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Old 05-14-20, 07:18 PM  
psupam
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Working Out after Total Knee Replacement

Has anyone on this board had a total knee replacement and returned to working out? I had a total knee almost 3 months ago and eventually will need the other one done. I am trying to return to exercise but am not sure what to do. I have not found the medical professionals to be too helpful about specifics. I do some walking and have started to do the elliptical a little. I would be very interested in hearing what others have experienced.
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Old 05-15-20, 08:22 AM  
zoegirl
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Texas
My husband did his physical therapy exercises faithfully for months, along with the elliptical and exercise bike. He was determined that he would be back to normal long before the one year that everyone had told him it would take! Even with all his effort and extra work, it was still a year before he was back to "normal." I broke my knee a few years ago and it took about a year for that to feel "normal", too. I would do my walking videos and weight workouts, but didn't mind skipping something if it felt weird. Best of luck to you in your recovery!
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Old 05-15-20, 08:43 AM  
sheepla
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: OK
I had total knee replacement about four years ago. BEST DECISION EVER!! At the three month mark, I'm surprised you are not still in physical therapy. I will tell you what my doctor told me since I was frustrated not to be back to full strength immediately...he said you make 75% of your recovery in the first 3 months and the remaining 25% in the following 9 months. I found that to be true. I wasn't fully back to normal (but pain free) until 1 year after surgery. Now, four years later, I rarely think about it.
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Old 05-15-20, 08:44 AM  
sheepla
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Also, my doctor and physical therapist both agreed that I could do whatever I wanted as I recovered, just to let pain/discomfort be my guide. For me, still, kneeling on that knee is a challenge so I have to adapt a lot of yoga poses and floorwork.
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Old 05-15-20, 09:42 AM  
Izzy
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: West of Chicago in the Illinois Corn Belt
I had mine February 14, 2019. For the most part all went well except that I got sick 4 days before and went in the surgery vomiting all over the place. It was a combo of vertigo and the flu. They were going to cancel but I was insisting. I didn't want to go through the Pre-op all over again.

But unfortunately, my being ill delayed the rehab some. Because many of the meds didn't help with the being sick part. Once I got past that, the process was pretty good. Except that they encourage walking and we had the worst ice winter in the history of Chicagoland area. We had ice until Mid-April. I joined the Park District gym so I could ride a bike and walk. I was so humbled by the experience. Walking a mile was an accomplishment. PT was my saving grace. You have to do the exercises 3x per day. I did CS/Essentrics too which helped with the area tightening up. I was in PT until July 1. I started riding my bike in May. I started yoga in mid-May. Last summer was walking, yoga, biking and CS. That is pretty much what I still do. They said no to any jumping and no to any running, ever. At the PT several patients said they will have the second knee done once the first is healed. My doctor said it takes a year and that's about right. But I still have days where it is sore and swollen. I exercise daily and mostly walking and biking with adding others onto that. A few weekends ago I walked 7 miles. I felt pretty good since before the surgery I couldn't even walk around the block.
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Old 05-15-20, 10:10 AM  
psupam
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Thank you for the replies. I had PT for 8 weeks. I had joined a gym with an indoor walking track but just as I was able to start walking it was closed due to covid. I cannot use the nice track at the high school either, so I am limited to walking on concrete, which is harder especially on the knee that's still bad. So I have started doing Leslie Sansone in my carpeted living room and my elliptical. I am also starting to do weights again incorporating many exercises from PT. I cannot kneel on the knee at all so many of my floor workouts are out the door. I did not expect that! I was also told that total healing takes a year so I will do the best I can, but I feel somewhat discouraged.
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Old 05-15-20, 11:09 AM  
zoegirl
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Texas
Quote:
Originally Posted by psupam View Post
I was also told that total healing takes a year so I will do the best I can, but I feel somewhat discouraged.
Hang in there! Once you get past the year, you should be good to go! My husband has done great after his knee replacement. Kneeling can still be a problem, but he doesn't have to do that very often. And after my broken kneecap, I have had no problems. My dr said I WOULD have arthritis in that knee but it's been 11 years and so far, so good. You'll do great, I'm sure!
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Old 05-16-20, 07:50 AM  
Izzy
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: West of Chicago in the Illinois Corn Belt
I use those yoga jellies for my knees. Or a towel even works. For me it’s just staying active and doing something so it doesn’t tighten up. If you do your PT exercises 3x per day that helps. Or getting some stretching DVDs.

It’s been 15 months for me and I still have some bad days. I just try to stretch more when it’s sore. It gets better for sure. But you have to do the work (my PT said this all the time). My brother had 3 friends who had the surgery. 2 doing good. The third refused to do PT, stretching or exercise on her own. She complains every day.
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Old 05-16-20, 08:11 AM  
sciencelady
 
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Saint Paul, MN
My knee replacement was about three years ago. Walking on that leg is now very good, but my opposite hip is going bad right now and I'm waiting for a hip replacement on that side... I can't kneel on that knee and the flexibility is about to a 90 degree bend - ankle to back of butt isn't happening. Crossing the leg with my ankle on the opposite knee isn't happening either. I was told not to do any impact exercises or running. I am doing a lot of walking with my dog - about 4-5 miles a day, and I'm doing chair yoga. I did do some kettlebell work after having the knee replaced - that knee did OK with modifications not to be on the ground with the knee down, but the opposite hip made me quit that. Before the knee replacement I used to do a lot of circus aerial work - now I don't think I could hang from that knee on a bar or flex it enough to do many tricks.
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