I know what it’s like in the middle of knee replacement recovery when you’re wondering if your body is ever going to feel normal again. I’ve been there—and I’d love to help you with this.When I was early on in my recovery, maybe 3 weeks out, I went to physical therapy with my walker. I remember watching a man walk to the back completely unassisted. Turns out, he was one week after surgery 😱. He was walking on his own already—and I instantly started comparing myself. That was the moment I realized I needed to shift my mindset if I wanted to get through this recovery strong.
I started borrowing lessons from leadership and entrepreneurship—especially from John Maxwell. These ideas came from one of his podcasts where he talked about focus and growth. He shared five things to put behind you and five to put before you. I just reworked them through the lens of knee replacement recovery because that’s exactly what I did during mine.
Now, let’s get into them.
Focus on what you can do
It’s easy to spiral into all the “can’ts.” I can’t walk unassisted. I can’t bend my knee. I can’t do stairs yet. But if you shift your focus to what you can do—like completing your heel slides, managing your pain better today than yesterday, or getting in and out of bed without help—progress becomes evident again. Every small win stacks up.
Choose courage over fear
Fear shows up in recovery, seemingly all throughout in different ways. It’s that voice that whispers “What if this pain never ends?” or “What if I mess something up?” Courage doesn’t make fear disappear—it just moves despite it. That courage is already in you. It’s what got you to and through surgery, and it’s what’s going to carry you through each step forward.
Be consistent, not intense
I used to go too hard on my good days. I’d push every limit, feel like superwoman, then crash the next day. That cycle kept me stuck. Consistency is what actually changes things. Small, steady steps compound faster than you think. Like John Maxwell says, “If you’re persistent, you’ll get it. If you’re consistent, you’ll keep it.”
Trade complaints for gratitude
This one was a tough mirror for me. I wasn’t complaining out loud, but my thoughts sure were. Everyone was doing things FOR me and I was used to doing things for them. When I started shifting that inner dialogue—being grateful for my husband helping with dinner, or for my mom randomly popping in with coffee—my energy changed. Gratitude shifts the whole room, including your own mindset.
Focus on who you’re becoming
You’re not going backward. You’re not rebuilding the old you—you’re becoming someone stronger. Someone with a pain-free knee. Remember your knee is now perfect when, at one time, it was degrading. You are someone who knows how to push through hard things. Take the best parts of who you were before surgery and let the rest stay in the past. You’re building something new.
Healing isn’t about going back. It’s literally about becoming. And what you focus on grows. I invite you to visit John’s Podcast.
These five mindset shifts helped me through my own knee replacement recovery, and I hope they help you too. If you want more mindset tools and practical guidance for your recovery, you’ll find them inside The Knee Replacement Hub.
And if you want to hear me talk through all of this in real time, listen to the full episode here:
