4. The Patient

Patient Empowerment and Responsibility

The typical response to the question, How long does it take to recover from TKR? is “a year.” What does recovery mean, anyhow? Is it to be off meds and walking without additional support? Is it the ability to do stairs easily? To walk two miles or ride a bicycle for half an hour? Recovery is a multi-dimensional concept; in each case, the bottom line is personal. Two years after my first surgery, I still consider myself in recovery because every day brings new physical challenges. For example, walking on uneven ground or up and down steep hills can still result in leg pains. Cold, rainy days are certainly less pleasant for me and how my legs feel than warm sunny days. Here in New England, we had far more of the former than the latter while I was recovering from my second knee surgery.

However, I can say with certainty that I am far better off than I was a year ago when I awoke one early summer morning to find I could not walk—my legs would not support my weight. When heat, ice, and massage failed to improve my condition, I knew my many years of accommodating osteoarthritis were over. I had to take the next cane-supported, stiff-legged steps towards resuming a normal life. My journey toward TKRs had begun.

My journey through TKR as represented by 3 friends; M. Prehab, M. Recovery and M. Happy Days

To help explain the emotional and physical terrain of the TKR journey, I will illustrate my life before and after surgery with the help of a few friends.

On the far left, M. Prehab, the mannequin painted in disconnected blobs of grey, represents how I felt before surgery, i.e., sort of a mess. The figure/mannequin in the middle, painted with light colors on one side and darker shades on the other, is M. Recovery. The two-toned effect symbolizes the unfortunate reality that recovery is an emotional roller coaster. There are good days when you feel like you’re making real progress and bad days when you feel defeated. On those days, it’s as if the world is about to cave in on you. Imagine being battered by big ocean waves. That’s what it’s like when waves of depression start knocking you down, except there’s no beach to which you can return. Depression is an unwelcome but undeniable aspect of recovery, which is why I offer many suggestions in the Recovery At Home section on how to combat the depression that will inevitably strike during recovery.

M. Happy Days, the bright-colored mannequin on the right, symbolizes the life we hope to have after healing. M. Happy Days makes only a limited appearance on this website, but is featured in my Instagram account, @ NewKneesWillTravel.

All the exercises at the end of this account are demonstrated by the blue and green mannequin, M.H. Work. On some days, the H stands for Helpful, and on other days, Horrible. But the work is always Hard, and successful recovery is always Work. The most significant factor contributing to a successful recovery is recognizing that Every Day Matters! Don’t get behind in your exercise routine, assuming tomorrow’s session will be easier if you don’t exercise today. Skipping a day will only make exercising harder and, perversely, make it easier to miss another day.

Next: The “Guiding Hand” Principle