Bilateral TKR Steps

[bmillerhanna]

My house is all one floor except for a single step from the garage into the kitchen, which we always use. After my double knee replacement on February 9th, how much trouble am I going to have getting up and down that one step? I was wondering if I should make a small ramp.

 

[Jaycey]

@bmillerhanna After your BTKR physio will make sure you can go up and down quite a few stairs. One step should be no problem for you.

 

[mendogal]

Welcome to BoneSmart!
Here's some information to help you prepare. Please do post any specific questions or concerns!

KNEE PRE-OP GUIDELINES

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

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Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home​

Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery​

Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?​

Regardless of where you are in the process, the website and app My Knee Guide can help you stay organized and informed. The free service keeps all the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery in one place on your smartphone. It is intended to be a personal support tool for the entire process.

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at some stories of amazing knee recoveries

 

[benne68]

Welcome to BoneSmart, @bmillerhanna!

As Jaycey said, you will not be released from the hospital until you are able to navigate that step safely.

Since you are having bilateral knee replacement, you may find this article helpful:

Bilateral TKR: having two knees done? Don't compare surgeries!!

If you are having bilateral knee replacements (BTKR) or getting a second knee done after some months or years from the first, it's tempting to compare one knee with the other. But DON'T do it!!! The second knee was in a different condition to the first when it went under surgery, and the...

bonesmart.org

 

[DJL1967]

@bmillerhanna As others have said Physio will have you doing steps before your discharge. I have a bilevel home with 6 steps up/down to each level and managed fairly well even after a 9 hour day to get home (taxi and 2 flights).

 

[Axx72]

Sounds like you have a pretty awesome home layout for your BTKR recovery journey. Having a company come and evaluate your house for accessibility issues and danger mitigation before your BTKR is very helpful in deciding what aids you will actually need especially around stairs. Having pretty much everything on the same level is so nice and will definitely make those ADL(active daily living) activities nice and easy to taper into.

 

[bmillerhanna]

One week away from my bilateral surgery. I had to stop working 2 weeks ago because the pain in both knees had just become more than I could handle. I’ve been SO bored!

 

[mendogal]

Oh!
That's one week to do things like ...

get light, tasty, high protein prepared meals in the freezer

figure out where you want to spend most of your waking hours after surgery (recliner? sofa?) and set up the environment with enough flat surfaces in reach for (magazines, devices, beverages, meds, note pad and pen?)...

how and where will you set up to elevate "toes above nose" and ice an hour at a time...

I thought I'd read a lot of books .... Nope, too brain foggy for weeks post op... magazines rock! Or short stories.

I thought I'd get in a comfy (non reclining) chair in the living room to watch movies ... Nope, couldn't concentrate and couldn't get my knee comfortable enough there for even ten minutes for a few weeks!

 

[Layla]

Best Wishes for tomorrow.
Please join us on the healing side once you're back home and resting. We will have some Recovery Guidelines to share with you. Hope to hear from you soon!
@bmillerhanna

 

[lrj]

Use the handrails, crutches, and/or cane to help with that step. Whatever combination you need. If there is space, you could also set a chair on the upper step. Instead of stepping up, you sit down and turn around. When I had a broken leg, we had a single step from the living room to dining room. Set a piano bench up the step. Big help till I mastered the step on crutches.
With my first PKR, I also had an osteotomy and had to be no weight bearing for a month. 7 steps down to the basement. Didn't trust a knee that also needed surgery to support me on that many steps. I had to do "sit and scoot." Be thankful you don't have to do that.

 

[benne68]

Hi @bmillerhanna. Hope you are doing well post surgery. When you feel up to it, please join us over in the Knee Recovery Forum. You can start your recovery thread here by clicking on the orange POST button in the upper right corner of the page:

Knee Surgery Recovery Area

For post-operative knee patients, on the "other side"

bonesmart.org