Knee Surgery

My dad had a complete knee replacement back in Feb at the age of 72. The first couple of months were bad, regretting he got it done bad. He initially was recovering behind schedule with range of motion so he was very discouraged. For every good day of PT he would wake up more sore and less range of motion the next day. One day it was like a light switch going off with the range of motion...not back to normal but at least more consistent. His swelling took months to get back to normal too.

He is 8 months post surgery and doing pretty good. The pain he used to have clearly is gone. Surgery pain and swelling all but gone as well. He is pretty much a candidate for the other knee but has been on the fence just because this knee is more manageable. I keep telling him if he thinks he wants it done he should soon, hes not getting any younger. I kind of dont blame him though, the discouragement, pain and all was pretty grueling on him. I think (he does too) that if he would have did this younger he wouldnt have regretting it a bit. Age sure doesnt help with recovery times and such.

Also wanted to add something that he had problems with was sciatica which he never had prior. So far it has come and gone but I, without a medical background, credit it to the surgery or more so the recovery and walking gingerly and favoring a side. Its the opposite leg than the one he had surgery on but I do think since that leg was taking over for the other it because over used, tired and probably getting out of wack compensating for the other leg. Who knows, maybe it was just bad timing.

Old Rooster, like the doctors have told me "When it it time you will know." And they have been right. With all the back surgery you have had, I can't see how recovering from a knee replacement is likely to be worse. I had mine done the year following having both hips replaced. That was in late April, and that fall I took my 62 year old kid brother on his first elk hunt. We did plenty of hiking, and the knee did fine.

I am going to send you a PM.

It sounds like you've been managing your knee issues for quite a while. I'm sorry to hear that the Boron isn't working as well anymore. Knee replacement surgery can be a big decision, but I've heard mixed reviews from people who have gone through it. Some say it has significantly improved their quality of life, reducing pain and increasing mobility. Others mention some limitations, like difficulty kneeling or stiffness, but still feel the benefits outweigh the downsides.
Hopefully, you can find a solution that brings you relief and gets you back to doing what you love!

For those who find kneeling painful, I recommend these CLC kneepads. I have several pair in the garage, and both trucks, and one painted camo green and black for hunting - the exterior surface is soft and quiet for crawling on rocks. I used them before my knee replacement, and use them frequently now as well. They made the long crawl after this buck, on broken rocks, doable. Kneeling on that scar running over your kneecap is uncomfortable at best, but improves with time.

I have even gifted these to friends who have had knee replacements.

Old Rooster said:

It has been years since the last conversation about knee problems/Surgery and I mentioned I use Boron to control the problem. It has worked great until it didn't anymore. That was 15 years ago that my doctor said I need new knees.
For those that has had new knees. How are you doing? Would you do it again? Any limitations?
Thanks in advance for your results.

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First, hellava job losing that weight! Post surgery recovery will be far more manageable. You have had back surgeries which are not a walk in the park. I am still in recovery from my lumbar fusion L2-L5 in July but making progress. Since you had back surgery I "assume" you have tall toilets and safety bars in bathroom, if not huge help especially for knees. Several of my buds have had knee replacement surgery and all said tall toilets were lifesaver. All doing well without languishing effects. Range of motion was biggest PITA to recover from. Everyone knows do the PT homework at home religiously and sure you know that. I joined my fitness center to add in the machine work, therapy pool stretching that is impossible to duplicate on land. The warm water helps immensely in gaining mobility. Fitness center also has hot tub which I use on limited time basis. I look at the total recovery as my new job and just "go to work" on my recovery. Once I am further down road on back, my right knee is candidate for replacement and know what the work plan has to be. I am also on plan to lose some poundage since its hard to find forklift scales at doctor's office.

My friend, you are "tough old bird" and I have zero doubt you will "kill" the recovery in no time. I look at this surgery as improving quality of life to keep doing what makes us smile!

All the best!
Muddy

M77Fan said:

For those who find kneeling painful, I recommend these CLC kneepads. I have several pair in the garage, and both trucks, and one painted camo green and black for hunting - the exterior surface is soft and quiet for crawling on rocks. I used them before my knee replacement, and use them frequently now as well. They made the long crawl after this buck, on broken rocks, doable. Kneeling on that scar running over your kneecap is uncomfortable at best, but improves with time.

I have even gifted these to friends who have had knee replacements.

Ultraflex® Non-Skid Kneepads - goclc.com

Our industry-leading Ultraflex® kneepad design has a soft outer shell with an accordion-style upper cap, high density, closed-cell foam padding, and synthetic rubber straps, which all combine for enhanced comfort.

goclc.com

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Do those knee pads stay put?
Every knee pad I have ever used would head south as soon as it could! I would love knee pads that stayed put.

Old Rooster said:

Do those knee pads stay put?
Every knee pad I have ever used would head south as soon as it could! I would love knee pads that stayed put.

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I know what you mean, especially with single strap ones. Those would even flip down on my shin if I caught the top on something. With the double straps and the curved top that cups up around your knee, it stays quite well for most normal stuff. When crawling around in brush it can catch and pull down sometimes, particularly if belly-crawling since you are scraping through so much raised/rough stuff. But with 2 straps it won't shift a lot. Sometimes when I am doing a lot of back and forth and more extreme bending a strap will pop off one of the round studs and have to be put back on. They are very adjustable for size. On my hunting set I modified those to tie the straps to the kneepad with a bit of braided fishline to keep from losing a strap in the sagebrush. When I did lose one, CLC sent me a pair of courtesy replacements. ACE Hardware carries them, you might find some there to try on.

M77Fan I appreciate your help, I'll check out the knee pads at our ACE Hardware store here in Helena MT.

Muddyboots I sure hope your back is better than before. I know folks that regret their back surgeries and are worse than before the surgery.
Any surgery can always be a crap shoot! The brother here on this thread that said he still has knee pain bothered me but I have little to no choice as I have bone on bone. I feel it grating when I walk down stairs. The pain varies and at times I can take it but some times I cannot. I have gone through a lot but I sure hope this fixes my knee problem.
Still have not heard from both of the insurance companies yet.

Old Rooster said:

M77Fan I appreciate your help, I'll check out the knee pads at our ACE Hardware store here in Helena MT.

Muddyboots I sure hope your back is better than before. I know folks that regret their back surgeries and are worse than before the surgery.
Any surgery can always be a crap shoot! The brother here on this thread that said he still has knee pain bothered me but I have little to no choice as I have bone on bone. I feel it grating when I walk down stairs. The pain varies and at times I can take it but some times I cannot. I have gone through a lot but I sure hope this fixes my knee problem
Still have not heard from both of the insurance companies yet.

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If you're gonna use them to crawl around while hunting…..make sure they will stop cactus thorns. Maybe some in kevlar! memtb

memtb said:

If you're gonna use them to crawl around while hunting…..make sure they will stop cactus thorns. Maybe some in kevlar! memtb

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memtb, they are actually fine for crawling over cactus. But since I crawl face first, I usually see the cactus patches before I get to them. Truthfully, when I am doing that. it is the prairie rattlers I am more worried about.

I just had my first TKR in my right knee at 72 years of age. My range of motion is almost back where it was pre-surgically. I was at 130° pre-surgically and now I'm at about 125 to 129. We live in Big Sky, Montana for the winters and are active skiers. I delayed this TKR as long as possible trying everything I could to avoid it. At five months post surgery things are going well, but I have more work to do before getting back on the snow.

Couple of things I would highly recommend. First, shop for your surgeon. Look for the guy who does lots of them, and caters to active lifestyles. It took me a while to find a orthopedic surgeon that was confident that I would get back on the snow. Several orthopods recommended that I quit skiing, which was not gonna happen. Second, it's crucial to do a lot of prehab conditioning before the surgery. The more prehab you do the faster your recovery will be. Your surgeon will be able to recommend a physical therapist in your area that can set you up with both prehab, and rehab post surgery.

Best of luck,

Dave

Prehab, I never heard of it but will run that by my doctor. The doctor I am going to did my brother in law's knees and sister in laws knees as well as many other people I know. I hope to get this done before the end of the year but have not heard anything yet.

Old Rooster said:

Prehab, I never heard of it but will run that by my doctor. The doctor I am going to did my brother in law's knees and sister in laws knees as well as many other people I know. I hope to get this done before the end of the year but have not heard anything yet.

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I just noticed that you're in Montana. I had my surgery in Bozeman. If that location is good for you, I could offer my contacts for the PT and Orthopod. Prehab is huge in elevating outcomes.

Dave

Thanks for the offer but the doctor here has done about 30 people that I know and all but one had great results.
The one that didn't have great results did not do the pt as she was almost 90 years old.