My ortho told me that the recovery for a hip is 3-4 months; knee is 6-12 months; shoulder is 10-18 months.

yes i had 2 horses....ages 29 and 27 for 24 years. Sadly we put them down march 31 2015. One had broken fetlocks...the other was very arthritic.

I miss them terribly...this place is not the same without them. There is a picture of them included in the listing.

I cannot kneel on my knee yet...i have tried and it sends pain right through me!
I still use my ice packs....i keep telling steve i am addicted to ice! lol

Our dear friend...who introduced us to the Villages...had his knee replacement 5 years ago. He plays golf and baseball...and has since week 11. I asked him how he can do that...he said he applied ice internally and externally...vodka on the rocks and an ice pack! lol That's my Jim! He is freakin remarkable!

my dr. also told me 6-12 months for the knee. He said whatever you have at 12 months is what you will have...so work hard to get all you can.

My flexibility is 130...i need to work on straightening my knee a bit. I am a minus 2.....not bad but it could be better.

Ice for knee
 

ICE is your friend. You can never ice too much, especially is there is any pain or swelling. I remember hating icing several times a day, even weeks into the replacement, but in the end it was worth it. Good luck.

I used ice practically 24/7 for over 3 months....i am now almost 5 months out. The pain is MUCH better...the swelling is MUCH better. I take Tylenol occasionally...other than that...I am doing very well.

Just curious
 

Just curious - who is your doctor that did the surgery? I am scheduled for replacement in a few months and sure don't want to be out of action for 6 months (softball) I was under the impression that 8 to 10 weeks was realistic to return to activities like running, golf, etc.

Hi, Cathy....
I had a knee replacement exactly 8 weeks ago this coming Wednesday. I was in the hospital for 3 days and went to a rehab facility for 10 days (the rehab PT was fantastic). Then home with in-home therapy for 6 visits and now I go to outpatient therapy for 12 visits - or 3x a week. Up until I went to outpatient therapy I really was quiet on the couch and drugged. Haven't taken pain meds in 2 weeks or so...

I am virtually pain free and I'm amazed.... (If I step on it or twist it I might get a sharp pain). I do feel a tightness and ice my knee in the evening - but I am really thrilled with the results. I was also told, and I believe the medical personnel that have told me, that it will take up to a year to feel totally 'normal'...

May be that you decided to do too much in the beginning....

I wish you best of luck and take it easy!

Had 8 wk checkup today and fully cleared for all activities. I had Dr. Nguyen, one week in home PT and then 6 wks at Physio Med on Rolling Acres Rd. One thing I noticed in your posts and in others is that you use ice and Nguyen's protocol is heat, no ice. I found that heat anywhere on or around the knee but not on the incision really helped with pain. I had day surgery (not on Medicare). I was off the operating table at 12:15 and walked out the door at 3pm. My other knee is being done 10/26.

Remember, you had major surgery. Lots of various tissues have experienced trauma which rehab and doing stuff can aggravate. I had my first total knee eplacement done in 1999 and the pain disappeared totally after 3 months. At that time my insurance covered 3 days in the hospital and 10 days inpatient in a rehab facility. After three weeks I was able to do pretty much anything I wanted to do but the tissue was still recovering so total pain free took longer. My other total knee replacement was done in 2011, 3 days in the hospital then home with a PT person showing up three days a week for an hour each day. That went on for 3 more weeks then I was off to an out patient rehab and getting back to normal was a couple more weeks. While pain free was about the same time as the first knee, the journey was worse because insurance didn't provide the intensive and focused rehab as the first knee. We are all different but tissue recovery will take time even though our tendons and ligaments might let us do the things we need to do.

My doctor is in Missouri.

I was in the hospital 2 nights..and i had therapy at home 6 times. that's it. It sounds to me like many of you had a great deal more therapy than I did.

I am doing so much better than i was...and i did overdo entirely too much. But i have 130 flexibility.

I am not athletic....so I have no reason to run and jump...but i do everything around the house...and take care of 10 acres on a tractor.

Your recovery stories are amazing. I am truly impressed. I am convinced and am going to wait until we move to Florida to get my knee replaced. My doctor said the atmospheric pressure is less in the south and that being out of the cold will help automatically. I'm going to try and wait.
We are so so sorry about having to put down your horses. We just did that with my sons English Bulldog Ms. Fiona yesterday and I would choose the knee pain over this loss anytime. I'm going to force myself to concentrate on the joy that little beast brought me over her life and on the dignity the vet gave to her on her final ride. Grateful for the good time in New Jersey.

Five or six years ago I attended a seminar of Dr Nuygen at Waterfront Inn. He was promoting a procedure called Makoplasty, side incision, quick recovery, out of hospital in 1 day, etc. The next day it was televised on the Villages channel, which I recorded. Of course, I was very excited and when I returned to Boston I did a search to find a doctor who also performed this procedure.

I found one at Greater Boston Orthopedic, went for consult and xray. After looking at the xray, he said I was not a candidate as the Makoplasty is a PARTIAL replacement and I needed a full. I would only be coming back within 2 years for a full. He said that rarely is a partial recommended for ostio in senior citizen. It is usually done on someone younger that has had a injury or previous injury. He did perform a full replacement using Praxim robotic.

I am now getting my other knee done in two weeks. He told me that the hospital has severed ties with Stryker (Makoplasty) due to thousands of recalls.

What also concerns me is that Dr Nuygen does ( i'm told) 10 to 12 of these a day and patient is only seen after by PA. Does he have a quota to make to support an extravagant life style?

MAHLBACH, St Michaels Medical Center in Newalk does robotic surgery.

As always, GET A SECOND OPINION for the right procedure for yourself.

From personal experience being a patient of Dr. Nguyen, you are wrong in your assessment of Dr. Nguyens professionalism, technique, and follow up care including overseeing rehab. And your disgusting insinuation about how many procures he does and why he does them is beyond appalling. .. I'm at a loss to understand your motives in smearing the reputation of a fine medical professional.

And quite honestly, I would be looking for a surgeon who performs a large number of procedures. I don't know Dr. Nguyens but I have heard good things about him. You must perform your own due diligence, but as you appropriately note it is not right to challenge the competency and ethics of a physician (or other professional IMO) without all facts in order. The poster to whom you responded likely has little knowledge of medical care processes - or that the doc probably only operates 1 or 2 days per week.

Thank you for your support of your surgeon.

I appreciate your comments. I just couldn't let that post go.