TKR Still working on getting both knees done.

[Celle]

I need to know if I will be able to return to work after surgery.

Unfortunately, this is something that no one will be able to predict.

Would it be at all possible to do your job sitting on the floor, instead of kneeling?

Do talk to your surgeon, if you can. Sometimes, if you have arthritis at the back of your kneecap, the damaged cartilage will be removed and replaced with a plastic button. That surgery leaves the kneecap itself rather thin, and at risk of being damaged if you kneel too much. That's why some surgeons prefer you not to kneel after surgery.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I need to know if I will be able to return to work after surgery. Does anyone work on their knees continuously minutes to hours, getting up and down all day.

I know you want to hear from others in the same situation with jobs like yours, that have been able to go back to work again. The problem is no two recoveries are exactly alike; heck, two recoveries on the same person's knees are different. No one can tell you what your recovery will bring; only time can tell you that. However, your doctor can tell you what his limitations for your knee(s) will be, but even if he says you are allowed to kneel and crawl around on your knee(s) at some point, you may still find yourself unable to do so for a long while or even forever. My advice is to find and choose a surgeon, then see what his restrictions are. If he says no chance, then you have your answer and can proceed accordingly. If he says maybe, then you can have contingency plans in case you are unable to kneel and need to find another job, or get your benefits, etc.

Personally, I've never been able to kneel again, even on soft surfaces. There are some who say they can kneel, but that it feels strange. But I've never heard anyone say they can kneel and crawl around all day long after a knee replacement. It's a decision you have to make, so after you finalize your choice for your surgeon, and get his input, you'll have more knowledge and can then make as informed a decision as possible.

 

[sistersinhim]

My answer would be that you probably will not be able to work on your knees for hours after a tkr. I can't do it at all and have learned to sit on my bottom to work. Is that something you might be able to do?

 

[Tykey]

I can kneel for a short while (say 5 mins) with a cushion on my 9 month old knee. To be honest, it's not that much better on my 10 year old knee. I certainly couldn't do it all day
So sadly, I have to agree with Sisters in him, I think it's unlikely
We often hear outlandish claims and predictions of amazing recoveries, but sadly, not many of them are achieved in practice.

 

[InkedMarie]

I’ll be two years in August & kneeling is something I can do for seconds, literally. I do know people who kneel down you maybe lucky.

 

[Abbylayla]

One of my friends had both knees replaced a few years ago. His job requires kneeling also. He is able to kneel without issues on a pillow

 

[jaybird]

I am ~6 months out from a RTKR, and have been able to kneel for quite a while, probably since month 3 or so. It probably helps that much of my knee is still numb. That said, everyone’s different - I had a student who’d had a BTKR several years earlier and still couldn’t kneel.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Hi Guys,

It's been awhile since I posted. I'm still scared when I start thinking about it. Not just of the surgery but all the other things that will change.
I did see Dr. Richard Berger of Orthopedics of Rush. I liked him a lot. His staff is fantastic. They seem to cover everything even give you a spiral binder with all the things to do and not do. I think he may be the best doctor I could choose. He uses the Zimmer Nexgen highflex knee. He actually helped design it using his MIT engineering degree. The Zimmer is a 15 year knee.

The other doctor I have considered is Dr. Gabriel Levi of Amita Health. He uses the Smith & Nephew Journey 2. I believe it is a 30 year knee. When I meet with him last January I liked him and thought the search was over. A short time later I had questions like pre-authorizations and post opp procedures to percentages of infections or other complications. No questions were ever answered. It was hard to speak with the right person when I did no direct answers were given. I even emailed that I wanted to speak with the doctor and you could tell from my message that I was not happy with the staff. I never heard back. My guess is it gets filtered by the staff.

I would go with Dr Berger in a NY minute but he only approves 12 weeks of disability. The rest is on my primary doctor. He knows I will not be able to kneel for any period of time, much less all day long. My primary says sure he will sign the paperwork but not for 1 year post opp, his reason you have to give it time to see if how it comes out. I posted a thread here and found no one that works on their knees post op.

My biggest fear is going bankrupt because I can't afford health insurance for my wife and myself after I can no longer work because I did the surgery. I can and do keep working just grit my teeth and take the pain. Some days are better than others. My right knee is bone on bone now and sometime it just hurts for no reason and then its gone. Now it hurt more when I walk and straiten my leg. I get sharp pain if I over straiten it.


I sometimes think there should be a list of thing you take for granted now but will find hard to do post op. Things like cleaning the bathtub, or under the bed, today I had to crawl under the deck to fix an outlet. If you have a flat tire, have to get something out of the attic or crawl space, if you have to work under the sink or on a toilet. The list could go on and on, weeding in the garden or lawn. I would start a thread" Things you find difficult even years after surgery" I would want to post it in post op and they would think it needs to be in pre op. Its all stuff I need to think about your life is going to change.

Sorry to bring up the stuff about disability. I feel like I'm the only person who's health care depends on being able to work. I know its not true but no one ever post about it.

 

[Celle]

HI again @Ghost Rider

I've moved one of your threads from the Knee Surgery Recovery Area and then merged it with your three threads on a similar topic in the Pre-Op Area.

Since all the threads deal with the same topic, I thought it would be helpful for you to have them all in one thread, so you can refer to this thread and you won't have to keep skipping between threads.

Let us know if you'd like a different thread title and we'll change it for you.

 

[Pumpkin]

I sometimes think there should be a list of thing you take for granted now but will find hard to do post op. Things like cleaning the bathtub, or under the bed, today I had to crawl under the deck to fix an outlet. If you have a flat tire, have to get something out of the attic or crawl space, if you have to work under the sink or on a toilet. The list could go on and on, weeding in the garden or lawn. I would start a thread"

Ghost Rider,
Most of what you list here will be possible post op, may be uncomfortable, but you should be able to do them. I crawl around on my knees for short periods of time to clean the bathtub, get under the bed, under the sink and toilet, I have even gone under our house, all for short periods of time. You have to get used to the funny feeling, and use some sort of padding, carpet or knee pads.

My concern would be your work as a carpet layer, where you are constantly on your knees, and using a knee kicker.
We have had members who do heavy work, but not a lot of crawling. They took 4-6 months before returning to work and were glad they waited.

Sounds like your primary MD will support you with time off from work. While they did say they would not go beyond a year, it is implied that they would reconsider depending on how you are doing.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Sounds like your primary MD will support you with time off from work. While they did say they would not go beyond a year, it is implied that they would reconsider depending on how you are doing.

Thanks for putting the threads together Chris. The primary will sign the papers as needed but I will have to wait a year for the SSDI disability papers. So that's no work , because I have a union I get temporary disability for a year it's like $400 a week after that it's cobra and that cost more than $13,000 a year for both of us. I can only get that for 18 months. Beyond that I have to go on the open market both of us now with preexisting issues. I see another medical bankruptcy in the works. I have heard it takes 2 years to get SSDI

Or I go with the doctor with the crappy staff and hope for the same outcomes. Six weeks post surgery I go to the Social Security office on crutches with all my paperwork signed stating that I can no longer work on my knees and I get that ball rolling a full year sooner.

I found a UK study that said 67% of TKR patients had difficulty kneeling 5 years post surgery. So if I get a TKR I'm not going back to work as trim carpenter.

 

[kneeper]

It sounds like you're in a pickle. Your knees as they are seem to be interfering with your work and kneeling can be an issue with a tkr. Are you trained or can you get trained for for a related field in carpentry? Could your union be of any help?

 

[Ghost Rider]

I finally spoke with the staff person with the doctor I was having difficulty speaking with. I made an appointment to see the doctor.

I did find out there are other options than out-patient surgery. I can stay at the hospital for 3 nights to insure that the healing and therapy get started right. I think there may even be recovery centers where you stay even longer. I may be over thinking this part because I generally heal well from cuts and other surgeries. We have a small house and the 1st floor bathroom may be difficult to use. It might be easier on my wife.

Kneeper there are not that may options and the union will only do so much. To be honest I've had enough. My back, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrist, hands and feet hurt on a regular basis and I have permanent hearing loss with tinnitus from using power tools. I think I'm going to take my chances with the doctor that will sign the paperwork.

 

[kneeper]

Yes, it's so often not just one thing that goes kaput for us. A lot of our tkr people here seem to be teachers, nurses (and others who work on their feet) and people who work in physically demanding jobs like yours.

I think you're right to think about the layout of the house. You'll be able to get around but it never hurts to think about how you'll shower & use the bathroom and even do a test run. Lots of info on that kind of thing on this site.