If we already have a recent thread please direct me.
I’m scheduled for full replacement of one knee for early December. Any tips?
Someone I know had a different joint replaced. Two weeks after surgery she said that she never wanted to go through that again. Six months after surgery she was making plans to have the other one replaced (which she did about a year later).
I would follow the doctor’s advice, and not plan to get much done for a few weeks after surgery.
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I’m one week past surgery and asking myself, “Why did I do this?”
My husband has had both knees done (not at the same time) and he felt by doing some physical therapy at home ahead of time (on his own) helped a lot. He also knows that pushing yourself too hard afterwards is NOT beneficial. My only other tip was if they give you a machine that circulates ice water around your leg, is to use frozen water bottles instead of ice. So much easier on the caregiver.
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Absolutely true! And if you aren’t given one of these ice things, they sell them on Amazon. Well worth the money. You will be SOOOO happy to have this, especially the first two weeks.
I had a partial knee replacement in 2020. The first week was very uncomfortable, but the ice and meds helped that. After that, it was just a matter of recuperating and doing PT. It was not fun…and they said it would take three months to be up and running fully, and they were right. Listen to whatever your doctor and PT tell you to do…and do it.
I would strongly suggest you get or borrow a recliner. I completely resisted this idea, but you have to keep your leg elevated…so I finally gave in and borrowed one. Best decision I made for post surgery.
Good luck to you. It’s like any surgery…it’s not all that much fun but most people I know really were happy with the outcome post surgery recuperation.
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I hadn’t thought of a recliner. My husband has one in his study and I’d never would have considered it.
I’ve been having PT on a regular basis and I’ve got some exercises to do. Just need to do them regularly!
My H had his hip replaced this summer, and this machine was invaluable, especially in the beginning. I guess it depends on the caregiver, because I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. You need to make sure you have enough freezer space to store ice and don’t mind schlepping to the grocery store/Walmart to buy it every few days. I bought 7 pound bags that fit nicely in our freezer and I believe 2 bags would cover 3 refills which would last about 4 hours each. I’d fill it up in the morning, when I got home from lunch, and then in the evening.
That being said, while physically it wasn’t that big of a deal, I was glad when we were done with it. I like my normal routine
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Be kind to your caregiver (s) - it is a lot of work, as you will not be able to much of anything on your own for the 1st week or more. The pain meds will be important the first 2 weeks - stay on a schedule including setting an alarm. The first 2 weeks you will focus on getting your knee straight not worrying about bending - it is all about getting it straight. A shower stool/bench will be worth it and your 1st shower will feel like heaven.
Be strict and work hard with PT before and after - it will make all the difference in your recovery. If you feel like you need more PT - ask for an extension from your doctor or your PT might be able to facilitate with your insurance too.
Knee replacement is a tough surgery and you will also need to be patient with yourself. Don’t forget to keep up on laxatives due to the pain meds! It is not an easy or fast recovery, but once you get to that point you will be happy to have a new knee.
Ice, ice and then ice some more. Did not use the circulating machine - but bought 2 big wrap around reusable knee ice wraps - worked great and better storage vs the machine and all the bags of ice it needs to work. Really personal preference.
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Our machine held 4 bottles of water…12 Oz size. We just bought 8 bottles of water, and put four frozen ones in at a time and the. Filled the water to the level in the machine. Lasted a LOT longer than cubes. No schlepping ice cubes, no buying ice cubes, no trips to the store. When the four bottles thawed, we just swapped out for the other four that were in the freezer. And put the thawed ones on the freezer. Worked perfectly! Of course, I’m assuming your machine can accommodate this. If not, I would freeze Tupperware containers filled with water. No way would I use ice cubes!
Also, those frozen bottles of water lasted about 8 hours!
@Onward can verify what I wrote!
The frozen bottle of water thing was suggested by the home health people when they called to let us know the thing was being delivered.
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One way to get off the walker more quickly (assuming your balance is good) is to get forearm crutches and practice with them beforehand. They are much more ergonomic than axillary crutches, and much more versatile, better for stairs, etc. When you’re first getting off the walker, they can be used in a typical crutch pattern, with both crutches symmetrically supporting the weak leg. As you get stronger, you can transition to a reciprocal pattern - each crutch supporting the opposite leg - same kind of pattern as trekking poles… and then wean down to just the one crutch opposite the new knee, as with a cane only with much better support.
Seconding the advice to stay ahead of the pain with the pain meds, and stay ahead of the pain meds with the stool softeners!
Another useful yet inexpensive thing for early days is to get a “balance disc” like this (there are many brands - this is just one example) https://www.amazon.com/Therapists-Choice-Air-Filled-Stability-Disc-Blue/dp/B00VTWIJZ6/ref=sr_1_9?crid=38HR4PQ1ROTN3&keywords=balance+disc&qid=1698787664&sprefix=balance+disc%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-9 and self-mobilize in very small increments by putting both feet on the disc (when sitting up) and “pedaling” very gently, using the stronger leg to assist the motion of the weaker one.
It definitely takes a few weeks to get past the “Why did I do this?” stage! But most people are indeed glad they did it, once they get past the unpleasant early part.
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Interesting. Mine just said ice. I follow directions lol. It wasn’t bad for us
Had a right knee replacement in Feb 2022. Yes to the ice bottles for the machine; we got 8 oz bottles at Costco and we could fit six in the device.
Pain meds mess up your digestive system. Eat things that keep things moving (IYKWIM).
We got a recliner and I found it horrible for sleeping. There was a dip in the cushioning right where my knee needed to straighten out and it was never comfortable. We ordered ours from Costco and didn’t get to test it out beforehand. If you go the recliner route, sit in it, tilt it all the way back, check the controls, check where the bend in the chair hits your legs, etc. Give it a good test drive. OTOH, I couldn’t get in a comfortable place to sleep in our bed, either. Took about two months to get back into a bed.
My dad (also had a TKR) recommends prehab to get BOTH legs as strong as possible before surgery.
My experience has been that the change in my gait from the knee replacement has affected both the spinal stenosis in my back and my other knee. Have torn a tendon in my left foot that will require surgery and more downtime than the knee did. Doc also says I need my left knee replaced now. Not planning to do it for quite a while. It’s not nearly as bad as my right knee was.
After six months of PT, my extension and flexion were still not where they needed to be. I ultimately got there with the bending, but to this day, I still can’t fully straighten my right knee. It is still hard for me to get up and down from the floor.
Don’t get discouraged if it takes you longer to get to benchmarks than the doc says. Mine told me I’d have a 90 degree bend in two weeks. It took two months of hard PT to get there.
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@CountingDown me too. It’s just a slight bend, and it does not affect anything I want to do…no one else notices it…but I do!
Yes…but I also had a pile of pillows that resolved this issue.
Oh yes. The directions with mine just said ice…but our home health folks gave us the tip about the frozen water bottles. And they really were good for us…my DH was still working and he could put those bottles in before he left for work…and they were just about melted when he got home.
I agree with all the advice about the ice machine. I don’t normally buy expensive bottled water, but in this case it was well worth getting 12 bottles of FIJI water. Those bottles are strong and square shaped so 6 12-oz bottles fit in the machine nicely. And the other 6 stacked in the freezer very well.
DH’s doctor ordered a CPM machine that moved the knee continuously while he rested. The doctors arranged for it to be delivered and picked up from our house.
DH is very physically fit so he thought he was going to be fine after a couple days. It was hard for him to realize the recovery is much tougher than that. I kept a careful log of exactly when he took all his meds. There was a lot to keep up with the first few days, and the log helped me when he was pushing me for the next pain pill before it was time. Sometimes I felt like Nurse Ratched.
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The best tip I can give you is do the exercises! Even after they stop giving you PT. My bff had both replaced and stopped exercising (even though they told her to keep doing them) and has had troubles. She even admits that she should have been doing them. Also if you can get PT in a pool, that’s a real treat.
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Yes, extra pillows, a neck pillow, and a gripper stick were also really handy!
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I never used crutches. But I did use a cane for balance for a few weeks. I kept a walker by my bed (or the recliner) in case I needed to move around the house…until I started using the cane…which was only for a short amount of time.
I went and picked out a very colorful and cheerful cane. The Walker was on loan from a friend (although they would have given me one at the surgical center if I hadn’t had one).
Mine was a partial…and I was the first appointment in the morning. I was home by 11 am…and we love almost an hour from the surgery center. The PT was at my house by 1. And the home health person followed within an hour. I was amazed. At that first PT session…the day of my surgery…the PT showed me how to go up and down stairs. But my nerve block hadn’t worn off so I felt NO pain!!
I agree…write down your med times. Keep a notebook and whomever gives you meds…note what and what time. It’s very easy to lose track!
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My husband had a full knee replacement in Jan. He is very athletic, and is already pretty much back to doing what he was before, meaning heavy duty hiking, competitive stair climbing, no limits except he doesn’t run as much.
I was the witness to all that went on, and there’s definitely some things that are important that I realized.
The ice machine is essential. We just filled it with ice, kept the freezer stocked with bags of ice, but it was a Breg ice machine that we got from the doctor. It was great, because he could leave it on as much as he wanted, even overnight, as long as it wasn’t on bare skin, so he didn’t have to constantly worry about putting ice packs on and off.
The medications, there are so many of them. Ahead of time, I put them on the dining room table, with a log of what to take and when. He wanted to limit pain meds, because it makes you SO constipated. Make sure and take all the anti-constipation stuff they advise. Don’t be scared of them at first, though, you will need them!
Like everyone says, do the physical therapy, as soon as possible, all the time. There are things they tell you to do that are no-brainers, that you can do at home all the time. They told my husband to do all this immediately, but it’s really hard after surgery, you just want to lay on the couch and rest, don’t do anything hard….but do what they tell you immediately (take a pain pill)!
I wish I would have gotten him a reclining bike, to put in the living room, right there, for him to do several times a day. Best thing he could have done, but I didn’t realize that. Now, he is almost back to normal, but doesn’t have the ability to bend his knee like he should. He might have to go under anesthesia eventually to break up that scar tissue. If you can get where you need to be before that scar tissue forms, that’s a big deal.
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To add, my sister had both knees replaced. She told me that for people who have excess weight, losing weight before the surgery is the best thing you can do. Getting as strong and healthy as possible is a plus. Then again, for people who can barely walk because of pain, that would be very hard!
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This caretaker, me, was schlepping ice upstairs and found the frozen bottles so much easier. Each to there own.
And as Coffeat3 said, keep up on the laxatives. The pain meds can cause serious constipation which along with a lack of exercise can become painful.
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