New knee

[Weasel Mender]

Well it has happened, my kilted beauty will be forever marred by the scar from knee replacement surgery. I will be joining the ranks of those who have been saying why did I wait so long. Any advice on pre surgery conditioning or what to do to speed recovery would be appreciated. This will become a welcome event in my life because frankly......lame sux!

Weasel

[george7]

A new knee... a must have kilt accessory.

[Sionnach]

Any advice on pre surgery conditioning or what to do to speed recovery would be appreciated.

Weasel

Since you asked- see if your ortho doc will give you a short script for physical therapy pre-conditioning program- perhaps to the clinic that you will go for outpatient therapy post surgery. Good luck, fast healing- a year from now you will hardly notice the scar.
Regards,

[sydnie7]

My mother's had three (broke one replacement in a fall) and swears by, and at, post-surgery PT. Hurts like the blazes, but you gotta do it all and faithfully.

Best wishes!

[Sionnach]

Oh... make sure you get an adult knee replacement and not a kid knee replacement

[BEEDEE]

Don't know anything about knees but had an ankle replaced 18 months ago. Best thing I could ever have done. Next to no pain or discomfort after, but had to spend six weeks in a cast and 2 weeks in a walking boot. Guess knees are basically surgery then get up and go so recovery is probably different.

Best wishes,

Brian

[piperdbh]

Make sure they replace the right knee. I've heard about things like that going wrong.
I knew a man who'd had replacement and loved showing off the scar. I knew an old lady who had had open-heart surgery, and liked showing that scar, too. Maybe they should have gotten together.

[ronstew]

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS YOU ARE GIVEN.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS YOU ARE GIVEN.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS YOU ARE GIVEN.

A family friend who was distraught over the sudden and unexpected death of his wife had his knee replaced. The next day he was climbing ladders hanging Christmas lights. My wife, with several artificial joints of her own, told him to get down and follow the instructions he had been given. Long story short: full-body infection and two months off work, when it should have been a week.

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS YOU ARE GIVEN.

[Madalyn]

I had knee replacement surgery as I developed injury arthritis 30 years after ligament surgery. It was 4 years ago and as everyone says, it was the best thing I ever did and I should have done it sooner. They had me walking and excercising the day after surgery. I was lucky that I had a week in a post recovery facility with twice daily PT and a machine that flexes your knee while you lie in your bed. On my first surgery I wasn't serious about the PT (being young and stupid) so I had to have a painful subsequent manipulation to break the scar tissue. This time I did everything and more, not to be subject to that. In fact, I was offered a Physiotherapist to visit daily for several weeks. She came once after I was home (as I was dragging the walker behind me because I didn't need it), said I was doing so well that she would only come later to take out the stitches. To minimize the scaring, start using Mederma when the stitches are out. My scar from my first surgery shows but the knee replacement scar, although more recent is hardly noticible. Good luck to you.

[CDNSushi]

Make sure they replace the right knee. I've heard about things like that going wrong.
I knew a man who'd had replacement and loved showing off the scar. I knew an old lady who had had open-heart surgery, and liked showing that scar, too. Maybe they should have gotten together.

Don't some people mark instructions on themselves nowadays to prevent such blunders? I.e. with a thick, red felt-tipped marker write: NOT THIS KNEE and a big red 'X' on it...