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Recovering from knee replacement

Posted by molly7234 @molly7234, Feb 10 8:27pm

Hello are any of you familiar with knee replacements? Watching videos online saying recovery takes 3months!
I’m 78-live alone-family nearby but full time working or in school so would like to do the healing on my own
Advice welcome

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heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Feb 17 1:08pm
In reply to @artscaping "Hi there @heyjoe415. I sure appreciate your concern. I try so hard to remember these kinds..." + (show)
@artscaping

Hi there @heyjoe415. I sure appreciate your concern. I try so hard to remember these kinds of issues. So.... I could have missed something. However, the scar on this knee is 4 inches long. The one on my left knee which was done 10 years ago is 8 inches long. I met with my surgeon to watch the video of the surgery and discuss the process that he would be using. I remember being very impressed. I chose this surgeon because of his youth and current training.

I have a video of my surgery and as soon as I can find it in the pile of items to be filed I will pop it in and see what it shows. I do know I was home by noon on the surgery day and started PT the following day. My completion test was when I woke up in the morning and walked to the bathroom without thinking about my knee. The first TKR took almost one year. The recent TKR was performed well within weeks.

One of my medical heroes is Dr. Montori at Mayo Clinic who is an advocate for and author of The Patient Revolution which includes "shared decision making" and "minimally invasive" procedures. I was on his patient advisory group for a couple of years and spent a great deal of time discussing contemporary issues.

I will let you know as soon as I find the video.

May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

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Thanks Chris. Yeah the term "minimally invasive" will mean different things to different people. If your incision was half as long as the first and you recovered so quickly, that sounds like minimally invasive to me.

TKRs have been around since the late 60s. They just keep improving the material used and the procedure itself. Surgeons are used to working in small spaces. I'm glad you're second TKR went so well!

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heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Feb 18 7:02am
In reply to @artscaping "Hi there @heyjoe415. I sure appreciate your concern. I try so hard to remember these kinds..." + (show)
@artscaping

Hi there @heyjoe415. I sure appreciate your concern. I try so hard to remember these kinds of issues. So.... I could have missed something. However, the scar on this knee is 4 inches long. The one on my left knee which was done 10 years ago is 8 inches long. I met with my surgeon to watch the video of the surgery and discuss the process that he would be using. I remember being very impressed. I chose this surgeon because of his youth and current training.

I have a video of my surgery and as soon as I can find it in the pile of items to be filed I will pop it in and see what it shows. I do know I was home by noon on the surgery day and started PT the following day. My completion test was when I woke up in the morning and walked to the bathroom without thinking about my knee. The first TKR took almost one year. The recent TKR was performed well within weeks.

One of my medical heroes is Dr. Montori at Mayo Clinic who is an advocate for and author of The Patient Revolution which includes "shared decision making" and "minimally invasive" procedures. I was on his patient advisory group for a couple of years and spent a great deal of time discussing contemporary issues.

I will let you know as soon as I find the video.

May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

Jump to this post

Thanks Chris. It is great to have physicians and surgeons who truly care about their patients. So many people have failed recoveries here because they didn't do the work. I'm convinced if they had been more engaged with their surgeon, asking a lot of questions and understanding the procedure and the pre and post op work, their results would be much better.

That requires a curious, involved, and ambitious patient. It's hard to be that person as we age. And to some extent baby boomers like me are influenced by their parents' generation - where asking questions of a Dr. was taboo.

So thanks again. I'm gonna need a TSR in a few years, and if that can be done with minimal trauma, I'm all in!

REPLY
zacklucy | @zacklucy | Mar 1 1:34pm
In reply to @artscaping "Hi there @heyjoe415. I sure appreciate your concern. I try so hard to remember these kinds..." + (show)
@artscaping

Hi there @heyjoe415. I sure appreciate your concern. I try so hard to remember these kinds of issues. So.... I could have missed something. However, the scar on this knee is 4 inches long. The one on my left knee which was done 10 years ago is 8 inches long. I met with my surgeon to watch the video of the surgery and discuss the process that he would be using. I remember being very impressed. I chose this surgeon because of his youth and current training.

I have a video of my surgery and as soon as I can find it in the pile of items to be filed I will pop it in and see what it shows. I do know I was home by noon on the surgery day and started PT the following day. My completion test was when I woke up in the morning and walked to the bathroom without thinking about my knee. The first TKR took almost one year. The recent TKR was performed well within weeks.

One of my medical heroes is Dr. Montori at Mayo Clinic who is an advocate for and author of The Patient Revolution which includes "shared decision making" and "minimally invasive" procedures. I was on his patient advisory group for a couple of years and spent a great deal of time discussing contemporary issues.

I will let you know as soon as I find the video.

May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

Jump to this post

There might be some confusion regarding the term “minimally invasive”. I think MI is robotic and does not require a quad incision. The access incision is smaller. That’s not to say all robotic TKR is MI. It’s an evolution which by some accounts is becoming the standard. “Less invasive” might be a better term.

I’m still learning about this stuff so take what I say with a grain of salt. I’m about to invest in two TKR’s and since you only get a single shot at this, I’m trying to learn as much as I can prior to choosing a procedure and a doc. So thanks to everyone who is contributing their lived experience here. Mine is entirely abstract, at this point.

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1 reply
molly7234 | @molly7234 | Mar 1 4:04pm
In reply to @zacklucy "There might be some confusion regarding the term “minimally invasive”. I think MI is robotic and..." + (show)
@zacklucy

There might be some confusion regarding the term “minimally invasive”. I think MI is robotic and does not require a quad incision. The access incision is smaller. That’s not to say all robotic TKR is MI. It’s an evolution which by some accounts is becoming the standard. “Less invasive” might be a better term.

I’m still learning about this stuff so take what I say with a grain of salt. I’m about to invest in two TKR’s and since you only get a single shot at this, I’m trying to learn as much as I can prior to choosing a procedure and a doc. So thanks to everyone who is contributing their lived experience here. Mine is entirely abstract, at this point.

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I’m looking forward to left knee replacement in the next 5 months
Will you do both at same time?

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zacklucy | @zacklucy | Mar 1 4:20pm

No. Several surgeons have advised against. I should have asked why, as I see pros and cons, but I didn’t. My gut tells me to do one at a time. I can only imagine what steps, getting in and out of cars, showers, chairs etc are like with two simultaneous TKRs. I would also think that rehab is more effective if you have one strong leg to anchor the resistance exercises that are part of rehab. Perhaps someone else on this board has a more informed view.

REPLY
1 reply
alexalee | @alexalee | Mar 2 9:26am
In reply to @zacklucy "No. Several surgeons have advised against. I should have asked why, as I see pros and..." + (show)
@zacklucy

No. Several surgeons have advised against. I should have asked why, as I see pros and cons, but I didn’t. My gut tells me to do one at a time. I can only imagine what steps, getting in and out of cars, showers, chairs etc are like with two simultaneous TKRs. I would also think that rehab is more effective if you have one strong leg to anchor the resistance exercises that are part of rehab. Perhaps someone else on this board has a more informed view.

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You’re correct re. doing one TKR at a time. Most experienced & responsible surgeons will not do two TKRS together. It is too great a risk, (far more time under anesthesia, more blood loss, greater risk of infection, etc.). In addition, recovery is very difficult in so many ways. If you find a surgeon who says he/she will do two at the same time, I’d cross that surgeon off my list!

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judithh580 | @judithh580 | Mar 2 11:44am

Hey zacklucy, I had Robotic R TKR last June with great success and on March 12th I am having the left TKR. My ROM is 0/140 on my new knee and my PT was so pleased with my progress. I had a super cautious surgeon who believed in diligent pre prep with PT and vitamins. I’m a very active women at 79, but I believe I would have had difficultly having both knees done at the same time, plus my surgeon would have never approved. I have a wonderful husband that helped my recovery with driving for 3 weeks and for a three days after surgery filling my ice machine and meals. I also had nursing in home care from a local rehab facility arranged by the physicians office to come into my home two days a week for two weeks to check on the wound and remove the Zipline. The same facility sent a PT for the same period to get me going before I started my own PT for 6 weeks. I think most doctors offer the same services these days.

Summary: If you can have someone to help; 1)get you to your surgery and home, 2)drive you to your first post op X-ray a few days after surgery, 3)get you to your post op appointment one week after surgery and 4)a couple days of home help on your return from surgery, you will be on your way to healing and independence again. Good luck with making your decision as soon as possible. Judith

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Shelley | @skmsf | Mar 2 5:34pm
In reply to @newtosohcm "Very helpful. I am 69 and scheduled for L TKR on May 23rd at UCSF. My..." + (show)
@newtosohcm

Very helpful. I am 69 and scheduled for L TKR on May 23rd at UCSF. My heart condition/new heart med/anesthesia are my main concerns. Strongly considering how to get as strong as possible in my pre surgery days. I am a swimmer and it really hurts to walk any distance. That said I am very motivated. What was your presurgery exercise strengthening routine? Thank you very much for sharing!! P.S. I do have access to a wonderful P.T. If he can fit me in.

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I am 72 and had L TKR on February 8. Before my surgery at Kaiser SF I was given exercises to to do. These were the same exercises the PT who came to my home after surgery did with me. They are simple and I found the same exercises on YouTube. It is just over 3 weeks for me now and I walk well without a cane or walker. I live in a Victorian house with lots of stairs and am surprised I have healed so quickly. The first couple of weeks were hard though so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the exercises beforehand. Good luck!

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kr1 | @kr1 | Mar 3 7:57am

It’s been 9 months since my TKR . I am finally starting to feel somewhat better. My pain is moderate now. I did everything PT asked of me plus extra. My Range of motion was good but my muscles would not stretch causing pain. I did water therapy 4 to 6 times a week which was a great help. Everyone is different so is their recovery. My surgeon says it will be at least a year for me to recover. I wish he had sent me to PT before surgery.

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