At the school gate earlier in the week..
A grandparent of our son’s friend asked..
‘I don’t want to trouble you..’
Which is never a worry.
I love talking about joint replacement
(arguably, a bit too much)
‘I’m having a knee replacement..’
Okay, I asked:
Where..? Upcountry.
Full or partial? Full.
Then.. what are the key insights that are possible to pass on in the 90 seconds. The 90 seconds or so before our 3-year-old really needed to get to the zip wire.
It's a ticking clock like no other..
The pressure was on.
Key information first..
1. Build back strength 👊
Get a head start now..
Suggest exercise bike cycling
1 minute daily in week 1,
2 minutes daily in week 2,
3 minutes daily in week 3 etc.
..until 10 to 15 minutes most days.
Scale up slowly.
Seat nice and high.
No bike for 2 weeks after the operation
Then start again, slowly..
(you get the idea)
It really gives your recovery a boost.
This is a cycling family, so lots of agreement.
2. What about driving? 🚘
Commonly us surgeons say 'about 6 weeks'
BUT I just reviewed a paper suggesting 19 days.
The bottom line..
You be the judge
Let your insurance company know.
You don’t need to tell the DVLA.
(it counts as incapacity under 3 months)
3. And Pain? 😬
Yes, it’s painful.
Sometimes surprisingly so..
Don't let anyone tell you different.
Hang in there
Take the painkillers
Keep the knee moving.
You WILL turn a corner at 4 to 6 weeks.
Good luck!
‘Yeah, we’re going to the zip wire now..’
(My time was up)
