re: My Thoughts After Knee Replacement

6 months to a year full recovery. It’s a major surgery. 6 weeks out is still way too early.

I had a really good sports doc do both of mine at aged 72. He had two really critical suggestions.

1. first 20 days after surgery, the physical therapy is critical. It hurts, take the opioids

2. Opioids caused really bad constipation , Doc said asked if I can fart. I said yes. He said keep taking the opioid and go to PT. You will pass eventually

Now 76 I had both done the same day. At 69 so 7 years ago. I was past the injections which did not work anymore, bone on bone. Is it the same, no. Did recovery take 6-9 months yes, but you can drive and walk after a month. Absolutely do the PT. And you can play golf and most everything you did before. I still snow ski, but learned how 40 years ago and am very carefully, I scuba dive, and I play pickleball for 2 or 3 hours a day. They get stiff, don't bend as normal, occasionally hurt but nothing Ibuprophen can't help. So my life is very active. No regrets here, just stay active and stretch.

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bluewatersailor

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What do you think happened to cause your knee issues? I'm a month short of 70. I walk and run between 6-12 miles daily. Never had knee problems and want to avoid it. I'm not without malady, though. I used to play a lot of golf. I loved golf. Golf was my mistress and every beautiful course that I went to was like me trying to tame a beautiful woman into submitting to me. Every time I out drove my peers I was gleeful inside and soaking in the compliments. I was a good single-handicapper, won some tournaments and was striking the ball well. Drives were consistently 300+. I used pitching wedge for 150 yard shots. My 7 iron for 190.

But that all ended at the age of 39 when on the Par 4 4th hole of the DeSoto Course at Hot Springs Village, where I was already 1 under par, I drove the green, two putted for birdie and then when I reached into the cup to get my ball out, I could not stand up. My back siezed up. It was painful. It was so bad that by midnight the paramedics had to administer morphine just to get me off the floor of my home. Since then, my entire swing had to change. My body was damaged and the torque from my swing was more than I could handle any longer. It caused too much pain that, at times, is completely debilitating.

I still play, but needless to say, my swing is a lot slower and not nearly as wound up as I used to could do. My 7 iron now is 155 yards, not 190. My drives rarely reach 250 yards now. Age has something to do with that, but for me, it's having to hold back just to prevent the pain I know I'll experience over the next week if I tried to drive balls back out in the 300+ yard range.

I'm okay with it. But man, I would hate it if I couldn't get out and walk without experiencing pain like you and others do who have bad knees. Hope you all find relief!

I posted about my experience. My Knee Replacement I'm now 14 weeks out, mine was December 5th. It absolutely takes time, and sounds like you had previous surgeries, so not sure if that adds complication.
I didn't get my knee fully straight till about 11 weeks, so the longer you have had knee issues, the longer that takes has been my experience.

You are only 6 weeks out. For me weeks 3-6 were the worst because I couldn't get comfortable, couldn't get sleep and was mostly miserable, BUT it will get better with PT, rest, and home exercises. Keep doing them, even if you don't feel like it. Do what PT says and ask a lot of questions.

You will get better and it should be coming for you quickly. At about week 7-8 for me I could finally sleep in the bed on my side and my leg didn't hurt much, and that really improved my quality of like.

You are almost there, just keep going! Best of luck.

Yes

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Also I assist in joint replacement 500 a year for last 13 years as a PA (I would never have a joint replacement unless absolutely last resort)

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You just can't say something like this without giving an explanation why.

I read an article one time about how the knee grows steel.

You had a knee replacement 6 weeks ago and think you're going to be automatically better by now?

I would assume you're still doing PT

It takes time. Check back in after 9 months to a year and let is no how it's going.