TKR New knee success !

[jakemedic]

I just read through your posts. Greetings from the cornfields of Iowa, USA! First, my sympathy for the loss of your brother. That has to be incredibly painful for you.

With that said, wow! You are doing wonderful! I am incredibly happy for you. I’m 4 months out now and doing well, but I’ll get better I’m positive!

Please celebrate each little win. They don’t seem like much, but I’m here to tell you they are!
Jake

 

[Marxie]

Well today is the one year anniversary of my total left knee replacement.
Having had the right knee done of the 10th December 2024 it has been good to be able to compare both side by side.
Although I obviously seem to recover well from surgery I would say overall that the left was more troublesome than the right.
Again overall I am very pleased with my left knee replacement and would now say 1 year on that I am probably 90/95% satisfied with it and would take it 100 times over what I had before.
The knee still clicks and knocks and also when I get up from a sitting position it makes an awful grating noise from the knee cap but totally painless I will add ( it has done this from the start ).
Also recently when walking it has got a tiny bit sore at times but my Wife says she thinks its because that now my right knee has been done and my bowed legs eliminated , the corrected posture is probably adjusting my muscles ?
The OS did say to me that they couldn’t save the cruciate ligament in my left knee so perhaps that is the reason it clicks a lot ? Any suggestions or advice particularly on the grating noise most welcome.
I have to see the surgeon again in two weeks so will interrogate him on both knees but yes one year on overall very happy

 

[EalingGran]

Any suggestions or advice particularly on the grating noise most welcome.

I still have a grating noise ( crepitus) on really deep bending of my knee.
In my case it is because I just had a partial and I still have my native patellofemoral joint which has some arthritis. It is totally painless and doesn't bother me.
If your patella wasn't resurfaced then maybe this is the reason. There are good arguments for and against resurfacing. If it is painless I would try to ignore it. But maybe ask your surgeon for his views if you are due to see him again.

 

[Marxie]

Thank you Ealing Gran.
I have thought the same that it could be the knee cap not being resurfaced and like I said completely painless just sounds a lot worse than it is , as it is actually quite audible and people have said “ooh that doesn’t sound good ?”.
It is one of the things I will address with my surgeon for sure.

 

[sistersinhim]

Also recently when walking it has got a tiny bit sore at times but my Wife says she thinks its because that now my right knee has been done and my bowed legs eliminated , the corrected posture is probably adjusting my muscles ?

I agree with your wife. Your soft tissues have to adjust to a change from many years of walking with your bowed legs. It will take time, but it will happen, and that soreness will eventually go away. Otherwise, it sounds like you are doing great!

 

[beralc]

Sorry for your loss.

UK knee here!
Even though my very early journey is very different to yours, all the same it is very heartening to hear stories like yours, if only because we know what’s possible. It made a very good read and I’m really pleased you’ve made a brilliant recovery.
I’d imagine, given your arthritis diagnosis in childhood, it means you’ll likely have had a considerable amount to contend with before now,so I’m glad your recovery’s been so good.

Just in relation to PT the hospital where I had my knee done don’t see anyone before three weeks have passed. Luckily it didn’t impact your recovery and I’m sure it would have been sorted quickly if you had needed it.
Hope everything continues to go well.

 

[Marxie]

An update on the grating noise.
I saw the OS on Tuesday 4th Feb and got the full lowdown on both my knees.
The left knee had severe tri compartmental osteoarthritis and this caused my anterior cruciate ligament to become severely damaged and could not be saved this meant I had to have a different type of knee ( basically a fatter block ) which makes the knee extremely stable to take up the work of the ACL .
I got him listen to the grating and he said it was caused by scar tissue around the new knee.
He reiterated that it is a minimum 12 month recovery and 24 months for a full recovery and said the grating noise may possibly subside but it maybe something I have to live with… Believe you me , I would take this a hundred times over what I had.
I have also updated my TRKR thread and I am very very happy , it is an absolute joy walking pain free and with straight legs

 

[ouchie!]

How lovely to read your journey and it has given me hope. I’m at 4 1/2 months post op and improving but still a long way to go. I’m having the other one done next September, I hope. Not looking forward to it, but so much pain in the non op knee it just needs to be done doesn’t it? I’ll never be able to walk well until then. Hope you continue to improve.

 

[beralc]

The good thing is @ouchie at least next time you’ll be better prepared than this time and I’m sure that will help a lot. Also you know you can get through it even though it’s tough you’ve come this far.

 

[Marxie]

Having had both knees replaced in 2024 ( TKRs ) I feel that I am somewhat qualified to be able to give some advice although of course this is personal to me and may not be the same for everybody.
First of all I would say that reading a lot of other posts on here ( the majority ) it seems that I must recover quickly as most posters seem to have troubles and are seeking advice .
I am sure there are many many others out there just the same as me, after all here in the UK we carry out one hundred thousand knee replacements annually with a 10% problematic rate ( usually cured by antibiotics ) and a further 1% of these requiring additional surgery so overall a very high success rate.

Something to know is that a total knee replacement is not the same as a total hip replacement.
A total hip replacement is a like for like swap i.e. a ball and socket whereas the knee is a very complex hinge joint and a total knee replacement is not a like for like swap.

These are the things below that helped me they maybe useful to you to ?

1. I did all my own physio from the booklet they gave me so do your exercises the best YOU can regularly.
2. If you are overweight really do try and get some of it off pre op ( easier said then done I know ) but you will be amazed at the difference it makes. I lost 6 stones ( 84 lbs ) and yes I have kept it off.
3. Don't be afraid to weight bare on the knew knee, it is painful at first but it is going nowhere .
4. A total knee replacement is a very painful procedure so take pain killers regularly and even take an over the counter sleep remedy I used sleepeaze from Boots ( Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride ) it really helps.
5. If your sofa or chair is low raise it before the operation . I put breeze blocks in black plastic sacks and raised our sofa much to the consternation of the wife !
6. If offered a raised toilet seat take it !
7. Don't get too miffed about the length of time recovery is taking everybody is different , just think back about all of the years you had with arthritic pain and remember it is a 12/24 month recovery period although most people are back driving and walking 6 weeks after the knee replacement they won't fully recover niggle free until this time period.
8. And finally enjoy your new lease of life I know I will !

 

[beralc]

@Marxie even though your recovery has been so different to many here, I think it’s really important for others coming through to know that not everyone experiences any or all of the difficulties others here have. There are so many variables as to why some feel more or less pain and heal more or less quickly. So much of our recovery will be out of our control. Acceptance of these variables is often the hardest part of recovery, as we have to be patient and let our bodies lead us.

It’s great to hear your success story. I noticed you mentioned in Jan’24 that you never ended up having formal physio so it’s really interesting to see that you still had great success with ROM and generally getting back on your feet. For various medical reasons my PT had to be postponed, so at just over 4 weeks post op I’ve yet to see a physio either. It’s actually taken a lot of the stress others have experienced,off me and I’ve been able to increase or adapt my exercises depending on what else was going on such as being anaemic,falling etc.

Thanks for your tips I’m sure they’ll be helpful to many and wish for your continued success.

 

[beralc]

2. If you are overweight really do try and get some of it off pre op ( easier said then done I know ) but you will be amazed at the difference it makes. I lost 6 stones ( 84 lbs ) and yes I have kept it off.

Here’s a really interesting estimation of the force our body weight has on our knee joints:

If you are just walking across a level parking lot, for example, the force on your knees is equal to 1.5 times your body weight. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, you are exerting 300 pounds of pressure on your knees with every step you take.
If you squat down, you’re multiplying the force on your knees by 4-5 times. Keep this kind of pressure up year after year, and you can see why your joints would wear out. Just one pound of weight exerts 3-4 pounds of pressure.

Certainly food for thought.