Knee Replacements

It can make you lethal.

Ha Ha r1.

Mom had it done last year at 86 years old. Recovered fully within 2-3 months. No limp and walks completely without assistance. No problem walking for miles at a time.

Had my first replacement last year, with the second due shortly. Wish I hadn’t waited so long. Started gingerly going out after the first week, and it kept getting better. You’ll probably be walking on the first day.

However… it will probably be a little uncomfortable for a little while, so working with your physical therapist is key. Hoping my 2nd time is as successful.

My husband had the first one done in August, had a great therapist from the VNA for both, and the second one in November. We went on a Caribbean cruise for Christmas and New Years. He saw a lot of islands on crutches and did his physical therapy work in the gym on the ship with one of the trainers onboard.

You have to do the PT exercises. It’s tough: they hurt, but w/o ‘em the surgery won’t do what it should. With them he’s had 15 pain-free years.

Go for it, KittyDyke. Short term bad, long term game-changer. Two eldergay friends of mine (ages mid 60s and early 70s) became much more ambulatory and active and with much improved cardiology numbers, for years and years after getting it done.

Do it! Wishing you their same good outcome if you do.

Have heard only good things from friends (varying ages and activity levels) who've had it done. Their common report was that they only wished they'd done it sooner.

Good luck, KittyDyke.

My dad had both replaced, and it was good experience. However, one got infected when he was 81. He didn’t go to the doctor until it really really hurt. The resulting surgery reolaced the knee implant and avoided sepsis, but he never recovered from the hospitalization. He only lived about three months from when he finally went to the doctor.

Did he go to the dentist without taking antibiotics R8?

I don’t know, ElderLez. Is that a thing?

Even if he was advised to do so, he wouldn’t have. And my mom’s undiagnosed cognitive decline meant that she didn’t really communicate what was going on until it was undeniable.

Yes, you will have to take antibiotics before any dental procedure, even just a cleaning. There’s a huge risk of the joint getting infected.

I had a hip replacement - not the same thing, I know - last year. I can tell you it was worth it, despite months of recovery and a lot of pain initially. A year later I've more than tripled the distance I can walk without even a hint of pain. 15 months ago I couldn't walk more than a quarter mile - about 3 city blocks - without starting to limp from sharp pain. Now I never get that sharp pain and my strength and stamina are still increasing. I walked almost 4 miles yesterday and close to half of that was a pleasure walk in the park for exercise.

Do it!

Taking antibiotics for a dental cleaning is not a thing lol

[quote] Taking antibiotics for a dental cleaning is not a thing lol

Yes it is. I had my knee replaced this spring and one of the instructions from the surgeon was that all dental cleanings for a year are to be proceeded by a round of antibiotics. The risk of infection in the new knee still exists.

Don’t spread misinformation. Especially in a snide, mocking manner when you obviously don’t know shit.

I have three replaced joints and a deep cleaning scheduled in 4 hours. I need the definitive answer on this. Mine are five years old.

R15 All of your replacements are at least five years old? You’re fine.

For any definitive medical advice, you should consult a doctor, not DL.

I had mine 8 years ago. The results are excellent. My recovery was difficult, I had a lot of pain but by 6months I was fully recovered.

Different doctors advise different things regarding prophylactic antibiotics for dental cleanings and procedures post joint replacement. Some don’t believe it makes a difference. My wife’s surgeon (hospital for special surgery) told her at least two years, preferably for life.

They're a lot less painful than if you're fairly normal weight and not a 300+ pound beast of burden.

Prophylactic antibiotics recommendations change all the time regarding dental procedures. MT mom used to take them because of mitral valve prolapse and now she's told it's unnecessary. She wasn't told to take them post knee replacement either. Some doctors do still recommend it and there's little risk in taking it. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Dental Association (ADA) have stated that preventive antibiotics are not necessary for the majority of patients with joint replacements undergoing dental procedures. I personally would recommend whatever your physician recommends doing. Some people may be at greater risk than others.

have had both knees done...nightmare...do the PT and make sure to bend to keep range of motion

This is just my experience, but the two people that I know that had it are no better off than before

One person had two surgeries on the same knee and now walks with a bad lump and needs a cane

Gotta love the overconfident hubris of R13, lol-ing as they give completely inaccurate information about a topic that they clearly know nothing about.

It's really breathtaking sometimes when you see this on DL. The unbridled idiocy coupled with supreme confidence is so amusing.

When I had my hip replacement I was told I only needed antibiotics for 2 years before dental visits. 5 years is probably fine.

My mom is VERY cooperative with her PT. She takes it very seriously. I was there to help her during her recovery and her good-looking physical therapist said she was doing better than 99% of his patients so soon after the surgery. I really think it's key to having a complete and fast recovery. You have to be willing to put in the work. She said she had a much easier time with the knee replacement than she did with her rotator cuff repair 10 years before. Again, she was 86 years old when she had the knee replaced last year so no spring chicken, but in pretty good shape for her age.

R23 Some people may be a greater risk than others and some doctors are more conservative as well. I would recommend that people follow the advice of their physician with regard to antibiotic prophylaxis rather than opinions on a message board. The antibiotics used are typically low risk like amoxicillin (if not penicillin allergic) and for only a few days.

Try Knee-Gro.

R22 what was their health and fitness/level of activity like before the surgery?

R27 pretty active swimming etc. not sedentary at all

R22 that person who turned out worse needs to talk to a malpractice attorney. Either there's more to that story or they got screwed by a bad doctor. No one comes out of a joint replacement worse than they went in.

R29 I think she got screwed by a bad doctor and she never pushed it. It’s my partner sister and she doesn't really share stuff

r26 😆😆😆😆😆😆 "Don't be a slave to the pain, escape it!"

I was suppose to get a reverse shoulder replacement. Then I looked up how they did it, jeezuz, I backed out....maybe knees are easier.......

KittyDyke, my husband has had both knees replaced. The first was in 2018, the other March of this year. He regrets he waited as long as he did in both cases. He was 64 for the first, 72 for the second. It went really well; we were two weeks in Italy, with a lot of walking in May of this year. Post op PT is important. Good luck to you.

My mother had one done the day Tina Turner died. She was 64. The knee operation went well minus the unsanitary conditions and she got infected with sepsis. Within three days she was a zombie, mumbling, unable to make sentences, no sense of memory. It took months but she recovered....not fully. Her memory will always be shot.