I had a partial knee replacement on September 28th last year. I tore cartilage training for a marathon in 1981 and had part of the medial meniscus removed in 1984. So I got 30+ years out of that knee before it got really painful to walk. Luckily there is good cartilage in lateral compartment so that I could bike mostly pain free even up to the day before the surgery.
The replacement surgery itself went really well, and the joint is solid. I had complications that were mostly of my own making, so my complications are probably not typical. As it turns out, my body doesn't dissolve the internal stitches like most people. I spit an undissolved stitch 4 weeks after the surgery and then a few weeks later stupidly got in a hot tub before that scab was healed. Had recurring infections and more undissolved stitches until they finally performed another surgery in early April which finally cleared out all of the infection. Since then, I am experiencing a pretty normal recovery. I have biked almost daily since May 1st (even rode out to the Hospital for my 6 week checkup - 29 miles that day) and am now working on extending my distance and time on the bike. The knee gets sore when I work it hard, but that is normal. Not sure when I will try hiking on rough terrain, but that should come soon. If you have been biking regularly and are in good physical shape to begin with, you are a great candidate for a successful full or partial replacement and a relatively quick recovery. (Just follow doctor's orders, and never go near public waters with any hint of an open sore.) My surgery was done by UW Health Orthopedics in their new hospital at The American Center and I recommend them highly. If you have any questions, please contact me. John Rider [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of via Bikies Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 2:02 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Bikies] knee replacement Wondering if any cyclists have had knee replacement surgery and could share their experiences (good or bad) and any surgeon recommendations..... Thank you for any insights. _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
