As told by my sister.
My sister recently went through a TKR, a total knee replacement after years of pain and suffering. She is an avid bike rider and is chomping at the bit to get back out there again.
I know she will.
Here is her review and outcome of this surgery that she and I both thought would be helpful for people considering the same surgery.
My total knee replacement was, like so many, put off too long. I lived with bone on bone for several years—it was NEVER going to improve. Decades of skiing (and dramatic falls), hiking, gardening, living in a house with lots of stairs and cycling along with tearing my ACL, just didn’t help my future arthritic knee.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I found the pain meds to be the most uncomfortable. I was nauseous the entire time and couldn’t eat. The home therapist was brutal but he got my ROM, range of motion, to 112 degrees. The staples came out at 2 weeks. I thought I’d throw up watching them come out, but it didn’t hurt, just looked gross to me.
Now at 4 weeks and 2 days my doctor says I can begin light spinning on my bike. I can drive and begin walking without a cane. My ROM is currently at 126 degrees and 130 is considered good. My other leg hurts more than my new knee. I still have a couple more weeks of therapy.
I continue to exercise religiously and my walking is up to 5000 steps pretty much every day. If you have been putting this off out of fear, reflect on this. I am in my 70’s so I was terrified. Commit yourself to exercise, expect pain and discomfort, get some aids, ie shower chair, walker, raised toilet seat, and save them for later when you are really old.
At two weeks you will be really surprised Everyone is different but I hear this from a lot of TKR patients. This photo is after the staples and is current.