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Age and TKR

Posted , 10 users are following.

jean95756
jean95756

Does anyone know if age is a factor in TKR recovery? 

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

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  • lynn08926
    lynn08926 jean95756

    Posted

    I am nearly 63 and was told before the op that as I was young I'd bounce back.  Doing ok but bounce back, no.

    This whole episode has knocked me for six, more mentally than physically. But I'm getting there.

    Lynn 15.5 weeks

    Lynn 15.5 weeks

    lynn 15.5 weeks

    • jean95756
      jean95756 lynn08926

      Posted

      Thanks Lynn

      I'm 76 and definitely struggling I don't know if 5 weeks is early dYs yet 

    • lynn08926
      lynn08926 jean95756

      Posted

      Jean, believe me, it's very early days.  At that stage, I didn't feel I'd progressed at all, whilst those around me thought I had.

      This op takes everything out of you. More than you could ever imagine beforehand.

  • britta217
    britta217 jean95756

    Posted

    hi jean ... i would have to say "no".  i got sent to rehab for 10 days and met many, many tkr patients who were much fitter than me.  i am 51 and so it was so depressing to have 80 year olds rush past me on our daily walking session.  or when we were lying on the stretching machine, they would say "oh, you can set it at 100°!" ... and i was still struggling with 65°.  when i mentioned this to my therapists, they reminded me that every patient is different and even every knee is different and that age has absolutely nothing to do with it.

    fyi: i met one lady who had had BOTH knees done at the same time.  i felt sick when i heard that.  not many doctors do that here but she insisted and got what she wanted.  and to give her credit, she was walking on sticks after less than ONE week.  amazing.  but she told me one knee was already working great, the second one was like mine, really stiff and swollen.  this just to illustrate the "every knee is different" statement.

    hang in there!

    britta - 4.3 weeks

    • jean95756
      jean95756 britta217

      Posted

      That definitely puts things into perspective ..thank you x
    • joy47826
      joy47826 jean95756

      Posted

      A friend of a friend went thru TKR at 76, this was back in April...he was very very athletic and fit....was taking too many pain meds before and cortisone shots and that is why he did the knee, he wanted to be more athletic.... I'm told he is doing good, a pain med now and then.

      My athletic days are behind me and I did a lot and now doing all I can to not do the knee surgery....back to acupuncture today as it helps....

      As long as I can walk where I need to go I'm willing to keep my knee.

      I'm still thinking about PRP Prolo and now looking at prolozone therapy which has oxygen in the injections. Good healing...

  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 jean95756

    Posted

    I've never heard any medical professional say. I have heard that excess weight is a big factor as well as general health conditions.
  • betty07083
    betty07083 jean95756

    Posted

    I also know several people, in their 80's, that bounced back beautifully. I was told it depended on what shape you are in before having surgery. If you had been exercising & in fairly good shape, you will recover more quickly.

    My daughter recently returned from a backpacking trip with a tour group and the tour guide was my age (67) who had TKR less than a year before.

    She could not stress enough to my daughter, how important the exercises are after the surgery. Yes, she was in great shape before the surgery, but the exercises afterwards are most important.

    • britta217
      britta217 betty07083

      Posted

      the thing with being fit before the surgery ... i had to stop any kind of sport 2 years ago and have since been in anything from minor to major pain. hence my decision to go ahead with the surgery in the first place.  i really, really wish i could have been fitter going into the surgery but at least i am making up for it now.  i am adamant to get the bend back to 120°.  it just baffles me how somebody who needs tkr can be in great shape, seems a contradiction in terms :-)
    • jean95756
      jean95756 betty07083

      Posted

      That's quite true about the exercises ...I do them about 3 times a day ...but as I have a problem in my spine I can't do the rowing machine or the bike at physio

       most things I manage ..can't wait for scar to heal and swelling to go down so I can bend enough to get in the car then I will start swimming 

      every day shows some improvement albeit slowly 

      take care 

      Jean 

    • joy47826
      joy47826 britta217

      Posted

      That's what I thought, but guess he was living on too many pain meds etc. and wanted off them and wanted to be more athletic.....I asked if he was so fit, why do it.

  • pam39536
    pam39536 jean95756

    Posted

    I don't know Jean I am 67 , and I think I have recovered really well, I am 13 weeks post op.. I have walked one end to the other of MK mall this evening . My knee held up really well, but I am absolutely exhausted . I didn't expect to feel this tired .

    pam 

    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 pam39536

      Posted

      I agree Pam. I am 64 and I suppose am recovering well. I still get sooo tired though. Whether it's the exercises, which I try to do 3 times daily, or the after effects of the op. I think I would struggle if I was in my 80s. I just hope the knee will last and I don't need a repeat in 20 years time! Jen (11 weeks post op). 
    • betty07083
      betty07083 pam39536

      Posted

      Like Pam & Jennifer, I too suffer from fatigue. By the end of the day I'm so tired I literally feel like crying! It's almost debilitating and the littlest thing can seem like an overwhelming chore.

      I'm 11 1/2 weeks now and I was told by my doctor and others how well I recovered, but I had nothing to compare it to, as I'd never been through it before.I think because I was in so much pain before, the pain from TKR was nothing new. I still have pain & stiffness at 11 1/2 weeks but not so bad that I can't do the exercises. I was not in great shape before the surgery - I was in a lot of pain and about 15 lbs overweight, but I still managed ( forced myself) to walk every morning, so that might be why I recovered a little faster than some.

      Everyone is different though, that is for sure. Some say they wish they had never had it done, but in my case I had no choice. I surely would have gotten to where I would not even be able to walk again.

  • johnros
    johnros jean95756

    Posted

    We are always told that as we age we take longer to heal but I have always believed that a large part of healing is due to personal make up. Different people approach life different ways. Some seem to just naturally sail through things while others hit every obstacle.

    im still trying to work out which side I am on☺️

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