Hi team, I've not frequented the forums for a while as about 10 weeks ago a 30+ year old knee injury put paid to my cycling, weight loss and just about everything else!

Now I sit here and find myself at 1 month and 4 days after a total knee replacement and I'm burning to get back out there hitting the road.... The thing with knee replacements is to get it moving at all costs as soon as you can, yes the pain is at times almost unbearable but its very much a get out what you put in situation. My op was on a Wednesday evening and after 24 hours in the special nurses unit I was put onto the ward Thursday night. Being a construction Superintendent I'm used to the early mornings so come Saturday I was awake at 4 and decided to give the titanium addition its first test run surly that time of the morning there'd be no one about so off I went with no crutches to be seen... I made it all the way to the end of the ward (about 70 metres) and as I did a 180 to return to my room the night shift matron busted me big time! you can imagine the ruckus that caused! but as we say here in Oz "fair bump, play on!"

The next day my physio took the crutches off me anyway and after 3 more days of rehab I was home.

I still have the usual physio 3 times a week but the first thing I did was set up my Jamis Pro on the turbo trainer and used it to slowly increase the range of my bend.... the general rule of thumb is that after a replacement the average range is about 3 degrees thru to 90. Now 90 isn't enough to turn the pedals over so I was loading up with pain killers and giving it some as there is only a limited window of opportunity to get it moving, after that its a case of diminishing returns until what you have is all you get type of deal.

Had my last appointment with the surgeon yesterday and I don't need to see now for another year my range is from a slightly hyper extended -2 degrees to a bend of 120.

So for the few of you that follow me on Strava when you see just 5 to 10 minutes on the stationary trainer know i'm slowly getting back the massive amount of fitness that I'd lost and starting to eat into the extra 5kg's I managed to find whilst laying about the house and hospital.

anyway, stay safe and keep pedalling

cheers, John

Good for you. I occasionally hike with a lady who has had a double knee replacement. She is very fit and can out hike me. Good luck in your recovery. Obsession definately has its place in healing.

I just scheduled a TKR for January. My knee has been a serious problem for a while, so I am looking forward to it.

Exactly one year ago I got a new hip.

• I lead an annual Bonsai Ride (40 miles through excellent MA backroads with fall colors ablaze, and then a good pre-ordered lunch inside the courtyard of Bonsai West, virtually a museum).
• There were 70 riders! On a Wednesday morning! (That still amazes me)
• In my pre-ride talk, I thanked everyone for their help during my recent cancers. Then I rode away and promptly hit a high curb at mile 5 while talking to another rider! (This ALSO still amazes me - it was my first crash.)
• So no prep, physical or psychological.

It was the first time I've ever spent more than one night in a hospital. My first 3 days were among the worst days of my life. Pain, no control. Then it became much more endurable. I went home after 5 days, and progress was good.

Fortunately that was a fluke, and I am going to be singing and dancing the first day after my surgery. I can also foresee that I will be back on the bike within days. And my average speed is going to jump from 14-15 to 20+. I sure am looking forward to the air whipping by at my new speed!

Congratulations on your TKR. I wish you well. (And I wish me well, too!)

thanx guys good luck for January hobkirk, a few quick tips for when the time comes... leave your seat where its always been, don't lift it any as it just prolongs the whole thing.

You will finally get the pedals to do a full rotation pedalling backwards at first, for some reason it easier?.... and once you get those suckers spinning over start taping some small timber blocks to the pedals to increase your range, I started with a 1/2" thick block about 2" by 3"

with the bike on the stationary trainer it will be about 3" higher than normal....use a step to get on and off and take care especially getting off as you'll be surprised at how outta condition you are.

and Like RISKDR1..... Obsession definately has its place in healing.

It's very encouraging reading about successful single/dual TKR surgery. Getting back to everyday life by working past the rehab pain is paramount, so kudos to you-all.

I've been told that the order for successful surgery/rehabilitation is 1-knees, 2-hips, 3-shoulders, 4-wrists. As goes the story of my life, my replacements are #3 and #4 on the list so I'm in a holding pattern as of now.

Best of luck to all.

RT, great to read that you are pretty much back at it, your recovery was pretty quick. You might like following Pcad's thread about his recent TKR in this forum, he has just gotten back out on the roads, too. https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus...kr-update.html Hopefully this will put you in good stead for quite a while.

Hobkirk, best of luck on your January TKR, you are slowly rebuilding your self with all Ti components. Quite an extensive upgrade program you have put your self through. Throw in your battles with cancer and you have been through the wringer the last few years. Your positive attitude has been an inspiration for me, thanks for this.

Bill