Getting right knee replaced

[Silver_Point_1]

I'm getting a full knee replacement done in December. I imagine someone out there has had this done. I guess my question is will I still be able to ride safelly? I have a '05 R1200ST that I ride in the canyons in So. CAlifornia mainly on the weekends.

Any feed back would be appreciated. The new R1200RS sure looks tempting.

[mrzoom]

Absolutely.

The hardest part of any surgery is the therapy afterwards.

You must do it and push and push then workout some more. It's ok to cry ouch!!!!

Tell your therapist what your goal is and be specific about

how your knee must bend and what angles are needed for riding. A good PT will develop exercises that will help meet your goals.

Every recovery is different but if you slack off it will take

longer. 3 to 6 months before you try riding with age and severity

of damage being big factors.

Circumstances made me wait 8 years before I had mine done 3 years ago and recovery was difficult but a vigorous therapy plan with"the Princess of pain", my Lithuanian therapist, got me walking and riding again.

I still work out 4-5 times a week and all to be able

to keep riding.

Good luck!!!

[eddd]

 

I'm terrible with dates, but I had one done maybe 18 years ago. It has not been an issue. I still mountain bike, my two dual sports motorcycles off road, sport touring bike, and even my CBR900RR at the track.

 

As mentioned PT is the key to getting back to normal quickly, but the procedure has been improved over the years to where recovery is much faster than in the past.

[LikeBikes]

Hi

 

If you are having a total knee replacement it's a different ball game to most knee replacements.

 

People say that they have had a new knee and they have had surface plates put in.

 

With a total knee replacement it's much more intrusive and you will have less knee movement. You will be able to ride a 1200RT but sportsbikes are a different question. With my GSXR and Fireblade I had to alter the foot pegs to move them down and forward.

 

I do find using the back brake difficult as my knee does not move side to side like a normal knee.

 

The recovery from a TKR is much longer than others so be careful who you listen to. It's a long and painful process but worth it. I destroyed my knee when I was 15. The damage was so bad it took me years to find a surgeon who would do it because the possibility of a good outcome was low and the technology wasn't there. Eventually got lucky and got someone who was the senior Consultant in a teaching hospital. I had to lose 60lbs in weight before the operation to optimise the outcome. I was told and had to sign an agreement that there would be no guarantee of a positive outcome.

 

I was 63 by the time I could get my leg fixed. I have limped around all my adult life until now. I am thankful everyday to that guy for fixing me up.

 

Pete

 

[Sailorlite]

Pete - I sense from your post above that you must have devoted considerable attention to finding the right treatment and the right surgeon. Do you have any recommendations as to how to accomplish this - what to do and what not to do? There seems to be more to accomplishing a successful outcome than perhaps a casual referral from the primary care doctor.

 

[MT Wallet]

This is a timely discussion for me. I'm having a partial knee done on Dec. 22. I've consulted with several ortho surgeons and all said complete knee replacement was the way to go. I was holding out for technology to regenerate cartilage. I almost got there.

I recently heard a radio spot where a local orthopaedist was talking about cartilage restoration. So I consulted him. He was fine with doing a restoration if insurance would pay for it. They take a plug of bone with cartilage from a donor and insert it in the bad spot. It sounded encouraging but he thought the hitch might be my age-I'm over 50. Well, I called BC/BS and found that, based on the procedure code, they would pay without regard to age. Wonderful I thought. After a new MRI of the knee it turned out that both cartilage surfaces are shot and the technique only works for one defective surface not if the Femur and Tibia is fubar. So he offered to do a medial knee replacement with an "Oxford" implant made by biomet. The advantage is that I get to keep my ACL and PCL (cruciate ligaments). I hope this information helps one of you members out in making you decisions.

[AnotherLee]

This is a timely discussion for me. I'm having a partial knee done on Dec. 22.

Good luck with that, Richard. Please let us know how it turns out.

[LikeBikes]

Pete - I sense from your post above that you must have devoted considerable attention to finding the right treatment and the right surgeon. Do you have any recommendations as to how to accomplish this - what to do and what not to do? There seems to be more to accomplishing a successful outcome than perhaps a casual referral from the primary care doctor.

 

In the UK we are all in the National Health Service. We don't have much choice in who we get. If you don't like the guy (or girl) you can ask for another opinion. There's a limit to how many times you can do this because your own doctor has to refer you. I have no real idea how they would stop you just seeing someone else or if they could refuse to refer you.

 

I saw 5 surgeons in 5 years. All 5 said no possibility of a good outcome - no chance of improving my situation. One guy even said 'I have no idea how you can walk around with an injury like that sorry I can't help you'.

 

Year 6 guy says it's 50/50 If I can help you. I thought WTF let's go for it! 6 months later as the date approached the guy declined to do the operation citing low chances of success. However his boss stepped in (who had a 2 year waiting list) and offered to do it, he had a cancellation. Only met the guy for 10 minutes immediately before the operation and he came around for 5 minutes on his way home in the evening.

 

Get someone round to paint your house you can see if he's any good. Doctors, accountants, lawyers, you never know.....

 

Pete

[Slumgullion]

I had a total knee replacement in 2008 and it was the toughest PT ever and it was a year before I was glad I had it done. The most difficult for me was getting the leg straight and the physical terrorists made me yell like a girl! However it was worth it and I'd do it again. Make sure you find a surgeon who has done a lot of them successfully. I refer to it as my after market knee much better than my broke one but never as good as OEM.

[BadAdam]

The short answer is no. You will not be able to ride so it's time to give me your BMW!!!

 

(kidding aside, I hope the surgery goes well and you are back in the saddle in no time!)

[Silver_Point_1]

Thank you all for the replays. Maybe by the time I heal up there will be a used R1200 RS out there.

[Couchrocket]

I don't want to be the wet blanket here (had both "total knee replacements" in 2014). Successful, new lease on life, and all that. But, I think you should ask your surgeon, "What could happen if I fall off my bike, am in a minor accident where I hit the ground hard on the new knee."

 

I don't think you'll like the answer. So, ride - but don't fall down!

 

Scott

[eddd]

I don't want to be the wet blanket here (had both "total knee replacements" in 2014). Successful, new lease on life, and all that. But, I think you should ask your surgeon, "What could happen if I fall off my bike, am in a minor accident where I hit the ground hard on the new knee."

 

I don't think you'll like the answer. So, ride - but don't fall down!

 

Scott

 

I wasn't ready to slow down after my knee replacement, and actually took up dual sport/offroad and track day riding several years after the knee replacement. This was in addition to mountain biking.

 

I also did not take Scott's advice in that I managed to fall/crash when riding my road bicycle fracturing my femur just above the femoral component of the knee replacement.

 

 

I guess I'm slow on the uptake since I still ride mountain and road bike, dual sports, and my track bike.

[LikeBikes]

I don't want to be the wet blanket here (had both "total knee replacements" in 2014). Successful, new lease on life, and all that. But, I think you should ask your surgeon, "What could happen if I fall off my bike, am in a minor accident where I hit the ground hard on the new knee."

 

I don't think you'll like the answer. So, ride - but don't fall down!

 

Scott

 

My surgeon said he would not do the operation if I continued to work 63 at the time doing physical work. I agreed not to, but got bored after a few weeks. Everything is ok but my knee turns to jelly if I carry anything heavy.

 

I had not been able to walk about on a pitched roof for 20 years due to lack of agility/balance. It was a great moment when I jumped up on to a roof and felt safe and secure and agile three months after my op.

 

Pete

[SANTA]

I had mine right knee total replacement last december. in june i road to the Unrally on my BMW sport bike...

 

some of the recovery is dependent on your motivation to push yourself. I have heard of people who have much reduced motion and strength and some still complain about pain. i can understand as we are all different surgery will affect each with varying results.

 

last thought; i had the spinal freezing and was awake for the procedure, it was amazing

[Couchrocket]

A little addenda to my earlier post, re the PT part of it.

 

2014 was "the year of the knees" for me. Went through all the work up stuff prior to the first surgery starting in February. Then had the left knee replaced in June. Went immediately to PT at home for the first four days after being released from the hospital, then to outpatient PT for 3 months, 3 times a week - plus home PT on the off days. 3 months and one week after first surgery, I had the right knee replaced. Same routine for right knee re PT. Finished up final PT session in January of 2015.

 

All of this to echo what SANTA says above. It is IMO VERY dependent on how hard you are willing to work at the PT. It isn't fun, and it is painful (no matter what they say). But you have to be determined, hard headed, dedicated and just push. Everyone is different, but what I experienced is periods of stasis in progress and then I'd wake up one day and find that my leg muscles had "given in" to the new situation and my range of motion would take a leap forward. So don't get discouraged at an "apparent" lack of progress at any point in the journey. (I hate all this "journey" crap - but that's what it is!)

 

My final results after a lot of pain, sweat, and tears (honestly, I was reduced to tears a couple of times re both the effort required to stay the course, and discouragement) was that I now have ZERO extension, and 137 degrees flexion on the left knee, and ZERO and 132 degrees flexion on the right!

 

Tissue/muscles around knees will still swell at the drop of a hat, and are sometimes "grumpy" - but I have no pain at all anymore "in my knees." In fact, I didn't realize how much pain I had learned to live with until it was gone. Wife and friends observed a noticeable elevation of my general disposition after the surgery, even with the "nose to the grindstone" effort of PT for so many months.

 

So, "go for it" and give it all you have. In the first four weeks or so, don't try to be a hero and not take pain meds. You need the meds on board to be able to do what's required for good PT w/o your head exploding. :-)

 

My best to you as you move forward.

 

Scott

 

PS - and all I have to say to you, eddd, is "OUCH!!!!" Hope you're doing OK. Man...