I'm about to have a partial knee replacement at 35 and I'm wondering what I should expect to happen after surgery can anybody help me with that?
Wow! Where to begin! First, read everything that Chico Marc had posted. He has links to everything you need to know. This is an active forum and you will get lots of replies. No matter how prepared you are for this surgery, the reality is that it is a brutal surgery. Pain management is essential. You will need someone with you for at least 10 days. You cannot drive when on opioids, so make sure you have help to get to PT. You seem awfully young to have knee replacement. When is your surgery?
Search this site for threads about knee replacement.
Good luck to you
Ellen I
Hi, I have had left and right total knee replacements 3 weeks ago. I was determined to get out quick for my youngest granddaughters birthday party. 5 days later I was out at her party not easy but I did it. The worse thing for me is nights because I cannot get comfortable to sleep. The best advice I can give is try and stay positive and take pain meds regularly. Good luck
Jenn, I've just been signed off 6 weeks after total knee replacement and I was the extreme end of no pain, and everything going very smoothly, but I don't know the difference between total knee replacement and partial, but there will be people on here who have had partial. IF it's like the full knee replacement you'll go from walker to crutches in hospital and then crutches to sticks at the right time at home and you'll need elevation and ice and lots of rest and exercises. I hope it goes well for you - do keep us updated.
Hi jenn41283 , I had mine partial knee done end of last September, it was done with spine block not anaesthetic. I prepared myself for worst pain possible, because every I spoke to said pain is awful I was moving my feet as soon as block wore off same day, I was up on simmer frame next morning & left for home following day. It's the best thing I've ever done & will never look back. Pain was not half as much as people said & by second day at home & only on paracetamol. The after pain is more the repair pain. Nowhere near the pain before operation. Most important thing is to do your excersises every day so so important. My Physio said she'd never seen recovery like it before. Best thing ever. Just think you will be pain free from that awful arthritis pain gone . Good luck ! Sally x
Diferente en EE. UU. vs Reino Unido. Me hice una artroplastia bilateral de rodilla (PKR) hace 5 meses. Necesité a alguien durante las primeras 24 horas, pero es mejor tener a alguien durante 3-5 días. Usé un andador durante 3 semanas y una máquina CPM. Conduje a las 4 semanas. Mantuve hielo las 24 horas durante las primeras tres semanas al caminar. Pude reducir los medicamentos para el dolor regulares a las 3 semanas, solo antes de la fisioterapia y por la noche, y los dejé a las 6 semanas. Después tomé Advil. Descansé las primeras 48 horas y luego empecé la terapia. Bicicleta 5 minutos, ahora hago 60 minutos. La caminadora no la empecé hasta las 6 semanas, pero ahora camino 2 millas sin parar en ella. Puedo caminar 3 millas afuera en terreno plano. Acabo de volver al trabajo, esta es mi tercera semana. 6 horas x 3 días x 2 semanas, luego 8 horas x 3 días x 2 semanas, luego días de 12 horas a seguir. ¡Estoy agotado! Pero más fuerte. ¡Pierna derecha genial! La pierna izquierda tiene un punto doloroso en la rodilla interna, el médico la inyectó con cortisona el viernes pasado. Él pensó que la cápsula articular estaba irritada.
Aún es difícil arrodillarse, esto está bien con artroplastias parciales, NO con artroplastia total de rodilla (TKR). Subir escaleras fácil, bajar lento, difícil, mejorando.
Es emocionalmente una montaña rusa por el dolor y la falta de sueño.
Solo SÉ, haz el trabajo, que incluye descansar, y cada día es mejor.
¡Buena suerte!
:D
Great to hear that Sally! That was my experience of a TKR. These ops seem to vary so hugely from person to person and even knee to knee. I think we were the lucky ones. Hoping my luck holds out for the next one this summer LOL!
That's so useful to hear about the treadmill AuntEG. I thought I'd need to limit the treadmill to walking on it for 10 minutes a day otherwise I might damage the new joint - I'll gradually increase that then. I started the recumbent just before three weeks post op (when I could get the bend sufficient to do it) and treadmill about five weeks post op. I'll increase the recumbent too:-))) I didn't expect the physio to test leg strength - that surprised me but thankfully it was really good!
Hi Chris so good to hear your also doing well. I imagined the operation & pain a lot worse than what it was. But I think the big mistake people make is the excerssises they don't do them , they are so important. Suppose like you say no two people are the same. Wishing you good luck for the 2nd knee op, just think you'll be pain free. Pls let us no how you get on !
Chris,
El primer día que usé la caminadora hice una milla. ¡Ups! Me hinché. Así que al día siguiente hice media milla y me fue bien, con menos hinchazón. Hice 0.5 millas a 1 mph. No se trata de la velocidad, sino de la técnica. Talón suave, punta del pie. Luego hice 0.5 millas 2 veces al día. Una vez que me sentí cómoda, mi cuerpo lo supo, aumenté a 1 milla. Solo ve despacio y no tendrás contratiempos. Pequeños ejercicios durante todo el día son mucho mejores que hacerlos todos de una vez. Mentalmente también te sentirás mejor. Me dijeron que confiara en mis implantes y lo hago. Respeta el proceso y estarás feliz con los resultados. Incluso los contratiempos son tolerables
Thanks Sally:-) Yes, to think in the future that I'll be a 'normal person' and be able to really get fit, is wonderful! It was great to hear you had such a good recovery too!
Phew - I've NEVER done a mile! Legs were already bad when we got the treadmill so I've always been limited and never done more than about 12 minutes walking. I'm building up from starting at 2 minutes and am now up to 8 but will keep doing a little more until I get there:-))) Also doing the circuits on the bike, but what shocked me was when I got the wii out to do the balance exercises. Did 5 minutes and calves ached LOL! So that's getting build up slowly too:-))) But it's all positive stuff, being able to increase fitness bit by bit. When the other knee is done I'm going to start squats too!:-)))) I'm SO encouraged that I can reach a level of fitness I never even dreamed about a few years ago!:-))))
Chris,
¡Eso es genial! Ese es el progreso. Tómate tu tiempo. Si cerramos los pensamientos negativos por lo que son, es decir, "hoy me duele o me molesta, está bien", entonces señalamos las cosas buenas como "estoy de pie y no estoy atrapado en la cama", etc. Supongo que soy una persona del tipo "cuento mis bendiciones". Tengo preocupaciones sobre este punto en mi rodilla interna izquierda, pero sé que el hardware está bien. Así que sigo adelante. Tengo que estirarme o me duele mucho más. Noté esto yendo a trabajar. Me levanto temprano, no me estiro. Para las 10 a.m. estoy dolorido. No salgo hasta las 3:30 p.m. esta semana y para entonces, estoy exhausto, así que tengo que estirarme antes de acostarme, lo que me ayuda a obtener el alivio suficiente para dormir. Si escuchamos a nuestros cuerpos y los desafiamos, mejoramos.
Estuve al 100% desde el día que dije que sí a la cirugía. Nadie ve la lucha, ven "camino muy bien". Mantente positivo. Siento la necesidad de ayudar a la gente a ver la RECUPERACIÓN REAL, pero que vean que MEJORAMOS con el trabajo duro
Spot on AuntEG! I strongly believe that if you focus on every tiny milestone you feel good! Going from crutches to sticks and when you go to one stick and you can carry a cup of tea from the kitchen! And when you start noticing that something needs dusting. And can leave your sticks OUTSIDE the bathroom, and so many many little things that make you aware that you are moving forward. I KNOW it's not the same for everyone, but personally I found the first three weeks the hardest because I was so limited what I could do but I think the turning point for me was just before that when I propped my sticks up near the recument bike and got on it and did two whole revolutions LOL! That was my start to getting back to fitness:-))) When the physio was obviously impressed with me yesterday - it was funny - he looked impressed at the bend and then was impressed with the strength and then asked me how I knew what the bend was and he was awfully impressed that I'd got a goniometer, and his level of impression went up and up as I talked about the exercise bike and treadmill and then I said to him that when I'd seen the surgeon I had told him 'I will do my bit to make this as successful as it can be' and his smile got bigger and bigger. Here's hoping for the next one LOL! Pre-op is 15th May:-)))) Not sure husband is quite so impressed at being the slave for the first few weeks again, but he'll cope and we'll be able to do so much more afterwards!:-))))
Jajaja Chris! La parte de limpiar etc. Sí, así es como va. Si no te limitas y te lo tomas con calma, te encuentras haciendo más y más. Todas las pequeñas cosas se suman. Encontré que era el #1 antídoto contra la depresión y la tristeza. Tenemos mucho tiempo libre para PENSAR. Las cosas pueden descontrolarse y nos volvemos locos. En cambio, esas pequeñas tareas hacen la diferencia. Incluso hago elevaciones de pantorrillas (20) y sentadillas, tan bajas como puedo, que al principio era 1 pulgada, ahora, como sentarme en una silla) mientras espero a que se prepare mi café.
Me encanta tu actitud positiva. Ambos sabemos que no todo son unicornios y arcoíris, pero ¿no es mejor, no necesariamente más fácil, intentar pensar hacia arriba en lugar de hacia abajo? Incluso como mover los dedos de los pies si estás atascado en la silla... Mi lucha ha sido real, lo es para todos nosotros. Nos ayudamos unos a otros a través del foro.
Me alegro de estar de vuelta en el trabajo, aunque aún no es a tiempo completo. Estoy agotado pero feliz de intentarlo. Mi pierna izquierda estaba hinchada 2 pulgadas más después de 8 horas con media/compresión. Pero esta mañana, no lo está. Quiero tomarme el día libre, pero en su lugar, me doy permiso para quedarme aquí unas horas más y luego seguir adelante. Después de todo, ¡ya hice la rutina de pantorrillas y sentadillas!
Me siento terrible por las personas que han tenido complicaciones. Parece que todos tenemos sangrado, moretones, hinchazón. Pero daño en el nervio femoral (torniquete en la pierna comprimiendo el nervio y el flujo sanguíneo), colocación incorrecta de la parte mecánica relacionada con el fracaso del cemento. Largas listas de lo que leí. Trabajé en el tejido cicatricial de manera relajada Y dolorosa. Mi pierna derecha es 145bend, casi toca el trasero. Mi izquierda es 140 cuando no está hinchada con extensión completa en ambas. No podría haberlo hecho sin un fisioterapeuta (PT). Así que tristeza por las personas que no tienen uno.
Vaya, me puse muy largo! Bueno, aquí está para un gran día a pesar del dolor en la rodilla izquierda!
:D
Phew - you've got some bend there!!! Now you realise, AuntEG that you've just issued me with a challenge LOL! I HAVEN'T got a physio but now feel obliged to get to a comparative bend LOL! My physio rather thought I didn't need to push it more, but I DO want to do squats when the other knee is done, so it's going to help and it's hardly much trouble doing the bends on the recliner while I watch tv! Today walked around two supermarkets so just did the bike when I got home and then the balance stuff on the wii, but tomorrow will be back to treadmill as well. I think I must come over as crazy but all of this whole procedure, from the moment I decided to get a referral for the knees, has all been an overall positive experience for me. Every little bit I've seen as a step forward. I was excited about going into hospital the first time, and am excited going in again - it's all leading to my new life!!! And today I sold my mobility scooter - am NOT going to need that again! But yes, seriously, I SO feel for those who get complications that lead to bad pain and problems moving! Not only does it make me feel very lucky, but my heart goes out to them and I wish I could help!
You are so right about the exercises - you can do these at any time. Before I get up in the mornings I bend the knee so it's level with the unoperated one and I can feel a slight stretch on it, and leg lifts while sitting on the recliner and anything anywhere really - every little bit helps!
Yes, I wish you and everyone a great day there. I pulled my right knee this morning so went round the supermarket as though I had tourettes as 'ouch' came out from time to time LOL! Don't you love it LOL!