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Knee replacement in a few days

Posted by loll @loll, Sep 30, 2025

It’s going to happen in just a few days. I didn’t sleep very well last night thinking about it all. But I concluded that I’m in good hands with the surgeon and my support, helper and living arrangements.

This is my 4th joint replacement, ankle, other knee, hip, and now the opposite knee, so I know how it goes. Still it’s not east to face!

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robcfl | @robcfl | Oct 4, 2025
In reply to @july1955 "Having had so much surgery, you probably are well-prepared. The one thing I wish someone had..." + (show)
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Having had so much surgery, you probably are well-prepared. The one thing I wish someone had clued me in on, is how important it is to have a reclining chair! Not just a recliner, but a reclining chair, with two arms! I went to my daughter's house after my TKR, in part because she has the reclining sofa. I had recently moved across country to a 55+ community near her, and hadn't replaced my sofa yet, and didn't have a reclining chair. At my daughter's house I got impatient about waiting for help getting up off her sofa, and because it IS a sofa, I only had one arm to push off and I twisted my back. That set recovery back. I went online and quickly ordered a reclining chair for my house. I needed something that could be delivered within days, and there wasn't much to pick from. Before the chair arrived, I went home and twisted my back AGAIN, getting up from my old sofa/footrest combination. I guess I'm a bit too independent. I struggled with trying to relearn to walk with a walker, AND back pain. I did a lot of things right, but that one oversight made recovery difficult and longer than it needed to be -- and I had never had issues with my back before!

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@july1955 'Not just a recliner, but a reclining chair, with two arms! '
Hi! what is a reclining chair? I have a recliner with 2 arms and since it requires tugging a handle and squeezing with both legs to get out of it, I am considering an expensive power lift chair. I am 82 y/o Lady living alone with TKR soon. Thoughts?

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july1955 | @july1955 | Oct 4, 2025

There are a few kinds of recliners. I have bad arthritis in my wrists, so I can't use the kind with the handle like you have. I think a recliner that has a small button or latch on the side to release it would work for most people. I couldn't even get one of those on short notice, so I had to get the manual kind that requires using your weight and pushing on the arms. It didn't work very well, and I had to drop into it and push with my hands to get it to go back. Getting out of it was never a problem though, even with the new TKR. One strong leg was all I needed. If you can push the button on the side of a recliner, push the foot support down, and use your arms to push up out of a chair that's all you need. If you have trouble standing up from a chair, maybe it is time to get a power lift. I referred to a "reclining chair" because when I read that I needed a recliner during recovery, I assumed the reclining sofa would work. The sofa didn't work because it only gave me access to one arm. Normally I can stand up from a sofa without using my hands at all, but that requires two good legs! Standing up from the sofa right after the TKR caused me to use the one sofa arm and turn as I stood -- twisting my back. That twisting as I stood strained my back, thus my emphasis on needing two chair arms. I hope that clarify things for you!

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loll | @loll | Oct 8, 2025

Day 6 from surgery, Things are going very well with recovery.
I went to my first outpatient physical therapy appointment yesterday and was given helpful feedback. So far I’m on schedule or ahead for my personal goals.

I was worried about the surgery, no doubt about that and so I’m relieved to have a favorable outcome

One thing that made a big difference was taking time to find the right doctor for me. My primary care doctor Helped with that. Also, I have a fairly good support system

Yes, I still have pain but in addition to ice and elevate, and I’ve learned that doing the exercises also eases the pain. The physical therapist also told me that by two weeks many people feel quite a bit better. I would like that!

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Tracy | @fwintracy | Oct 8, 2025
In reply to @loll "Day 6 from surgery, Things are going very well with recovery. I went to my first..." + (show)
Profile picture for loll @loll

Day 6 from surgery, Things are going very well with recovery.
I went to my first outpatient physical therapy appointment yesterday and was given helpful feedback. So far I’m on schedule or ahead for my personal goals.

I was worried about the surgery, no doubt about that and so I’m relieved to have a favorable outcome

One thing that made a big difference was taking time to find the right doctor for me. My primary care doctor Helped with that. Also, I have a fairly good support system

Yes, I still have pain but in addition to ice and elevate, and I’ve learned that doing the exercises also eases the pain. The physical therapist also told me that by two weeks many people feel quite a bit better. I would like that!

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@loll Congratulations on your results so far! My two TKRs were jan 2023 and 2024. I still remember my first PT at home (between professional PT appts) and it hurt so bad my wife came running to see what I had done now. Lol.

My point is the pain will be there as you work through the PT but it is so worth it. Today I’m returning from a vacation that included lots of walking on uneven surfaces (couldn’t have done so in 2022). Be faithful to your PT work and you will do great!

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