Life After total knee replacement

TKR - 5 yrs ago - I can kneel now but not sit back on my calves - other than that I do Pilates, Yoga, ride horses and climbed up a jungle mountain in Tanzania the same year - utter joy - well worth the post op pain which was hell. I did do massive amounts of physio with a practice that supply physios to the Olympic Athletics lot and international rugby squads!!! You would never know I had had the op and that appalling pain is a distant memory. Just play with painkillers til you get what suits you - for me paracetemol and ibuprofen were the answer - morphine was useless as was everything else.

so sorry to hear- but really, don't ask here but go and see your doctor and ask if you should have a post op check with orthopedic surgeon.

Lloyd - see your doctor if only to keep in the system.

I had one TKR two years ago and it was fine. My surgeon doesn’t believe in physiotherapy and ordered me to ‘potter” as much as possible with gentle stretching. Knee bends while waiting for the kettle to boil, standing on tip toes while washing up and walking up and down stairs, that sort of thing.

I was back in our sailing boat within three months although by then the other knee was playing up. This interfered rather with the recovery of the first knee.

Had the second TKR at the beginning of last June and recovery this time, with one good knee already, was rapid. Again I just pottered with gentle stretching. Recovery this time was more rapid.

The knees became ‘mine’ very quickly, although I can’t kneel on hard surfaces yet and need a cushion or pad. But before the ops I couldn’t kneel anyway and certainly couldn’t get up! And I can now run for a bus - and get on it!

I would say go for it before it gets too bad as recovery is quicker. My surgeon says he’s been doing TKR’s for 20 odd years and only had to re-do two. And don’t shake your surgeons hand if you can help it - they have a very strong grip!!

I am nine weeks post op and pretty much back to normal. Such a joy to be able to walk again. My surgeon said the new modern joints may do 25 years? Hopefully will see me out anyway ?

It is so wonderful to be able to just stand up and walk and it's not sore! I'd just got so accustomed to hurting that my knees got into a pretty bad state. Its a much more traumatic op than you're led to believe but it honestly is well worth it.

Went to specialist 5 weeks after op and he said everything was ok and he will see me in November a year after op. Only saw physio 2 weeks after op and 5 weeks after op. When I went to the 5 week appointment all he was interested in was getting my knee to bend 90 and signed me off. 8 week back I paid to see a physio and he said everything’s going ok. I’ve had 7 sessions with him. He said it could take a year to fully recover. Feeling better about it all today had a really bad discouraging few days. I think you are not told enough when you have the op and left on your own not knowing what’s normal . Think I thought 18 weeks I would nearly be back to normal. Think I’ve just carry on with exercises swimming and be patient.

I think I was back to pre-op pain and discomfort within three or four weeks but it was then a gradual improvement until one day, about three or four months later, I realised I was walking easily (including kerbs and slopes) without pain and with both feet pointing in the same direction without thinking about it.

A lot depends on how bad things were before the op. Obviously the worse it is the longer it takes.

Yes. Putting off the op can cause lots of problems with tendons and ligaments and even muscles as they try to compensate.
I never take my new state for granted. Just going down a flight of stairs on alternating feet still feels like an achievement. It's the little things!

When roughly does a knee implant feel normal . Mine still feels not normal and makes me limp. Don’t know whats normal. I get concerned somethings not right or I’m I doing something wrong. Any advice would be appreciated. For peace of mind .

Every tkr is different, as we are all different. And of course, some reasons make it even more so. My right knee was smashed in a car accident in 1970 - with my femur- and had a large pin to support the traction for 4.5 months. So lots of peripheral ligament, etc, damage. It will never be quite right - and the discomfort is there all the time- but not painful. And it is rock solid- I can hike in rocks and uneven terrain- and yesterday I went to close the season at our local resort - and skied for nearly 3 hours.

But really, the internet is not the way to solve issues with a tkr- you must go to your GP and get a referral to the orthop. surgeon and see what is going on.

That was done 2 years ago- the left one was done just 1 year ago- and it is totally fine and dandy, apart from y bit of tingling if I touch below it. So, just depends.

Bonne chance.

It may depend on how you were walking before the operation Lloyd. I find I still limp sometimes, especially when I’m tired, and have to concentrate on walking properly. A trip to the doctor and advice from your physio will probably reassure you as they’ll know what your knee was like.

My first knee took longer to recover than the second and a friend says his wasn’t really ‘his’ knee for a year afterwards. As Jura says, everyone is different.

Have had both knees replaced. Brilliant. Took 6 weeks to be “ normal” . Physio IS important. Everything is as a natural knee. First knee done 2005 and still fine. A short and sweet summing up!! Get survey from hospital to fill in yearly and always do it as it must help research.

Been to physio today and I’ve a bursa on my knee that I had a tkr op has anyone any advice on what to do or had one too after tkr. Physio strapped it up for a week.

I had my knee done in January and I have mixed days. I had to have my hip done before and that took a while . The knee got worse and last year was grim. The knee is still not "my"knee but is certainly less painful than my hip which gives me problems. Around my hip is very tender. My biggest problem is DH who thinks I should be walking energetically and lengthily. I'm getting in and out of the car and bath but alternate steps are not right yet for stairs. If that's any help Lloydy. Can't kneel but couldn't before the op.

Gosh! So many of you have had knee/hip replacements.
I wonder whether it's due to wear and tear, osteoporosis or a fall necessitating replacement joints.
I'm going to take extra care coming down my stairs in future as there are no hand rails or bannisters.

bannisters bsnnisters

bsnnisters banisters

I have had problems with my knee for the past 18 months, had a cortisone injection which only gave a couple of weeks relief. My GP is dead against knee surgery and says if I had it I would regret it. Got referred for physio and was told I should get referred and get it sorted out! I spent 7 weeks unable to leave the house on my own, needed to hang on to my husband, couldn’t bear to walk on uneven ground. Got some stronger painkillers but only take them when absolutely necessary. It is crazy, got too many other things going on at present. Not giving up on it, just fed up with having to struggle to get things sorted out.

Did your GP say why you would regret it Redtop? Or is s/he just agin all knee replacements?

Don't give up. For my first TKR I paid for a consultant's opinion. It cost about £150 I think including x-rays. Knee surgeons aren't exactly scraping around for work so you will get honest advise. I did end up paying for that operation to get it done quickly and when I wanted, but that was my decision, I wasn't pressured into it.

NfkDumpling My doctor said that knee replacements you end up with more problems than before and they are not the answer. He is just so anti them, basically he said you are better putting up with the pain, take paracetamol! The Physio said it was ridiculous and that the Xrays speak for themselves and that basically it needs sorting out. I have had problems with back pain since I was a teenager and a car accident in the 1990’s have meant I have been unable to stand for long periods, so I am finding the knee pain and back pain combined very restricting and a bit depressing on a bad day. I do my stretching exercises for back and knee which help a little. My doctor is the senior one at the surgery, have looked at other surgeries in our area and all seem to have poor reviews so I will stay put out of convenience.

I was out with my dogs a couple of days ago enjoying the lovely weather and stopped to take a photo of them by the river and stepped back a little to get a better picture, next thing I knew I was heading towards the ground, felt such an idiot, luckily there wasn’t anyone else around. So at the moment I just feel like I have been in the wars, saw hands/wrists/shoulder I must have put out to save my face and glasses, jarred my ankle plus sore back and knee! Luckily I wasn’t too far from my house. I will look into the other options regarding the route you took if I can’t get my GP to do anything.

That's outrageous about your GP Redtop1. Knee replacement is a very common operation and makes a massive difference to quality of life.
Gabriella I had end stage osteoarthritis - all the cartilage had gone.
The pain prior to the op(s) was awful but was only going to get worse. Recovery from TKR is a serious business but can only lead to the pain getting much better and disappearing altogether.
Redtop1 - see another GP!

Redtop - Is your doctor nearing retirement? Can you wait that long? My new knees have given me my life back. Yes, things can go wrong, nothing is 100%. You need a second opinion.

I’ve had nothing but support and encouragement from GP’s in my surgery redtop when talking about a very painful knee. All have agreed replacement is a serious process but it’s up to me when the referral is made. I’ve had physio advice and am happy for now but will ask for next step referral when it seems the right time. It sounds as if your GP is completely out of step with most. Why not book with another and see what they say, if necessary change surgeries, your mobility is vital.

You could wave the NICE guidance on knee replacement at him? He must be nearing retirement to hold such views. Alternatively, could there be other medical reasons for not being referred on? Knee replacement isn't usually done under general anaesthetic anymore. Maybe he doesn't know that and is worrying about you having to cope with a GA?