Knee Replacements ?

[Jsonier820]

Anyone that has had knee replacement surgery, could you please share recovery time for physical type work? Any other info would be great.

I had Both, Left Knee Oct 31, 2022... Right Knee Dec 22, 2023. I was working in mid Jan 2023. I run my own small construction Co. so it's nice being the boss, but I operate heavy equipment so it's up and down all day. If you have to get it done, get it done ASAP. I went through about 3 years extra pain because I kept putting it off.

 

[bigtattoo79]

I had a partial knee replacement about 11 years ago and my recovery time was about 12-16 weeks with PT 3x a week. I ride a desk at work, so I can't comment on physical work, but I would listen to your Dr regarding your progress and returning to work. Some things are still difficult, like squatting or kneeling on the knee that was replaced, but being pain free everyday is worth the few months of rehab. The therapists will have you up and walking as soon as you get out of recovery. If you're a smoker, quitting now will help you heal faster.

I'll suggest you take your pain meds on schedule, even if you don't think you need them. I skipped a couple of doses thinking I felt good, and regretted it pretty quickly. Once you get behind the pain, it's really really hard to catch-up and cost me another day in the hospital.

Thanks for the advice. As for the smoking I quit roughly 14ish years ago and haven’t looked back.

 

[bigtattoo79]

I had Both, Left Knee Oct 31, 2022... Right Knee Dec 22, 2023. I was working in mid Jan 2023. I run my own small construction Co. so it's nice being the boss, but I operate heavy equipment so it's up and down all day. If you have to get it done, get it done ASAP. I went through about 3 years extra pain because I kept putting it off.

I’ve put it off entirely too long and I’m definitely paying for it now. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Bam Bam]

My 81 yr old mom just had knee replacement surgery and 2 weeks in she's doing great. The first week.or two is rough, but as long as you take the pain meds on time and stay on top of the pain you will be ok. DO NOT get behind on the meds, harder to get pain under control vs keeping it manageable. Sounds like you have plenty of good advice from others too. Please keep us posted on when you do have the surgery.

 

[Smiml7]

I haven’t had a knee replacement but I’m a physical therapist so I have a lot of experience working with knee replacements. There is no typical recovery period. As others have pointed out there are a lot of factors that contribute. Do some research and find the best surgeon around. You’ll want to look in larger metropolitan areas. It’s not always the case but usually your better surgeons will be in these areas as opposed to rural areas due their income.

 

[bigtattoo79]

My 81 yr old mom just had knee replacement surgery and 2 weeks in she's doing great. The first week.or two is rough, but as long as you take the pain meds on time and stay on top of the pain you will be ok. DO NOT get behind on the meds, harder to get pain under control vs keeping it manageable. Sounds like you have plenty of good advice from others too. Please keep us posted on when you do have the surgery.

I’m trying to put it off for a while. It’s getting worse at a much faster rate now tho. Hopefully I can shed some weight and wrap up a few projects before getting them done. Glad your mom is doing good that’s great news.

 

[fng]

Anyone that has had knee replacement surgery, could you please share recovery time for physical type work? Any other info would be great.

obviously age and physical conditioning will play a role but more important than that will be working with a GOOD physical therapist and FOLLOWING his/her instructions. That said, plan on 3 months (will be shorter if you work w/ good PT and actually listen to PT)
good luck