OT ? Total knee replacment/ anyone experienced ?

Anonymous-0 · Jan 25, 2009

My Doc says I need a total knee replacemnt and I was wondering if any of you nice folks have had it done and what the outcomes have been ? LONG operation ? What will I have to be carefull of afterwards? Lately I can only walk or stand about 15 minutes before it starts in , legs feel like tractor weights and really slows me down.... Will I be able to kneel down , get up and down etc. I still want to keep working and fixing things regularly, also I 'd like to start walking for excercise -- more then 100 feet.
Any comments are sincerely appreciated. JIm

colekicker · Jan 25, 2009

Well, I can't tell you firsthand, but my uncle had both replaced. He used to work on pipelines, before they had hydraulic machines. Basically, his legs and feet are just flat worn out.
Well he had a couple setbacks. 1. They had him on blood thinner too long and he ended up with an infection. After a trip back to the hospital for a week, he was better.
2. He felt it necessary to change the drawbar position on his 3020 JD. When they did the replacement, they left the old knee cap (don't know if they always do this). When he knelt down, it broke. He described it as a .22 shell going off.
Had these two events not occurred, I feel that he would have done much much better.

Plumcrazy · Jan 25, 2009

My wife had a total replacement done on one in 02. She should of had them both done. A close neighbor had both of his knees done at the same time. He walks a whole lot better then he used to. They had my wife up walking on hers an hour after the operation. Now the replaced knee is her good one. How much you bend it, and how far you bend it after replacement, determines how you will walk the rest of your life.

john d · Jan 25, 2009

My Dad had both knees done in 1980 when he was nearly 68. He had been an outstanding HS athlete, and was still in very good shape for his age, other than his knees. He'd gotten to the point where walking a hundred feet or so was a problem. He had the left one done in May, the right one in August. By mid-October, he was climbing on top of the grain bins, and playing touch football with his grandsons. When Mom told the surgeon he'd been kicking a football and had gone roller skating, the surgeon about had a stroke!
He retired from farming after the crop was harvested in 1988. During that time, he climbed ladders, carried bags of seed corn, yanked and tugged on augers, etc. Those two replacement knees did far more hard work than most folks that age can get out of their originals.
I think the key to his success was being in pretty good health, and doing ALL of his physical therapy exercises to the letter! He said he never had anything else that he had to hurt so much to make it improve.
My Mother had both knees replaced, did not do her exercises, and never walked any better than before they were replaced.

HENRY E NC · Jan 25, 2009

I have had both knees replaced ( also both shoulders replaced and going for a hip soon) and I can tell you that the more you use it the better it becomes. I have been told not to kneel on them but I use 2 really thick pillows to get down and up and to kneel on. One of my best friends, a working farmer, had his done by same Dr. and he was up working in his shop in 10 days. Our Dr. says get up and go after a week or so. Therapy was a help on my shoulders but not my knees. Did them ny self. Depends on the Dr. and how they do it. Our Dr. uses the "southern approach" which does not cut the muscles, only stretches them(black and blue for a week or so) so the muscles dont need to heal, only shrink a little back to normal. My son who is an Orthopedic Surgeon soon to be in Scottsbluff Nebraska, says that is the best way. Prayers are with you Henry

fixerupper · Jan 25, 2009

Three good friends of mine have had knee replacement and they healed up really well. One of them had to have a knee re-done because they put it back together with the foot aimed wrong, but it healed up OK.

Ask around. Too many times we find out about a better surgeon, mechanic, carpenter, or whatever, after the deed is done.Jim

Anonymous-0 · Jan 25, 2009

I had it done to my right knee in Feb of last year after radiation for cancer. The previous radiation was complicating my recovery. In the last part of Sept. more cancer was found where the lesser tuberosity connects to my Femer and a metal femer joint with a rod that goes down and connects to the knee joint. I am having problems walking but when the chemo treatments are finished I should recover faster.

hay · Jan 25, 2009

i had a total knee replacement in november '07 and it was the best thing i ever did to relive the constant pain and get back to walking without support. took about a month of therapy before i was able to put away the crutches and walk on my own, pain free.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 25, 2009

Thanks for all your comments and I wish you all the best life has to offer.

Again, thanks and God Bless,,, Jim

Spook · Jan 25, 2009

My ma had one knee done, didn't like the theraphy, but now can walk good.

1936 · Jan 25, 2009

A must do is the theraphy, must do! MIL had both done and was by the book on the theraphy with excellent results and now 81.

Friends wife had the work done and just pannnty waisted on the theraphy some pain and now rides in a wheel chair every chance she can.

Is is so that 15 years is the limits to a new joint?

RandyB(MI) · Jan 25, 2009

Had my left one done 2 yrs ago. Was out of hospital in 3 days , could walk without walker in a week (even tho they don't want you to , don't want a fall)was back to work in 3 mos. (worked around the shop in two weeks) I'm 58 and my relatively young age may have made it somewhat easier than at 70. Some of the people in "joint camp" were 70+ and the therapy was a struggle but only because of long weakened muscles and same will power. No pain since. Even went back to one of my passions , bowling , after a year and still held my 203 league avg. It is a different feel but your body will "learn" it after a year or so. It will never be like you were when you were 30 but a lot better than your last couple of years. As far as kneeling goes , that's one of the things that ruins them in the first place! Knees weren't designed to hold all your weight while folded!!!Let alone do it on the concrete floor.

JMS/.MN · Jan 25, 2009

Any type of joint replacement-get current with dental work first, and afterwards, always let your dentist know that you"ve had a replacement. They are related issues.

BLinWMI · Jan 25, 2009

My grandpa had his right knee done at the age of 76. He had been a dairy farmer milking in a stanchion barn since he was 35. He had the surgery and said it was the most painfull thing he had ever lived thru but he did recover very well. We still were milking then and he was back out in the barn within a month and by three months post, he had climbed the silo and was doing some milking. He had a bad habit of kneeling on one knee beside the cow to check to see if she was done. He healed enough that he kept doing the milking for about a year more, on about 24 head. We used Surge buckets to milk so I carried all the milk to the milkhouse but for that year he did most of the milking. At the end of that year I bought him out and took over everything but feeding calves, so he could take it easy on his knees but still come out and keep busy.

dhermesc · Jan 26, 2009

My mom went through it a couple years ago - she was 70. The first two days after the operation were the worse, she picked up the flu along with the anesthesia making her very sick. She was on her feet taking care of herself in a week (chased us kids out of her house) and in a month said she could walk better than she could before the operation - three months later she was doing a whole lot better. Only problem is now that the one knee is better the other is giving her problems.

OT ? Total knee replacment/ anyone experienced ?

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

colekicker

Member

Plumcrazy

Member

john d

Well-known Member

HENRY E NC

Member

fixerupper

Well-known Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

hay

Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Spook

Well-known Member

1936

Well-known Member

RandyB(MI)

Well-known Member

JMS/.MN

Well-known Member

BLinWMI

Member

dhermesc

Well-known Member

Similar threads