I had a total knee replacement last Friday. Won't lie say and it was not painful. Anyone out here have one? How long does the pain swelling last? I've heard 2-3 weeks after surgery. Any thoughts.
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Knee replacement
- Thread starter spankingman
- Start date
I have not had the surgery but my father had both knees replaced when he was in his late 60's. The first one healed very quickly, about two weeks and he was feeling great, probably 90% pain free and 100% pain free in about 5 weeks. The second one was not so quick, probably 6 weeks to be 90% and 12 weeks to get back to 100%.
I had a total knee replacement last Friday. Won't lie say and it was not painful. Anyone out here have one? How long does the pain swelling last? I've heard 2-3 weeks after surgery. Any thoughts.
Hey, good luck with the recovery. I have a good friend who had both knees done (not at the same time) and my right knee is beyond repair - so will eventually need to be replaced (trying to hold out for a few more years because I’ve had bad luck with surgery). For my friend - they had him up and exercising within 24 hours. The pain was the most intense for maybe a week - then manageable with over the counter meds. Exercise is key. But the thing to be aware of is the type of pain. You’re probably on strong anti-clotting drugs - so you need to be aware of the signs of a DVT. I’ve had one after previous knee surgery and the pain is totally different than post-op pain. More of a weird, dull calf achiness vs a throbbing or sharp pain - hard to describe but felt like my lower leg was not a part of me and showed up about a week after I was discharged (I was in a full cast because that’s how they did ACL’s in the old days). If you feel any weird calf pains - go to emergency and/or call your doc ASAP. I was in hospital for over two weeks as a result.
The good news - My friend (a former racer and coach) can actually ski better now than the few years before he had his knees replaced (where he skied rarely and when he did it was like an old man). Groomed runs only though!
Basically family history of severe arthritis , wear tear, sports injuries over the years (3 scopes). Plus my surgeon says people are living longer he says joints wear out faster. Mr. Dr. only does knees hips now. His waiting room is like a parking lot for walkers wheelchairs.
Basically family history of severe arthritis , wear tear, sports injuries over the years (3 scopes).
Have you tried Glucosamine and Chondroitin?
Never had it, but do know something about the rehab process. Whatever rehab you go through, great... but seek out a good sports medicine rehab centre as an additional measure. OHIP funded rehab will get you moving again, but a quality sports medicine clinic will really help you in the long term. One leg will be weaker than the other, you can bet, and all kinds of further problems, back, hip etc as a result can be avoided by getting in touch with good S Medicine professionals. Another tip: get in water if you can. You don't have to be a good swimmer. But when you've gotten the ok from a doctor, get in a pool and just move. It'll do wonders.
I injured my knee originally skiing. The ironic thing for me was that I was a fairly good competitive skier who raced through university with my only career injuries a broken wrist, and a broken collarbone. I first tore my ACL free skiing on a fairly easy hill while out of shape and fooling around. Once injured, my one knee kept getting re-injured. I got a DVT after ACL surgery (over 30 years ago) so they had to cut the cast off and as a result I feel the graft was never tight enough. So over the years, with the excess movement and additional cartilage injuries and scopes I developed arthritis. There is not enough cartilage and at my age - no surgeon will try a repair (and I’ve seen Olgivie-Harris who is one of the best sports knee surgeon around)- he told me replacement is the next option.
I agree that a good sports rehab therapist can really help. I find biking** and weights (leg press and extension on a machine) the best for my knee. I take glucosamine supplements and regularly work on stretching and range of motion. I used to sleep with a pillow under my knee but that is actually not a good practice. Now I use a band to try to straighten my knee as much as possible and then bend it as much as possible. It hurts when you do it, but helps relieve pain and increase range of motion. For pain relief, by far the best (for me) has been Voltaren Extra strength applied all around the knee. For any sport where my knee might be at risk, I wear a custom brace (a Don Joy). Because of advances in equipment, I feel that I can actually free ski as well as ever on groomed runs, but avoid bumps.
** edit to add for biking : Start off slowly and pay attention to saddle position and height. When you have bad knees even 1/4 inch adjustment can make a big difference. If you feel knee pain stop - usually it is because of incorrect saddle position. Fix this before biking some more (if necessary get a bike fit done). If you are a serious biker with knee problems, also check crank length. I went with shorter cranks last year and it helped eliminate knee pain (pedalling smaller circles helps at both the top and bottom of the pedal stroke).
I agree that a good sports rehab therapist can really help. I find biking** and weights (leg press and extension on a machine) the best for my knee. I take glucosamine supplements and regularly work on stretching and range of motion. I used to sleep with a pillow under my knee but that is actually not a good practice. Now I use a band to try to straighten my knee as much as possible and then bend it as much as possible. It hurts when you do it, but helps relieve pain and increase range of motion. For pain relief, by far the best (for me) has been Voltaren Extra strength applied all around the knee. For any sport where my knee might be at risk, I wear a custom brace (a Don Joy). Because of advances in equipment, I feel that I can actually free ski as well as ever on groomed runs, but avoid bumps.
** edit to add for biking : Start off slowly and pay attention to saddle position and height. When you have bad knees even 1/4 inch adjustment can make a big difference. If you feel knee pain stop - usually it is because of incorrect saddle position. Fix this before biking some more (if necessary get a bike fit done). If you are a serious biker with knee problems, also check crank length. I went with shorter cranks last year and it helped eliminate knee pain (pedalling smaller circles helps at both the top and bottom of the pedal stroke).
