Knee replacement

Yes. You have to show them you can walk before you can leave the hospital. Be sure to get a toilet riser for the first couple of weeks. I had bilateral total knee replacements last summer and am doing quite well. I have worked hard to make it back. It will be a blessing for your life. Good luck. Do all the things the doctors and physical therapists tell you to do.

Yes, you can walk upstairs...but...

- the first few weeks will be a challenge

- if you live with someone get help

- if you don't, you'll need a crutch or cane and then hold onto the bannister

- ... better yet, get a commode for downstairs and have someone empty it for you every day or two.

Understand that stairs are usually the very last thing to master after a TKR.  That comes after all the initial pain, PT, more pain, leg strengthening and more pain.  Don't expect to be running up and down stairs for many, many moons...and then very slowly.  I'd make other arrangements.

 

I agree with Chico. Although I am only a month out from surgery there is definitely no way I could. use the stairs even now. I am still using a walker although at my next pt appt I will start getting used to a cane.

Within the first few weeks there were times that my knee buckled. If I had been going up or down the steps I would have fallen.

In my opinion using the steps right out of surgery is not a good idea. Especially since you need to build up strength in your knee before climbing steps. Better safe than sorry and you don't want to do anything that would compromise the prothesis.

Yes of course you can use stairs, you won't be allowed home until you can. With only one knee done, it's just as easy if not easier than before the surgery, depends how bad you are now.

One step at a time for a while.

With both it will be harder, I wouldn't have had both done together, to be honest.

My doctor told me to go up and down the steps and not to set up camp in the family room. I did have a bathroom on the first floor. There is a portable potty. It's a bit challenging getting on and off the potty for a little while. I would say yes, but have a back-up just in case!

I probably could have managed 2-3 stairs. But I have a friend that recovered so quickly that it was easy for her. So, everyone is different. And, if it was a race to get to the bathroom quickly, forget about it. Lol. That would have been a problem.

I moved to a downstairs guestroom as there is a bathroom and the stairs were very steep so I would have struggled otherwise as my knee has not been a very quick recovery at all.

?However, I know some folk have managed to do stairs early on, though you just do not know whether you will be lucky.

?Someone I know set up camp upstairs for the first week or two, so they did not have to use stairs for every toilet visit, added a TV and took drinks and food supplies, meds, books, phones, laptop etc. As even if you are managing the stairs, you don't really want to be doing them too much at first.

Your hospital or PT should help you master stairs before you are sent home, if you tell them our situation.

?Good luck for the surgery and recovery.

Yes you will be able use the upstairs toilet I did, I don't have one downstairs as long as you take it easy you should be ok my stairs are steepish and I managed....Gokd luck on the knee replacement.

I agree with Chico. You HOPE you can but plan for the worst. Expect the best!