parents and knee operations

red_devil

Any feedback on knee replacements? Parent is having one soon?

heartbreak_star

Mum's went smoothly, day procedure, no overnight stay.

HBS x

AndyBSG

My mum has had both her knees done in the last couple of years and i'm sure she would heartily recommend it.

It has made a huge change to her mobility and the recovery period wasn't too bad, within less than 6 weeks she was fully mobile, much more so than before the op.

One thing to note is that they can be done under local or general anaesthetic. For the first one my mum had general but other people in the ward had local and their initial recovery from the op was much quicker so my mum went for that on her second op and much preferred it as she got out of hospital a lot quicker.

jjj1980

My mum has had both done. She opted for a spinal anaesthesia for both and watched the ops in the reflections of the overhead lights!


The first went really well and she recovered really well. The second was a more extensive op, with parts of the tibia and femur having to be replaced as well. She ended up with an infection in the wound and had to wear a long brace that kept her leg straight for a couple of weeks.

Taffnclaire

Hello, I work in Orthopaedics and see many people who have had joint replacements. make sure your parent completes all her post op exercises. I see many patients and find that those who did their exercises progressed better. Also if your parent smokes please encourage them to stop, as this can also affect their recovery too.

Rambosmum

Grandmother in law and my best friend have had them done as have a handful of other people I know - none have regretted it. One got an infection post op but it cleared up and the knee is great. All had considerably better mobility afterwards and virtually no pain. Those who did their post op physio religiously have better mobility on the whole than those who didn't.

missbiggles1

It'll depend on whether s/he's having a full or partial replacement. If it's a full replacement the recovery time will be longer and s/he'll need a lot more physio.

Most people who make a very speedy recovery have only had partial replacement, even if they don't realise this.

http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/surgery/knee-replacement/different-types/partial-knee-replacement.aspx

itsanne

My father had both knees replaced (separately) many years ago and OH had one done after a previous serious knee injury nearly six months ago. All three replacements were very successful.

Full recovery after knee replacement takes about a year, but things improve dramatically long before then. The most important thing is the physiotherapy afterwards:it's pretty gruelling! Those who do it despite the difficulty make a good recovery, whereas those who don't never get full use of the new knee. Several of my father's contemporaries had knee replacements which were not successful, but in each case they had not [STRIKE]bothered[/STRIKE] persevered with the physio. It might feel mean, but encourage your parent to do all the exercises even though they're sore - it will be worth it.

bluenoseam

My Gran had hers done around 16 years ago, at the start it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but ask her today & she'd never have had it done. She's a little bit uneducated in that she firmly believes that the knee replacement & not her advancing years are the reason that she suffers from a persistent infection in the joint. As a result of that view she regularly spews that if she knew what was coming she'd never have had it done - despite the fact that prior to the replacement she wasn't able to walk 10ft without severe pain.

All I can do is echo the sentiments above, just keep the faith with the physio & things will work out fine - my Gran being a stubborn old dear never did anything. Her problems are a combination of age (91 in January) & the replacement ironically being overdue for replacement so hardly a textbook case for negative opinion!

onlyroz

My husband is on his third knee after a motorbike accident in his 20s. My understanding is that a knee replacement is more complex than a hip replacement, but it's probably easier if the replacement is required for general wear and tear/arthritis, rather than if it's required due to an accident.

How old is your relative? Replacement knees and hips do not necessarily last forever, and it might need doing again in 10-15 years. But these days it is a fairly routine operation and most outcomes are successful. You can expect your relative to wear a brace for a number of weeks/months, and to need crutches. Getting around the house can be difficult with crutches, making it difficult to carry things - so ensuring that the house has a good layout where (e.g.) a cup of tea can be carried to the table in stages will be helpful. Also getting a grabber thingy to pick things from the floor will be useful.

itsanne

onlyroz wrote: »

My husband is on his third knee after a motorbike accident in his 20s. My understanding is that a knee replacement is more complex than a hip replacement, but it's probably easier if the replacement is required for general wear and tear/arthritis, rather than if it's required due to an accident.

How old is your relative? Replacement knees and hips do not necessarily last forever, and it might need doing again in 10-15 years. But these days it is a fairly routine operation and most outcomes are successful. You can expect your relative to wear a brace for a number of weeks/months, and to need crutches. Getting around the house can be difficult with crutches, making it difficult to carry things - so ensuring that the house has a good layout where (e.g.) a cup of tea can be carried to the table in stages will be helpful. Also getting a grabber thingy to pick things from the floor will be useful.

Neither my father (many years ago) nor OH (recently) wore a brace at all, and both were fine with sticks though others left hospital on crutches. The newer knees seem to be given a slightly longer life span - hopefully accurately! The grabber is an excellent idea. It's one of these. (Other variations are available.) Some hospitals supply one.