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[Rio]

Hi,

I have bad arthritis on the inside of my knee joint after a miniscus tear and surgery in April 2011.  The rest of the cartlage, top of knee, outside portion is good and strong.  Doc suggest partial knee replacment would allow me to be active again and do everything that I like to do with the exception of running and playing soccer which was at the roots of this all.  I would like to find out the recovery time and also any success or issues with the process.  I don't remember the technical description for what type of replacement I am getting other than a steel slide goes on the top joint and it rests or fits into a nylon piece that fits over the leg joint( Oxford Knee) ?  Procedure takes about 30-45 minutes if there are no surprises.  I'm 54 years old, pretty good shape, very active and I work out regularly.  I was told that typically people wait until their older which is also why people have more issues and longer recovery times?  I figure its something that will have to be done eventually, why not get it done now while I can still run around and act like a kid?  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[JCZ]

There are several of us on this forum that have had joint replacements.  As I recall from previous threads on this subject all of us that put them off pretty much wished we'd done it sooner.  I can certainly say that holds true for me in my full hip replacement.

I assume by "doc" you are referring to an orthopedic surgeon and not just a general practice MD?  You also might want to get a second opinion.  I do know that joint replacement (don't tell your wife, but it's referred to as an implant.  ) has came a long, long way since I got my full hip replacement in 2005. 

While I felt the pain from the surgery, I knew as soon as I came to that the pain from the hip itself was gone.  Eight years later, I still don't have much issues with it.  I'm not able to run like I did before the hip problem (a result of a motorcycle accident a year and a half earlier) but every thing else is pretty much back to normal.  I can feel it going up and down stairs and hear it making noise but it's not painful.

Back then, the knee replacement had a longer recovery time but I think that's decreased for knees since 05.  I'm sure others will lean in here and share their experience.

[Master Guns]

My wife had a total knee replacement in March of this year.  She had the surgery in the morning and they had her up that afternoon to walk to the bathroom.  Two days later she was home and walking with the aid of crutches.  The crutches were more for the aid of stability.  She started physical therapy the following week and 5 or 6 weeks after surgery she was riding again on her Ultra Limited.  Her other knee will be replaced in the near future.

Based on her experience, I would recommend that you try a stationary bike, or a real one with pedals (not motor driven) before the surgery and the same after surgery.  A physical therapist can provide more and better guidance.

Yes, she now wishes she would have had it done sooner.

[Rio]

There are several of us on this forum that have had joint replacements.  As I recall from previous threads on this subject all of us that put them off pretty much wished we'd done it sooner.  I can certainly say that holds true for me in my full hip replacement.

I assume by "doc" you are referring to an orthopedic surgeon and not just a general practice MD?  You also might want to get a second opinion.  I do know that joint replacement (don't tell your wife, but it's referred to as an implant.  ) has came a long, long way since I got my full hip replacement in 2005. 

While I felt the pain from the surgery, I knew as soon as I came to that the pain from the hip itself was gone.  Eight years later, I still don't have much issues with it.  I'm not able to run like I did before the hip problem (a result of a motorcycle accident a year and a half earlier) but every thing else is pretty much back to normal.  I can feel it going up and down stairs and hear it making noise but it's not painful.

Back then, the knee replacement had a longer recovery time but I think that's decreased for knees since 05.  I'm sure others will lean in here and share their experience.

Yes, an Othopedic Surgeon.  Thanks for your feedback.  This site pretty much offers insight on just about anything!

[Rio]

My wife had a total knee replacement in March of this year.  She had the surgery in the morning and they had her up that afternoon to walk to the bathroom.  Two days later she was home and walking with the aid of crutches.  The crutches were more for the aid of stability.  She started physical therapy the following week and 5 or 6 weeks after surgery she was riding again on her Ultra Limited.  Her other knee will be replaced in the near future.

Based on her experience, I would recommend that you try a stationary bike, or a real one with pedals (not motor driven) before the surgery and the same after surgery.  A physical therapist can provide more and better guidance.

Yes, she now wishes she would have had it done sooner.

Thats my thoughts.  I can move around pretty good, I just can't run or jog or apply any type of pounding pressure on the knee.  Sooner or later it will get to the point were the pain starts getting in the way of other things so why not sooner than later?

[Fired00d]

Rio as JC mentioned earlier I'm one of the recipients of a total hip replacement. Mine was done in January of '07. The difference in the immediate relief of pain is unbelievable. Upon waking up in the recovery room the (deep joint) pain that I had felt prior to the operation was totally gone. Granted there was some discomfort from the procedure but nothint like the pain experienced prior to surgery. I stayed on the pain meds until I was released from the hospital and that was only a couple days. The day after surgery they had me up walking, the next day I was climbing stairs... all this was a requirement before they would release me to go home. When I was released they provided me with some exercises to begin at home and a few days after being at home a physical therapist came to the house a couple times a week until I was able to get out and drive to the PT. Only significant change I've made is I no longer do high impact exercises (running/jogging/basketball/etc.) however I'm back in the gym daily now and use an elliptical machine and stationary bike for cardio exercise. I still lift weights however I realize I'm no longer 20 something and don't try to lift the building as I did when I was that age. Other than the limitation on high impact activities (which can be done however strongly recommended by my surgeon not to as he stated... "you can do it... but you'll be back on the table sooner than you want to be to have it replaced again" ) life can go on as normal.

Getting old has it's quirks... in my case it was for all the abuse I gave my joints when I was younger finally catching up with me. I've had my knee 'scoped more times than I can remember and will likely be a candidate for knee replacement sometime in the future. Good luck w/your procedure wishing you a speedy and full recovery when you have it done.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[Master Guns]

Thats my thoughts.  I can move around pretty good, I just can't run or jog or apply any type of pounding pressure on the knee.  Sooner or later it will get to the point were the pain starts getting in the way of other things so why not sooner than later?

The only pain the wife experienced was from the tourniquet they applied above the knee to keep her from bleeding during the surgery.  Like everyone has said, "why didn't I do it sooner"!

Get r done!!!

[JCZ]

Here's a couple of threads that might be of interest to you....

http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=69280.0

This one is for anybody that's in denial about getting older.....I still have a 20 yr. old mind trapped in an old man's body...

http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=72733.0

[Hotrod50]

Total knee replaced 11 months ago.  Fantastic results.   Rode 4 days from Wichita to Arkansas 6 weeks after surgery.  Start stretching and increasing your range of motion now.  Will help with post-op PT. you will not want to run on he knee.  The pounding will prematurely wear the plastic piece.  The first replacement will be your best replacement. You never want to redo it.  My pain level in the hospital after surgery was never more than a 3 or 4 on a ten scale.  Worst pain is when you start PT and depends on how hard you push yourself regaining your range of motion.  Highly recommend this surgery.   There a lot of videos on YouTube.   Very straight forward surgery. 

[Rio]

Total knee replaced 11 months ago.  Fantastic results.   Rode 4 days from Wichita to Arkansas 6 weeks after surgery.  Start stretching and increasing your range of motion now.  Will help with post-op PT. you will not want to run on he knee.  The pounding will prematurely wear the plastic piece.  The first replacement will be your best replacement. You never want to redo it.  My pain level in the hospital after surgery was never more than a 3 or 4 on a ten scale.  Worst pain is when you start PT and depends on how hard you push yourself regaining your range of motion.  Highly recommend this surgery.   There a lot of videos on YouTube.   Very straight forward surgery. 

Only a partial for me brother!  I am hoping to play soccer again next spring!  I know I'm nuts, the doctor laughed and told me that I will be cak for a full knee in 5-8 years!

[JoeVibe]

I agree with the group. I had a total knee replacement May 2012 after (according to my surgeon) waiting 5 years longer than I should have. I had worn the bones down to the point that my left leg was 9/16" shorter than my right leg and I was having back problems from being so tilted. Rehab was rough becasue I had to stretch the hamstring, ligaments and muscles after the doc put me back to square. A year later and I'm better than I've been in a lot of years. No pain, no arthritis meds, I'm extremely happy with the results.

When I was going through rehab, a guy came in after a partial knee replacement and he blew right through rehab. My therapist said that PKR's and less invasive and much easier to get through than the TKR. If you can get by with the partial, I'd say go for it.

Like the others, my surgeon highly recomended no or low impacting activites and he had me "promise" I won't fall off my bike. 

[JCZ]

Only a partial for me brother!  I am hoping to play soccer again next spring!  I know I'm nuts, the doctor laughed and told me that I will be cak for a full knee in 5-8 years!

Yea, I don't think you'll be wanting to play soccer, run or any other kind of high impact after the surgery.  The life span of an implant is determined by the amount of revolutions and the amount of high impact placed on it.  Easy does it....low impact only.....and it could last you a number of years.  My ortho doc told me if I take it easy and quit running I might get twenty years out of it.

When I was going to the joint replacement class (yep, they actually have you go in with all the other hip and knee patients for a class) there was a framing carpenter there that was going for his fourth hip replacement.  He said he was done pounding nails, getting down off the walls and roof.....gonna lay on the couch, drink beer and watch TV......he was going on permanent disability.  He was younger than me and said he was one of the first patients to get an artificial hip replacement.  He did tell me that they got better and better every five to eight years.  He's hoping the fourth one was his last one.