Knee replacement surgery

I haven't my good friend had hers done in February, she wishes she had done it earlier.

She has said it was uncomfortable (but no where near as painful as before the op), she has stuck with the exercise program and is now able to do so much more than before the operation.

I will need one in the future but a friend had a knee replacement and patella alignment a few months ago. Like GrannyGravy13’s friend he regrets not having surgery earlier. It was quite painful post op as you’d expect but he got plenty of pain relief and now feels so well.

Check out the Bonesmart forum. Its full of threads from people who've had TKRs. Lots of help and support there from people who're also going though it at the same time as you. The moderators are all experienced.
Its not fun at the time but so well worth doing! Ignore comments from people who haven't been through it. It sometimes seems that everyone knows someone who was back tap dancing the week after the op! It just plain is a longer recovery that surgeons say.

My OH and his brother have both had one full and one half replacement done. His sister has had two full replacements. They all had/have various problems after but have all said how great it is to be pain free.
His sister has had a lot of swelling and has to wear support socks now. But she can walk anywhere she needs to, which she couldn't do before.

Last year I had my second knee replacement and at last I can now go where I want whereas before I was restricted. I live in London so I can now visit Oxford Street again and have done several times, pain free but as Jane10 says, it is painful post op and it takes time to recover. It was months before I was fully functional.

Good morning , Tiggie6. I had a TKR 8 weeks ago - it's been so simple and easy . After the surgeon told me that I needed it done ( and the other one !! ) I was shocked and didn't know how I'd cope with it all . But I live alone and I coped very well indeed ! See the surgeon 8th August to discuss the next knee !

My DH has a troublesome knee. Recently it has given way several times. It is also painful. I think it is about time for a visit to the GP. Are there a set of milestones etc. before surgery is contemplated.? DH just says it is a glitch and will be fine in a few days. Why are you considering it Tiggie6 ?

I decided I needed to do something about my knee when it was stopping me sleeping at night.

BBevan Google the Oxford knee scale. It's an online assessment of knee pain and mobility. Drs use it to assess the problem and when to refer on.

OH had both knees replaced at same time 3 months ago and is doing pretty well. He’d had trouble with knees for years, but didn’t want to do anything about them till they were interfering too much with ordinary life. I was surprised that the main painkiller recommended was paracetamol- he was prescribed some stronger stuff but stopped it after a few days at home as it made him feel weird! He’s still taking paracetamol as there’s still some pain, but different and doesn’t seem to interfere with walking, climbing stairs etc.

At Jane10’s recommendation I looked at Bonesmart and found it very useful. The main message is that the healing takes time and there’s no way of hurrying it. Most of the recovery will be in first few months but full recovery takes a year or more.

Jane10 Thank you. I have googled that and we will go through it today.

I went through my replacement knees with Jane10 for support - thanks Jane! Bonesmart is an excellent site for support and information. I have no regrets whatsoever.

Before I couldn’t manage slopes and struggled to walk 500 yards. Yesterday, my phone step counter tells me I walked 13,572 steps! (I was sightseeing) Yes, the aftermath is painful which is not surprising when you consider what’s been done, but most of the pain was from my tendons and muscles re-adjusting to being where they should be. I do still use a hike stick occasionally but only for confidence as I’m still getting used to having two feet pointing in the same direction!

I would only add what my surgeon told me, which was to pretty much ignore the physio excercises and just potter as much as you can. Push a little further each day and only bend the knee until you felt it. With my first knee the physio told me I could bend it much further and pushed my knee hard. I felt the stitches give way. The scar shows it.

BBbevan the knee giving way is one of the indicators that your DH really needs to start the process. In my area of the UK this starts with six sessions of physio. It doesn’t make the slightest difference but it’s part of the process.

Is it normal for the joint to be so stiff.

Yes it is. However, that does loosen off. I can't really remember how long that too though. It must have been gradual. In the early days it was like a steel bandage round my knee!

The stiffness is often due to swelling, both inside the new joint and outside, it stops you getting a good bend. It does go in time. Bonesmart is a great website and helped me so much after my two replacements, the best things I learnt from it was never ever compare my recovery to someone else everyone is different, not to over exercise and use ice as a form of pain relief. Good luck, having mine done was one of the best things I have ever done.

All true for me too srn63