TKR Kneeling with Replacement Knee

[Elgato]

Last year I had my left knee replaced with a DePuy Attune. My Dr. insisted on it and said to look at other doctors if I wanted something different. The knee is excellent with the exception of kneeling on it. Horrible feeling when kneeling so I always kneel on my right knee.
Is this normal and is it an issue with all brands of replacement knees?
I am ready to do my right knee but I do not want to completely lose the ability to kneel.
Are some brands better at this? One patient told me she was told to never kneel on hers.
Thank You

 

[VA Mom]

I don’t know if different brands are different. But, here’s what my OS said to try kneeling:

week one - kneel 10 minutes per day on the couch
week two- kneel 10 minutes per day on a cushion on the floor
week three - kneel 10 minutes per day on a thin pillow on the floor
week four - kneel 10 minutes per day on a thin carpet
week five - kneel 10 minutes per day on the floor or the ground outside

i haven’t tried this yet, so I can’t personally speak to its effectiveness.


wishing you good luck!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Welcome to BS! Would you please give us the date of your surgery so we can make a signature for you?

Some people, after a knee replacement can eventually kneel again, although many say it feels funny, but is doable. I can't kneel on my replaced knee at all. So, no one can say for certain if any patient will, or will not, be able to kneel again. Some people say kneeling on a thick cushion, such as a gardening pad, helps. My doctor never told me not to kneel on my new knee, but since I can't, it's a non-issue for me. I doubt if the particular brand is the issue, I suspect it has to do with each person's own body and how it reacts to the surgery and replaced knee. I can't say that definitively, just from my experience it seems to be an issue unrelated to any particular brand.

 

[EalingGran]

I can kneel but I had a lateral PKR and can put more weight on the unoperated knee and unoperated side.
I can now kneel briefly on just the operated leg ( doing an exercise to strengthen my arthritic lumbar spine).
It was unpleasant initially. A mixture of feeling weird from lack of sensation and discomfort/pain.
I bought some thin rectangular kneeling pads ( designed for pilates/ yoga) and gradually practised. I can now kneel for up to 10 minutes without any pain/ discomfort. I am a bit careful getting up and down. The weird sensation has gone. I think that was when my numb patch was much bigger and it felt as if I was kneeling on nothing!
I have an Oxford implant and was told it was structurally fine to kneel on it. But like others say it seems very variable.
I did find a paper on kneeling ( there isn't much info). It seems kneeling is the most difficult thing for most people. More people probably can kneel if they are taught/ encouraged to do it and practise slowly.
I use kneeling currently mainly to do pilates for my bad back. But I want to kneel more freely to look after my grandchildren.

 

[EalingGran]

Kneeling ability after total knee replacement
Vikki Wylde,1,2 Neil Artz,3 Nick Howells,4 and Ashley W. Blom1,2,4
This is the paper I mentioned.
It seems to be the only one and all other sources refer back to this.
If you put the title and authors into Google you can get the full article.

 

[benne68]

It took me a while to build up to a comfort level, but I was able to kneel starting about six months after surgery. Even after all this time, my surgical knee feels "different" from my other one.

As was suggested by someone else, I built up my tolerance gradually over time: first, by kneeling on a very thick pillow, then a thinner one, then a folded blanket and finally, my yoga mat doubled over. It took several months of consistent practice to get to where I am now.

I should add that my surgeon gave me permission to kneel, but also told me that many people never get to the point where they find it comfortable.

Good luck, @Elgato

 

[Sara61]

I'm one of ones that cannot kneel, I had to kneel after my first replacement as I had slipped off the bed and without thinking knelt on my newly operated knee, it was so painful I've never tried it again. Since I've now had the two replacements, I doubt I will ever kneel again.