How does your knee feel once it reaches the year of recovery?

@elizab
Been there, done that! I didn't see any difference at HSS. Of the many factors that come into play for a successful knee replacement, location is not at the top of the list. The specfic Ortho who does your knee could be affiliated with any of the wide array of healthcare facilities nationwide, from large hospitals to smaller surgical centers. Many of the best surgeons are among the almost 200,000 a year unsuccessful TKR surgeries. The probability of a successful TKR is in your favor knowing that almost 800,000 a year are successful.

@ouch89
I partly agree. Places like the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, HSS, etc. will have an overall very high standard of excellence. But the very best person for any particular procedure is often not at one of these centers of excellence.

It is easy to find HSS, Mayo, etc. It is much harder to identify the individual surgeon who performs at the highest level of performance. Earlier in this thread I identified my criteria for a successful outcome. But there are no publicly available materials to separate the superstars who meet my criteria and the surgeons who don't. Once one finds a surgeon, then it is possible to test out the criteria.

My right knee felt absolutely fantastic within 6 months. I didn't suffer from tightness, swelling, or any side effects whatsoever & did LOTS of walking. Same surgeon did the left knee two years after the right one & it was an entirely different experience. It's been two years since that surgery and due to complication with a compressed nerve during the surgery resulting in drop foot, I wasn't able to do the PT as thoroughly as the first one so I'm dealing with swelling, tightness and less range of motion. One year in I was still experiencing difficulty with stairs without some discomfort. Now going up/down the stairs is much better but not 100% recovered from the drop foot so I'm still dealing with the knee & foot swelling, especially when I'm on my feet for an extended period of time. Going through what I have, I would still have the surgery because the pain I was in prior to it was excruciating to the point I was missing out on many family functions and quality of life.

Much better. I'm at 11 months & finally feeling better. Going for the left knee soon but for a Jiffy, hopefully better than the other. Best wishes, we continue on our journey!

@katz1

One of the things about TKRs is that the recovery is unpredictable. You may do better with the Jiffy Knee or you may do worse. Either way it may be attributable to the process, the skill of each surgeon or pure luck.

All other things being equal, a subvastus entry should be less painful

That's true, I will get the Jiffy I my left, you just never know. That will be my next project! Thanks for the note, Katz.

@ouch89

It is interesting to me that a satisfactory outcome is determined by patient response. I have noticed here that the worse the pain before surgery, the happier the patient is after surgery. So it doesn't surprise me that a significant proportion of persons report unsuccessful surgeries. Some of that 20% are likely from crappy surgeons (yes, alas, there are some); some from good to great surgeons who had a patient with bad luck and the rest are likely persons who had less pain before surgery so the "delta" is much less after surgery.

I have questioned the TKR success rates many times on this forum. Other than the regular conversations with your Orthopedist has anyone ever received an official medical survey from a third party? When you have a lucurative industry based on successful outcomes the data becomes suspicious.

@babyjayne5977
I have the same story, one good knee and one bad one from same doctor. At least you have an explanation, i.e., compressed nerve. My doctor has no answer! Outcomes can never be predicted.

@cyndi2013 I am only 5 months out from a double knee surgery.I have done well overall up to now. Surprising since I am 85. I was told by many people that I should not do it at my age. But I am totally glad I did it. My one concern now is my balance and gait. I am still doing the PT exercises at home. But I have noticed in the last month or so that my gait has changed and it causes imbalance and my back tires really easily. I didn't expect this. Some days are better than others. Has anyone else had a balance/gait problem? And what kind of exercises are you doing for it? Other than that, I am doing great.