I bit the bullet and had my knee replaced on 9/5/19. I put it off too many years. out of fear and now I see my fear was valid😉😩. I think( hope) the hardest part is behind me. Pain is minimal, it is more mechanics now, lots of therapy, still have to use a walker as my balance is not great but Im slowly hobbling towards the finish line. BEST news is that my heart has behaved perfectly thru all the drama, drugs, emotional ups and downs. Stirring up a fib was a real fear. My husband has had the hardest part as I cant do alot, not driving yet. So just wanted to check in. 💜
Knee replacement: I bit the bullet and... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Knee replacement
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53 Replies
•
I had a hip replacement following an accident. I was told to do 'lots and lots' of physio. which I did do for a few months.I guess it would be much the same for a knee.Some time on I met others who thought the physio at home did not have to be done and as a consequence did not regain balance and developed a sideways gait.
These are my words of wisdom that I cannot emphasise too strongly.
Glad to hear you are going forward positively.
• in reply to10gingercats
Thankyou! Yes, Im going to therapy twice weekly, faithfully doing my home exercises three times a day. Im wishing my recovery was faster so trying to be patient💜
Jlaine• in reply to
When I had my knees replaced I was told to do excercises daily. Had pt come to house for 3 weeks and I continued to do my excercises and I did great. No problems. But I was comitted to getting full range of motion back.Glad you are doing well. The more often you excercisethe faster you will improve. I did excercises two to three times a day/everyday. Obviously if you develop lots of discomfort than cut down on the frequency.
As always the physio is the most important part. I would have 6 hip replacements to avoid the knee it really is more complicated and far more painful. With my hip I was pretty much back to normal at the 6 week stage which I am at now with my knee but still a long way to go with this.
I have heard that after a knee replacement you are no longer able to kneel on the replaced knee. Is this correct?
Do you kneel a lot? Would that keep you from having the procedure ? Just curious .
Yes -I am a keen gardener . I have a bad back so kneel down to weed and plant. I now have bad knees too!
Regrets?
• in reply tosweetiepye
Not yet but too early to really say. I will know in the next several months if I am better off. Without the surgery, I would have eventually been in a wheel chair so cant imagine having regret unless something awful happens.
sweetiepye• in reply to
I'm probably headed in that direction myself, but oddly enough, I seem to be putting it off.
• in reply tosweetiepye
I put mine off for years, then scheduled it last spring and cancelled it. I really didnt want to do it but didnt have any other viable options.
No. I love my garden. It is the only way I have to express my creativity now that I have stopped dancing- that too took a toll on my back and knees. I seem to have gone in for hobbies that have buggered up my joints. I also have arthritis in my left hip. Being floxed has not helped either as Fluoroquinolones attack collagen everywhere .
There are wheeled things you can sit on. Just had a partial knee replacement last Friday. I’d injured my knee years ago a few times. Had MRI and was told there may be a small tear, decided to leave well alone, but it got worse and I had no medial meniscus 😥 It restricted how long I could walk and thus, where I could go. If there were meniscus implants, I’d have tried that, but sadly not, although there is a surgeon that did do one for a young woman in her 20’s. Through experiences, I do not trust knife happy surgeons. My retired GP who was rather Doc Martin likes words 😜
I can kneel in an upright position, but cannot sit back on my heels. Can be surprisingly limiting! It is some years since I had my knee op. I can assure you the first 5 or 6 months are the worst - plain sailing after that, and still some improvement is possible up to at least 12 months.
Not sure I want to swap pain for limitation. It's mainly my right knee at the moment and that could well be referred pain from the hip.
I am the same as you and have to kneel because of a bad back. I am told that you can kneel but you can't "sit back" on your heels. Obviously I am not at that stage yet but did manage to do 10 revolutions on the exercise bike today - so could get there. Thing is it takes a long time so maybe get someone to help you - if they know the difference between plants and weeds!
Yes, I have had both knees replaced, my right knee was first, in 2015. I kneeled on it, (as a preschool for 22 years, you spend a lot of time on the floor🙂) I heard a loud, audible pop and felt immense pain, it swelled and bruised, it was quite stiff and tender for about 3 weeks. I had an appointment already scheduled, about 4 weeks after my kneeling incident, with my Ortho Dr, at which time he did an x-ray of my knee. The X-ray revealed my kneecap was broken in half. So from personal experience, I would advise not kneeling on a replaced knee.
Thank you. Did you have to have another replacement?
Hi Hoski, nice to hear from you. So very pleased your fears were unfounded about the evil AF paying you a visit 👹 best wishes for your recovery. Hopefully soon back on 🐎 🤗
• in reply toTamlaMotown
Thankyou💜
Great to hear from you Hoski, and really pleased to hear that you are on the mend. Good also to hear that your old ticker managed to cope well with all the additional stress ‘n strain. No doubt still a way to go, but sounds like you are well on the way of getting there!
• in reply to
Yes, the pain and anxiety ridden part is behind me I think, just need a dose of patience, like the little train going up the hill... I think I can😊
• in reply to
Just watch you don’t dreammmmm!!
• in reply to
😂😂😂. I wouldnt mind a happy dream😇
Keep doing the exercises. I’m heading for a partial replacement
• in reply toLaceyLady
Yes they told me exercises, elevating and icing are most important
• in reply toLaceyLady
Good luck with your partial when the time comes, it ain't exactly a walk in the park but wow ! the rewards of being pain free down the track are great. Just great. I have no regrets whatsoever.
John
• in reply to
I am looking forward to that. Everyone I know says the same and I believe that day will come. Thankyou!
Great news. Those replacement knees are so heavy it's no wonder they're such hard work to exercise.
So pleased your hard work is paying off
• in reply toBagrat
Thankyou!
Good on ya Hoski, great news .......... also that your heart behaved too. Must say I too had no problem at all with my heart, even with the anticoagulants, which bothered me more than anything ......... until it came to the first 10 days after knee surgery ! Ugh!! The damn pain in those 10 days.
Don't rush your recovery .... you got all the time .... keep up the exercises. It'll all come together eventually, each knee is different. Eventually, when you are goin' solo don't forget you'll need to learn to walk on your operated leg again. It ain't just all about the knee, its all about the mechanics of the body too.
I did something they don't tell you about ..... once I had the dressing removed and the incision line cleared of any infection I had a massage therapist massage the incision line and surrounding area .... the idea being to help stop any possibility of scar tissue forming. Brilliant for me. My surgeon didn't use stitches, he used dissolving staples so as the incision line healed the staples just vanished. Great technology.
I misunderstood some of the exercises so went on Youtube and search for knee replacement exercises ....... shedloads of information, massive help in understand why I was doing the different exercises.
May the force be with you.
John
• in reply to
Thankyou so much!
So pleased you went ahead and had this done, I noticed we hadn't heard from you for a while. And a bonus that your heart behaved! Wish you well.
• in reply toirene75359
💜
Glad it's going well, keep that bending going!
• in reply tojedimasterlincoln
Bending is the hardest part, the swelling is slowly going away so it is getting a little easier. Thankyou!
Hi Hoski - so good to hear from you!
Not sure if that was May or September you had the op (difference in writing date from UK/US)?
So sorry to hear about your woes, I gather the knee is the most complicated joint in the body and the most difficult to recover from but glad that you are gradually improving and fantastic that your heart has behavied - long may it remain so!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, CD. X
• in reply toCDreamer
Thankyou , Im like the turtle on the race track. It has not been fun but Im getting there! Cannot imagine how people do both knees at same time.
Desanthony• in reply to
Yes getting both knees done is unimaginable! I also can't imagine how I would manage on my own. Think I would have to find a convalescent home couldn't have managed that first week.
• in reply toDesanthony
Yes, there is no way I could have done this without my husbands good help. Im sure he is ready for me to be up and around normally.
Hi Hoski,
The thing that helped me most was finding a physio who ran rehab sessions for orthopaedic patients at my local (nice & warm), swimming pool. It is so much easier to exercise in the water. I used to go twice a week for about 8 weeks, starting as soon as my wound had healed - about 3 weeks post op. The physio gave each of us about 5 mins individual attention with a short massage & manipulation under the water, then left us to do her prescribed programme of exercises and relaxation for the rest of the hour. I did this after both my knee replacements, the right 2016 & the left 2018. If you could find something similar I would recommend it.
I was walking without any walking aids at 3-4 weeks each time, though I had more pain with the first than the second. I would say that being confident with walking outdoors is also key to recovery as well as achieving 90 degree bend.
Well done for your progress so far & keep working hard, it’s worth every minute you take.
Pat x
• in reply to
I finally reached the 90 degrees. I would love a warm pool, having a massage would be amazing.
Got to say I wish I had not put it off for so long as I feel the recovery would have been easier. However not doing too badly at the moment. Thinking I could start trying to drive. Might take the car off the road somewhere and see how I do. Still pain when I do the exercises but getting back to the gym now and found they have lovely new machines there! Doing some resistance exercises and trying to get complete revolutions on the bike but that is difficult. Find the cross trainer is best and also doing the power climb on very low.
• in reply toDesanthony
I see my doc 10/21, I think he will let me drive, not sure my hubby will agree, lol. Im still going to therapy twice weekly and doing my home ex 3 times daily. I have a bike but still cannot make that revolution yet.
JayDW• in reply to
Ability to drive depends a lot on the car, and on which knee is affected. If automatic transmission or right knee then you are OK as soon as you have the strength and agility to hit the brake when needed. The clutch requires a much stronger action, so left knee with manual transmission will take significantly longer. Good luck!
Good on you! So brave. I'm waiting until they come up with a zipper...or maybe that healing wand on Star Trek.😁
• in reply toteach2learn
Healing wand sounds good!
My wife had a knee replacement 10 years ago. Did all the physio and exercises and walked as much as possible. Since recovery she has been able to walk over 10,000 steps a day, the knee has been fine and the other knee which was previously problematic is also fine. Exercise pays off.
• in reply toBeta44
That is so great. Im looking forward to being able to do more. Thankyou!
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