TKR TKR at 28 - advice please!

zaraamber

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Hello,
I'm new to all this and I was looking for advice or personal experiences. I am 28 years old and am going to have to have a TKR on my left knee. I was hoping that someone could let me know if they have had this at a younger age, how the op went? How their recovery was? And also what is your quality of life like now? Thanks in advance as I'm so nervous! x
 
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Sorry to hear you are facing this so young. I’m in the “mature age” category [emoji1] so can’t offer any advice for someone younger. Good luck
 
Hi @zaraamber and :welome: Do you have a date for your surgery? If so, we can create a signature for you. :wave:

This is a big surgery, so of course you feel nervous. Visit here whenever you are and we will talk you through it and give virtual hugs.

If you go over to the recovery area of the forum you will see the threads of recovering TKR patients. Most of these members are, of course, older than you. There will be some younger ones, though, in their thirties or forties, mostly, but closer to your age. And your thread title here will attract those on the younger side also.

Here's some pre-op reading for you. And of course you can ask questions!

If you have concern about pain with this surgery, Plan For Pain, can be helpful for having this discussion with your medical team.

New BoneSmart members like you are in various stages of their journey to joint replacement. Making the decision whether or not to have surgery and preparing for surgery can be easier once you have done your research and know what lies ahead. Here are some tools that can help you decide what is best for you.

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:

Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic knee?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

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:

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 the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:

Stories of amazing knee recoveries


If you have any questions, fire away - we're here to help.
 
Thank you for replying anyway :) How is your knee after your replacement? Can you walk and do things normally on it? x
 
We mature people like @Niftyknee and I can weigh in on that aspect. My knees are great! I'm fourteen months after surgery, both knees pain-free and completely competent. Stairs are easy again. Walking a pleasure. Swimming is good. Biking, too. I don't run (most surgeons will tell you not to run much on TKRs) but I CAN run if needed. If zombies show up, I'm ready.
 
Hi @zaraamber : I am also in the senior classification so I can't offer advice on the age factor but I can tell you that I am doing things pain free with my "new knees" that I hadn't in years with my originals. Recovery took a while but the end result has been great.

Best of luck
Chemist
 
Haha that's good to know

Thanks @SusieShoes and @Chemist for replying to me. I wish there was a forum for people under the age of 30 so I didn't have to clutter this page up!! Are you both able to kneel on them? Or the ladies - can you wear heels? Sounds silly, but I cant even do that and I'd love to again! x
 
I can wear heels. With my bad knees heels were impossible because of the way heels threw my weight forward through the joint. I tested wearing heels again but I have so gotten used to not wearing them that I don't like walking in them anymore.

Also, wait until your knee is fully healed before wearing kitten heels or stiletto style heels. The wobbliness will NOT be good for your new knee(s)! Block heels are better.
 
Kneeling seems to be a controversial subject and should be a subject for you and your surgeon to discuss.
 
i wish there was a forum for people under the age of 30, so i didnt have to clutter this page up!! .
You're not cluttering up the page. We're here to help everyone.

One thing about knee replacements is that recovery is very similar, whether you're in your twenties or your eighties.
That's because your knee itself will take about the same time to recover, regardless of your age.
We've had younger people here who got very frustrated because they expected to bounce back through recovery faster than an older person.

I'm afraid it doesn't happen like that. Knee replacement is major surgery and it takes quite a toll on your body. It can take as long as a full year for your knee to heal completely, although you will feel much better long before that.
There's nothing you can do to speed up recovery time, but trying to do too much, too soon can slow down your recovery.

I've had both knees replaced, the first when I was 59 and the other knee in my seventies.
Both knees are strong and reliable. They work so well that most days I completely forget about them. I'm still very active.
I can kneel, although i don't like the feeling. As Chemist said, you will need to ask your surgeon about kneeling. Some surgeons prefer you not to kneel.
 
I agree with Celle that recovery is pretty much the same regardless of age.
One thing to be prepared for is people saying "but you're so young!" I got a lot of that and I was in my 40s for my first tkr.:nah:
 
I'm 32 and about to have bilateral TKR on Aug 6! I'm nervous too! I'm also excited because I want to get my life back again. I obviously can't report on postop since I haven't gone through it yet... but I plan on creating a thread to document my recovery. Good luck!
 
Good luck. No don’t know if there is any research to support it but I would have thought that perhaps younger people did bounce back more quickly- assuming you don’t also have other complicating factors.
 
Oops forgot to say I am 5 weeks post op tomorrow. My physio says I am doing well - I am frustrated at how long the healing is taking. I am not up to doing any walks yet or shopping although went to our small local supermarket today for the first time and coped buying 3 things before high tailing it out of there.
 
Thank you so much everyone for your comments!

I'm seeing my surgeon on Thursday so will ask him more then - he is also keen to put the osteotemy as I'm so young. They want to keep the natural knee for as long as possible but I'm already bone on bone and the knee is always swollen and I(can't do any exercise or walk. So I just want to get my quality of life back asap!

@ricekrispy So sorry to hear about your having to go through this all as well. What condition is your knee in? Please add me to your thread as I'm so interested to follow your journey and recovery.
 
No one can add you to a recovery thread because the threads don’t work that way. You can follow a person’s thread, though. Comment on the thread or click on the Watch button at the top of the page. :thumb:
 
no don’t know if there is any research to supoort it but I would have thought that perhaps younger people did bounce back quicker- assuming you don’t also have other complicating factors.
No, they don't bounce back quicker. That is a misconception that causes a lot of frustration and anguish to younger TKR recipients. No matter what your age, your knee is going to take about the same amount of time to recover.
 
he is also keen to put the osteotomy (how ever you spell it) as im "so young" they want to keep the natural knee for as long as possible
@Josephine can explain the difference. I think there are pros and cons to each approach.
 
I'm seeing my surgeon on Thursday so will ask him more then - he is also keen to put the osteotomy as I'm so young. They want to keep the natural knee for as long as possible but I'm already bone on bone and the knee is always swollen
Can you tell me the name of your surgeon and which hospital he works at? I may even know him!

As for your age, I've known a goodly number of folk in their 20s have knee replacements. Had one member last year that was even 14! But I really wouldn't let them do a tibial osteotomy as it's an extremely pain op and has a very long and painful recovery. With the TKR you'll be back on your feet in a number of days and reasonably well recovered within about 12-14 weeks.

But tell me who your surgeon is and I'll do a little research on him for you.
 
sorry ive been usless at replying @Josephine! so my TKr is booked in for early next year in Jan, but ive first gotta loose 3/4 stone... (56lbs!) im tall but am carring extra weight so the more i loose the better it will be... my surgeon is called Johnathon Monk, based in UK - he is wonderful... :) so its down to me now to loose the weight and also that will help with the pain and pressure on my knee x
 

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