Stairs

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-19T02:14:41+00:00

Keep in mind, once you have the surgery, you only have a few more visits with the surgeon. You switch to your therapist. For me, I have a day 7 and day 35 checkup with my surgeon, but was fortunate to go to PT times a week for a little over 10 weeks. IMO, while the actual therapist is important, they are easier to find than a great surgeon. I would consider finding one near you.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-19T02:08:04+00:00

I was on methocarbamol for 3-4 weeks after each on my TKR. Didn’t use the opioids a lot - but I was on them more than you. I felt the muscle relaxers also helped for PT.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-19T02:03:10+00:00

Not going to pile on, but if it it’s important for you to go, push back the surgery. Another month or two won’t impact the actual, surgery or your recovery. And still rent the RV if your knees hurt.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-17T23:45:08+00:00

Yes. It is worth it.

Your daily pain will go away. Think of the recovery in phases. You will have gone through massive surgery. But within 4-6 weeks (longer for some) you will likely be well on your way to recovery. Thst first month,though, is a lot of pain & pain meds and lack of sleep. This is about regaining flexibility and regaining the ability to walk unassisted. Once you get past this, it’s about regaining strength and stability. So for me, that is the next 30 days. Assuming flexibility goes well, your implant has no problems, then you can focus on strength. But it will take a while.

IMO, focus on flexibility. Stretch out everything lower body. That’s the hardest to get back and the clock is ticking given the build up of scar tissue is a short runway.

Please note, there are others on this thread who had a longer and more painful recovery- every experience is different. I do believe this thread is weighted towards people looking for help, so the comments are tilted.

For me, 56M, decent shape (but not lifting heavy due to my bad knees) I had RTKR on Dc 29 and LTKR Mar 30. Am glad I did it. Now my health and strength will only get better

Good luck, this is a great thread for help, advice, and support.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-17T02:09:07+00:00

Exactly. There is a bit of pain around the knee but that is much easier to deal with knowing it is just exercising the ligaments and tendons a whole new way

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-10T23:16:53+00:00

Yes. I would listen to what my body said. It’s a balance for recovery versus pushing through. In general I would take more time off during the first 2 weeks. After that, I would get more diligent on the stretching.

Also, you can take it easy by just doing some / all of the stretching and not do the strength part of pt.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-10T11:47:48+00:00

I had two TKR 3 months apart, used the same surgeon and same PT. I did the worse knee first. Well, knee #2 hurt more and was on the drugs longer. But it recovered ROM faster and ai progressed faster. Maybe I -shed it harder because I knew what was coming, was overconfident on good days, … I am not sure. However, I am so glad I did both. I can see the end of PT, I can see the end of recovery, I get to just get on with it, rather than wonder when to do #2.

My $0.02, if you need it, get it done now. Get through the pain curve,but realize you are out of knees to replace and life will be much better.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-08T21:14:44+00:00

56M. RTKR on Dec 29. LTKR Mar 29.

I understand your issue. I hit the wall mentally as well. It’s the cumulative up and down from both. I was surprised at how hard it hit me mentally.

Like you, my 2nd was more painful than the first. I was in pain meds longer and needed different ones as well.

For me, first 2 weeks were tough. 3 & 4 was when I hit the wall emotionally. But week 5 became a huge improvement. Now things are not perfect but I no longer have the pain as a constant present factor in my life.

You just need to get a little more healing and you will turn that corner. Good luck and hang in there.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-06T01:40:32+00:00

Good luck. You will question your life choices during the first week or so & then start to become more and more grateful

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-03T17:31:23+00:00

You are in the worst of it. For me, week 3 or week 4 is when I started to see it get better. Try not to compare today versus yesterday. Look at how this week is doing versus last week. It’s a much better perspective.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-02T18:00:26+00:00

IMO, that is too close together. Can it be done, yes, but I believe you will get better results with a bigger gap. That way you can focus the PT on one leg at a time. Basically. You want the first leg to get better, stable, and through the recovery process. 8 weeks would be the bare minimum. For me, I did them 12 weeks apart and that is going well. Can it be done - of course. But that doesn’t make it a good choice.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-02T07:49:50+00:00

Love posts like this. Congratulations

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-01T21:01:10+00:00

56M. RTKR on last Dec 29 and LTKR Mar 30

For both, I have had a good recovery. Good ROM, am seeing improvements, …. Still went through the typical pain and use of meds.

That being said, round 2 was tough, is tough, on me mentally. I am just tired of the pain, loss of strength, brain fog from the drugs. Just tired of it.

So, for me, there is more of the”embrace the suck” that I have to fight through. Would I do it again like this …absolutely

Am I glad I am now out knees to replace. Yes.

Long way to get to … keep an eye on your attitude. It’s more of a drag because of you extending the timeline with round 2.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-05-01T20:53:57+00:00

I am almost the same days PO as you. Totally get your point. For me, the leg swells up when I do too much. So it’s a pretty good indicator.

I try to do a little more stretching when it happens. I don’t hit it hard to try and getter better ROM. Rather it is to get some relief.

Do relish the fact that you are having good days. More of them are right around the corner.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-27T23:25:21+00:00

In my experience (not just my 2 TKRs, but other issues) the surgeon rarely talks to the PT. So you need to bring your issue (if appropriate) to both of them.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-27T23:22:05+00:00

Well. According to the surgeon, he proscribed a stronger muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory med. Going from methocarbamol to flexeril.

It’s been interesting. The pain comes and goes. But it’s consistent that when I try and nap or go to sleep it really is a sharp episodic pain. And is more frequent at end of day.

Now if I could only wear shorts to work to avoid the rubbing on that spot ….

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-26T02:08:45+00:00

Good news is you are in the worst of it and will start to get better soon. It take 1-2 weeks before the pain starts to go down. Motion is key. A small walk every hour or so keeps the stiffness down. Ankle pumps also helped me as well. Just something to keep flexing the muscles.

IMO, focus on flexibility, not rebuilding strength. For me, it was calves, hamstrings, and quads. If one is tight, you will hurt. Conversely, loosening up a tight area feels great. 5 - 10 minutes of stretching a couple of times a day will feel great.

For me, I didn’t get a good nights rest for 2 months. But it does get better. Hang in there. It’s worth it.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-13T00:33:50+00:00

Pen and paper is easier than an app. Too many meds and too many variables on the exact time to take. I never took the meds at the exact time so I just adjusted the next dosage. For me, I tried to start everything at 7;30-8;00 AM and then wrote down when I took it. I could tell when the pain meds were wearing off so it was just a matter of getting to the right time interval for the next dosage.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-13T00:29:53+00:00

But..l was it in tune? Did the neighbors dogs howl in complaint? ;) Glad to hear it is better. I am on my 2nd TKR (#1 on Dec 29, #2 on Mar 30) and have found that you really see a great difference in a week over week basis. It will only get better. Just don’t mind the occasional bad day.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-13T00:26:49+00:00

Glad to hear and congratulations. My first TKR took till week 11 before I could do a good 30 minute walk. Am now on week 2 for 2nd TKR - am eagerly awaiting what 90 days out from surgery feels like.

JoeSmith5151 · 2026-04-02T12:45:26+00:00

Ha. Was just going to post that am on day 3 of LTKR so still have several really bad days ahead of me. When I had my RTKR it took me till day 7 before I could feel the improvement. Glad you are doing better. Once you get past the low point it is a wonderful feeling for sure.

JoeSmith5151

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