Simon’s custom-made knee replacement
Custom-made knee replacement surgery
This is Simon Law’s account of his recovery after his Conformis custom-made knee replacement surgery, which shows just what can sometimes be achieved:
3 months in and I feel that it’s all going well, I completed my longest ride yesterday: 49 miles with 4,000ft of climbing.
In other news, I had a weekend away in Provence with the bike. Managed 10hrs in the saddle (3 consecutive rides) and climbed 3500m in total. No repercussions, no painkillers either. The toughest part was the driving there and back. It was so pleasing on many levels.
The only comparison I have is that a friend of mine had a TKR on November 22, 2018. She told me that after 7 weeks her knee was still swelling up after a kilometre walk, she had no increased flexion than at 4 weeks (when I last saw her), about 115deg and she was still taking morphine for pain relief.
Whenever I visited my physio he always said how well I was progressing in comparison to most of his clients.
As for my milestones:
- I never used crutches once arriving home after being discharged from London Bridge Hospital
- by Day 7 I could climb two flights of stairs unaided
- by Day 11 I managed a 130deg knee bend & walked 1km
- by Day 14 I was driving & walking 2km
- on Day 21 we lost the dog in Stanmer Park, which resulted in me walking 6.5 km over hilly terrain
- by Day 29 I was cycling 5km on the flat
- on Day 42 I cycled 25km wearing cleats again
- on Day 50 I managed 30km, including a 5km climb at 3% gradient
- on Day 59 I cycled 75km
- by Week 12 I was climbing out of the saddle
- by Week 15 I was cycling for 3 consecutive dsys, in the saddle for 10hrs and climbing for 3500m
Regards,
Simon
30-1-19
