Partial knee replacement

[LakieLady]

I'm on the waiting list for a partial knee replacement and meniscal repair.

Has anyone any experience of either? I'm wondering how mobile I'll be afterwards, if I'll be able to manage the stairs etc. My surgeon said I won't be in plaster.

The surgery won't be until late summer or autumn, and I was told I'll be one or two nights in hospital, but am wondering if I'll be able to manage ok at home initially or if I might need a friend to come and stay for a few days or anything.

Hi I had a partial replacement 2014 and it's been a life changer as was walking with crutches before. It's quite an ordeal and I recommend that you have help at home for at least 6 weeks. Bathing was tricky as we have a shower over the bath, I had a bath seat and wrapped up my dressing in cling film. It's very painful so make sure you take pain relief when it's due so you keep on top of the pain. Do your Physio exercises as that help mobilise your knee. Honestly it's worth it, good luck!

Omg, @Mavisisnotmyname, I might need help for 6 weeks? I had no idea. I assume driving is out of the question for most of that time (it's my right knee that's being done). Bugger. Bloody online shopping it is, then, and make sure I have plenty of wine in the house!

Could you manage stairs ok? My house doesn't have a downstairs toilet, and has steep steps up to the front door (and no handrail!)

My shower is over the bath, too, so I daresay getting in and out will be tricky. I think I'll order one of those limb cover thingies to keep it dry. I'm not too worried about the pain, I have quite a high pain threshold, I think.

I'm getting a bit anxious now. I live alone and have no family nearby (not that my DB would be a lot of use anyway), and six weeks is a big commitment to ask of a friend. I can manage without cleaning or gardening, but getting washing done and cooking is essential. I suppose I could employ a carer to come and help.

I also have a feeling I may have to have the other knee done before long, it's getting increasingly painful but thankfully not at the giving way stage yet.

Thanks for the info. Even if it did give me a shock, it's better to be forewarned.

Not sure what a partial replacement is. I had a new knee about 8 years ago. I have a pretty high pain threshold but the initial pain was really something else. Plus I can’t take morphine. However it did improve.

I managed the stairs fine, one leg at a time, as you can weight bear immediately. I did have DH and DD at home but honestly you will be fine after a few days in that you will be able to move around.

Have you been on crutches before?

You’re not going to be able to drive for three months. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

@Remona

You’re not going to be able to drive for three months. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Oh fuck. We have 4 buses a day, Mon-Fri, between 11 am and 5 pm. Looks like I'd better save a pot of money for 3 months worth of taxi fares.

And I'll have to continue to WFH even if we're allowed to go back to seeing clients face to face by then.

@JayAlfredPrufrock, yes, I've used crutches before, for a very bad sprained ankle. I also partially dislocated a kneecap (the other knee, not the one that's being replaced) and had to learn how to use crutches as couldn't weight bear for 4 weeks.

Take whatever they offer you. Toilet seat raiser, grabber stick, leg lifty thingy etc. It might be worth getting a commode for downstairs as well if you can bear the idea.

I’m sure I drove sooner than that.

@JayAlfredPrufrock, posted too soon yesterday: a partial knee replacement is when they only do one side. They tidy up the ends of the tibia and femur and resurface them with metal , so they don't wear out.

I'm sure you will be fine, just get a friend to check up on you regularly. I could manage stairs, the physio will make sure that you can do them safely before they let you home. You keep your bad leg straight and lead with it going down and your good leg going up. I had a leg up leg lifter stirrup strap thing that hooks around your foot and helps lift your leg in and out of bed. Search on Amazon and you'll see what I mean. stock up on lots of nice stuff to eat and drink 🍹 before your op!

I'm watching with interest, I'm having a full knee replacement as a day patient in April .....

I'm sure your orthopaedic surgeon knows what they're doing, but having seen and done unicompartmental knee replacements myself, I just wonder why the meniscus needs repairing at the same time?

The meniscus is removed in the compartment being replaced (unless its the patellofemoral joint) but the fact that more than one compartment of the knee has a problem in it raises a concern that maybe a total knee replacement should be a consideration - maybe ask your surgeon and see what they say?

@notapizzaeater

Impressed that you are having it as a day patient.

@JayAlfredPrufrock if I think at 5pm on the day I'm in so much pain I can stay overnight 😳😳

A nurse told me that she’d never understood why knee replacement patients experienced such pain. Then she watched an operation and could understand.

They’ll teach you how to do the stairs before you leave hospital.

I’d recommend taking sick leave, not WFH. You’ll be tired and need to take time to focus on recuperating to get the best outcome from the op.

You’ll be given exercises to do - please do them! They are key to getting good movement back. They’ll be tiring, you’ll need to rest after.

‘Down with the bad, up with the good’ is a good phrase to recite!

If all goes well you should be able to drive after 6 weeks. Ive had 2 full knee replacements and the first 2 weeks are incredibly painful - its when you have to move and bend the knee - but you must move to get the joint and muscles moving and then you need to rest the leg and ice the area regularly to keep the swelling down. If you can get hydrotherapy somewhere asap this helps. I had my hydrotherapy at a local private hospital which cost about £60 per session - but it was worth it.

Good luck.

The driving - is that because of the drugs ? It's my left leg and I have an automatic so don't actually use my leg.

No, it’s because of your impaired ability to do an emergency stop. Though whether that is relevant in your situation, I don’t know, ask your surgeon.

You won’t want to be out and about much for the first few weeks anyway, where would you drive to?

Generally a day during recuperation, in my experience, involves getting up (after a bad night’s sleep), exercising, resting, eating, resting, washing and dressing, resting, exercising, resting, eating, resting, exercising, resting, eating, sleep. I wouldn’t plan to do anything other than functioning and exercising for several weeks. If you try to do much more, most people will skip the exercise and the end outcome will be worse.

@Mavisisnotmyname

I'm sure you will be fine, just get a friend to check up on you regularly. I could manage stairs, the physio will make sure that you can do them safely before they let you home. You keep your bad leg straight and lead with it going down and your good leg going up. I had a leg up leg lifter stirrup strap thing that hooks around your foot and helps lift your leg in and out of bed. Search on Amazon and you'll see what I mean. stock up on lots of nice stuff to eat and drink 🍹 before your op!

I remember the stairs thing from when I partially dislocated my other knee and was in a cast from ankle to arse for 8 weeks.

All was fine until I got a bit pissed when on my own and as I went down the two steps that led to the ground floor lav, I did it in the wrong order. I was trapped in a space no wider than a doorway, couldn't go down, couldn't back up and was busting for a wazz.

I eventually decided to risk sliding down the wall and bum-shuffled backwards until I had enough room to swing the plastered leg round, then I could stand and start again.

I so nearly peed on the carpet though...

I had a hip replacement in October. The surgeon told me knees were worse than hips.
Despite the fact it was my left hip and I drive an automatic, I wasn’t allowed to drive for 6 weeks.
Do you have a reclining sofa or chair? How high is your bed?

@FixTheBone

I'm sure your orthopaedic surgeon knows what they're doing, but having seen and done unicompartmental knee replacements myself, I just wonder why the meniscus needs repairing at the same time?

The meniscus is removed in the compartment being replaced (unless its the patellofemoral joint) but the fact that more than one compartment of the knee has a problem in it raises a concern that maybe a total knee replacement should be a consideration - maybe ask your surgeon and see what they say?

Thanks, @FixTheBone. We did discuss this and I can't for the life of me recall what was said now.

It all got very confusing, because the useless physio service hadn't mentioned it in the referral letter, and I only remembered to ask about the meniscal tear as I was about to head out of the door. (Plus I wasn't quite in my right mind as was very recently bereaved.)

I have the vaguest recollection of a convo along the lines of doing the whole job in one go rather than risk having to come back for a 2nd operation, but thought that was sorting the meniscus plus the side where the arthritis is worse. Given that I was at least a bit bonkers, I may have totally got that wrong and it may be a total knee replacement.

I may give his secretary a ring tomorrow and ask her to have a look at my records and see what they say. I'm such total dick for not writing it down.

@MooseBeTimeForSummer, no reclining chairs or anything and my bed is quite high (approx 2', I think).

I have a garden recliner I could bring indoors though!

Thanks for the helpful responses, everyone. It's been very helpful, if only to make me realise I don't actually have a clue what's going to happen.

I’m interested that you were put in plaster for 8 weeks following a partial kneecap dislocation. What is a partial dislocation and do you think 8 weeks in plaster was necessary?

Asking for a friend.