Anyone riding with knee replacement(s)?

[palincss]

Originally Posted by makoti

A good friend is looking at getting a knee replacement, but is worried about how it would be riding afterwards. I came across a thread that had a couple of responses that didn't sound hopeful. All the descriptions of recovery on websites say "riding" is good for that, but I'm guessing they don't mean the same thing we do by "riding".
Anyone have a "long term review" of theirs? How has it impacted your riding? Are you able to ride at nearly the same level? She's 61 & still does 150 miles a week & week long tours. She was hoping to put it off a few more years, but the knee is still swollen from a tour that ended a month ago.

I've got a partial replacement. Impact my riding? Better than at any time in the 50 years prior to the surgery (that's how long I lived with the injured knee). You'd never know it's there. It's just your knee, only without the pain. It helps if it's done by the best, as mine was. Around Metro DC, that's Anderson Orthopaedic & Dr Fricka. https://andersonclinic.com/directory...evin-b-fricka/

[Plum Hill]

I guess I’m the anomaly here.
It took three years after the first TKR before I could ride almost pain free.
In two days it’ll be one year since the second. I’ve had swelling, fluid buildup, and abnormal pain since. Riding and exercising causes more swelling and pain. Second and third opinions have found nothing; both said mechanical aspect of replacements is good. I can bend both knees past 130 degrees. Very good PT can’t figure it out. He claims I was doing things for him that he’s never had a TKR recipient do.
Original surgeon called me a “slow healer”. Other docs said that could be a viable diagnosis.
Perhaps 35 years of trashing my knees in construction is working against me.
While not a competitive rider (realized my competitiveness wasn’t great chasing Craig Virgin around in high school), I was a better than average climber. Rides now are essentially shady rides on a trail system of around 40 miles in length and I stay out of the river valley hills.
On the plus side, a fellow rider had his knee done before my first. He had it redone later. He’s never been back on the bike.
I always say when it comes to any kind of surgery ‘your miles may vary’.