An interesting article and a novel suture system.

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Thanks for the link, Arttie. Prevention magazine is generally a pretty good resource for health-related information. I'd agree with most of the things presented in the article and, you're right....a lot of what is said is not published or told to patients prior to surgery. Except here on BoneSmart! I saw a lot of the things we talk about mentioned that are in our pre-op guidance. But perhaps we need to take a new look at how we present our information so that it's out there more clearly. I appreciate your post to get us thinking on that.
 
@Jamie I agree. What I like is that it is succinct, easy to print off and easy to bring along to hospital and rehab appointments. That is what I will do.
 
Yes! If I had just gone by what my surgeon said, I would not be nearly as prepared for this surgery. BS has a much more realistic picture. So it's good to see this info in a mainstream publication.

My main beef is them saying that some folks can go back to work at 3 or 6 weeks. I think that's irresponsible and sets people up for potential problems with employers. Especially when they say in the very next breath that you're likely to be on narcotics for 6-8w. Uh? I think my employer would prefer I not come to work in a drug haze. Lol.
 
I heard so many stories of "my 80 yr old neighbor was back to normal by 2 weeks" and while it's supposed to be helpful, I think it just hurts the majority of folks who aren't going to be the exception to that rule (assuming that even happened). I'd rather expect a 6 month recovery and feel good at 4 months than think I should be fine by 2w and wondering why I still ache at 3m.
 
And right on cue. I shared the article on my facebook and said that I disagreed with the 3w back at work thing and these are the first two comments. Sigh.

jenn.jpg
 
We can look at recovery as a standard bell curve and most of us will fall into the middle with only a few having a totally miserable recovery or a totally "miraculous" recovery. Even being 1 1/2 standard deviations from the average I would be happy with my progress measured either against time or function. After reading here, none of us expect to be the miserable tail of the plot and would love to be in the fast and happy tail.
aimages.huffingtonpost.com_2014_10_03_blogbellcurve.png
 
Yet it seems everyone I know has friends in the 2 SDs from the norm on the side of miraculous recovery. Or so they say.
 
What many people don't understand who are not "into" knee replacements is that a lot of these "miracle" recoveries are from knee arthroscopic surgery and not a knee replacement. As WE all know, there is a huge difference in recovery. Or you don't see this lively person once they get back home and they swell up like a balloon. Or several weeks after when they are in so much pain they can't move. But don't try to tell any of that to these folks with a story of great recovery by the 2nd nephew of their next door neighbor's grandmother. You'll never win. Just be smart and go on your way.
 
I have a friend who did go back to work 2 weeks after a TKR, and he boasts about it. To hear him talk, he had one of those "miracle" recoveries. But he neglects to tell the whole story.
  • He went to work in a wheelchair.
  • He said narcotic pain relief was for sissies, so he stopped taking his pills. Consequently, he was in pain and grumpy all day, and his colleagues wished he had stayed at home.
  • His wife waited on him hand and foot. She helped him get up, have a shower and dress, then she drove him to and from work.
  • When not at work, he spent all his time in bed - he was not rehabilitated.
  • By the time he was recovered, his wife was worn out.
  • He still walks with a limp - three years later.
 
Another friend said 3 of her coworkers went back to work after TKR at 3-4w. And she said "they're younger than us so maybe they just recovered faster." We are mid 40s and while I know people in their 30s can get TKRs, the average age is still 60ish so the chances of her working with 3 30somethings who had miraculous TKR recoveries is pretty slim. So it likely is people just thinking all knee surgery is TKR and that's how misinformation gets spread.
 
Seriously, no one works with 3 30-somethings who've had TKR!


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Another friend said 3 of her coworkers went back to work after TKR at 3-4w. And she said "they're younger than us so maybe they just recovered faster."
It's total myth that younger people recover faster. It doesn't matter if you are 18 or 80 - your knee still experiences the same amount of trauma and it still needs just as long to heal.

What does often happen is that younger people expect to recover faster, so they get anxious and impatient when their recovery takes a normal path.
 
Yet it seems everyone I know has friends in the 2 SDs from the norm on the side of miraculous recovery. Or so they say.
They do exist but I would take the reports with a grain of salt.:thud:
 
Good article. Thank you for sharing.


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Oh don't they get on your pip, these people who have all always got to do better than and faster than the average person! Show-offs is all they are!

As for that article, Arttie, I noticed that "licensed physical therapist Robert Fay, clinical director at Armonk Physical Therapy and Sports Training in New York" is reported thusly
Fay, who has worked with postop knee replacement patients for more than 15 years, believes that the rehab protocol is unnecessarily aggressive.

Methinks he should join the BoneSmart Team! I think I shall write to him!
 
That quote from the rehab is why I posted the article.:idea:
 
I think it's very easy for people to look at someone else's recovery and think it was a lot easier then it was. After my THR, I'm sure that there were people who looked at me and thought I was back to normal because I was eating in restaurants or doing a little shopping. What they didn't see was that, after those brief excursions, I'd spend the rest of the day propped up in bed with an ice pack.
 
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