Work hard on your PT for 90 days and you will be 90% recovered. The last 10% can take up to a year but after 90 days it is is pretty much as good as it gets, but you have to put in the effort.

my memory has slipped. Anyways, do the PT even when it hurts. Bending the knee as far as possible is very important as you will appreciate later. Good luck.

second in December. There's recuperation and then there's recuperation. I could function pretty well in about 8 weeks after the first. Was playing some golf in June after the April surgery. Had the second done on Dec. 12 to avoid a second deductible, saved about $1700. I quit rehab in early February after the second but continued working on exercises at home. Now, for full recovery, meaning pretty much totally pain free and fully functional, I'd say 12 to 18 months. After 3 or 4 months the improvements are subtile but happen unnoticed initially until one day you realize, "Hey I was able to do that last month. The biggest recovery for me wasn't the knees, it was the loss of stamina I experienced after the surgeries. Knee surgery is a big insult to the body and the body directs a lot of its resources to healing. Also inactivity after surgery probably contributed. I really should have walked more after the surgery but just walking as an exercise bores me to death. Plus I was in my mid-70's when the knees were done. Best of luck. You will be very glad you had the knees done. (Warning, some folks regret the surgery after the first week or two until the recovery takes hold)

He didn't do them at the same time, but he did have them replaced one right after the other, like you describe. The first knee went OK. Rehab time was every bit of 6 mo. But the 2nd one was a nightmare. It never did heal/recover, and he was left with more pain and stiffness than before. He went to orthos in most every major city he visited over the next several years, and none could tell him what was wrong or why. After about five years, he got frustrated and decided to have the bad one re-replaced. This time, he had it done at MCV in Richmond. When they got in there, they found the problem...the epoxy they used to bond the replacement knee to the bone had never cured. It was still gummy because the original surgeon didn't mix the epoxy correctly. So every time he bent his knee, the metal parts were shifting slightly. But none of this will show up on an x-ray or MRI since those are static images. The surgeon that did the re-replacement described what he found as unconscionable, and would support my dad if he wanted to file a malpractice suit. Today, things are pretty good. But I think the takeaway from my father's experience is if you need a knee replacement, have it done at UVA or Duke or MCV or some similar renowned medical facility and not at your local hospital. As an aside, I had a similar experience with a colonoscopy. The local hospital found some unsettling stuff and recommended I have surgery to remove 3/4 of my large intestine. That kind of surgery is a big deal, and they recommended I go to Duke to have it done. I went to Duke for a consult, and they suggested I repeat the colonoscopy there at Duke to see if they could address the issues without surgery. They were able to take care of everything, and I just had a 6-mo follow up at Duke to confirm they got everything, and all was good. If you need anything medically major or scary done, I'm now a believer in going to Duke (or some other facility of that caliber) vs. leaving it to your local docs.

I did both at once which he discouraged so my odds of both being perfect was lower. Part of his discouragement was because of more difficult rehab, part that his reimbursement was much less for second one. I went to Sedona, AZ two weeks after the surgery which he about had a stroke about. Walked about a mile from our rental to town for a meal the first day there. I was in good shape before the surgery and weight was acceptable so I did reasonably well. Lots of cycling on a trainer ( motion is lotion) and stuck with the program of exercises otherwise. Everyone is different. 6-12 months seems excessive if you are in reasonable shape and weight is under control. JMHO Oh, on the way to Sedona I had a short time to transfer flights and a long distance to cover. Wifey took off to the gate to hold the plane. I hobbled along and made it just in time. ** Edited by DonHo-kieHi at 1/15/2026, 12:43:36 AM

"What's WRONG with you?!?!" :-)

discuss w/ surgeon, though.

Knee is one of the tough surgeries. For the left knee she was driving in 5 weeks and went on an overseas vacation at 3.5 months. Right knee has been a bit tougher. Depending on what all has to be corrected (bone on bone? leg crooked? legs different lengths?) you milage will vary.

My dad recently had traditional knee replacement surgery, and his recovery trajectory is definitely on the 6-12 month timeline. He is going to have his other knee replaced next week, and recently learned about the "Jiffy Knee" procedure (see the link below). It sounds like a much less invasive surgery with a shorter recovery period. My dad's surgeon said he's capable of doing it, but he won't know whether my dad is a candidate until he begins the precedure, so my dad won't know his recovery timeline until he wakes up post-op. Best of luck to you! I've heard that the most important thing is to make sure you do all of your therapy and PT, regardless of the type of surgery...it seems that is key to your long-term prognosis and level of recovery. So push through the pain for long-term gain! ** Edited by MP4VT2004 at 1/15/2026, 1:35:30 AM

done New Year’s Eve. He was doing 2 mile walks in December after the first replacement. Another friend got one knee done last June and had a much longer recovery time with leg strength. I guess it just depends on the person.

tennis, run, do it doggy style?

doggy style is your style, better research the Kama Sutra

I have a neighbor who was just fine in 3 weeks after robotic knee replacement surgery

the most important determinant of outcome. Some people confuse knee robotic surgery with abdominal robotic surgery. Abdominal robotic avoids large incisions. With knee surgery robotic surgery still require a the same large incision as conventional. The robotic part only does the shaping of the femur and tibia to accept the implants.