PKR How Fast Will I recover from PKR to Play Competitive Baseball?

Baseball6

new member
Joined
Nov 30, 2020
Messages
4
Age
59
Country
United States United States
Gender
Male
Hi everyone! I am new to the forum. I am looking for guidance and those who have had experience with a partial knee replacement using an Oxford Joint:

As background, I am a 56 year old male who has run 5-10 miles per week for cardio and played competitive baseball since my late 20's. I experienced my first knee issue (right knee) in 2016 and had to have a 'scope procedure to remove debris as a result of a torn medial meniscus. After recovering and returning to the baseball field and some scale down running (3-5 miles per week), I suffered a second medial meniscus tear in 2018 and had another 'scope procedure. Post surgery, my surgeon recommended light jogging on soft surfaces only and the use of a Don-Joy knee brace when playing competitive baseball. The surgeon also noted that my knee had a fair amount of Arthritis and he expected it to worsen.
Fast forward to 2019, and based on a recommendation from two baseball teammates, I underwent stem cell therapy (harvested the stem cells from my hips) and a PRP treatment in the knee. I believed I was making significant progress however, in Sept 2020, while playing baseball, I apparently re-injured the knee. After a return visit to the surgeon, x-rays and an MRI, he has recommended a partial knee replacement using the Oxford Joint. He noted that I now have "significant Arthritis" present in the knee. I am scheduled for this surgery on 18 Dec 2020.
Based on the above, I am very interested in hearing from those of you who have had this procedure and what you experienced. I would like to hear about your recovery period and limitations (if any) on activities that include running/jogging, tennis, baseball/softball, and other rigorous hobbies.
While my surgeon has said I will most definitely play baseball again, with no significant pain, he is non-committal regarding my potential performance limitations.
Please do share your thoughts as quickly as you can in view of my upcoming surgery! Thank you!!
 
Hi and Welcome!

Which partial will you be getting, Lateral, Patellofemoral, or Medial?

Keep in mind that even a partial is major surgery, and the reality is, the recovery takes an average of a year. I was not told that before I had my Patellofemoral partial. I believed all I’d read beforehand about the quicker recovery as compared to a total. It didn’t happen for me.

When having joint replacement make sure the surgeon you choose does a lot of the procedures that he will do on you. The more experience he has, the better outcome you’ll have. Unfortunately, I did not know to look into that, my outcome has not been good, and I later found out my surgeon doesn’t do very many partials. I wish I had thought to get a second opinion before going ahead with my surgery.

I am not a sports person, so I can’t comment on what you can expect in that area, but we have many members who have healed well and gone back to their activities. The key is, and this is very important, give your body the time it needs to heal and don’t push it to do things before it’s ready. Remember that this is a long, slow recovery, and if you respect your body’s healing timeframe, it will heal well, and you’ll be active again.
 
Thank you very much! My surgery is a right knee Medial replacement using an Oxford Joint. Surgery is scheduled for 18 December on an out-patient basis, with P/T scheduled for the following week. At this point, I am basically bone-on-bone in the Medial compartment of the knee, with severe Arthritis, and a fairly drastic impact upon my normal activities and sports participation/performance. I have a second opinion scheduled prior to surgery.
I have been encouraged reading through most of the posts at this website - though, I fully understand everyone's results and outcome may differ.
 
Surgery is scheduled for 18 December on an out-patient basis
Please don't be fooled into thinking that because it's outpatient it will be a simpler or shorter recovery. The op is the same. You will just have to be sure staff get your pain managed well before you leave the hospital.
 
Hi @Baseball6

Thank you for your surgery date. I've put it in your signature and added your name to the December Supernovas surgery team thread.

So we have complete record in your signature, please will you tell us the date you had the stem cell therapy and PRP last year.

My first knee replacement was a PKR with the Oxford. It lasted me for 11 years, during which time I regained my mobility and traveled to several different countries. I'm not an athlete, though, but I was able to do everything I wanted to.

There's no way that anyone will be able to predict how soon you might be able to get back to competitive baseball. Complete recovery of all your tissues takes a full year, and trying to rush your recovery can actually slow it down.

You've had a lot of surgeries on that right knee and the best advice I can give you is to make sure that your surgeon is prepared to proceed with a total knee replacement (TKR) if he sees any signs at all that arthritis is spreading to the other compartments of your knee.


In spite of the advertising for a PKR you should be able to do just as much with a TKR as with a PKR. I have had both and my knee feels no different with the TKR.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Baseball6

how is your recovery going?? I was interested when I came across your thread - I'm a softball player and literally planned my PKR around the next baseball season. I had my surgery Christmas Eve and plan on being on the field this upcoming season.
 
Muscle flex,
Today marks 23 days and I have turned the corner with my recovery. The pain and discomfort during the first week relegated me to the couch but I was able to begin physical therapy on day 5 and have made significant progress since then. This weekend, I worked out with a weighted bat and took some swings at 50% power and rotation. The most difficult task at this point is walking down a set of stairs. Be prepared for a challenge during physical therapy but if you push yourself a bit, your progress is likely to be good. My expectation is to begin working out in batting cages and throwing the ball at the six week mark from surgery. My surgeon believes I will be back on the baseball field at the three month mark but not fully recovered until closer to six months. I will share that both my surgeon and the orthopaedic surgeon who provided a second opinion believe that even playing a full 100% effort, this joint will last me 5-10 years minimum. So....so far, so good.
 
just seeing this now! that is great that your recovery was going so well at such an early stage. I'm 6 weeks out and doing well, but not near batting cage level yet (not that anything around here is open anyway). Please keep this thread updated if you can, I'm interested in your recovery as we get closer to baseball season!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have one. I thought it was ok to comment on other people's threads too though? isn't it?
Of course you can comment on other member's threads. I think Chris was just concerned that this member has not been on the forum since early January so you might not get his input.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,167
Messages
1,596,862
BoneSmarties
39,356
Latest member
JanieMarie
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom