NFT: Knee Replacement Surgery

My father-in-law had it done and he's in his 70s. His golf game has never been better.

Hope that helps a little.

and is scheduled to get the second one done in March. He feels so much better than he did before.

I had my left knee replaced last September

The surgery has been a success but it comes with a significant amount of effort

I am 69 and I am able to do most things without restriction
I still compete in MMA and boxing

I have no pain but it but I have a clicking in the knee that is annoying

My operation was complicated as I had torn the patella tendon years earlier

Some things to know
You will not be able to sleep well for about 2 months
The rehab is intense
Pain is manageable
You will get functionality fairly quickly but it takes 9-12 months for full recovery

years ago and wished he acted sooner. Hospital of Special Surgeries in NYC did the procedure...I believe the may have pioneered it as well.

In comment 15052902 Archer said:

Quote:

I had my left knee replaced last September The surgery has been a success but it comes with a significant amount of effort I am 69 and I am able to do most things without restriction I still compete in MMA and boxing I have no pain but it but I have a clicking in the knee that is annoying My operation was complicated as I had torn the patella tendon years earlier Some things to know You will not be able to sleep well for about 2 months The rehab is intense Pain is manageable You will get functionality fairly quickly but it takes 9-12 months for full recovery

My mom had a surgery when she was 78, and everything above is what she went through. Rehab took a while and hurt, but it didn't stop her. She also had the clicking noise but its gone away mostly. She is glad she did it, she was rubbing bone-on-bone before and now she has full mobility again. However its not quick. Also everyone has said that if you need both knees do them at once. The rehab is too much, so that people who do just one knee never bother getting the second done

Princeton Orthopadics is the best group in Jersey. Of course in NY Hospital for Special surgery and also Dr Ranowat (sp) at Lenox Hill is world renown.
I had both hips replaced at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. You cannot go wrong there. they are geniuses, cutting edge stuff. no pun.
Playing tennis 4 days a week, knees take more rehab, do it

In comment 15052902 Archer said:

Quote:

I had my left knee replaced last September The surgery has been a success but it comes with a significant amount of effort... I am 69 and I am able to do most things without restriction I still compete in MMA and boxing

Archer, I'm most interested in your comment re. 'most things without restriction'. That's not what I've heard from two surgeons I've talked to for a replacement I know I will have to have.
I'm bone on bone in my right, coming close in my left: I'm 73+, still officiate HS soccer and lax and am pretty mobile and (when I have to be) fast. Both surgeons basically said with the replacement, the most patients can expect to be able to do is tennis--doubles. That doesn't sound like a happy outcome for me. Comment? tnks

I will be turning 59 next month so it seems like I'm on the younger edge of most who have had it done or know a family member/friend who had it done. However, I really have no choice as I'm hobbling in pain and a decade of knee injections no longer work.

I too have had the Gel One injections for a long time: efficacy is declining as the joint just does its thing by continuing to degenerate. gggrrrrr

love it - got lucky and have had a great experience

54 and was at the point where couldn't do anything except swim

first 10-12 days were rough - take it day by day - uncomfortable and hard to sleep - don't read depressing books because the pain meds will already have you on emotional edge

after that progress keeps coming if you stick with the rehab - 3 months in played doubles and 5 months in played basket ball again for first time in 7 years

Overall could not be happier but those first two weeks were a grind

My doctors told me that I should limit my activities
I as told that I would have limitations

I took that as a challenge
I can jog which I was told that I could not do
I can jog a mile with effort
I am back boxing 3 times a week and I am much better than before the surgery

I can bend the knee and now rotate my hips
My right knee is also a candidate for surgery but I will put it off ax long as possible due to the length of the rehab

Don’t fear the surgery it will be fine
I do recommend that you get into the best shape possible prior to the surgery
That will facilitate the recovery

As a reference I had no cartilage in my knee and had prior surgeries to repair my patella
I did not have an option I had to get the surgery done

....instead of anecdotal stories.

Had my left knee done 4 1/2 years ago. I did several months of prehab exercises which mainly involved strengthening my quads. These exercises were suggested by both the surgeon and a physical therapist friend. Surgery was successful and within three months I was back playing golf and hiking. My knee continued to have some pain and I had pain referred down my shin bone. That disappeared after about a year. I wish you luck with your procedure.

In comment 15052902 Archer said:

Quote:

I had my left knee replaced last September The surgery has been a success but it comes with a significant amount of effort I am 69 and I am able to do most things without restriction I still compete in MMA and boxing I have no pain but it but I have a clicking in the knee that is annoying My operation was complicated as I had torn the patella tendon years earlier Some things to know You will not be able to sleep well for about 2 months The rehab is intense Pain is manageable You will get functionality fairly quickly but it takes 9-12 months for full recovery

My wife had knee replacement surgery about 6 years ago. I'd say this is an accurate assessment for her too. Although I haven't heard her complain about knee clicking.

thank you, good color, and tempered expectations are realistic. Same as you, I had a prior surgery, ACL. so I have metal clips where the repair was done, and that apparently precludes the most precise pre-surgical measurements for the replacement because any MRI will be skewed, so an older, less computerized assessment/measurement will be needed for the prosthetic. Or so I am told.

All compartments were shot before surgery.
Religiously do the work for the first month or so and you'll be fine. Get you range of motion to 0-125+. No pain no gain.
Three or four months out you'll be kicking yourself for not getting it done sooner.

Good luck with the procedure

Physical Medicine is so amazing

In addition to the knee replacement I have had many surgeries mostly due to my abusing my body

I have had both hips, my right shoulder, my left ankle, and my left femur repaired

The interesting thing is that the knee replacement served to correct the angulation of my leg due to hip surgery

The old hip surgeries often changed the axis of the leg
This has now be corrected

The one thing that I can no longer do is ski other than that I am able to do what I wish

Good luck with the procedure

Physical Medicine is so amazing

In addition to the knee replacement I have had many surgeries mostly due to my abusing my body

I have had both hips, my right shoulder, my left ankle, and my left femur repaired

The interesting thing is that the knee replacement served to correct the angulation of my leg due to hip surgery

The old hip surgeries often changed the axis of the leg
This has now be corrected

The one thing that I can no longer do is ski other than that I am able to do what I wish

Not trying to miller thread but it’s very related
Had a hip resurfacing 12 yrs ago
Doctor told me to push it hard after and I did
Didn’t miss a workout except for that first week when I was all doped up
Got to the point that 5 yrs ago , at 50 yrs old ( had him done at 44) I was
Still 0laying football and was still a decent deep threat who could still run a 4.8 40 at that point
Point is I pushed too much probably
Dec 8 revision surgery set. It’s hard to get great data on what to expect, it’s like a first time surgery because I still have a full femoral head but cup needs to be replaced too and probably some bone build up because my bone is starting to be absorbed. Hopefully be weight bearing right away

Moral of the story. Push the rehab and occasionally do a few things maybe your not supposed to. But don’t pound the crap out of it so u only need to do it once. I just saw a guy at dr office doing his other knee. 2 weeks in, walking with walker. Says he feels pretty good already and other knee feels great


If anyone has any experience in going from a hip resurfacing to a total hip replacement, please chime in. Or I will just start another thread at some point. Thanks

My wife wanted me to do it now but I decided to wait like you until Jan/Feb. Best of luck in your surgery and rehab but these types of surgeries are very common and improve quality of life.

Wife had both knees done at the same time. She use to work in pre surgery and heard a lot of stories and the pain. She figured might as well do them at the same time. Rehab is a bitch. Stay with it. I know someone who did not do the exercises because of the pain and they needed to take her back in the O.R. To manually un lock it up.

I had my right knee replaced just about three years ago -- after two torn meniscuses and a torn ACL when I was already bone-on-bone. The doctor who did mine also redid my shoulder 20 years ago and is absolutely fantastic: in fact, he interned with Russ Warren and the Giants back in the '80s!

With that said, what one poster said about the clicking is true. A new knee will indeed click... and you get used to it very quickly. It isn't painful and in no way does it change performance.

For the first few months, you're probably going to wonder if it was all worth it. I certainly did. I also had a major setback when my physical therapist cranked so hard on my leg, my calf muscle tore. Because I couldn't do PT after that, everything stiffened right back up and I had to go back in for what they call "unconscious manipulation", where they knock you out again and force the knee to bend to break up the scar tissue.

The hardest part is going to be getting the knee extension back, and you really have to stay on that with PT before scar tissue gets in the way of that happening. I guarantee you one other thing: for those first few months, ice will be your best friend.

With that said, after about a year, I could do nearly everything I could pre-injury. They say a replacement knee will never be quite as good as the original, but in my case it's pretty damned close at this point. I mean, I can do ten mile hikes on it with 2000+ ft altitude gains with no soreness as well as play tennis with my son. Good luck... and let me know if you have any further questions.

Just got home from having my left knee replaced yesterday! I had prior meniscus surgery about 6 years ago and it was ill-advised because the knee was more arthritic than the Dr. expected. Have struggled on and off since, with braces, gel injections, cortisone shots, tens, etc. At the end of the day, if you are bone on bone, get the replacement. I moved to Ohio in the spring and as soon as the orthopedic surgeon here (highly recommended as the best in the area --he does hundreds of replacements per year --an important consideration) saw my x rays, he simply asked me..."when do you want the replacement?". The process was easy and smooth...feels like I got on a conveyer belt, touched all the stations and was deposited back home. I literally was walking (with a walker, of course) within hours of the surgery. The nerve block is still in effect but I'm told the pain will peak in about 7 days so I'm also on Vicodin. I'm walking with a walker, feel the knee is stable and am able to do the exercises. Now comes the hard part...if you don't do the work even if it hurts, you will not get the result. This has been pounded into me. PT is a must! If you do the work, you will be happy with the outcome. I am committed to doing the work! I look forward to being able to get up from sitting in a chair or in the car without doing the Walter Brennan / Amos McCoy imitation. I had to give up golf this year and I look forward to trying the multitude of courses within minutes of my house by next spring. I have been told that there will be some limitations --no running, jumping or kneeling and you have to be careful about twisting your knee. Otherwise, everything else is possible. Just being able to walk without pain, play golf, etc. will be a delight. At 70 years old, can't ask for much more. Good luck to you and all best wishes for a successful outcome.

Right now I'm 61 and could do it now, but I'm putting it off. Need it as a result of some weekend-warrior sports injuries. (I'm no athlete, and that's part of how I got in trouble.)

Here's a story for you.

Around 1993 or 94, I went to a Halloween movie marathon at one of the old movie palaces in downtown Los Angeles. I was talking to my friends about my knee issues. There were two old ladies sitting in the row behind me, and one of them volunteered that she'd had knee replacement. I asked how the surgery was. She said she'd opted to do it under a local rather than general anesthetic. "I was fine," she said, "until the doctor said 'Hand me the saw.'" At which point she asked them to put her out, right now.

A few minutes later, to my amazement, that old lady was up on the stage. It was Gloria Stewart, who as a 19-year-old was the ingenue lead in "Old Dark House," which is a minor horror classic and the inspiration for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." A couple of years later she got famous again playing Old Rose in "Titanic."

I saw her one more time before she died, at the Motion Picture Academy celebration of her 100th birthday. She was the first person ever to attend their centenary celebration at the Academy. She was already very sick with lung cancer, sort of spoke in a loud whisper. She invited my daughter to tea but was too sick to schedule anything and died a couple of months later. Her son confirmed the story from the movie marathon. Yup, that was her.

Great story 81_Great_Dane, more than a minor classic, h/t to you

Both came back better than ever. Highly recommend a recliner that lifts up and props forward unless you have someone you know can help you up out of chairs and bed for a few weeks to a month. I had to go live with my dad for 2 weeks because he struggled getting up(his GF couldn't lift him)...finally bought the recliner at NFM and he slept in it until he built up strength. Just make sure to take rehab seriously and you'll be fine.

Went to Summit Ortho they did the MRI And maybe X-ray. I was limping into gym and limping when I came back out. Pain was bad. Said it was arthritis and gave me cortisone and then artificial gel. After about a month pain just stopped. I can do pretty much whatever I want. No pain, full mobility. I was and am very active. I don’t run anymore but hike a lot. No problems and do whatever I want . I was lucky I guess.

really will not be able to kneel on that knee without pain. Some of the tissue that would cushion the normal knee is gone and the new steel part is tough on what's left. I do home improvement and yard projects and have been putting it off for this reason. When it gets bad enough I will have to adapt if I get the surgery.

I do not have anything for you. Other posts have probably provided more info.

Just wishing you luck and success ... you will be fine.