Question about activity after knee replacements

I am only 4.5 weeks put from my second knee replacement, so am still pretty limited in what I can do, but I am looking forward down the road a few months, and am wondering about people's experiences with various kinds of physical activity after weight loss and knee replacement(s). 

Can you do anything you want? If not, what kinds of things are you NOT able to do?

I never liked running, even as a kid, and don't have any desire to be a runner, but   it has literally been 25 years since I have run 20 feet, ad I do wonder how it will feel.  Right now, I just want to be able to walk the dog at a brisk pace and use the elliptical machine at the Rec Center, and be able to go whitewater rafting this coming summer, but I am starting to contemplate many other possibilities with new knees...

Lora

I would suggest you ask a physiotherapist but for sure you healing and weight-bearing exercises will be much easier now after all the weight loss you have fine than if you had done the orthopedic surgery at a higher weight.
I had Ankle Fusion when still obese (104K) and I was very upper arm weak.-and it took me four years to totally give up the crutch.
You hade been through so much and maintained your weight loss so I imagine you will do better and quicker than I did.
Mikimi in Israel

I feel I can do less after the new knees.. I can not run, getting down on knees is hard, I can walk at a fast pace.

About the only physical restriction my ortho surgeon mentioned was the need to limit kneeling (I have only need once on my first new knee, and it was not painful exactly, but definitely uncomfortable and weird feeling).  His guidelines is that once you are 6 weeks out and get the return to work "ok" that you can pretty much do whatever the knees will allow you to do... But since most people who get TKRs are older, my guess is that they don't expect you to be running, playing basketball, etc!

My orthopedic surgeon told me that running was out but I can walk at a very fast pace (4.2 mph). I am happy to be painfree but do wish sometimes that I could run.

Is the inability to run because of something specific with the prosthesis, a limit on how fast you can "work" the knee (my left one seems to take more effort to move still than my natural knees, and I don't seem to be able to move it as quickly), or a restriction to help preserve the life of the knee?

I will definitely talk to my surgeon on the 16th when I go to get my 6 week check and Return to Work certificate, but definitely appreciate whatever info I can get before then!

Lora

I had both my kness replaced a year ago. And was only told no running. I know i cant get down on the floor id never get up. But i do alot of things like zumba at home,walking fast,pretty much everything.

a personal friend of mine, they are a couple, the husband has both his knees replaced at the same time, he was up walking with a cane with in just a couple of days, he was out line dancing within about 2 weeks time, very slow dances but still he was out doing a couple of the line dances...he as been up at since then...both knees totally replaced at the same time...i was totally shocked, he is walking very nice now and not so stuff as before...

Have a blessed day

debby

 

 

Don't really knOw the why. At the time I was so obese I could never have considered wanting to run. I assumed from the way he talked that it wads to preserve the knee parts but not really sure. I can all really fast though and have finished 5ks faster than somewho were running!

That's awesome (about the speed walking)!  I will definitely ask my surgeon about the running thing.  As I said, I cannot imagine ever actually wanting to run, but I like having as much info as possible and most of the research I did (and info I have found thus far) is on the replacement surgery itself, not about life post-TKR.

Lora