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Total knee replacement 2-26-19, Rode 10 miles today.

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Total knee replacement 2-26-19, Rode 10 miles today.

Old 03-24-19, 02:48 PM
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Don in Austin
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Total knee replacement 2-26-19, Rode 10 miles today.

Maybe I am extraordinarily lucky, but my recovery from knee replacement is much easier than everything I had heard and read. I guess it helps that I had a really good surgeon and he must have been having a good day, too. Surgery Tues, Feb 26, could have gone home immediately, but then I thought "Why burden my wife when I can stay in the hospital and let medicare feed me and care for me?" So I went home Friday, day 4. Knee felt solid so no cane, walker or crutch. Went to work the next week -- desk. Friday I got on my bike and did 50 laps in our circular driveway. Yesterday I re-joined my Saturday group ride, but turned around at about mile 3 to be safe. Went on group ride today and suggested we turn back and take another route where there was a sharp off-road dip that made me paranoid. 10 miles and felt fine. I did stay in the small front ring the whole time as the left knee seemed to prefer spin over torque. PT 2/week and a bunch of home exercises. Not remotely as daunting -- so far anyway -- as I had been led to believe. Looking forward to long walks and going up and down stairs in full steps as opposed to half-steps. Soon I hope to do the full 35 mile Saturday ride.

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Old 03-24-19, 03:35 PM
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Well done!
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Old 03-24-19, 04:05 PM
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That is amazing ! My brother bent his knee a bit too much trying to sit down on the couch after surgery and set himself back weeks in recovery. Good to see great results like yours.
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Old 03-24-19, 04:16 PM
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Great news, good luck and progress.
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Old 03-24-19, 05:22 PM
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A quick recovery, for sure. My recovery took a good two months before I was able to hike. As is was late fall-early winter, I stayed off the bike. But I was skiing both downhill and cross-country within five month of the surgery. I was fully recovered within a year. Glad you had such an easy time of it.
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Old 03-24-19, 05:48 PM
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Excellent work.
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Old 03-25-19, 07:01 AM
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GREAT reading about the positive results with your surgery. Hope things continue going well and just don't overdo it!!!
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Old 03-25-19, 07:43 AM
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Don in Austin
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Originally Posted by jackb
A quick recovery, for sure. My recovery took a good two months before I was able to hike. As is was late fall-early winter, I stayed off the bike. But I was skiing both downhill and cross-country within five month of the surgery. I was fully recovered within a year. Glad you had such an easy time of it.
I am not done yet! The challenge ahead will be walking up and down stairs with proper full steps. I insisted on being provided a continuous passive motion machine at the hospital and one to use at home. Lately there are mixed reports on how useful these are, but I am a strong believer. I had it cranked up to the maximum 120* about the third day i was home and did not use it again. PT said my range of motion left (surgical) knee was 134*, my right 135*. I will take that!
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Old 03-25-19, 09:00 AM
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Awesome! I wasn't as quick on the rebound as you seem to be, but I have excellent ROM, nearly to the design limit. I had my Left TKR in Nov of 2010...
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Old 03-25-19, 09:03 AM
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Glad your recovery is going well. On a more cautionary note, a friend had both knees replaced two years ago - about 5 days after the surgery he fell and badly damaged one knee, had another surgery which used a donor tendon to repair some of the damage, developed a bad infection, another surgery, and ultimately had to amputate the leg above the knee. He is doing well with an artificial leg now, but nowhere near the functionality that he was hoping for with the knee replacements. For anyone else who is planning a knee or hip replacement, make sure you don't fall in the first few weeks after the surgery!
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Old 03-25-19, 11:52 AM
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You are doing better than my son with his torn patellar tendon repair, which is obviously far less traumatic surgery. It has been more than 6 months, and he is still not quite back to full functionality, although under the care of a good PT he is making steady progress. Best wishes for your continued recovery!
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Old 04-02-19, 03:03 PM
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Great job Don!!! Keep up the great work!!! Scopes in both my knees in the last couple of years, my knees are happiest when pedaling!
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Old 04-02-19, 05:43 PM
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I love it when I hear about quick recoveries after a replacement. I had a shoulder replacement a few years back and I couldn't wait to get back to the activities. Okay, here's where I get practical.....don't overdue it.
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Old 04-03-19, 01:48 AM
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Excellent progress. Yup, I know what you mean about taking advantage of that overnight stay. Increasingly hospitals try to do day surgery and discharge to home, not just to save money but to reduce the risk of infection -- hospitals are filthy, try as they might to keep down pathogens, and nosocomial infections are commonly passed between patients by staff and visitors. I stayed overnight after my surgery in November for thyroid cancer, but that was because I live alone. Good thing because that first night was miserable, but I recovered quickly and was riding my bike within two or three days.
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Old 04-03-19, 07:55 AM
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That`s GREAT!
I had a neighbor a block away that could barely walk with a walker 4 weeks post Op.
I guy I used to work with had both knees done. His left leg was turned out great, but his right knee bothered him for a year. The DR. that did the operation just told him keep up with the exercise and pain meds.
He went to a different Ortho surgeon and after X rays he was told he had two Left knees installed!
He sued the Dr. that did the surgery, and must have won big, because he retired early!
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Old 04-14-19, 04:25 PM
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Don in Austin
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Well...hit a little snag here after the boasting in the original post! The 29th of March I went to PT and the PT tech FREAKED OUT! My incision had sprung a leak. I went to the orthopedic doc that afternoon. He shut down EVERYTHING, PT, gym, bike riding, home exercises. Man, that was depressing! Why did this happen? I don't at all blame the doc but PROBABLY blame the kitchen sink. The night before I had to repair a clogged drain pipe. PT tech told me bending the knee for range of motion is good, but NOT kneeling with calf flat on the floor -- stone floor at that. A depressing two weeks went by, despite the reassurance of my doc that this was just a temporary setback. It seemed like I had lost all my progress, though now I don't think so. Apparently if you get an infection inside a knee replacement it will essentially have to be redone -- BUMMER! Given antibiotics strong enough to kill an elephant -- BUMMER! But this immediate last Friday I was cleared to go to PT. I rode a very few miles yesterday, 11 miles today. SLOW! Ride was rather strange in that I didn't have much top speed because I made it a rule never to leave the 34t front ring. Power = torque x RPM. I think I should go with the RPMs and minimize the torque. I have a fair amount to catch up, but back in the saddle is GOOD. Still in good overall shape for 6 1/2 weeks,
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Old 04-14-19, 06:57 PM
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NICE!

Being a cyclist really helps. I hadn't ridden for many years when I had my first one replaced and the recovery took a while.

By the time I had my second on replaced, I had returned to cycling and had fought back against the arthritis that cost me the knee by riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the California Coast Classic in 2016 and 2017, to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. I had the second one replaced in Nov. 2017 and road the Calif. Coast Classic again in September 2018. Being an active cyclist again, the second operation went much smoother. I went home the same day and was able to climb the stairs up to my bedroom that night.

Would you like to join me for the 2019 California Coast Classic this Sept 20-28? If not, would you care to be a sponsor? events.arthritis.org/participant/Oren

In either case, if you have any questions about post total knee replacement riding, let me know.
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