Total knee Replacement

[Andy01]

Hi folks,
Wondering if anyone here, has had this procedure?
I’m two days post op from bilateral TKR, curious as to other’s experiences, ie: what you can do now, that you couldn’t before etc. meanwhile, say gidday to Lennon & McCart-knee, much better than my originals! :D
Cheers
Andy

[JA]

Hi Andy,

Good luck with your upcoming surgery. i have only one word of advice for you ..... REHAB to rebuild the muscle strength around the knee post surgery as guided by your surgeon.

I had a very successful (still going strong) L knee reconstruction many years ago after succumbing to the strain of skiing and squash injuries. REHAB is key for muscle building.

Good luck Andy :thumbsup:

Best
JA

[Andy01]

Cheers JA,
I had the surgery on Friday. Have taken a few baby steps since.
“One step for a Man” etc.:)

[Anth10]

Andy,
Can’t really recommend anything as touch wood,’never had bone repairs- drank plenty of milk as a kid which has served me well but these days I can say a good whiskey generally is key to any recovery / but in moderation aaand some exercise is also well advised.
Tis the season to be jolly- get well and speedy recovery to you Andy!
Anthony

[Stefan Buda]

Hi Andy,

When I look at the x-ray of your new knees, I can see a lot of power tools and I find that quite horrifying as I associate those tools with low grade engineering.
I hope they did a good job.

Cheers,
Stefan

[Andy01]

Cheers Anth! I persuaded the Dr. to allow me a glass of wine tmrw 😀



Hey Stefan, me too!
They used the Mako Robot (https://www.stryker.com/content/dam/stryker/joint-replacement/systems/mako-system-overview/resources/Mako%20Total%20Knee%20arthroplasty% 20Clinical%20Summary%20MAKTKA-BRO-7_Rev-3_32052.pdf)

[Stefan Buda]

That sounds much better than freehand.

[PhilTas]

My wife had this op about 8 years ago.
Your x-rays look identical to hers.
Her surgeon calls her "one of his success stories", and she credits this to strictly following the rehab program, even though the early days were quite uncomfortable.

We know several people who have had knee replacements, and who did not complete the rehab. None had a good outcome.

[Nikolas]

Following my prostate cancer surgery I did the full rehab and then some. Also the same when i had my achilles reattached. Make sure you do everything the physio says. there will be weeks when you feel nothing happens then massive progress. Keep at it and you will be fine. Patience Patience and patience in droves, don't do too much too soon.
Small steps (literally) all the best Andy

[Andy01]

Hi Phil & Nik, thanks for your suggestions. I've been doing hands-on physio exercises twice daily, and now seven days post-op, I took my first baby steps unaided by frame or crutches. It felt great too! :D

I'm sleeping well, and had my first stand-up shower today. The staff here at the rehab hospital seem very thorough and are pleased with my recovery to date. :thumbsup:

The coffee machine provides great motivation for twice daily walks (still with crutches for those long ones) ;)

[strongmanmike]

Great stuff and progress Andy :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Mike

[LonelySpoon]

Stefan, my wife had her knees done and the surgeon has a PhD in robotics- much more to my liking!

Andy, she says the key is exercises every day, and a lot of physio (not gym) for a long time afterwards.

Hope the recovery goes well.

Neville
LSO

[Crater101]

My father went through this many years ago, and I can only echo what others have said. Stick to the physio routine. There will be times when you won't want to, but it makes an enormous difference in the long run.
All the best with the recovery! :thumbsup:

[alan meehan]

good luck Andy physio sounds a idea all the best

[kencas]

Hi Andy.
When my former partner had her hip replaced the advice given to her was "avoid parachuting and trampolines"! I guess the same could be said for the BL TKR...
Good luck with the rehab. As others have said keep up with it and don't overdo it!
Best regards,
Ken

[Andy01]

All good, thanks guys - home now. Still doing my physio and had my stitches removed yesterday. My surgeon is very pleased with my progress, heck I even walked the dog around the block today! Slow 'n steady progress every day. Modern medicine is incredible :D

[vk6kb]

Had my left knee full replacement May 2023. I did the physio for 6 months then thought it would be ok, well I'm back doing the physio again.
Seems I didnt build up enough muscle strength even though I did everything and more that I was told to do.
Mine " clicks" as well :( Surgeon says thats just the way it is with some folks, others have no noise .
So best of luck and do the exercises for 12 months and you should be fine.
I cant kneel on it yet, even though its been 8 months, it still hurts.
Sorry if I'm a bit gloom and doom, but I expected better and so far its not delivered, I can run though :)
Cheers
Keith

[LonelySpoon]

To be fair, my ankle clicks loudly all the time when I walk, and it's my real ankle!

Cheers,

Neville

[Andy01]

Sorry to hear about your ongoing issues Kieth. For some reason the success rate on these seems to be 85-90% without issues, and 10-15% with complications. Saw my physio today and although he was very impressed with my progress to date, he immediately gave me a bunch of revised exercises to work on for strengthening various leg muscles. I also walked 1.3 kms yesterday (still with crutches) without any dramas. It's sure nice to be free of the horrible bone-on-bone Arthritic pain I endured previously though! :)