Healing Mindset

When to Stop Using a Walker or Cane After Knee Replacement and How to Avoid Limping

One of the things I hear often is how frustrating it feels to still be walking with a limp after knee replacement. And honestly? My heart goes out to anyone in that spot. Because it shouldn’t have to be this way.

Most of the time, limping months after surgery isn’t about lack of effort. It’s usually because no one reminded you that keeping your assistive device a little longer can actually protect your healing, not hold it back.

I keep it real and authentic over here so a little of my own story for you!  I let go of my walker earlier than I probably should have—because we were throwing a birthday party for my husband with 75 people in our house. I didn’t want to be the one limping around with a walker that day, so I grabbed my cane. As soon as the party was over? I went right back to my walker because it was my security.

The truth is, everyone’s timeline looks a little different—and it’s influenced by what you bring into surgery. 
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Knee Replacement Surgery Is a Week Away? Here’s How to Flip the Script on Anxiety

If your surgery is coming up next week and you feel like your emotions are all over the place… you’re not alone.

I’ve been there. I remember that final week countdown before my second knee replacement. I had done it before, and I knew I was going to be okay. But even with that knowledge, my body started reacting in ways I couldn’t ignore. I found myself deep cleaning, organizing random things, and staying busy just to avoid what I was really feeling.

What I realized later was this: my nervous system knew something big was about to happen. Even though I kept telling myself “I’m fine,” my body was processing what my mind hadn’t fully acknowledged yet.
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Knee Replacement Recovery and Faith: Why Scripture Matters on Hard Days

I know what you might be thinking—rejoice? In this pain?
Trust me, I’ve asked the same thing.

After my knee replacement, I had days when I sat in my recliner with tears in my eyes and a body that just... ached. My knee throbbed, the scar was red and angry, and I barely recognized the body I was living in. 

Sleep was scarce. Independence felt distant. And if you had handed me this verse on one of those days? I probably would’ve set it down gently… or not so gently.

But one morning, I read these words in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young:
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Knee Replacement Fear Is Real — And How to Move Through It

If you’re facing knee replacement surgery, chances are you’ve already said the words: I’m terrified. I’m petrified. I’m scared out of my mind. Those are heavy words. And they’re real. The truth is, most of that fear comes down to one thing — the unknown.

Nobody really prepares you for the mental and emotional side of this surgery. Your surgeon will tell you what the procedure involves. Your physical therapist will walk you through exercises. But who sits you down and says, “Hey, let’s talk about the fear you’re carrying”? That part usually gets skipped, and it’s exactly what most of us need the most.

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The Only Real Prerequisite for a Successful Knee Replacement

It’s easy to think of want as something shallow — like, “Sure, I want a good outcome, but that’s not up to me.”

But actually... it is.

Desire is what gives your want meaning.
Desire turns “I hope I get better” into “I will do whatever it takes to recover fully.”

And that’s exactly what I did.

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AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
I’m a proud affiliate for some of these tools and products that are suggested on this page and throughout my website. Meaning if you click on a product and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. My recommendations are based on knowledge and experience and I recommend them because they are genuinely useful and helpful, not because of the small commission that I may receive.

Meet Suzie Andrade

 
I was 41 when I was told I needed a knee replacement.
And that my other knee would likely follow.

That sentence alone changed how I moved through the world.

I stopped playing softball.
I stopped walking just to "walk".
I avoided stairs. Curbs. Parking far away for extra steps.
Even the small, normal things started to feel like obstacles.

One day, I was on the beach, walking through the sand and muttering under my breath with every painful step. I wanted to walk down to the water, but it felt too far. That was the day I drew a very real line in the sand and decided I couldn’t keep living this way.

I had my left knee replaced at 45, my right hip at 46 and my right knee at 48.

What I didn’t know then was that pain would shape my purpose.

Each surgery taught me more than how to heal a body. It taught me resilience, patience and how much faith we carry when we’re forced to slow down and keep going. It also showed me this: there are real gaps in the knee replacement "adventure".

Doctors and physical therapists do important work, but they don’t talk about everything — the fear, the frustration, the days when healing feels invisible. Not because they don’t care. Because they haven’t lived it. I have.

That’s why I created the Yetter Getter Mindset and why I show up as your Holistic Knee Replacement Coach — to fill in the spaces that get skipped so recovery feels doable, supported and human.

Welcome to my digital home.

A place for real guidance, real support and forward movement.






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