Before my first knee replacement, I didn't prepare. I didn't plan. I just waited for the day to arrive, because by that point, my knee was so degraded that even stepping up a curb hurt. In all honesty, I just wanted to make it through the surgery and survive. I wasn’t thinking ahead.
There were just over 3 years that passed between knee replacement #1 and knee replacement #2 and by my second knee replacement, I felt stronger and I recovered faster. And it came down to one thing I refused to skip the second time around.
Knee Number One: Almost No Plan at All
If I'm honest, my prep for knee replacement number one was minimal. I had a backup plan for the kitchen, since I did all the cooking and grocery shopping. I braced myself for being loopy on medication. That was basically it.
I didn't have time to think much further than that, because my knee had degraded so far by the time surgery happened. And because knee number one was so badly degraded, it led to hip replacement number one just seven months later.
Knee Number Two: A Completely Different Approach
By the time knee number two came around, almost three years had passed, and everything about my approach changed. I got married in between, I was working out consistently leading up to the wedding, and I went into knee number two already stronger than I'd ever been going into a surgery.
I also didn't let it get as bad this time. The moment my doctor told me it was medically necessary, I scheduled it.
Going into surgery number two, I paid close attention to a few specific things: my hydration, my protein intake, the minerals my body actually needed to heal, and cutting back on the inflammatory foods that make recovery harder than it needs to be.
I also learned which recovery gadgets are worth buying and which ones are a waste of money. Some of what "everyone recommends" I skipped entirely, and I didn't miss it for a second.
The One Non-Negotiable: Strength Training
Here's what knee number one taught me. When you skip strength training beforehand, everything about recovery feels heavier. Every transfer, every step, every effort just takes more out of you.
So going into knee number two, I made strength training the priority, focused on the exact muscle groups that matter most before and after surgery. I'm not a physical therapist. I'm someone who went through this twice and learned the hard way the first time.
That strength work is a big reason my second recovery went the way it did.
One Small Decision at a Time
Nutrition, hydration, mineral support, strength training. None of it is complicated. It's a handful of small, intentional decisions made consistently in the weeks before surgery.
I walk through exactly what I did, what I skipped, and why in my latest YouTube video:
If you have a knee replacement on the calendar, that's where you'll find the full breakdown.
I also put all of it into a free pre-op ebook.
Suzie Andrade helps people make sense of knee replacement recovery with simple, practical steps so they can recover with calm confidence.
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.
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