Hiking after knee surgery

vftt.org

Help Support vftt.org:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
??

My first operation for a torn meniscus was in 1992 and I was back playing rugby the following week-end. At that time my surgeon was the surgeon for the late, lamented Montreal EXpos. He went to training camp in Florida the day after the operation. Then, if you did not have a ride you had to stay overnight. He looked in that afternoon and asked if the nurse knew where I was. The coffee machine was four floors down and I went down by the stairs. When I got back with my coffee and the nurse was laughing, 'Dr. NNNN, said that if you walked back up you can go home.'

I watched the operation on the TV. The second one, this time of my right knee was in 2 000 and, yes I was still playing rugby. He told me he would put me to sleep as he was going to hurt me this time and I replied I was more frightened by anaesthetic than pain.

The last time was 2 007. The operation was on a Tuesday and Saturday I hiked in to our annual 'Freeze You Ars*' Off backpacking week-end. That time my surgeon told me he wasn't going to 'play' with my knees anymore, but would replace them.

He is semi-retired now, but still with the Montreal Canadiens. I saw the guy who will cut my legs off last Friday. He told me he had quite a few in the queue ahead of me and that it would take close to a year. It would be sooner locally, but I'll stick with the best there is.

Miniscus is no big deal and you can walk pain free the same day.

Through the rugby world I know a lot of people who have had their knees replaced and they said it changed their lives for the better. I know one, in fact two women who are obese and had both knees replaced and they were both out of the hospital in four days and back at work the next Monday.

It helps me to know this because I am terrified.
 
What TCD posted is in my experience right on. Oddly I can no longer ride a bicycle although it is thought to be easier on the knees.

Just to clear up my post above.. Now after 3 yrs TRK on my right knee and 1 yr 5 months I can hike many miles with no pain. I was hiking after 4 weeks in surgery with TKR better then I was before surgery. I didn't push them hard of course. Nothing worse then PT they wanted me to do. Stiff,swollen some after hiking yes but after ice down and rest I was ready to go again the next day it seemed. You have to listen to your body and knees to know what point to stop. This starts the day after surgery. I know folks who never made an effort and had to be put under again and the knees forced to bend and straighten. You can hear the lesions snapping when they do this.
I should of had them done 10 yrs before but kept putting it off. That was a mistake.
 
Top