Full knee replacement

Here's what I wrote someone in another thread.

https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/health-fitness/knee-replacement-surgery/115952392/

"After you are discharged it'll be an average of 12 weeks of PT. The first week after your surgery you are going to feel like you made the worst mistake of your life. It's going to hurt like nothing you've ever known in your life (for the average person). After that first week it'll start feeling a little bit better and will exponentially get better after that. It will not feel like "your" knee until 12 months or so, but you will be able to do the things you normally do well before that. Three months after your surgery you'll be active. Playing golf, no problem walking, etc... At 6 months is when you'll probably be doing squats and deadlifts etc...

Do's:

Extension: It's going to hurt bad. I can't reiterate that enough. But suck it up and get as much ROM as fast as you can. Especially extension! Get full extension (being able to straighten out your leg completely). That is the most important thing for your everyday activities like walking.

Flexion: Really you're looking at trying to get at least 115 degrees. More is better, but 115 will let you accomplish pretty much whatever activity you want to do. Again, you will hate me for saying this, but suck it up. It's going to hurt.

Don'ts:

Don't be a bitch. Suck it up. Don't get pissed at your PT. Total Knees hurt bad. I don't envy what you are about to go through. And to be honest I've never gone through it. I've gone through some pretty painful surgeries/rehab myself, but not a TKA. Which, to be honest, is maybe one of the most painful and miserable rehabs for a patient. I've rehabbed a bunch and they all usually follow the same pattern.

Final Thoughts:

First 3 days after surgery you will want Full Extension and 90 degrees of Flexion. It takes 6 weeks, or so, for the bone to heal and that hardware to solidify.

Also, don't let this discourage you. If you are at the point where you are contemplating a TKA, then that means the pain and the arthritis in your knee is limiting you and your ability to live an active life. The consequences of not doing it will be much more detrimental to your health than the pain of rehab."

Good luck with everything. I hope that helps.

No worries. As I said, it's going to suck, a lot. But if you're at the point of needing it, you'll be happy you got it after it's done.

Had mine last summer.

Strenghten your quads as much as you can pre-surgery.

Get ice machine and bust PT.

You'll do great!

Get your quads as strong as possible. As much as you can work them. You aren't going to hurt your knee any more than it is already hurt... the more "pre-hab" you do, the better you'll do after. Well, really, everything else in your legs strong as well.

Had mine on December 11th... never really had all that much pain.. but I stayed ahead of it with the painkillers combo they gave me...

Get an Ice machine. And use it. I needed a walker for like... 2 hours after I got home... after that, I was just kind of carrying it around with me... so I ditched it. Used a cane for a couple 3 days... mostly just made sure furniture was close by in case I needed to steady myself. Was walking a couple miles (a mile at a time) a day within 2 weeks.

TAKE A PAINKILLER ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE THERAPY. It'll make it alot easier. They are going to push and pull on your knee, and don't need you tensing up.

I was pretty much at 180 degrees of extension when I got home. Reckon I had a really good surgeon. 90 degrees of flexion took a couple days, but within say... 2 weeks... I was as 125 degrees... and am at 135 or so now. Finished therapy after 17 visits, still do all their exercises at home, though. Although they are WAY to easy...

Wished I'd of done it a long time ago... honestly... and I know I'm probably the exception... but it really wasn't a big deal at all. Having right knee done later this year... hope it goes as easily as the left one, but it'll probably be more difficult because it's the dominant leg and won't be as easy to drive.

Anyways... that's my rambling two cents.

Also, to quote Mingo the Shimpo, if you weren't so fat, you wouldn't need to have your knees replaced.