total knee replacement

[bassman1308]

what should I expect-golf wise

Plans are to have the TKR done on my right knee dec 15 and thought some of you can give me something positive to think about while I recover. How long will it be before I can expect to be able to take a healthy swing or play real golf ? What might be the time frame on putting & chiping? I know my doctor will have some idea but I hope you guys that have been through TKR can tell me of your experiences. No horror stories please as I'm dreading being laid up as it is.

[shuttle1]

You should chipping and putting in about 6-8 weeks max. TKR is not what it once was. Much easier surgery than in years past. Once you begin to trust your knee strength you should be back at full swing in about 6 months.

 

Everyone is different!!! 3-9 months is the norm depending on you work ethic.

 

Good Luck!!!

[daoldguy]

I had a TKR in November 2004. Operation to first round of golf 14 weeks. I was fortunate, to the extent that the rehab was a known quantity, in that I had a joint reconstruction on the same knee 30 years prior. The rehab program was essentially the same.

 

In my case it was the right knee, and being a lefty that knee takes a lot of punishment in the swing finish and follow through. By late May my swing was at full strength, and I could play 18 with no pain.

 

I am still able to play and swing pain free, but it is impoartant to continue the excercise regimen from rehab on relatively religious basis. Hopefully, like me, your surgery and rehab go well. Find a rehab therapist with all the charm of Nurse Wratched (sic) and is tough enough to kick your Word not allowed as needed.

[mully]

if all goes well you will be golfing this summer.good luck

[eagle3]

Plans are to have the TKR done on my right knee dec 15 and thought some of you can give me something positive to think about while I recover. How long will it be before I can expect to be able to take a healthy swing or play real golf ? What might be the time frame on putting & chiping? I know my doctor will have some idea but I hope you guys that have been through TKR can tell me of your experiences. No horror stories please as I'm dreading being laid up as it is.

 

Have had both knees done and was back playing within six months on both occasions. You will feel like a new man after it is done. Good Luck with it.

[profsmitty]

I would say that your age and overall physical condition have a lot to do with your "time to golf". I had my knee done about 18 months ago @ 57 years of age. I was able to get back on the course much faster than I ever dreamed I could - I was playing within 2 months. I probably was pushing things but I just took it easy at first. My doctor encouraged me to do whatever I felt that I could do. He said that my body would tell me if I was doing too much. That would be my advice to you - listen to your body. One thing for certain - you'll be very, very glad you went ahead and had the TKR. I am able to walk the course again. That's a miracle considering that where I was before the surgery.

 

Good Luck.

[bassman1308]

Thanks for all the replys. I liked smith5606 post as 2 mths down time sounds much better than 6 mths. After new x-rays and a discussion with my doc last week he thinks I should give my rt knee about a month of rehab before making a final decision and I'm good with that. He thinks the pain I'm having might be related to underuse of my legs causing loss of muscle tone. I hope he's right. Guess I'll know in 30 days.

Thanks again

[jgb]

I need both knees replaced. Can you actually walk a golf course after TKR? That just seems impossible to me right now. I was thinking of having both done at once but I am hearing that's probably not a good idea. Something about my fear of pain and suffering. :blush:

[bassman1308]

jgb: My Dr did not recommend doing both knees at once as it increases the risks more than double. An example he gave : How could they treat a blood clot in one knee- leg and internal bleeding in the other. That was enough to convinced me as I had a blood clot during a previous surgury and am lucky to be alive. How bad do your knees bother you now? Can you walk 9 holes or is even swinging a club to painful ?

[jgb]

Haven't been able to walk 9 in ten years or so. My knees have taken my lower body out of the swing. When I ride 18 I have get ice on my knees right away if I want to play again the next day. On a golf trip I take my ice wraps in a cooler.

[profsmitty]

I need both knees replaced. Can you actually walk a golf course after TKR? That just seems impossible to me right now. I was thinking of having both done at once but I am hearing that's probably not a good idea. Something about my fear of pain and suffering. :blush:

I can assure you that I do regularly walk 18 - usually with my trusty Sun Mountain 3 wheeler. I did that last week - 7000 yard course - in less than 3.5 hours. Carried a reduced set in my Sunday bag 9 holes yesterday. I had a ball. Was the only person on the course. It was less than 40 degrees but no wind.

 

I'm going to be completely honest with you. I went through a 3-4 year period of waffling about having my knee replaced. I had a thousand excuses for not doing it. In looking back, I think that the main reason that I didn't have it done earlier than I did was that I used my condition as a crutch. I was used to the pain and I knew than I could handle it. I was also used to using the bad knee as a very convenient excuse for not doing things that I didn't want to do. It was a very real condition and no one could deny that it existed. When I said I didn't want to go shopping with the boss, she couldn't argue. If I didn't want to mow the yard, who could argue that I didn't need a service to do it for me. What a great deal! It was very difficult to give all of that up. It wasn't until the pain started to screw up my golf (as it appears that yours is doing to you) that I finally gave in.

 

I'm certainly not implying that my deviant behavior has anything to do with your reluctance to have the TKR done. It was my problem - I'm sure you have your own issues. One thing I have learned from this and other events in my life is that there are no promises in life, only probabilities. I would feel very comfortable saying that if I were a betting man, I would put money on you being able to do much more after surgery than before. I've been there. I know what you are thinking. I know what you are feeling. It is a real gut check but with that said, you know what you need to do. Do it. Just do it. We're with you.

[jgb]

Smith, you're right. I'm just having trouble pulling the trigger. I wish I had done it last year. :angry:

[bassman1308]

Smith; You hit the nail on the head for me also. So much so I had to laugh as I read your response. After having blood clots following a 2003 surgury and lisening to an emergency room Dr telling my family " we could lose him at any minute " I'm rather apprehensive about more surgury. I guess I finally decided to do it when I could no longer swing and score like I wanted. That bothered me more than the pain. JGB : I'd bet everyone who had TKR has had trouble 'pulling the trigger '

[MoGolf]

Hey bassman, haven't talked to you in a while! I'm back in Texas for the winter, and half of the guys I play with down here have had TKR. One guy has had one knee done twice....due to Dr.'s screwup. Like some other posters said, it's pretty much left up to you how much you can handle after surgery.

Good luck, and stay warm up there!

[bassman1308]

Mogolf: Good to hear from you. Talking to Mr Clines last week and your name was brought up. I told him you usually wintered in Tx. Obviously, your much smarter than us. : - ) High today was about 20*, wind chill seemed like -125*. I won't have surgury before 1-19-09 so the wife & I may head to San Antonio after the first of the year, if the weather forecast is favorable. I want to golf even if it hurts. : - )

[MoGolf]

Come on down! It's only a couple hundred miles on down to the Rio Grande Valley from San Antonio. Temps this week in the 70's and 80's. However, we had a "cold" front come through yesterday and temps got down into the 40's last night!

Tell Jackie "hello" for me next time you see him.

Hope the surgery goes well and you're able to hit the links soon.

[bassman1308]

Hello everyone, I started this thread in nov 08 by anouncing my plans to have TKR on my left knee at that time. Well, I put it off until this Jan 4 2010 andnow I'm at home with the rehab machine and time on my hands. The hardest thing for me is putting all my weight on the new knee. Sometimes it really hurts but I am aware this is part of the rehab. Of course, I only walk with the walker. After rereading all the replies, I wonder if 'jgb' looked into having his knees done.
JC

[profsmitty]

Great to hear that you are home and on the road to recovery. If you lived around here, Mother Nature would settle the rehab question for you. Looks like no serious golf around here for several weeks.

Seriously, listen to your body. It will tell you what you are capable of. Putting the knee to work was hard but unless your experience is very different from my mine, it will work very well. It takes a little time but you'll get used to it and learn to trust it. Good luck.