Total Knee Replacement

Scared of Knee Replacement Surgery? Why Fear Comes with You (And So Does Your Courage)The comment I see more than any other on my social media?"I'm scared.""I'm terrified."Same.If you're scared of knee replacement surgery, you're in good company. 

I've done this twice. Two knee replacements, two surgery days, both outpatient.And here's what surprised me most about round two: I was calm. The surgery wasn't any different. I just knew what was coming.That's what I'd love to give you here, to know what’s coming (or at least an idea). Your day won't look exactly like mine. Your health, your surgeon, your facility, and whether you're inpatient or outpatient all change the details. But there's a rhythm to surgery day, and knowing it ahead of time changes how you walk in.What Happens on Knee Replacement Surgery Day?

I went looking for help for my knee replacement the way most people do — I searched online. Almost everything I found was one of two things: a worst-case-scenario risk assessment and downright scary stories 😳, or a shopping list of gadgets my doctor never once mentioned.My doctor, to his credit, gave me three sheets of paper. What to expect, step-by-step. What he didn't give me was anything on preparing my mind, my body, or my spirit for what was coming.How to Prepare for Knee Replacement Surgery Beyond the Shopping List

Nobody told me that the most important part of knee replacement recovery happens before you ever walk into the operating room. That surprised me too — because it wasn't about what surgeon I chose or which hospital I'd be at. The three decisions that changed everything for me had nothing to do with the surgery itself.Let me take you to Cabo.Decision One: The Moment I Couldn't Ignore AnymoreBefore that trip, I'd been living around my pain for so long it had become my normal. Every plan we made had a quiet asterisk attached to it — can Suzie walk that far, will Suzie's knees hold up, should we park closer for Suzie. I was 43 years old and I was editing my life down to what my knees would allow.

Nothing is wrong. Your knee is just loud.Last week I wrote about the question that keeps you spinning — is this normal? — and the better one to ask instead: where, exactly, is my pain? That question turns worry into work. (In case you missed it.) But there is something that has to come first, and I skipped past it.Before you can stop asking whether something is normal, you have to know what normal actually looks like.So here it is. Six things that feel like a problem and are not.The Six Things Nobody Warns You About

There are a few physical things you can do to support your body before knee replacement surgery — and one for your mind. There is actually a whole lot you can do for your mind, but today we are focusing on the physical and on calming your mind down a little before you get to surgery day.I want to share with you what I did before knee number two — because knee number one and knee number two were completely different experiences for me. Before knee number one I was in so much pain I just wanted to get to it and get through it. It was all mindset because I honestly didn't know what to do to support my body physically. Before knee number two I called the shots. I named when I wanted it done. My knee wasn't as degenerated and there was more, I could do to prepare. That's where I learned what actually makes a difference.Start With Prehab — Your Muscles Are the FoundationThe very first thing you want to do is some form of prehab to strengthen your quads, your glutes, and your hamstrings. The stronger those muscles are going into surgery the stronger they will be coming out. You see this with professional athletes all the time. 

Guess what? Nobody handed me a nutrition plan before my first knee replacement. In fact, I didn’t even think about what to eat. It wasn’t in the top ten things on my mind before surgery.I got a list of what not to eat the night before surgery, and that was about it. And that was mostly about the surgery itself.I didn’t get any guidance on how to prepare my body in the weeks leading up to surgery so it could actually heal well afterward. That information existed. I just had to find it the hard way.So, here’s what I know now that I wish I had known then.Why Pre-Op Nutrition Matters for Knee Replacement RecoveryOur bodies go through a lot during knee replacement surgery. Cuts are made and tissue is moved and sometimes removed. Your immune system goes to work the second that the incision is closed.

Most people think knee replacement recovery takes 12–18 months of struggle, but the truth is you’ll feel better much sooner while your body is still healing behind the scenes.How long does knee replacement recovery really take?You’ve probably heard this before:“Knee replacement recovery takes 12–18 months.”

I didn’t have this all figured out before my first knee replacement.But I sure do now. Enough to help you through yours.This isn’t everything and in no way is this a full checklist.But these? These are the things that actually made a difference in my knee replacement recovery.1. Don’t Go into Surgery Without a Pain Management Plan

We’ve spent all week talking about how knee replacement recovery is a lot like taking a vacation.On Monday, I laid the groundwork for that whole idea — how seeing recovery through a different lens can make the process feel less foreign and a little more familiar. It literally changes your perspective and for me it was the little boost to take the heaviness out of the surgery that week leading up to my replacement. Check out the Introduction to this blog series here.Tuesday, we talked about traveling solo, and how this is ultimately a one-person job. This was an important concept to me because there comes a point in your recovery where it's your strength that's gonna push you through on your range of motion and extension.