Most total knee replacements are performed on patients who are between the age of 60 and 80. However, the decision to have a knee replacement is based on individual factors such as the severity of knee pain and disability.
But despite this, you're never “too old” to have your hip or knee replaced. “There is no age cutoff for joint replacement,” says Dr. Piuzzi. “Studies have found that people in their 80s and 90s benefit from hip or knee replacement as much as younger people.”
Knee replacements are usually done in people age 60 and older. If you need one, you probably have severe arthritis that limits your daily life. During knee joint replacement, your surgeon will remove damaged cartilage and bone from the knee joint.
Your mobility and recovery may be affected by putting knee surgery off too long. If you are not active due to knee pain, the muscles in your legs will lose strength, slowing your recovery and making physical therapy even more challenging due to loss of muscle mass and mobility.
As knee arthritis progresses, the knee becomes much looser and more unstable. In some cases, this is mild. In other cases, it is substantial enough that cause the patient to fall. Patients who have bone-on-bone arthritis and are starting to fall because of it should strongly consider surgery.
The majority of patients expect to be able to kneel after TKR,2,4,5 however, these expectations are frequently not met,1,6 with between 50% and 80% of patients reporting that they have difficulty kneeling or do not kneel in the months and years after TKR.
4 – 6 weeks after surgery
You would be able to walk for 10 minutes without any assisted devices within 4 – 6 weeks of the procedure.
You can expect some pain and swell for a few months after surgery. Improved surgical techniques and new technology, such as robotic arm-assisted technology, makes the knee replacement recovery process quicker and less painful.
TKA patients begin rehabilitation during the seven-day bedrest period, with the goals of decreasing swelling, increasing ROM, promoting normal leg control and promoting normal gait with an assistive device.
There are several cartilage-regeneration techniques that you may consider and discuss with an orthopaedic surgeon. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), for example, involves taking a sample of your cartilage cells, growing them in a lab and then surgically replanting them in your knee.
Recovery is slow
While it's different for everyone and depends on the type of knee surgery you've had, many people are surprised by how long it takes to recover. The time it takes to start doing simple tasks around the home, get back to work and importantly bending your new and improved knee may catch you by surprise.
There's no doubt that walking is one of the best activities you can do to help with the symptoms of knee arthritis. But it's also important to also incorporate resistance training exercises that strengthen knee muscles and increase mobility, such as squats, lunges, hamstring curls, or leg extensions.
Pain becomes more common during simple activities like walking or rising from a chair. Eventually, the bone on bone pressure causes the growth of bone spurs. These lumps of bony excess cause further discomfort and stiffness within your joint.
While the knee joint can be replaced successfully, the technique to do so may be more complicated and generally requires a longer recovery after surgery than the hip. The difference in surgical complexity is one of the reasons hip replacement usually is recommended before knee replacement.
Within four to six weeks, you should notice a significant decrease in swelling and a significant increase in movement ability. For about four to six more weeks, you will continue working with a physical therapist to increase your range of motion in your new knee and build muscles around the new joint.
The surgery itself depends on the type of knee operation. A total knee replacement, for example, will likely take between 2-3 hours. Whereas a partial knee replacement normally takes around an hour. Most knee surgeries take between 1-3 hours.
The average recovery time from knee replacement surgery is approximately six months, but it can take roughly 12 months to fully return to physically demanding activities.
Effectiveness of total knee replacement
Many studies show that 90-95 percent of total knee replacements are still functioning well 10 years after surgery.
However, total knee replacement does not restore the ease associated with normal knee function. Research shows that people climb stairs slower after knee replacement; they also have a reduction in muscle strength around the knee and complete less total knee work.
Within 2-3 weeks post surgery, you should be able to walk a short distance – or for around 10 minutes – without depending on a mobility aid.
You shouldn't downhill ski or play contact sports such as football and soccer. In general, avoid sports that require jerking, twisting, pulling, or running. You should be able to do lower-impact activities, such as hiking, gardening, swimming, playing tennis, and golfing.
Even though you will be able to resume most activities, you may want to avoid doing things that place excessive stress on your "new" knee, such as participating in high-impact activities like jumping, jogging, or skiing.
Can I squat or kneel? Half squats for exercise are acceptable. Deep squatting is neither usually possible nor desirable after a knee replacement. Kneeling is not harmful but may not be comfortable.