As some of you may know I was off the air for a couple of weeks because I had knee replacement surgery on May 29^th.

All went well and I’m on the road to recovery and doing very well.

In this blog I thought I might give some insights to those who might be considering knee replacement in their future that might make things go more smoothly.

Shane and I discussed my surgery and outcomes in the audio below.

Tom’s Pre-Knee Replacement Guidelines

Here are a few things I’d recommend doing to prepare for knee surgery.

• Lose weight – the more weight you can take off the new knee the better.
• Join a gym – I worked out for about six months before scheduling surgery and strengthening all the muscles and tendons around the knee has made my recovery much faster.
• Diet – There are foods that can help your joints to work better and reduce inflammation. Do some online research to find out the best diet adjustments you can make for your recovery to be faster and less painful.
• Pain Meds – These are narcotic opioids and can be dangerous and addictive. I interspersed pain meds with Tylenol. Nothing I took fully eliminated all pain. You’re going to have to live with some in the first week or two. But as soon as you can reduce your dependence on the opioids the better you will feel.
• Blood Thinners – I have a history of blood clots which can be dangerous with this type of surgery. I went off blood thinners about 72 hours before surgery then back on immediately after surgery.
• Infection – Infection is always a danger with any surgery but thankfully I did not have any infection issues.
• Swelling – I did have some swelling issues around the knee and calf, but this will subside over time.

Some Final Thoughts

It’s interesting that the pain I experienced walking after surgery was less than the pain of the bad knee before surgery. Everyone I’ve talked to who has had this type of surgery wishes they had done it sooner.

I may have to put myself in that camp. Even going through the pain of the first one I have already begun the process of scheduling the other knee to be replaced.

Additional physical therapy and exercise should make the second one even easier.

If you’re thinking of having this kind of surgery do your homework. There are many good articles and help online to prepare you for a successful outcome.

Tom and Shane talk about Tom's surgery.

Comments below.