Total Knee Replacement: Can I Still Be Active

Are you wondering “can I be active after a total knee replacement?”

You’re not alone!

Most people have the same concern when considering a total knee replacement, but the good news is that staying active is absolutely possible after your surgery.

In this article we’ll explore how to remain active,. 

I will share my knee replacement story and advice on what to expect after a total knee replacement. 

My Story

When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a swim coach that introduced me to weightlifting and running.

This was not the norm for a teenage girl growing up in the ‘70’s. 

At that time girls were told that they could cause “female issues” if they ran to much or lifted to heavy.  It was the era of cardio – toe touches, fire hydrants and 5-pound weights. 

My coach apparently didn’t get the memo on this and felt that anything boys could do girls to do better.  He was great!

This was the beginning of my love for fitness.  This one coach changed my whole mind set on living a healthy lifestyle.      

Since that time, I have been a very active person.  

I ran 5 miles a day 5 days a week – hot, cold, wind, snow and rain!  I also lifted heavy 3-4 days a week.  This was just part of my life since high school. 

When I was 55 years old, I started to experience increased pain in my left knee. 

The pain became so severe that I was no longer able to run and I had to decrease the weights that I was lifting. 

I was diagnosed with a severe osteoarthritis and told that I needed to have a left total knee replacement.

What? That can’t be right. I was young. I was active.

My first thoughts were, “can I still be active after a knee replacement”?

Will I ever be able to return to the activity that I love?

I was scared, what if I could never go back to my fitness routine?  Will I be able to run?  Will I be able to lift heavy weights again?

Well, I am here to tell you that a knee replacement actually gave me my life back.

It had a much more positive impact than I had imagined. I was able to return to my fitness routine. I was much better than before the surgery. 

Coming to Terms With Seeking Treatment

For me the pain started gradually. 

I started to experience some pain after a run.  I just thought that the knee was irritated, this happens all the time to runners, right?  A little rest and I would be back to running. 

After resting and the usual conservative care of ice, anti-inflammatories, and a knee brace the pain would decrease.  I then went back to running and weightlifting. 

Again, the knee pain returned. 

I tried to work past the pain, but it only continued to increase.  It just became too painful to run or lift heavy. 

I finally had to stop running.  I continued to lift but the weights had to be decreased. 

Over time the pain even started limiting other activities such as my golf game and playing with the grandkids. 

I was so frustrated with not being able to do the things that I loved. 

For me this was horrible – I was becoming depressed.  

Find the Right Doctor

 I cannot express this enough!

Honestly, I feel that you will have a better outcome if you trust your doctor.  The mental game is huge before and after a knee replacement.  

For me, it was one of the most important things I did.

I had post-surgery goals and I had no intention of not reaching them after surgery.

It was important to me that my doctor understood my goals and was onboard.

Of course, I wanted the doctor to be realistic, but I also wanted them to support me.

After seeing the first doctor, I did seek a second opinion and I am so glad that I did.

This was my first surgery ever!  I wanted to make sure that I was going to have the very best outcome. 

I had a lot riding on this. 

The second doctor listened to me, he asked what my goals and expectations were following surgery.

If your doctor doesn’t take the time to listen to you or ask about your goals, you need to decide if that is okay.

I discussed everything that I did prior to experiencing the limiting pain in my knee.

He actually understood and supported my goals.  This helped to put my mind at ease

If you are into health and fitness like me, make sure to seek out a surgeon that understands that you have no intention of just sitting in a chair after surgery. 

Is A Total Knee Replacement the Best Option?

After speaking with my doctor, he first offered conservative care.

This consisted of a cortisone injection, a knee brace when active and a home therapy program.

I was on board with that, it did buy me a little more time to figure out what to do next.

The conservative care worked for about 6 months. 

When the pain returned, I returned to the surgeon.

We had a really long talk about my goals and his projections. He understood me.

He told me that the only way to get back to my active lifestyle would be a total knee replacement.  

My surgeon shared with me that the more active I am after surgery the better the short and long-term outcome of my surgery would be. 

That being said, he also expressed his concerns with activities such as running.

He told me that I could run again but if I ran as much as I did prior to the knee pain it could decrease the life expectancy of the replacement. 

He encouraged me to try other cardio activities such as riding a bicycle, using an elliptical or stair stepper.  He even felt it was okay to power walk. 

We then discussed lifting weights again.  My doctor was great, he told me that he didn’t see any reason that I couldn’t return to lifting but may not be able to go as heavy.  I may need to do more reps less weight. 

He felt that all activity after surgery is on an individual basis.

He did make my day by telling me I could return to playing golf. That made this girl smile.

I felt much better going into the surgery, I mean with the pain I was experiencing, my activities had decreased considerably. 

I still had some fear, but I didn’t feel that I had anything to lose by trying surgery. 

Having a chance to return to the things I loved was huge!  

Preparing For the Knee Replacement

Personally, I reached out to a few therapists before surgery.

I just wanted to get some insight on things to do prior to surgery that could help with a quick, successful recovery time.

They encouraged me to work on balance exercises as well as strengthening.

Doing this, as they explained, would be beneficial to keep my quads, hamstrings and calves strong.

So, I continued to work out as much as possible before surgery.  I mean, there wasn’t any chance of damaging the knee further – that ship had already sailed!

Of course, I gathered the suggested equipment for after surgery.  A walker, crutches and ice machine. 

Total Knee Replacement Recovery

A few hours after surgery I was released home, with a walker.  Yep, I was using a walker!

How did this happen, I am healthy, I am strong, a walker really?

I will tell you that the pain and swelling were real!

Ice became my best friend.  If I was sitting or lying down, I had ice on my knee.  This was the best thing ever.

It really took away a lot of the swelling which in turn decreased my pain.  I was able to limit the pain medication thanks to the ice.

I was ready to begin my recovery for my total knee replacement.

Physical therapy started 2 days after surgery.  For me, this was exciting.

I just knew that this would be what I needed to get back on my feet and get away from the walker.

Therapy was 3 times per week, I never dreamed it would be so much work!

I also had a home program that I did faithfully.

I cannot express how important it is to do your home therapy program.  It can make or break your outcome after surgery!

After about 5 days I was able to transition to crutches.  I was also able to use an exercise bike at therapy.

The use of the crutches lasted about 1 week.  Then I was able to walk unassisted!

My first goal was to get down my basement stairs to get into my workout room.

Oh, just getting back into that room was huge in my mind.  Of course, the activity that I could do was very limited.

I still couldn’t kneel and squatting was very limited – but I could sit on my weight bench and lift weights for the upper body and that felt amazing.  I just started out very slow.

Six weeks after surgery I was discharged from physical therapy to a home therapy program.

I still had swelling and pain in the knee, but it had decreased considerably. 

6 Months After Knee Replacement Surgery

Weight Training After Knee Replacement

Slowly over the next three months I began to increase the weights that I was using.

I was able to do squats starting out against a wall without weights. I was then able to progress to weighted squats.

Lunges – without falling – took a little longer but that came back also.

At six months post op I was back to lifting heavy.  I was back to lifting almost all the weight that I did before the pain had started limiting me before surgery.

Lifting heavy has not bothered me.  I think it is very important to listen to your body. 

Running After Knee Replacement

Every year I do a 4-mile run with my nieces. 

I did discuss this with my doctor, and he was on board.  He told me to give it a try, so I did. 

So, 6 months after surgery I completed the 4-mile run which made me feel great. 

My knee did swell up and became more painful for a few days but then the pain and swelling went away. 

Personally, I’ve chosen to just do 1-2 runs a year, it makes me feel good but doesn’t mess up my knee.

Again, I think we are all different and you just need to listen to your body. 

My Conclusion

Oh, do I still wish that I had my 30-year-old knee?  Absolutely!  But I have learned to work with my knee replacement. 

Except for the five day a week runs, I am back to all my previous activities. 

Again, make sure to find a doctor that understands your goals. Don’t be afraid to talk to them and let them know what your expectations are.    

If they don’t agree or are more reserved, consider getting a second opinion.