Connect
Truth about Total Knee Replacements
Your new knee will never feel as good as your original old one
For most people it takes a full year to get most of the benefits of the surgery
Many people experience a clicking sound when walking for years or forever after the surgery
You should do physical therapy for a year after the surgery to get the best range of motion results even though your therapist will discharge you after several months.
There are no studies which will tell you what activities you can do after TKR. Is doubles tennis OK? Golf? What you read online varies. There are no clear answers.
Many surgeons are finished with you after the surgery. If you have issues with the surgery's aftermath, they may not be that helpful.
The scar is big, and no amount of ointment (vitamin E, etc.) will substantially reduce it.
Good news: If you had bad knee problems before the surgery your knee will feel a lot better after the surgery.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Joint Replacements Support Group.
Connect
@kathleen1314
I just want to encourage you to keep searching until you are sure you've got the right one. I've seen six surgeons in the last 6 months with suggestions ranging from total knee removal and replacement, to an arthroscopic removal of synovial lining.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@mabfp3
What implant did the surgeon use? Was it the Smith & Nephew Journey II which is made of oxidized zirconium? S&N claims it is biocompatible.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@lindafl
I agree that doing PT regularly is critical to a successful recovery. But I judge the success of the surgery by what I got immediately after the surgery and after the nerve block wore off.
I view the continuous PT requirement as a judgement of me and other recipients, not on the success of the surgery itself. Whether the recovery from the surgery is pain free or painful, one still needs PT.
I had zero post surgery pain. My surgeon's recovery protocol is to begin PT in the third week. i did so and that week my PT measured my ROM at 122, At that point I think the success of lack thereof is over and the rest is up to me.
I am two months out and have done about 18 PT sessions so far at the PT facility. I can do many of the exercises at home but they do sometimes change the exercises or the amount of them that I do and my therapist does massage my leg each time which I can't do myself. Each time they ice my knee at the end and give me ten minutes of TENS stimulation. It is also much harder to slack off at the PT facility.
So whether the surgery is an outlier at the positive end, or an outlier at the negative end, PT is critical and I would add doing so if at all possible at a PT facility.
@steveinarizona The surgeon just told me the name of it was Smith and Nephew. It was in 2020 so I’m sure that there are newer implants from that company now.
@mabfp3
Actually, they were making the Journey II back then so it is from the same family as mine (I had the XR version which kept my ACL). So far, I am very happy with mine.