Those of you that have undergone this procedure, what can I expect for recovery time? Like to know how long til I can ride my bike and fully flex that leg, get the foot on the peg. Prolly have it done in August.
My father had his done last year October I believe. He is 71, but he just got back to playing golf, walking 3/4 miles a day and about 90% of his full flex. He did about 8 weeks of rehab and had to do exercises every few hours. Still does the exercises that the rehab place prescribed daily.
My father had his done during the spring of 2015. He did them both, but not at the same time. The first had quite a bit of other damage so te recovery time was actually longer than the second one. Take the rehab and PT serious!!!! He would be damn near cryi during PT, but we spent all summer on the water fishing and playing golf last summer. He goes on big motorcycle Rides with his buddies, etc. A couple months of serious PT and following the rules and you'll be good. Make sure you get one of the fancy coolers that pumps ice water through tubes and wraps around your knee. Dad said it was amazing.
Had mine done 4yrs ago best decision i made took me 4months to get back to work and about less than a year to get back on the bike but that. Was with extensive therapy at the doctors and on my own you gotta pop all those adhesoins around the knee they hurt like hell but it has to be done now i have more range of motion than i had before !
Someone I knew very well had his knee replaced, he's in his mid 50's and he was back on a surf board as soon as the staples were out. He did the PT religiously and more. 12 weeks if I remember correctly to back on his board. Regained 85% of the motion. Someone else I knew very well didn't take the PT seriously and only has 40% range of motion. Can't road race anymore and only can ride super moto's because of it.
I have had both replaced. one in June 14 the other June 15. first 10 days is the worst part. After that you are home free on pain part. The PT starts day 1 in the hospital. Take your pain meds 1 hour before PT - give it time to be fully effective. Trust me you will want full effect. Get the fancy ice water machine its worth its weight in gold. Continuous motion machine is your friend. Keeps the scar tissue down and really helps. I would instantly fall asleep as soon as I got the ice water and continuous motion going. Stretch the pain meds as long as you can between them. I cut mine in half and went 5-6 hours between them. The Opioid Induced Constipation is less that way. I went back to work after 5 weeks. had 120 degrees of flex after 4 weeks. Keep up the PT and if you aren't sweating after PT you are loafing. For the first time in 50 years I don't have knee pain. I can hike over 5 miles without effort. Just remember Ice is Your Friend. Anyone who has had joint repair knows what I mean. You'll get there. But bending enough to get on rear sets is going to take effort. Keep working at it.
PT seems to be the key. I have heard the pain is tough for awhile but the meds should help me cope. Planning on surgery in August when I have a week off. One more question: I teach drums now and have 40 students a week. Could I be back to work in a week? I can sit or stand while instructing.
My dad was sick for the first 4-5 days from the meds. He eventually threw the meds away or cut them. They gave him OxyContin for the first one and he was tripping like crazy. He gave it back as asked for ice and something less strong. A week might be aggressive to get back to teaching but each person takes to pain differently.
I doubt it your knee will still be swollen but hey if you think you can stand the pain go for it you . Gotta give your body time to heal and recover from the surgery your staples are still fresh !
Do you know what you'll be getting, partial or total? It's my understanding to not waste time with the partial, they don't last as long and hurt just as much as the total....I do not look forward to this day but I know this is in my future also. Ughhh! Good luck!
