I'm going under the knife for a TKR on 6/20. I have a good idea what I'm in for, but if any of you have experiences or tips to share with recovery I'd like to hear them. I'm really interested in how long it took before being able to get around and be active, like doing yard work, walking, cycling, etc.

I have never had a knee replaced. My barber did and he recovered quickly. I'll ask him about it and get back to you. You've had a lot to deal w/lately. Wishing you all the best for a successful surgery and a quick recovery.

I guess I can offer a little advice. I have had two surgeries on my neck, one involving my carotid artery and another knee surgery. Try to be as physically strong as possible before the surgery and have a positive outlook. I did everything the docs said and asked my PT to push me as hard as possible. I recovered from all three much faster and better than anticipated. I know a knee replacement is different, but attitude goes a long way. Again.................best of luck.

My 86 year old mother had both knees replaced. The doctors had her walking on it the day of surgery!

I don't know how long it will take to do yardwork, etc... I think once the soreness and inflammation heal, not long.

I have no idea about knee replacement surgery but I wish you well and hope for you to have a speedy recovery.

Good luck. I hope all goes well. I will pray for a successful procedure, and a speedy recovery.

I had both hips replaced 5+ years ago (3 months apart), and I'm guessing, since I believe you work in healthcare, that you have probably thought of or know about anything I might tell you. But here goes, anyway ...

Pain management - once you get to post-op, its going to hurt; use the morphine pump they'll most likely provide - but use it judiciously. If you use it all, they won't give you more. Once you get home, get off the oxy as soon as possible. I asked my doc to switch me to percocet after a week of oxycodone. It didn't work as well, but I felt much better. The oxycodone gave me bizarre dreams when I slept, and flopsweat and nausea when awake. Percs are much easier to wean yourself off of.

Living arrangements - until your PT rehab is well established, make sure you have a 1st floor place to sleep, hopefully close to the bathroom. In the bathroom, some handholds in the shower and near the toilet are helpful and will help assure you don't fall. You do not want to fall. Think about getting a shower chair until you're strong enough to hold yourself up. I'm older than you, well into my 60s, so peeing a lot at night was problematical. I ordered some plastic jugs that truck drivers use on long trips. They're cheap, and avail on Amazon or Ebay. Search "pee bottles for truckers".

PT - do your daily exercises faithfully. This, more than anything else, will get you back to your normal activities.

Last - your sworn enemies, post-op, are 1. infection and 2. blood clot (DVT). Keep the incision/stitches as clean as possible, take your temperature often, keep the leg elevated and iced. Get out of the hospital as quickly as possible - my doc says that's where most infections originate. To avoid blood clots, try to get up and walk around every hour or so. After my left hip was done, my doc scheduled a routine ultrasound exam on both legs. Turns out I had a blood clot behind my left knee. Had to go on an aspirin regimen until it tested clear.

That's it ... Best of luck, JF ... wishing you the best.

Wishing you the best of luck with your surgery and a speedy recovery.

I've got nothing for you. My dad worked at a hospital for 48 years. He refused a knee replacement.

Have an uncle that just had it done perhaps 2 months ago? He did fine.

Good luck with all of that.

Psst..If I was you I would be good to go for everything, but would drag out the yardwork part as long as possible.

Lol, wish I could. I have one of those yards where, if you don't stay on top of things, it will be overgrown with weeds in no time. 3/4 acre with lots of edges and boundaries.....patio, picnic area, flower beds, dog area, driveway circle, etc. All the neigborhood kids and my son are grown up and moved out. Used to be able to flash a 20 when I had odd jobs and they'd all be fighting over who got to do it. I'll do a good weed whacking right before the surgery and that should be good for 2-3 weeks and my neighbor will cut the grass.

Let us know how it goes. I would like to get one knee replaced. My wee knee

Let us know how you do with this my prayers for you and your doctors to have a good day. I haven't had a TKR, but am recovering from a BTK. It is a daily struggle. My wife had two totals and had to go back for an "adjustment" on one after PT couldn't do enough (they force and break the scar tissue). Avoid that if possible. We learned as we went. Keep pain covered up with meds. Limit them if you can. Taking them early at first may help, but step down the type and frequency. We/she learned about icing properly. Also do your PT and your daily exercises. She walked day one or ASAP. Try to get some extra sleep for a couple days before you go in; hospitals are insanely hostile around the clock when you need to rest. There will be pain; suffering is optional. I am just getting more viable with multiple devices; she was in about three months. The vigorous work can be done now, but the squatting, kneeling, crawling on your knees will never feel "right" after.

Keep it clean and dry. Get out of the hospital ASAP. Get help if you see something happening that you don't understand. Everything you probably know already. You can do this and get beyond it. Be strong!

Knee replacements aren't nearly as bad as reading this board !

Seriously , you're gonna hurt and rehab will suck. So be ready for some work and pain.

Wish you luck J and a speedy recovery. Never had a knee done but I've had both hips done. First one was a little tough the first 3 or 4 days after surgery. The 2nd one was a lot better. I was operated on at 8 in the morning and home by 4:30 in the afternoon. I actually woke up halfway through the surgery was laying on my side. I could hear the hammering and sawing going on and asked the nurse what time it was. He told me and the next thing I knew I was in recovery. The Doctor must have said knock this clown out again!!!!

Same here. If everything goes well, I'll be going home same day also. That must have been a helluvan experience, waking up during the surgery. I would freak the eff out!

Honestly, they did tell me it could happen. I only received a spinal for my 2nd replacement. 1st time it was a general anesthesia if I remember correctly. I was in the hospital for 2 days for my 1st one. The 2nd was easier, and I recovered quicker and like I said went home the same day. 3 years between the 2 operations. Guess the techniques got better. Anyways the banging and sawing didn't bother me. I wasn't awake any more than 30-40 seconds and I was in no pain.

No advice to give because I’ve not had a knee replaced, but I know a few people who have and all said the same thing: once the post-op pain recedes - and there will likely be pain - all were glad they had it done.

Good luck, Jfan.

Hey buddy, good luck with the surgery.

My only experience is my MIL, she had both replaced and came through with flying colors. What I will say about her experience is that she followed rehab to a "T". If they said one hour -- she set a timer... If they said three times a day, she set a schedule to divide her day evenly. Over-the-top adherence to the program, but it all paid off.

Yes, very important in any rehab.

In and out in 1 day. I am absolutely shocked at how little pain there is. I had a nerve block that will last 24-36 hours and I'm sure it will not be so pleasant after that. I had the surgery at 9am, and was out of the hospital at 6:30pm. They had me do 2 bouts of physical therapy to make sure the new joint was functioning correctly, assess the range of motion and to teach me the exercises and everything I have to do at home to hasten the recovery. I'll be using a walker for a few days, but I actually can climb steps. Right now, the knee hurts much less than it did prior to sugery, and my range of motion is really good according to their charts. I just took a Percocet as recommended by PT as a pre-emptive measure (along with lots of icing), but I'm not having much pain. Hopefully I won't be regretting this post in the morning, lol.

Glad everything went well for you...good luck.

Glad you're doing well.

People react to surgeries differently. I know that I have had less pain post surgery in almost every surgery I have gone through. (1 knee, 2 shoulders, and a carpal tunnel) My doctor said that he's had patients all over the scale, often 2 patients, with identical symptoms, x-rays, etc ..... and different surgical outcomes, pain levels, and so forth.

I spoke to my pain doctor, and she said that some people processsurgical pain differently than others.

Just be happy you';re on the good side of things.

Wow! That's awesome.

Glad to hear, Bubba.

You will be back to good in no time.

One of my best friends had a knee done recently.

He said it was painful and it took some time to feel good. Lots of rehab but it improved greatly.

My sister had her hip done. It did not go well. She had to have it operated on again.

It has been over a year and she still is on a cane and struggling.

Kind of case by case thing. Knee replacement is pretty common now. So, in most cases it goes well.

Glad it went well - good luck with your rehab.

Sounds great so far. Once the nerve blocker wears off I think the pain might increase a bit but even if it does, it will ease over time. Please keep us updated.

I had both knees replaced at the same time.Titanium

They were going to do one knee and schedule the other after the first knee
healed up somewhat(painwise).

Nyet. Nada. Nein. Nope. I opted for both at the same time. My thinking was, you wouldn't have "twice" the pain if they did both knees instead of one. You'd just be in pain.

Best decision I've ever made.

GodSpeed on your surg.

Glad things are going well so far. you're in health care, so you know full well "follow what you're told." Hope things continue well for you.

Great news! We found that ice is your best friend. Getting that thing's pain covered up before bedtime and icing down later will help you rest well. Better soon, I am sure. Doing this will make the morning better as well. Heal, dude!

Yep, keeping it iced down big time. (big bag of frozen peas works better than ice). I wasn't expecting this much swelling, my leg is huge, even with the icing. I was reassured that this is normal and will last 3-5 days. It really cuts down on the range of motion, though. It hurts and it takes a lot to loosen up after sitting/lying awhile, but the pain is manageable. PT said I'm right where I should be.

TTT, that's impressive having both done at the same time. I rely an awful lot on the good side to stabilize everything with transfers and the exercises.

Did your doctor talk to you about one of those one of those electric cold therapy machines? I used one after my knee surgery and it was very helpful. My wife probably asked for it when I was still under anesthesia. I think they cost a little less than $200.

They sent me home with one of those Polar units., but I prefer a large bag of frozen peas in a gallon Ziploc baggie.. It stays cold longer and molds perfectly around the knee .

All this talk about swelling makes me think I should get that surgery I mentioned earlier.

jfan...hope all is going well and hopefully the swelling and pain levels have subsided a bit..?

Any updates..

Thanks. Things were going really well until day 6, Saturday morning.....I have a bad case of cellulitis going down my shin from just below the incision to the top of my foot, with quite a bit of swelling. I called the doc and went to the ER Sunday morning when it looked like it was getting worse. It burns and hurts worse than anything that the surgery could dish out. I was doing the exercises religiously and had 2 PT sessions until this kicked in. I'm on some antibiotics and some meds to control the burning pain from the cellulitis, and I'm getting up and walking once an hour and stretchching to keep the ROM I've gained. It's still red and burning, and I have a follow up tomorrow morning. Other than the cellulitis, the knee pain isn't really bad, I don't need any assistance to walk. I never really needed the walker or cane, even on the first day. I can fully straigten the knee and and can easily get it past 90 degrees once it loosens up. Between the cellulitis, swelling and residual bruising, it's not a pretty sight though. I just want to get thru this and get to the serious recovery training.

Man jfan, you have had a lot to deal w/recently, including the Covid bout.

Wishing you well...

Hope things turn around quickly for you.

jfan...I just did a bit of research to understand what cellulitis was. From what I've read cellulitis is not uncommon but it can take a while to cure and as you have already pointed out..it can be painful. Just what you need, dealing with bit more pain. Maybe you can talk the Docs into giving you the 'good stuff'..

Keep us posted and good luck..

DAMN bro. Hopefully the antibiotics knock that out in a hurry!

Got bit by a bug in 2012 and got cellulitis. That night I could barely walk... pain shooting through my entire lower leg. Went to the doc on a cruise ship and they gave me antibiotics that were too week.

Two days later, during the drive home, it started swelling and wouldn't stop. By the time I made it to an urgent care my lower leg was nearly double the size. I described the pain as "burning ice picks stabbed into my leg bone".

Their antibiotics weren't working at all. That night -- hallucinating fever -- resigned to the fact that I was going to die from a bug bite on a cruise ship, no b.s. Went to the ER and got Cipro and x-rayed for blood clots as part of my leg was looking pretty shady.

That crap scared me to death.


I got it again a couple years later, doc said I have a higher risk of getting it again... and again.

"I'm going to prescribe amoxicil..."
"Oh, NO, you're going to prescribe Cipro!"


I ain't tryin' to play doctor, and I know you've got more going on as you just had surgery, but "red and burning" doesn't sound right after this time span. I'm glad you're getting some eyeballs on it tomorrow.


Be strong ~ stay strong. I know we're ALL pulling for you, and a quick recovery on all fronts.

Wow, that must have sucked. Glad you got thru that. As far as mine goes, the docs are on it. When I went to the ER on Sunday, they gave me a shot of Rocephin (IM antibiotic) and started me on Keflex 4x day. I got into the doc on Monday and they switched it to Omnicef, which is a stronger, broad spectrum antibiotic, as well as tizanidine, a muscle relaxant that takes the sting out of the cellulitis pain. I had my doubts, but it definitely works. They also did an ultrasound to check for clots. I feel pretty good and I'm not in horrible pain or anything like that. It's like a red stripe down the front of my lower leg and the leg and foot have some swelling. They told me to call if it gets worse and to follow up on Friday.

Hope everybody gets healthy. Prayers for all the docs and Dawgs. Getting the heavy duty treatment. We are all pulling for you.
Be strong!

Man....scary stuff! Get better soon....

Wow. I missed this thread. Sorry to here about this Jfan. Hopefully you are on the mend. I know someone else who got cellulitis. It's no joke. Take care of yourself

Checking in to see how you're feeling. Back on track with the rehab?

Thanks. The cellulitis is gone and I'm back on the full PT/rehab program. Had my f/u appointment and Xrays yesterday, and the doc said everything is looking good. It felt great to get that Zipline removed. (it's a less invasive method to seal the wound in lieu of sutures). I still have some swelling and bruising, but he said it's nothing to worry about. I got the OK to drive, which I wasn't expecting but I'm thrilled. I'm walking fairly normally, going up and down stairs and whatnot. It still stiffens up when sitting for a while, but it feels pretty good once it loosens up. My current assisted ROM is 110 degrees, and the end goal is 120-125 to do just about everything I could before the knee became an issue. According to the therapist, I'm ahead of the game. I've been mostly off the pain meds (Percocet) since the weekend, but I did take one Tuesday after PT.

That sounds like about the best news we could possibly hear!

Keep up the great work in rehab, my friend!

Glad to hear, Bubba.

Glad to hear you can drive again and it brought a thrill.

Did you feel like a 16 year old that first time you pulled the old family station wagon out of the drive the first time, Mom and Dad standing in the drive, waving, yelling to be careful, only this time it was your kids standing there? LOL

Good to hear that you are recovering.

Fate, damn that is scary. At least at this point you know about it. Maybe that will help in responding asap to get it early.

I have gotten to that stage where at the end of each day I sit and watch the sunset. It is a reminder to be thankful for everyday.

Just wanted to check back into this thread and say that if any of you are putting off having a knee replacement, don't. I waited almost 2 years and it now feels that those were 2 years of my precious life wasted. I'm back to doing things I haven't been able to do for quite some time. I can do 10+ miles on my bike (I pushed it a little too much early on and had about a week of pain and swelling). I'm hoping to be back to the long rides by spring. I can walk all day and do yardwork and fairly heavy lifting, I even climbed a ladder to clear out a clogged gutter. I didn't realize it, but there were a lot of things I let go because of the knee.....like clearing things out of the basement, hanging a storm door, cleaning out the shed, etc. I'm getting it done now. About the only thing I have trouble with is putting a sock on that foot. I'm not so sure if it's the knee learning to twist enough or if it's the pot belly I put on over the last couple years because of the inactivity. Either way, it will be fixed. I do have pain is when I forget to straighten out my foot when I get up or get out of a vehicle, but I don't do it that often.

Get the surgery if you need it.

Glad you're able to do the things you missed out on. It's wonderful the results of your surgery worked out so well.

Great news!