8 weeks after knee replacement

Chainsaw69

Junior Member
Jan 20, 2020
2
0
6
Got knee 120degrees bend and 5 degrees off straight,still limping when walk and gets tight and can’t do more than half a mile ,struggle to go down stairs without holding on ,being on my mountain bike for last 10 days doing around 5-10 kilometres just seem to have slowed down ,thought I would be walking properly now ,and I have other bad knee which is getting worse .Iam desperate to return to work as I’m self employed ( joiner ) and main earner so the last 12 months have been terrible,doing my exercises trying to get my muscle in my thigh back .going swimming this week anyone else seem to have hit brick wall cheers john
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,391
5,004
136
It should get better with time. I went back to work at 5 weeks with -133 degree bend and -3 degrees straight. It will be a year Feb 22 since my surgery and I still can only get it to -3 degrees straight which is as straight as I could get it before surgery. It doesn't hurt and I can do everything I want to do. I was fortunate to have an excellent doctor and therapist.

Did you do physical therapy after the surgery? I did three days a week at the therapist office and on my own daily. I would think if you are doing 5-10 Kilometers on mountain bike you could go back to work. Over doing it will lead to swelling and stiffness. It will also set you back in the healing process from what my therapist and doctor told me.

Everybody is different and results vary. A friend of mine had his done back in August the 2nd and just came back to work 2 weeks ago ( out for 5 months ). He can only bend to -95 degrees and straight at -10 degrees even now.

I wish you well in your recovery!
 
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Gardener

Senior member
Nov 22, 1999
770
561
136
Had a hip replaced, it takes a long time for the connective tissue and muscle support to recover, it sounds like you are pushing too hard! Give your body time. There is too much BS about people having fast recoveries.

I went back to work/light duty at 7 weeks, moderate duty from 9-12 weeks...at 12 weeks I started climbing ladders. Had some stiffness and limp after a long day that continued for 6 months. It took 8 months for me to plateau, I still am careful not to do the crazy stuff I used to do.

Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.
 
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mike8675309

Senior member
Jul 17, 2013
508
116
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Make sure you are eating to fuel the rebuilding. I haven't had to deal with that type of work but I know in any general joint injury recovery, you have to eat enough calories of a wide variety of foods to ensure the building blocks necessary for the rebuilding are in your system. If your body has to pull from other stores in your body, that will slow your recovery.
You may want to supplement these as they are often called out in recovery. or make sure your diet includes foods rich in these.
  • Iron:
    Iron works in each of your body’s cells to help make energy.
  • Vitamin C:
    Vitamin C helps your body repair damaged tissues, keeps your bones and teeth strong, and helps your body absorb iron.
  • Calcium:
 
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