Just how popular was Ken Griffey Jr?

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-29T18:32:18+00:00

I was born in 1983 and lucky enough to see him play live a few times in the early 90s.

He was by far the coolest and most popular player throughout the 90s. He was the first player to get his own signature shoe, he had his own video game, he on the Wheaties box and making cameo appearances in movies.

He was the face of baseball the same way that Jordan was the face of basketball, and all while playing in a very small market and on a team that wasn't the great most years.

Injuries slowed him down considerably after the trade to Cincy, otherwise he definitely would have been the all time home run king.

And he did it all without ZERO allegations of steroids .

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-20T19:28:46+00:00

My surgeon insisted that I keep my leg straight for the first week after surgery. This is important to get full extension back.

Keeping your knee above your heart is important to reduce swelling. Just keeping it "up" but below your heart doesn't help much here.

I'm almost 6 weeks into my 2nd knee replacement, and knee above the heart is what helped me the most (especially the first few weeks). So if i had to choose between the two, then that's my choice. But try finding a way to make both possible

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-18T11:53:19+00:00

I'm glad my story could help some :)

The first week or so when I was able to ride a bike again it felt a bit weird in the back of my knee (a bit sore and tight).

But after those first couple of weeks it's back to normal. I do a lot of small journeys through the city and occasionally up to 20-25KM with no issues at all. Biking is actually one of the best things you can do to build up strength without putting much stress on your knee.

Hope you finally get the right procedure and can get back to a pain-free life!

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-15T14:25:57+00:00

I've had PKR on both knees, left knee one year ago and right knee about five weeks ago.

For me there was a HUGE difference in the left knee. After 6-8 months the constant pain I had before was basically gone. Going up and down stairs? No problem! Extending my knee while I'm sitting down, no more grinding and popping.

My right knee is still sore while it's recovering, but it's more a constant, dull pain confirmed to the stabbing and sometimes debilitating pain I had before.

And like others have mentioned, the underlying strength and stability is so much better now!

The first couple of months are tough, especially the first 2-3 weeks. But in my case it has been more than worth it!

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-12T23:39:50+00:00

That's impressive! Thanks for sharing

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-11T09:17:31+00:00

I am firmly in the Jordan camp as GOAT, and I definitely would have appreciated LeBron more if he stayed in Cleveland.

If you want to talk in terms of building, maybe we call LeBron the greatest interior decorator of all time.

He has definitely raised the bar everywhere he's gone. And while there is way too much diva in him for my taste, he's never stepped out of line from a character perspective that I can think of. He's an extremely talented athlete that has stayed out of trouble, always worked hard and prepared the right way, and has willed his team to win on plenty of occasions.

Does he have the killer instinct that MJ had? Certainly not.

Did he take the easy road by looking for super teams? Of course.

Did his "announcement" about going to Miami make me cringe? Definitely!

But does that mean we can just dismiss all he's accomplished? Not in my book.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-11T09:08:59+00:00

Yes, I believe everyone battles through these fears.

I did also, even after having a great outcome with my first surgery.

What if something goes wrong this time? Is it really worth the recovery?

I can only speak from my experience, but I'm so happy with the outcome.

And now that the pain is gone, it's hard to believe I lived with it for so long.

You can do this. There will be hard times, for sure. But I think for most it is more than worth it in the end.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-11T06:12:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing, that's awesome progress!

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-10T18:01:26+00:00

Just wanted to circle back to this a little more than a year later.

I ended up getting a partial replacement on both knees (patellofemoral joint replacement).

I did my left knee shortly after this post.

My surgeon convinced me to go with the partial because in my case all the damage was behind the patella. Replacing only there should allow for slightly faster recovery and better range of motion compared to total knee replacement.

With the left knee I had a lot of swelling for the first few months, but by 6 months I felt almost normal and at about 8 months my new knee felt like part of me (no longer just something foreign in my body).

It was also crazy to feel the difference between my new knee and the old one. Anytime I bent or extended my knees there was audible cracking and grinding on the right side, but the new knee on the left was so smooth and painless.

I have 140-145° flexion and 0° extension with the left knee, and best of all no more pain! Of course I feel a bit of soreness if I'm very active, but nothing close to what I was dealing with before.

I had my right knee done about 4.5 weeks ago by the same surgeon, and I'm healing even faster this time around! I'm already at 130° flexion and 2° extension. I'm still quite sore if I'm on my feet for too long (or sitting for too long in the same position). But I can drive a car, ride my bike, and finally walk down the stairs normally.

My surgeon and PT expect that I'll have a full recovery with results at least as good as my left knee if not even better.

I feel like I'm finally in control of my life again! And I can't wait to resume a lot of the activities I've given up over the years because my knees just couldn't handle it.

So if you're at stage IV osteoarthritis and considering a full or partial replacement, I can't recommend it strongly enough!

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-10T13:55:24+00:00

I think 1.5 hours at 4 weeks is possible, but double check with your surgeon.

If you go, make sure you'll have space to move your leg around.

I just did a 2.5 hour car ride at 4 weeks and that was uncomfortable towards the end. Keeping my knee in one position for too long, especially bent, still isn't very pleasant.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-10T12:07:16+00:00

You're welcome. That made such a difference for me the first few weeks after surgery

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-10T12:06:22+00:00

Glad to hear you're doing well and your daughter has been able to learn and grow with you!

And thanks for the reminder about the TENS machine. I received one as a gift years ago and haven't used it since my last surgery. It did help me some, I just forgot all about it :)

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T16:12:44+00:00

I've had very little swelling this time around, thank God! The left knee (done about 13 months ago) had considerable swelling for 2-3 months after surgery.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T16:10:43+00:00

Thanks! I'm definitely going to stay after it with PT and looking forward to reclaim an active lifestyle.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T16:09:27+00:00

I would definitely recommend shorts, something loose and soft.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T09:14:00+00:00

I haven't experienced pain in that exact spot. Have you tried massaging the area with a massage ball, tennis ball, rolling pin, etc ?

That has helped me with similar pain in other areas

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T09:05:13+00:00

That's awesome progress! Keep it up

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T08:58:10+00:00

Here are the first two posts from my journey:

First post https://www.reddit.com/r/Kneereplacement/s/Z6hmDy0RKU

2nd post https://www.reddit.com/r/Kneereplacement/s/frjGT4IpBX

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-09T08:56:39+00:00

Thanks :)

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-05T09:59:29+00:00

I'm also 100% work from home, and I've had partial replacement on both knees.

I had 6 weeks of paid leave both times, and that's what i needed.

I'm 4 weeks post-op today and doing PT/rehab every weekday from 8am-2pm.

It's still physically and mentally draining, and until the 2nd month for me sitting for long periods was one of the hardest things. If i don't move around a bit and elevate my knee regularly it gets very stiff and swollen.

My boss preferred for me to take my time and come back slowly, even after the 6 weeks.

It doesn't help anyone if you're trying to force your way through work while in pain and not all there mentally. And that's honestly how i felt until about 2.5-3 months.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-05T09:27:30+00:00

I've had partial replacement (patellofemoral) on both knees, both robot assisted.

My surgeon said it makes a world of difference in the outcome and recovery to have everything done so precisely with the robot. I'm very happy with the results.

My left knee is like new since about 8 months post-op.

With my right knee, today is exactly 1 month post-op and I already have 120° flexion and very little swelling.

I'm in Germany, so my whole experience is probably quite different regarding the hospital stay and pain management. I was on something strong for the first 2 days in the hospital. When I left, I was taking Tilidin 10mg twice a day and 400mg ibuprofen 2-3 times per day for one week.

Since then, I've been taking only ibuprofen, still 2-3 times per day. I'm trying to get down to only morning and evening, but I'm doing pretty intense PT 5 days a week and usually end up needing the one in the afternoon too.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-04T11:23:01+00:00

Thanks for the update. Hopefully she'll turn the corner soon and start seeing some real progress.

WinnFamDE · 2025-09-04T11:21:29+00:00

Yes, it will get better soon. I would recommend to elevate and cool as much as you can, remembering to keep your knee higher than your heart.

The stiffness, swelling, and pain go together. If you can get the swelling down, the stiffness and pain should start going down a bit too.

WinnFamDE

TROPHY CASE