Total Knee Replacement and Rehabilitation: The Knee Owner's Manual

One of the best purchases I have ever made. Ten stars would not be enough. Got this four weeks after knee replacement, sure wish I had it before. It gave me way, way more information and help than I got from the surgeon, the hospital and therapist combined. Most importantly It is right on. Doesn't pull punches or gloss over things and underestimate the time frames of progress, it fits right in with the experience I've had and the experience of others that I've talked to. One reason is because one of the authors, a man with 25 years as a recovery therapist , had a bilateral replacement himself. It's great to give advice without personal experience but living it yourself and seeing the reality from the other side of the table is priceless. It describes the operation with illustrations, gives good pre-surgery exercises, lays out what to expect and prepare for. The recovery therapy is week by week, gives exercises that are very clearly explained and illustrated with good photographs for each one. (Has some 140 illustrations). It tells you why these exercises are necessary and what each one does for recovery. For the first time I felt that I really knew and understand what was going on. It's realistic about pain, effort and limits. To give you an idea of the tenor of the book the first week's chapter is sub titled "You want me to do what?" and the second chapter is subtitled, "Will I ever be normal again?" and believe me that's just what you're thinking at those points. It covers therapy at home, at a gym, with a stationary bicycle and in a pool. I haven't yet found any thing that it didn't cover including questions that I had that I couldn't seem to get a straight answer to from the other "experts". Recovery from knee replacement is a real bitch. Take it from one who has had a broken back, a shattered knee and numerous broken ribs, this has been worse. . This book Gives you the realistic over all picture, ties every thing together, makes your feel that you are in control and calms your anxieties. I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone that is considering TKR or anyone that has had it and is still going through recovery. It's one of the best 20 bucks you'll ever spend..

I had two TKA this year (one at a time). I had so many questions that i asked everyone who had one/both or knew anyone who got one. I did online searches for every medical article i could find (can be dangerous as they are written in medical terminology not for the patient) i wish i had found this book earlier. For example, i had all kinds of sensations post op thru the first 8-12 weeks postop in the first TKA. Every day, every week there were different sensations that hurt or felt odd. I got paranoid thinking that something was wrong and spent hours of wasted time trying to find studies about each "symptom". The generic literature from the manufacturers and from the physicians do not go into the level of detail I needed. Thank god i found this book while doing yet another online search! I must say, this book describes EVERY different sensation, sound, pinch, stiffness etc that i felt thru two TKAs. Turns out it was ALL part of the normal process of healing. My first TKA was 5 months ago and i am doing so well that i had the other side done last week because, as the book mentions, i got to the point where all my limitations were with remaining knee. The rehab i did for the first knee greatly helped prepare my muscles and body (strength, endurance) for the second one last week. I read his book cover to cover and love all the practical tips for regaining range of motion and strength. The other topic he covered so well was the nausea and weakness immediately postop. i had a difficult time both times with postop nausea and wish i had read his book before i went in. This authors are exceedingly knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. Reading this book gave validation to all my concerns, questions and gave me a better perspective about everything i went thru. The FAQs are the best and most comprehensive i have ever read and they start with pre-surgery yes-no decision through all the questions i have NOW about how to ensure i take the best care of these knees going forward. I plan to give copies of this book to friends just in case they know someone who may need to consider TKA. (BTW i kept putting off the need for TKA for years out of sheer terror and went from a highly athletic sportswoman to almost a couch potato. After gettng the first one done i realize i should not have waited so long!). i found the personal anecdotes of dr falkel's own TKA experience very interesting, even humorous. He has most certainly "walked the walk" and not just "talked the talk"!!! Kudos to these co-authors for such a valuable book. i normally do not give online product reviews but i feel passionately about this book because it helped me so much so this is my exception.

Yes, this book is copyrighted 2004 and there are a lot of things that are outdated. However, I couldn't find anything more recent that had nearly as good of reviews. So, I purchased it on the off chance that there would be valuable information I would need for my upcoming TKR. I found timeless exercises to help inprove my muscle strength before surgery. Although the photos explaining them are in black and white they were very useful. Also, there were tips on questions to ask the doctor prior to surgery which were indeed useful as well. There was also a guide on what to expect on your progression after surgery which are not far off from what the doctor's are telling me to expect with my upcoming surgery. I found lots of tips and tricks to get through the first six weeks after surgery which are timeless as well. While there are several things that have changed such as surgery time, length of hospital stay, medications, etc. many things are about the same and were useful to me. I am glad that I made this purchase and would love to see the writers update this book.

I am making a decision about weather to have a knee replacement or live for the next 20 years, with my disability. This book gives an overview of the whole process, the options, how the prosthesis is inserted and how to navigate the arduous rehabilitation following operation. It explains the risks and the likely limitations of activity following knee replacement as well as the benefits. This allows one to consider ones daily routines and to see if they would be enhanced or not if rehabilitation was successful. This is a good book to read and annotate before meeting the hospital physiotherapist.

Gives the reader the info one needs to go through the process of a knee replacement… before, during recovery, and afterward. This book is written by two ortho professionals who have had replacements so it’s a real account of what it’s like. It’s helped me greatly on my on journey to recovery. Highly recommended.

Helpful, good information for anyone going through knee replacement. I'm booked for a double replacement later this year and it was most helpful to look over for prep exercises and I'll keep it to hand for the post ones. Would have been great to have a section on double knee replacement as one of the authors had in fact had that done, and I could use the information.

I'm finally on the waiting list for knee replacements after over 7 years of pain & 4 years of extreme pain. The book is written by experts, one of which had had both knees replaced.l, so it talks alot of sense about looking at people not as being too young for the op but how it impacts on their lives & their pain levels. It's invaluble for advice on what to prepare for, not with the operation but also importantly how you need to adapt your home for after the op, exercises, clothing, practicing with crutches beforehand & how little you'll be able to do initially after the op. There are clear photos on what exercises are best to do before the op & why & then those for after the op. The programme detailed in the book takes you through to 12 months after your op. Which is good as I'll be ready for my next one to be done. I'd say this book is a necessity for anyone having or thinking about having knee replacements.

Great help to us!! A wonderful resource!