I'm sure there are plenty of people on the Board that have had a knee replacement. I'm a reasonably active guy my 50's who has an IT job where I sit at a desk. How long after a knee replacement would I likely be comfortable going back to work. I've seen people taking 3-4 weeks which is way more that I thought. I've had arthroscopic surgery done on both my knees and was only out a day or two. What has been other people's experience?
OT - Knee Replacement Question
- Thread starter NazarethLion94
- Start date
Naz, my wife is a physical therapist for an orthopedic surgery group. She actually recommends 6 weeks.
Quote: "You can do earlier but pretty swollen and difficult to manage swelling and rehab much sooner than 4 weeks in most cases"
@NazarethLion94 -- I've never had that surgery (knock on wood), and I'm not a doctor or a PT, so take this for what it's worth.
My best friend did have the surgery a few years ago (perhaps more; I think it was a year before the pandemic), when he was in his late 50s. He also had a desk job. He was very good about rehab, and his timeline for returning was around the timeframe that @Grant Green mentioned in his reply. I recall that he was able to do a limited amount of work from home (mostly on the phone; a little bit on the computer) in the last couple of weeks he was out. Plus, once he returned, between rehab appointments, and soreness from sitting all day, the first month or so he wasn't able to work full-time.
Good luck with the process.
Here is an overview from probably the best hospital specializing in this kind of surgery:
HSS-Knee surgery
Had knee replacement surgery 1 1/2 years ago. The key is doing the work before your surgery. Do toe raises, squats and walk uphills as much as you can. I had it done the end of June and pushed myself through rehab , in 5 weeks I walked 18 holes of golf. It's the preparation before the surgery that makes it successful and gets you back to doing everything you used to do. Good Luck.
Same day. Rub some dirt on it and get back in the game. Suck it up, snowflake! Tyler Warren might take a play off
If this is a replacement question, what was the original knee question?
So what should be the deciding factor whether to go thru with it? Similarly I'm in mid 50s and have had arthroscopy in both knees to remove tears. I'm able to jog on the treadmill fine but then I may have to sit it out for 4 days as I'll be stiff and sore. Really varies. Do my PT exercises every day. Surgeon doesn't recommend I consider replacement till my 60s.
I started to have issues with my left knee at age 26 where I had most of the cartilage removed from my left knee. I had an ACL reconstruction in 1986 which failed by 1995 resulting in a second reconstruction. The lack of cartilage in my knee resulting in the failures of my ACL. I held off a knee replacement until my knee gave out a third time at age 54 in LAX airport.
The most helpful thing I had done before getting the replacement was getting a weight bearing X-ray on both knees. This will show you the spacing in your knee joint. In my case, I had bone on bone wear, and it was recommended that I have the replacement. Never regretted it.
Also, I would check with an MRI to see if you have any frayed cartilage. That is what happened to me at an early age resulting in the cartilage in my left knee being torn in six places resulting in the removal of 90% of the cartilage in my knee. Once cartilage starts to fail, bone on bone contact starts to occur.
Getting old
.. it's not for wimps.
.. it's not for wimps.
I had a right knee replacement 9 years ago when I was 65.
Three days in the hospital six days in a rehab.
NEVER in any pain was doing stairs and walking the halls after a couple of days in rehab.
Driving second day home.
Hardest part was giving up Fonzie to a member of my rescue group for 19 days, was in tears of happiness when he came home.
I know now they are sending people home quickly these days…..in by 10AM, home by 4PM almost like dry cleaning.
Best advise…..be faithful to your rehab!
GOOD LUCK!
Three days in the hospital six days in a rehab.
NEVER in any pain was doing stairs and walking the halls after a couple of days in rehab.
Driving second day home.
Hardest part was giving up Fonzie to a member of my rescue group for 19 days, was in tears of happiness when he came home.
I know now they are sending people home quickly these days…..in by 10AM, home by 4PM almost like dry cleaning.
Best advise…..be faithful to your rehab!
GOOD LUCK!
I’ve had meniscus repairs on both knees but I started having issues with sudden swelling in the one knee. It will just blow up while sitting and get so big that I can’t extend it all the way and can’t bear weight. It happens every week or two along with more minor swelling every few days. I bring crutches with me in the car just in case it happens while I’m away. I had a cortisone shot which helps me bounce back faster, but I’m basically bone on bone on the interior side. Very frustrating…
Wow, sounds more like a hip with that recovery timeline. I’ve always heard hip, no problem. Knee, sucks. Shoulder, blows more than all that has ever blown before.
Yeah both my surgeon and my rehab specialist said that they’d never seen anyone recover as quickly as I did.
Of course my unique and superior athletic conditioning helped HAHA!
I’ve also heard that shoulders are awfully painful and recovery is slow slow slow.
Tgar was driving within one week after his first replacement out of necessity. Holed up in the Skook. 35 miles to PT. Of course, it was his left knee that had been replaced so not real difficult Or concerning.
Do everything the ask and push yourself. Lots of ice time, lots of elevation. Tgar used to lay on his back with his feet comfortably placed above the headboard of his bed With feet resting flat against the wall. Draining like this really helped.
You will be able to work from home after a week or two Depending on your pain tolerance, what they give you for pain management etc. etc. Initially you will not be able to put in a full day nor should you. This is really serious surgery with your body undergoing a massive operation and healing. They are cutting your knee out and sticking a new one in there. This is major. Stick with it. Do what they tell you to do. Let HR know you will be taking several weeks to recover and are willing to work some from home but you will not over do it.
Do everything the ask and push yourself. Lots of ice time, lots of elevation. Tgar used to lay on his back with his feet comfortably placed above the headboard of his bed With feet resting flat against the wall. Draining like this really helped.
You will be able to work from home after a week or two Depending on your pain tolerance, what they give you for pain management etc. etc. Initially you will not be able to put in a full day nor should you. This is really serious surgery with your body undergoing a massive operation and healing. They are cutting your knee out and sticking a new one in there. This is major. Stick with it. Do what they tell you to do. Let HR know you will be taking several weeks to recover and are willing to work some from home but you will not over do it.
I really appreciate the advice from everyone. I knew the community here was full of people with great experience. I bet some of you even passed me walking gingerly down the steps and ramps at Beaver Stadium from a few weeks ago... 
I came home last night really late, was in Paris and UK for business past 6 days. It was the first time I have been really crushed by not having my faithful pup Marcus racing to the door in the dark to greet me. My involuntary thought was to expect to see him until I remembered he was gone. It really took the wind out of me for a few seconds.
I am considering getting both knees replaced but am limping along on cortisone injections for the time being. I talked to a friend who had both knees done about 5 years ago. He told me that here are some things the surgeons don't tell you. Your old knees had cushioning. Your replacements have no cushioning. This means that every step you take feels different and puts a larger force on your lower body. He said that you feel like you are walking on stilts and have balance issues. More importantly, the lack of cushioning puts more force on your feet, ankles, and hips. This leads to plantar fasciitis, ankle soreness, and especially hip problems.
I know right it’s like visiting my 90 yo parents “Ricky did you hear that Mr Vogel had his bowels removed?”
No Mom, didn’t know that.
No Mom, didn’t know that.
No offense, but this is a weird take. My wife and I both are in medical professions and work with patients with total joint replacements frequently. I have never heard anyone explain it like your friend. Does he have rheumatoid or another systemic arthritis issue that is affecting his other joints? I have spoken with patients who have returned to have the other knee/hip replaced after doing the first one previously and almost 100% of the time they tell me that if they had known how much better they felt after the surgery and rehab, they would have done it sooner. My father in law had one knee replaced around Halloween and then the second knee replaced just after New Year’s last year. By April, he was hiking in Sedona and went to Montana this past summer and hiked a lot with us with no issues with either knee. He had his shoulder replaced nearly 20 years ago and yes, the shoulder is a bigger deal. As far as the surgery, it is much more streamlined these days compared to several years ago. Rarely, do patients spend time in the hospital afterwards, unless they have other underlying health issues that require observation, then they spend the overnight at the most. Most total joint replacements these days are being performed in an outpatient surgery center. The patient gets spinal anesthesia, most times, with sedation. This is the anesthesia of choice unless, again, a underlying existing medical issue requires a different technique (Rarely). The patient will ambulate with a walker prior to discharge the same day as surgery. PT wil begin later the same day or first thing the following day. The quicker the patient is moving the joint, the better the outcome. As far as how long for recovery, as the original OP asked, that’s beyond my experience, so I’m sorry but I can’t speak to that. Hope this helped. Just my experience. Good luck to those who are considering the procedure.
FYI. Do your PT after religiously. Do it as long as you can. Do not cut it short even if you think it is unnecessary. Your outcome will be far better if you see it through.
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Who is doing it? I had Dr. Gabe Luwellis at LVH Cedar Crest do both. Gabe did a great job with both knees. I was retired when I had them done, but even at 68 and 70, the rehab went quickly.
Good Luck!
A couple of things here. Continued use of cortisone injections is not good for the joint. If a patient has mild to moderate arthritis (KL 2/3) patients can receive hyaluronic acid/visco injections which helps relieve pain in most. Then when a total knee replacement is performed there is a spacer that is implanted between the femoral and tibial implant that acts as the cushion. If a patient needs a new knee and has lost cartilage and parts of the meniscus than they don have much cushion as it is.
She is missing out. Shame on you for not allowing that joy into her life.
Hyaluronic acid did nothing for me. The pain was the same and there was more stiffness. Cortisone gives me instant relief which lasts for 5 to 10 weeks or so. My doc says not to worry about negative aspects of cortisone as long as I space out the shots to every 12 weeks.
Thanks for the input. It seems that knee problems manifest themselves uniquely for many people. I do PT regularly and walk 10,000 steps per day even if I have to limp along. I have done the 10,000 steps per day for over 60 years. Maybe I have worn out my knees, but I think it was the right thing to do.
Like others have said, everyone's experience with knee problems is unique. My friend's experience is unusual and not everyone will get foot and hip pain from having a knee replacement.
I have had hip, and that was not too bad. I was driving in 10 days and worked from home after 1 week. Back to the office by 3rd week. My next step will be both knees as some point. taking shots now.
similar to what has been stated the keys are good conditioning before the op. Pre-season type thing. the other key is who and where is the surgery being done. There are large differences between surgeons and surgery sites. Some parts of the country have more advanced sites and surgeons, which makes a difference. There are some partial replacement technologies that are in trials but not sure where they stand. There was another trial using a type of shock absorber on the outside of the tibia and femur to separate the knee joint. Not sure where that stands. OSU Wexner was one of the sites for that and thought UPMC was also.
unfortunately what we need is a breakthrough in growing new soft tissue.
It depends on which knee is replaced of course. I had my left knee replaced so I was able to drive myself to all of my PT sessions starting with the first one 4 days after the surgery. As everyone has said, do the PT as directed and remember that this is one of those times where pain at your PT session equals progress. Oh, and don't forget to drink your Ovaltine!!
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I’ve gotten rooster shots from Jon, in the past. Good man. I wish you as good an outcome as I’ve had. Keep us posted.