I'm nine months past TKR and I had lots of difficulty with stairs so I tackled the problem three ways. First, and perhaps most important, I lost weight. There is a multiple I've read that claims for every lb of weight u lose the reduction in impact to the knee is 6-7lb. I was amazed how much easier stairs were with as little as 3 lbs lost. Second, I eliminated the consumption of any food that exacerbates inflammation. The internet is rife with ideas. Third, weight training. When I go up or down stairs, both hands are on the rails making the most of the gym exercises which built my calf muscles, hand strength and arm strength. In essence, other parts are used to assist the TKR knee and don't forget about the non TKR knee. Build it as well.

I regret my TKR surgery every single day, but regret only lead me to anger and depression. Basically, I had to figure a solution and then find the determination to stick with it. For the record, I recently climbed 3 floors using the stairs, non stop, hands holding the rails and calves doing most of the work. My HCM caused me to become winded at the top, but I climbed those stairs and believe I can do it again and again. My knee was definitely inflamed but it calmed overnite.

Hope this helps.

Jump to this post