgery where I asked questions. About 3 months later I had additional questions and discussed them with my surgeon over the phone. The best thing to do is be assertive. Don't be afraid to ask questions and demand an appointment if you are having serious issues.

And to the extent people getting a TKR can, they should build up strength in their leg(s) ahead of TKR surgery, and be diligent and have a sense of urgency after the surgery. There is a reason a PT gets TKR patients up and walking in the hospital right after surgery.

Waiting even a week to begin exercises very likely increases the chances of scar tissue and lack of flexion/extension. The surgery is the easy part folks. Can't blame the surgeons for everything when a successful recovery mostly involves the patient's willingness to participate in their recovery.

I totally agree that you will not know all that might happen after surgery. I had a THR but no one told me that my foot would swell up to the size of a football. Shocker. I had to sleep on the pullout sofa downstairs for 6 weeks because I was strongly advised not to go up the quirky stairs of my 320
Year old house. The bathroom is only 20 feet away or less yet it took me 22 minutes round trip. 8 minutes to just get out of bed. Had I known any of that I might have been afraid to get the surgery. The good news is that 4 months later I feel more stable than I have felt in years.

When was your surgery? My surgeon said that just going about my normal everyday routine my recovery was 18-24 months!!!! WHAT??????? I know I got brain freeze after he said that. My left leg was shorter than my right leg before surgery but now my left leg feels longer. I know that after a THR they measure your legs Might take awhile before everything falls back into place.

I totally agree! My surgeon in Boston suggested patients attend a two hour class about knee replacement surgery and what to expect after surgery. My husband and I attended but the info given in that class was not even *close* to the pain after surgery!!! I did all that I could to strengthen my quads before surgery but that did not help me. I was allergic to three pain meds that were given to me, so I was told to “take Extra Strength Tylenol” which did *nothing* for the excruciating pain. When home therapy came in, I couldn’t do the exercises very well because of the pain. The home therapy set me back, for that reason. When I *finally* was able to get to PT on the outside, I began to improve. I had PT twice a week for six months to finally feel recovered! I was fortunate to have a wonderful PT who understood the pain that I was going through. After the surgery, I could not sleep for six weeks, had no appetite and lost weight, and for the first time in my life, I think that I felt what depression was like!!!! I will *never* have my other knee done (and it needs to be done). I will live with it and continue to get cortisone shots every three months. I have had two babies and five surgeries during my lifetime, and *none* of them were as painful, physically, emotionally and mentally, as the knee replacement. When I told my surgeon about all that I felt about it, he said “Well, a TKR surgery is the roughest surgery that you can go through”. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

I understand how you feel. TKR was the most difficult thing I have ever done physically. I have read on this forum posts from some TKR patients who have had both knees replaced and they noted that they had a different experience with each knee. So just because one TKR was difficult doesn't mean the other will be, and vice versa. Something to consider. Regardless, I respect your perspective.