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.