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It’s been 6 years since I underwent total knee replacement surgery. I still remember the uncertainty leading up to the surgery and the challenges during recovery. Below, I’ll share some updates and changes I have made to my physical activity.
I turned 73 and time continues to fly by. I am trying to enjoy my family, stay healthy and be active. My knee is doing fine and I continue to be conscientious about stretching, exercising and taking care of my knee as well as the rest of my body.
My body in addition to my knee have limitations as I age. No matter how hard I try and stay fit, I cannot stop the aging process. This year I had to make adjustments to my activity routine and I also changed some of the activities I participate in. I will share those adjustments and changes with you in this article.
I am still very much pleased with my Knee Replacement. It continues to be pain free and allows me to walk and exercise. If I overdo it, sometimes the joint will swell and I feel soreness. I did overdo it a few times this year and I learned a few hard lessons.
Pickleball and My Knee Replacement After 6 Years
Seven years ago I moved to an active retirement community and I discovered pickleball. I enjoyed the physical challenge and the competition.
Pickleball works your hand eye coordination and quick reflexes that other activities and sports (particularly basketball) used to do when I was younger. Basketball always kept me on my toes ready to react at a moment’s notice. Since I could no longer play basketball, I began playing pickleball to keep my hand eye coordination and reflexes sharp.
After a year of playing pickle ball, I took a break for four months to undergo knee replacement surgery. When I returned to pickleball, I began playing 3 or 4 times a week.
As the years have gone by pickle ball has taken its toll on my body too. The hard surface has caused wear on my legs as well as general wear and tear on my entire body. If you take a fall, there can be serious consequences.
After suffering continued soreness and frequent pain on my own body and watching friends suffer serious injuries, I decided to put my paddle on the shelf. It’s possible to adjust your pickleball game and make it more of a social activity and less competitive. However, for me, having played competitive sports all my life it is hard for me to play without wanting to win.
Golf and My Knee Replacement
I continue to play golf once a week on a 12 hole course with a group I have played with for years. Up until this year, I always walked with a pushcart. Due to aging and some other injuries, I recently opted for a motorized cart.
Unlike pickleball, I still enjoy the competition and challenge even though I need to look elsewhere for exercise since I am not walking the course.
Swimming and Knee Replacement After 6 Years
Since I started swimming several years ago, it has been my least favorite activity. Now, as I have a shrinking number of sports and exercise activities to participate in, I enjoy swimming more.
Swimming is now my go-to exercise activity. There is no competition and it can be boring but I know that it is one of the best activities that I can do for my entire body.
I am not always looking forward to my time in the pool but after a workout I always feel exhausted and I am glad I made the effort to swim.
Walking
My wife and I continue to take repositioning cruises twice a year. Instead of taking the ship excursions we have decided to forego crowded bus trips.
We now sign up online for local walking tours that last from 1 to 3 hours. In the past, I have reported no pain or swelling while walking and hiking. This year I learned a few lessons on where to walk and how long to work.
Many European streets and walking areas are made up of uneven cobblestone. As I mentioned in a previous article, Toledo was a good example of uneven walking paths with many hills. I spent 3 days there again this year walking throughout the city up and down on uneven surfaces. I experienced swelling in my surgical knee. In the future I will limit my walking on uneven surfaces and also limit the distances I walk each day. The walking tours in the cities have not been a problem as there are many stops and not a great deal of distance covered.
This spring we booked a 5 day hiking adventure in the Cotswolds of England after a transatlantic cruise. The daily walks averaged 6-8 miles on moderate hills. I found the walks to be beautiful, slow paced and enjoyable until the last day. The last day we got lost and ended up walking 12 miles, a few miles through mud.
After the walk that day I felt pain in my knee that I had not experienced since my surgery. I was afraid I had damaged the replacement. Thankfully after about a week the pain went away and hasn’t returned.
Lessons learned from walking:
- Avoid uneven surfaces (even driveways on sidewalks) when I can
- Limit the distance I walk to 4 or 5 miles
- Make sure the elevation gain and loss is not too great and avoid wet and muddy surfaces.
Bye Bye Mountain Bike, Hello E-bike
A few buddies and I purchased E-bikes this year. I sold my mountain bike. I was encouraged to buy an e-bike by a friend, but I was skeptical that it would not provide any exercise. After a week of riding the e-bike I changed my mind.
My bike has an assist mode and a throttle but you can set the controls so that your peddling can be as easy or difficult as you like. I am enjoying neighborhood rides and rides out into the country. Most of the country rides are between 15 to 20 miles.
I am pleased with my purchase and for people my age I would recommend investing in an ebike.
Conclusion
This year I made several changes to my exercise and activity routine. I listened to my body and realized that some changes were in order. I gave up a favorite activity but also found a new activity that I can enjoy with friends.
I am much more aware of what activities I choose to do now as I try to avoid injury and pain. I realize that as I age, I will constantly need to be cautious and make good decisions choosing activities that are right for me.
It has been a good year and I am still very happy with my knee replacement.