I had total knee replacement 2 1/2 years ago. I was 57 at the time, so on the younger side. I now have 100% of the movement that I had prior to surgery, and none of the pain. I no longer run, although I have no restrictions on any sport activities. I do walk and hike the woods a lot. The only issue for me is kneeling on that knee or getting up from being on the floor or ground. The surgeon told me that over time that most of the feeling/sensations would return to that area, but a dead spot would always remain. I have no restriction for kneeling, it just doesn't feel comfortable because there is no feeling or sensation. Other than that, I walk straight now and am very happy. You need to tell the TSA person that you have had TKR before you go through airport scanners.
Prior to surgery, the surgeon had me take a heavy dosage of iron tablets for 3-4 weeks to build up. Then some antibiotics closer to surgery. The number one thing post surgery is rehab. For me it was an in-home therapist for 2-3 weeks, then to a therapy place 2 miles from my house. Their main goal is getting bend radius and flexibility before scar tissues forms. You have to do the exercises! If it means taking the painkillers to get through it, then you do. They will have you out of bed the same day of surgery walking some. I had to step up three steps, walk around the hospital wing floor, and bend the knee a certain radius before they would release me. Sounds crazy, but it wasn't so bad. Three weeks after surgery, I went on a college tour with my daughter. It was 8 hours in a van (DW drove), then 2 days of walking the Vanderbilt campus and restaurants in Nashville. I really did overdue it on that trip!
I was fortunate that I had a friend who had the same surgery from the same doctor a year before. He kind of took it upon himself to be a mentor and coach. The hardest thing for me post surgery was sleeping. I am a side sleeper and you can't do that for at least a few weeks. I was so exhausted that first month from lack of sleep. The pain medicine actually kept me awake, so I minimized that before bed. The other thing I recommend is having a bed on the first floor if you sleep upstairs. It's also best to sleep alone for a while. We set up a bed in our downstairs living room for a while.
My apologies for the long message. My surgeon told me that in the first month post surgery, that 90% of his patients question why the had it done. At 12 months post surgery, 90% question why they waited so long to have it done. I am very happy with the outcome, and my other knee that I thought would need surgery shortly after has felt better than it has in years.
