Results from my Total right knee replacement.

[orlean1]

Hi All im 3 weeks today out from a total right knee replacement. Cleveland Clinic did mine. It has been excellent. No pain at all coming out of surgery. I was driving 1 week after the surgery but that is not the norm. I went back to work after my second week. I choose the virtual physical therapy. About a week before the surgery a company comes to your home and they set up a computer that has cameras and your rehab program loaded into. As you do you therapy. the therapist usually looks at your results the next day and then you have a virtual dr. appt where you review how your sessions are going. It is everyday It can get tiring but it definitely gives you an advantage.

 

Also the first week after surgery I was doing something every hour that I was awake. it was not sleep time. Every hour it would be leg lifts, walk around the house (on the inside) and do your flexing exercises. I do get stiffiness at bed time and the first thing when I wake up but no pain at all. During pre Op. Cleveland Clinic said they have learned to control the pain so if your feeling any pain after the surgery they feel they haven't done their job right. They are very good at it. For Surgery there is a pain killer they put right in the knee area, and then another drip in your thigh that last a couple days after the surgery and then a spinal block. They did not do the spinal block on me because there is so much arthritis in my spine. (its a ***** getting old). I woke up from surgery and felt great. Im at 130 on the bend and feeling real good. I walk with a cane about half the time but my goal is to be done with the cane by May 1. I do get stiffiness if i sit a long time. My job involves a fair amount of sitting, but after i start walking the stiffness eases up. Im going up and down the stairs now with both legs. The first 2 weeks it was strong leg to climb and weak leg to descend. I do go into live pt sessions where they help massage the area.

 

As of today there is just a little bit of swelling left. The one thing i do notice is temperature change. If it is cold outside my knee seems to be a little stiffer as it warms up then the knee area loosens up. I have been 1000% happy with what Cleveland Clinic did. I need my left done but its not giving me any trouble. Ill look at it right before I retire in 3 years. Im also riding a stationary bike that I have and that helps a tremendous amount. I plan to get back on the bike June 1 and feel I will hit that goal right on time. To prevent the withdrawals i did go to bike week in Daytona Beach the week before my surgery. For those of you approaching a knee replacement if your dr. offers the virtual physical therapy take it. It will speed up your recovery and you will love it.

Last edited by orlean1

; Today at 09:53 AM.

[Sailor]

That is great. I went to the specialist yesterday and he set me up to have both knees done. First one will be in about 6 months and the other about 6 months later.

[Condor]

After the pain my late wife went thru I'm super happy that a couple of cortisone shots in the right knee made mine painless. Nice thing is I still have some padding left, so it's just arthritic, not bone on bone. Left knee is perfect. Had bone spurs that irritated the knee and caused the swelling. Every one seems to have a different experience with knee replacement. I had a friend who had both knees done at the same time, and two weeks later he was running around a very large boat yard that he owned.... Go figure??

[gmarshall]

Sounds like you are doing great. It will be a year in May since I had my right knee done. It's not perfect, but much better than it was before the surgery. I went back toward after three weeks also. I too have stiffness if I sit too long, like in the movies. Keep up the therapy. They say you will get improvement up to a year after surgery.