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How should I prepare for my knee replacements?

Joint Replacements | Last Active: Sep 1, 2022 | Replies (30)

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@madz1979

Hi all. My knee surgeon has said I'll need a TKR (Total Knee Replacement). How long will I be off work, should I have the surgery?

I work for a Special Needs School, and I am the Admin Assistant.

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Replies to "Hi all. My knee surgeon has said I'll need a TKR (Total Knee Replacement). How long..."

Good evening @madz1979. It is great to meet you. You certainly jumped right in this evening. A perfect.......cut to the chase. May we begin with a little medical history. What symptoms of a troubled knee are you dealing with at this point? Are you in pain all the time? Did your surgeon talk about the type of surgery that is recommended for your situation?

The reason I am asking is that I have had two TKR's.....one last year and one 10 years ago. There is a lot of difference. My first one was a well-done traditional knee surgery that ended up taking almost a year to totally recover enough so that I could go trekking with my lady friends once again. Last year I had a Mako Robotic TKR with great physical therapy to regain my once healthy knee and at the same time, weekly MFR (myofascial release therapy) to avoid scar tissue build-up. The technological advancements make this surgery less painful and ensure that you can return to normal, active life in less than a year.

In fact, I have to remind myself that my right knee isn't my own original knee. I am thrilled, especially since I just turned 80 and enjoy my river walks and yoga sessions.

Regarding working.....I think you could probably return to work as soon as you can drive, depending on which knee will be replaced. The other two big helpers.....ice and elevation. So many who have some recovery delays tend to forget those two important ingredients.

I don't know how involved you are with the children at work. My mother was the Admin Assistant in a similar school for many years. She did a lot of walking to help the teachers and students. She also had a CRAZY principal who spend a lot of time with his fly swatter on the outside of the building, swatting mosquitos as well as flies. So, she probably handled more issues than I could imagine.

Would you please tell me a little more about how your knee came to be in a condition requiring surgery? What other information would be helpful? The last time I counted there were at least 2000 knee surgery posts on Connect so you will be able to read many opinions about the TKR.

Please let me hear back from you so I can help introduce you to other Connect members who have experiences to share.

May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.

Chris