Has anyone had a knee replacement operation? Can you tell me how long it took to recover and get back to work?

Answer 1

My Husband has had a total knee replacement aged 39. It took 12 weeks of intensive physiotherapy for him to be able to walk without assistance of a walking stick.
if your work is Office based i.e: not a large amount of driving and walking - you should be able to be back in work within 12weeks but if it is manual and requires a large amount of walking it could take up to 16 weeks - but it totally depends on how you heal and the grade of physiotherapy given. My husband can now bend his knee basically to same level as the other knee and what's more - no pain and actually being able to walk and enjoy life with his children

Answer 2

Knee replacements are very big operations and are not always successful. I'm not trying to put you off BTW.
If you are still working then you must be very young to have a knee replacement. The average age for such operations is around 65-70 and that's the lower end of the scale.
If you are younger than 65 you will recover very well indeed, but it will take time and effort on your part.
The physiotherapists can only show you what to do, the rest is down to you. The more you exercise, the quicker you will return to normal.
It will be painful, but all operations involving bones is, so don't worry. Don't be a martyr either, if you are in pain, tell the nurses, don't sit on it.
As for time scales, it's up to the individual really, but I think we are looking at 2-3 months minimum.

Answer 3

You need to allow a good three months to be able to walk pretty normally and to get dressed easily (trousers, shoes and socks) and get up and down off chairs and in and out of cars without being incredibly careful. It takes about that long for the new parts to cement themselves into the bone properly.

You should be put on a CPM machine for a while every day you're in hospital, starting on the day after your operation, that is, a continuous passive movement machine, which passively starts you new knee bending for you. The aim is to have a ninety degree bend before leaving the hospital.
Following the operation, you will have to stay partial weight bearing for about three months, while the knee settles in. That means using either crutches or a frame. Some surgeons will allow you to progress on to one crutch or a walking stick for the last month, but most don't.

Your surgeon will tell you when you can return to work - you should expect to be off for at least three months. The priority during this time is to get as much mobility as possible into the new joint - after this window, your mobility will be very slow to improve. You will have a lengthy set of exercises to do, and will be expected to do them two to three times daily. Your recovery depends very much on these exercises, and how you do them is important. Your exercises will be given to you by the physiotherapist, and should be followed up when you're at home with regular outpatient or home visits to supervise the progression and monitor your progress.

You will have significant swelling for a long time in the knee - it can last months, and it will be very warm for quite a while also.

Overall, knee replacements are a great thing, but take a long time to recover from, three to six months at least.

Check out this booklet available from the Arthritis Research Campaign - it answers most of the commonly asked questions before and after a knee replacement.
http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/booklets/6021/6021.htm

Answer 4

Hi KB,

Recovery period will depend on a number of things
YOUR AGE
Type of prosthesis
whether you are, or were a smoker
and the amount of damage to the knee.
Your general health

On average and providing there are no Post Op complications
you should be mobilised after a few days. However this is usually done slowly for small amounts of time in the day.
The overall time before being completely independent is usually about 3 months.

Answer 5

I haven't but a friend is due to go into hospital for a knee replacement and has been told he will be off work for three months.

Answer 6

A friend had this done in June last year, and returned back to work a fortnight ago, with still a little pain, but full movement returned.

Answer 7

i do not understand what the finished restore time is, yet a pal who's having it executed in January reported that the overall practitioner and actual therapists plan to have her up, walking, or maybe tackling stairs the day after the surgical procedure, and residential interior of a few days to each and each week. (ETA: for sure it relies upon on the healthcare professional, the surgical approaches used, and how your body responds to it as well.)

Answer 8

i havn't but my dad had a partial knee replacement just before christmas and he is still on the sick for another 2month. hes having bit trouble with it at the minute, but i think that could just be the cold weather