Postop

Back when I was still walking around on my bone-on-bone knee, I noticed something strange. Every time someone at work would ask, “How’s your knee?” and I answered, “It hurts,”… it got worse.I know that sounds weird. I’m not saying I made it up or was pretending. The pain was real. But the moment I gave it voice? It almost felt like it doubled.Eventually, I stopped saying “it hurts.”Instead, I’d say, “I’m actually really looking forward to having it replaced.”

Have you ever seen A Bug’s Life? It’s an animated Disney/Pixar film, and there’s this one scene where a leaf falls onto an ant trail. The lead ant freezes. He panics because the path he was following suddenly disappears. Then another ant calmly says, “It’s okay, I’ll help you,” and walks him around the leaf so he can keep going.Well, in your knee replacement recovery, I’m gonna be that calm ant—the one who says, “It’s OK, I’ll help you with that.” I want to reassure you that what you’re experiencing is completely normal and actually a healthy part of your body’s healing process.You go to sleep on surgery day, wake up with a new knee, and suddenly your brain can’t find the path it once knew. You know how to walk, lift your leg, or get up from the floor—but your body just doesn’t respond. It’s like a leaf dropped over your old movement pattern, and your brain can’t see the trail anymore.

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 😱. 

I just want to get back to normal!How many times have you said that since your knee replacement? I know I did. Then I had a huge perspective shift.What if my knee replacement was an actual level up? What if all this was happening so I had the chance to reinvent myself? That thought got me wondering how many other shifts I could make if I stopped trying to "get back to normal"The fact is nothing is normal post knee replacement. Not your bathroom visits, showers (or bath), or even the way you get yourself ready each day. Who knows, maybe you aren't getting yourself ready each day. God knows there were days when I didn't have PT that I didn't do much more than use the restroom and do my heel slides. 

You are so tired and your leg is throbbing and all you want to do is sleep. Hopefully, you take your pain medicine and you get in your comfy spot. Next thing you know, you wake up, angrily, 47 mins after you fall asleep.  In frustration of not being able to get comfortable, you resign yourself to being awake all night surfing the inter webs. Sound familiar?