Community Chat

[RedTop]

It has been nearly 3 years since I had my knee replacement, and I only needed surgery on the one knee, so I am not as qualified to answer as someone who has had both knees done at the same time. During the first 2 weeks, I remember being in PT, working hard, and being thankful I only needed to get the one knee fixed, and was not rehabbing both at the same time. I was 56 when I had my surgery, and was off work for nearly 3 months. Even tho I feel I had an awesome recovery after surgery, 4-6 weeks would've been too soon for me to return to work. I made sure I took all the time I needed, as I had years of sick time accumulated, and also knew I was retiring at the end of the year. I had surgery on Wed., came home on Fri., and started PT on Mon., 3 days that first week, then 2x a week after that for a total of 28 sessions, even though I had more than 90% flex and bend function before the first month.

[goodstuff]

ONE AT A TIME! I had mine done a year apart, and my (excellent) surgeon would not consider doing them both at the same time. Some of that may depend on your age and general medical history, but he said doing both would increase time under anesthesia, risk of excessive bleeding, and risk of complications. TKR is painful and challenging, and I don't know how I would have possibly functioned if both knees had been incapacitated at once! I needed my "good" (although it wasn't all that good) non-surgical knee to get me through life functions and physical therapy during recovery. As another poster said, they will probably have you up and taking steps before you leave the hospital........but trust me: being able to walk to the bathroom with a walker or cane is NOT the same thing as being "recovered"!

Full recovery will take weeks or months, depending on how your surgery goes, how healthy and fit you are, how physically strenuous your usual daily schedule is, and how hard you work on recovery therapy. You will be doing regular PT for a number of weeks following TKR. It takes time and work. Some people recover more quickly than others, but I wouldn't count on being back to full speed in a month.

[tennpal15]

I had one SIL that did one at a time, and one that had both done at once. The one that had both done at the same time was thinking that maybe she wouldn't feel like having the 2nd one done ~ and my SIL that did one at a time said she really really had to push herself to go back for the second.

Knees take a longer recovery time than hips, from what I've heard. More than a month, right?

[Bella2]

Thank you all so much for your sharing your experiences. I am going to think carefully before making my decision. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my question.