Knee replacement questions

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LuckyLeprechaun
LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
in Chit-Chat
My husband has been scheduled for knee replacement surgery on Nov. 30.

If you or someone close to you has been down this path, would you mind responding with your knowledge?

I'm wondering how quickly he will feel relief. At this point he is 100% bone on bone, no cartilege left. Every step really hurts. How soon after surgery will he feel relief? How long for the incision to close up?

How many days should I plan to take off work in order to care for him? What will he need me to do for him? Will he be able to stand and walk right away or are we looking at a period of time utilizing a wheelchair?

We will have a pre-surgery consultation on the 28th where we will be able to ask all these questions (and more!) of his doctor, so I'm not trying to substitute internet knowledge for asking the proper source, but I am very curious to hear more from anyone who has info to share.

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  • mensasu
    mensasu Posts: 355 Member
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    Both my mother and friend have had knee replacements. They both spent several days in the hospital and were able to stand and walk right after recovery. The hospital had them doing stairs before they came home. The pain from the "knee" is gone right away and its just the surgery pain he will have. Can't remember how long for the incision to heal, but not long. Both of them did not want to take narcotic pain meds for long, so they stopped quickly. They both used ice packs to manage the swelling and associated pain. Anti-inflammatories are also good. I believe both were doing physio within 1-2 weeks. And Keith was driving (albiet it was his left leg) in about 6 weeks. The hospital will have you get a walker and some rails for the toilet which we could rent from Red Cross. Keith recovered faster than my mom but I think that was age related (and my mom likes drama :wink: ) Keith was even able to use the shower in a regular tub without a problem stepping in and out. You should not need to take much time off.

    If you can your hubbie should be doing some physio before the surgery to help strengthen the muscles in his surgery leg, it will make recovery much faster.

    Both my mom and friend are very happy they had the surgery.

    Good luck.

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