Life After total knee replacement

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Jura2 My GP and his surgery wouldn’t sign and email the form for my Australian GP so she could email my records. I have continually asked if this was done and had they got them and all I get is a shake of the head and hands in the air. So all he has is the details I completed on my registration form.

My fitness was okay when I moved here, I have two active dogs that get me out on walks (normally) I have a wear and tear problem with my right hip as well as chronic back pain, but don’t medicate for it unless really bad or go for Physio which helps. I have suffered from high blood pressure since I was 30 but medication keeps that under control, I have IBS but again have that under control with diet with only occasional flare ups. I am 65 and was working up until December 2016.

It just frustrates me, that my knee pain makes my back and hip pain worse, and that must be the way I am walking with my knee.

Going to look at changing GP’s next week.

Not sure why this GP is saying this- seems strange and I would certainly see someone else asap. However, it depends on your general health nd fitness. A young friend'sm mum, who is a few years older than me had two knee replacements that have been a disaster- but she was really NOT well generally beforehand, and suffered from depression and was very unfit- and did not do the necessary physio and exercise to help recovery.

I know many here disagree strongly- but 'my' surgeon said = I can do the ops, but you will have to do the work- you will determine what happens next.

'I wonder whether it's due to wear and tear, osteoporosis or a fall necessitating replacement joints. ' was asked above. Well it depends, each case is different. For me, it was a car accident when I ways 19, which smashed all my right side- and I had a pin to support traction for 4.5 months, in the knee. After 7.5 months in hospital, it took me 2 years to learn to walk properly again and continue recovery- with a right leg 1 inch shorter. So I was always told my knee would need to be replaced, but had to wait until I was 65. The other knee wore too because it had to compensate and do the work for 2 - so no surprise there.

Thanks for your suggestions and advice. 90% of the surgeries in our area are managed by a health company (I won’t name) which is run by and part of the hospital trust. The GP in question sits on the Management board and is in his early 40’s. So not near retiring.

I have been back in the U.K. not quite 2 years and been in this area 18 months now, I resisted with this surgery just as it was being rearranged ( understand the older doctor who ran it retired). It has gone downhill considerably and so have many of the surgeries in this area.

Myself and lots of people on our estate have had problems, I initially thought some of them were normal as I know it’s difficult to get appointments etc. Our local Community Association has been in touch with our local councillor who is visiting the surgery to discuss this further, one poorly lady had appointments set up for the next 4 months and when she turned up for the first one she had been de-registered, she had to see the Manager who did know how or why it happened but blamed the IT system. They sorted it out and made new appoints for her. When she struggled in the following week for her new appointment, guess what she had been de-registered again.

It is a shambles, I am not sure elsewhere is going to be any better, but I think I am going to have to try.

Total knee replacements have moved on since they first came on the market in the late 60's. That GP is possibly thinking of the bulky replacements inserted so long ago and many did not work, unlike today.

Nowadays there is so much less metal in the knee and on the whole it is an easier and quicker operation. That GP is thinking about the past.

I agree with Jane anaesthesia has also moved on and I was given around 6 choices the first time I had a knee replaced. Last year I was talked into spinal anaesthesia- pain free and I knew nothing about anything.

You need a second opinion fairly swiftly. That GP is in the dark ages.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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!

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.

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.