Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Total Knee Replacement

I am scheduled for a TKR procedure one week from today.
I would be interested in opinions and advice as concerns recovery from the procedure.
My understanding is it's a stone Bitch.
In my favor perhaps is that I had a donor ligament put in my leg a few years ago.
I cringe at the idea that this will be a more difficult recovery than that.
Can ya help a guy out?

My brother in law just had a knee replacement 3-4 weeks ago. He was hurting a bit for a few days, but tolerated it. I took him to PT 3 times a week, but now down to twice. He had a walker to get around for a week or so, but now using a cane.
Think about the bright side, you will be a new man when it’s all said and done just in time for summer.
Good luck. Bet it won’t be as bad as you anticipate.
QM

I'd ask for a schitload of painkillers, but that's just because I could.

You'll be fine.

Make sure you go to PT, had a friend that didn't and he walks stiff legged, goes down steps backwards.

Best thing I have ever done for myself. Will have you walking next day. Don't cheat yourself by cheating on therapy. Was hunting mule deer in northern Colorado exactly 6 weeks later.
George

What gemby said.

I had two total knee replacements about 5 years ago (same year, different months). Yeah, it hurts like a sumbitch, but power through and do your PT. I went to an actual PT place following my first replacement, where I learned the specific exercises to do. After my second knee replacement, however, I simply went to the gym on my own to do the PT.

My knee replacements were the smartest thing I've ever done.

How's the hunting in the wheelchair accessible units anyway? LOL

Ain't so bad.

Start doing pre-therapy now. Not too late.

Start taking stool softeners yesterday and drink as much water as you can tolerate. Pain killers will lock you up. And make sure you can tolerate codeine cause they will only give you 10 days of Oxy. And Tramadol is useless. The Tylenol Advil rotation is better.

Mix up some 60-40 90 percent isopropyl alcohol cold packs - about half a dozen in double gallon baggies. Keep them in the freezer. The little cooler and pump they give you ain't gonna cut it.

And hit the PT with a vengeance. Yeah it hurts a little but the pain is worth it.

My wife has had TKR both knees, done about 1 year apart in the last 3 years. She had a very good surgeon, did PT religously and is very active. She can now hike 7 miles in the mountains, she is a little slow and careful on the downhills but climbs like a sherpa. After each surgery and completion of PT we went to Wyoming and spent a month hiking. At first she would walk out and back short distances as she built strength and confidence
w/ short rests in between. I then hung a Helinox chair on my pack and we took longer hikes. In late October of 2020 we hiked the closed FS road to the top Of Signal mountain in Gd. Teton NP. 11mile round trip w/ > 1k feet of climbing. She never finished the opiate pain medication that she was given.

Good luck.


mike r

It was way easier than either of the two rotator cuff surgeries I had.

Mine was done in March I think. By October I was hunting elk. Climbing that hill about a mile away (by foot) in the background. With a 20lb day pack and 10 lb rifle. At medicare age.



a pic from the top of the hill looking back toward camp. An old homemade ranch antenna up there.



Do the PT religiously. Actually, if you're just a go to church on Sunday type, do it like the little old Italian lady that gets up at 0630 to go to Mass EVERY morning.

If the PT lady (or dude) says ride the bike for 10 minutes.................do it for 12.

If they say walk 1/4 mile, walk a 1/4 mile + 10 steps.

do like I did and have them tell you "you're doing better than 95% of our patients your age". In other words, try to be the 100% person.

Be aware, I'm one of the lucky ones that still has some residual pain. Doc said it's normal in some patients. But it's nowhere like the bone on bone pain I had that required massive doses of "advil" just to live with. Or cortisone shots, or Synvisc. And they all stopped working.

Or don't read my post.

Read Mikes!

Alot of pain levels depends on the doctor and what he does. I had my TKR October of 2018.

Ask about a nerve block. This goes into your knee before surgery and essentially kills pains receptors for up to 2-3 days! Your body may vary, but it could very well get you past that first 36-48 hours which is key.

Things to expect:
- BRUISES, they will have a tourniquet on your thigh, it will leave bruises, don't worry, they go away!
- Sleep that first week isn't going to be easy, very hard to get comfy.
- They will have you on your feet FAST. Most likely within 24 hours at most. I had a drain in my knee for the first afternoon, that kept me in the bed.
- Your leg will be essentially dead, at least quads will. you will sit there and simply try to lift your foot up, nope, not happening, won't move. It will come back.
- Early PT SUCKS. I had in home for a week, that SUCKED. forcing it straight, forcing it to bend, all while your quads are dead. Trust me, the joy you feel that first time you can lift up your own foot is amazing!
- I actually didn't even take the Oxy, until the in home PT told me to just before she got there to make PT more effective. I did for a couple days then didn't.

Do PT, work on bend and straighten. Different people have harder time with one over the other. I had a bitch of a time getting it straight, but no real issues bending. Do what PT tells you, they will KNOW if you are doing your home PT, do it, but don't over do it. Push the pain limits, that's all up to you, but don't over do it. You just need to make steady progress. If you don't bend/straighten it with steady progress, the PT will, and you don't want that.

If you make it through the first 1-2 weeks, it's all easy from there. Progress speeds up, pain goes away.

Oh, and don't expect to take a crap anytime soon :-)

you're [bleep]....can I have your stereo?

I had bilateral total knee replacement surgery in August of 2018. As others have said, it is painful and rehab is tough. I'm glad I had it done. PT is key!

I had it some years ago. It is really tough. Very painful.
Very tough for 3 months.

Do your physical therapy. Get a bicycle, or else an exercise bike.

Had the same procedure Feb14,’20. Best outcome imaginable. PT is the key. Once home health pt starts, make certain you use the meds for pain mgt to enable best results for workouts. By then you’ll likely be down to only tramadol which is like stronger Tylenol IMO. I did not experience any of the horror stories that circulate among your network. Most of that comes from a friend of a neighbors cousin type nonsense. Getup and walk. You’ll have a good knee under you and a bionic knee too. You will not be fragile. It’s hard to remember that. You’ll do fine and feel 1000x better in 30days. It’s a quick initial recovery but about a year to be totally confident and wo fear.
Good luck!

I'm told there's a great market for unused painkillers.

I had both of mine done at the same time in 2014.
My only limitations from the Doc were no running and jumping.
Take your pain meds and do the therapy !
I`m including the obligatory x-ray that you can show your friends

Yeah you wish

I had a TKR one year ago, yesterday. In fact I see my surgeon for a one year follow-up tomorrow. My recovery has been OK but I am still prone to soreness. I was up the day of surgery. The kept me an extra day. The home PT lasted about a month and then I went to outpatient PT for about 2 months. I started walking a few weeks after I started outpatient PT. I suggest that you do the PT and do not stop doing it when it formally ends It was not difficult but it was boring and at time seemed pointless. I have always been and continue to be a gym rat so the discomfort was no big deal. It was frustrating more than anything else. Last Fall's hunting was tough but I managed to get my share of bids and drag a deer out of the woods. Anyway, good luck.