This one hurts...

[Weaselinsuit]

I believe that was the 'old' thinking when they did not know how long the joints would last.
With the 'newer' technology now, the life is well extended so that should not be an issue.
My knees are 13 years old and at my last check-up (this year) the ortho doc said they looked as good as new - and they have seen some use!

And the bigger danger is if the knee is bad, it will eventually affect the hips and the back because of the 'unnatural' gait you have.
My right one was so bad, that I had to learn how to walk properly as I was still limping after the surgery.
The conversation went like this -

Therapist - "Why are you limping - you've already had surgery?"
Me - "I don't know, I guess it is just habit".
Therapist - "We are gonna make you walk pretty now".
Me - "Sweetheart, I've done a lot of things, but walking pretty ain't been one of them!"

Because I had limped for so long, it had become a habit to keep weight off the bad knee.
It took some intensive therapy to learn how to walk correctly again.
And yes, my lower back still has issues from that time.
Fortunately my hips recovered and I haven't had to have them replaced.

Definitely one of my concerns. My right knee cycles every 10 to 15 steps between no pain and excruciating, with everything in between making an appearance as well. I catch myself limping when there isn’t pain. As you say, learned habitual behaviour is a bugger to unlearn.

 

[ST Gui]

I had to have both of mine replaced (one at a time) and now have had both shoulders replaced in 2021 and 2022.

Holy crap Unc! You're practically a Bionic Man! But you have a point. NorCal Ed hurt his ankle in a crash and Kaiser wanted to fuse it. He wasn't going for it. They finally replaced it with a Bionic Ti joint or summat. I haven't heard anything from him since 2016 but I think the ankle was/is OK.

 

[ReSTored]

I think the whole joint replacement 'business' has vastly improved even since 2010/2011 when I had my knees done.

Curious, do you remember the brand and model number of the 4 joints you had. Often, for recall purposes, patients are given a card with this info + the s/n of the implant.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

...... learned habitual behaviour is a bugger to unlearn.

My take on it is that pain is an incredible and ruthless motivator, and it teaches lessons to the brain that it does not soon or easily forget.

I broke my foot so badly that there were so many broken bones and bone fragments floating around that the X-ray technician actually wrote on the report to the doctor that he stopped counting.
Even after I reached the point where I could hobble around on it (and it was months before the doctor would even allow my foot to simply touch the floor let alone bear weight) I had to limp very badly to avoid excruciating pain. No matter how much I improved and how much the pain diminished I kept limping. I no longer needed to limp but I kept doing it, which was now starting to cause my knee to ache even though there was nothing wrong with it. The longer I would have kept limping, the more screwed up my knee would have become. The doctor wrote a note to the physiotherapist basically telling them that I shouldn't need to limp anymore, or at least not as pronounced as I was, and to correct this behaviour before I screwed up my knee. The physiotherapist told me that they were going to cure me of my limp, and they did rather easily.

The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone, and the thigh bone is connected to the ................ we all know the song.
The moral of the story is get it fixed as soon as the doctor says that it needs fixing before you cause more damage elsewhere.

 

[Uncle Phil]

Holy crap Unc! You're practically a Bionic Man! But you have a point. NorCal Ed hurt his ankle in a crash and Kaiser wanted to fuse it. He wasn't going for it. They finally replaced it with a Bionic Ti joint or summat. I haven't heard anything from him since 2016 but I think the ankle was/is OK.

Last count, I have had 17 orthopedic surgeries to replace/repair/remove/reconstruct various 'failing' body structural parts.
But I figure if I average the age of my new 'components' with my OEM 'components' I'm about 18 years old on the average!

 

[Uncle Phil]

Curious, do you remember the brand and model number of the 4 joints you had. Often, for recall purposes, patients are given a card with this info + the s/n of the implant.

No I used to remember the name of the knee units but that has faded (as has other things) from my memory.
I'm sure the ortho place where I have had all my surgeries has that info in the voluminous file they have on me ...

 

[wjbertrand]

Agree with Uncle Phil about the 6-8 week time frame at which point you’re able to do most normal things. I’m still improving 10 months on. More and more I do something and go wow, couldn’t do it that way before. Post surgical pain was a bit gnarly for about a week and a half, before dropping off precipitously.

Regarding the brand on my Knee is is a Zimmer Persona and was implanted using a robot assisted procedure called ROSA or ROSA Knee system. They basically make some 3D x-rays of your knee before surgery, send them off to Zimmer who produces what is basically a CNC tool path. They also determine what size implants you need and then send it all to your surgeon. Robot assisted surgeries supposedly have fewer complications, faster operating time and quicker recovery than traditional knee replacement surgeries.

 

[Jerbear]

Thank you all for your input and comments. Medical coverage is not an issue, I am 54 and in relatively good health otherwise. Except for a couple of heart issues, had my first heart attack at 37The knee issue is the only thing that is bothering me. I was seen and operated by supposedly one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country. Dude is pretty famous in his field. He is also the one who fixed my torn ACL and MCL 17 years ago in the same knee and it held up just fine in all this time. I did some pretty stupid things since then and the knee was fine until now. My concern is the longevity of the implant. Let's say I have one done now, and then what about 15-20 years from now? Will I be able to have a second one done with bones 20 years older with previous implant removed? Right now, the only thing the knee is stopping me from doing is riding, I have no problem walking, climbing stairs or ladders or lifting heavy stuff. The only issue is the sustained bent in the knee, exactly what's needed on a bike.
On the side note this past weekend I went out and sat on a couple of cruiser style bikes. From all of the ones I saw I liked the Kawaski Voyager the best. When the weather improves, I'll take on for a test ride and we'll see.

 

[Uncle Phil]

Thank you all for your input and comments. Medical coverage is not an issue, I am 54 and in relatively good health otherwise. Except for a couple of heart issues, had my first heart attack at 37The knee issue is the only thing that is bothering me. I was seen and operated by supposedly one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country. Dude is pretty famous in his field. He is also the one who fixed my torn ACL and MCL 17 years ago in the same knee and it held up just fine in all this time. I did some pretty stupid things since then and the knee was fine until now. My concern is the longevity of the implant. Let's say I have one done now, and then what about 15-20 years from now? Will I be able to have a second one done with bones 20 years older with previous implant removed? Right now, the only thing the knee is stopping me from doing is riding, I have no problem walking, climbing stairs or ladders or lifting heavy stuff. The only issue is the sustained bent in the knee, exactly what's needed on a bike.
On the side note this past weekend I went out and sat on a couple of cruiser style bikes. From all of the ones I saw I liked the Kawaski Voyager the best. When the weather improves, I'll take on for a test ride and we'll see.

As I said in one of my posts, the longevity of the new knees is still unknown.
My right one is over 13 years old and the docs says it looks as good as new.
The issue, if I understand it correctly, is the 'cushion' between the metal parts - that's why I have mine checked out every 3 years or so.
If the cushion starts to deteriorate and they catch before the metal wears, it's supposed be a pretty simple procedure to replace it.
Sort of like brake pads - if you change them before it gets into the rotor, the rotors last a long time!

 

[wjbertrand]

I know folks with 20-year old knee replacements that are still going strong. The newest batch of knees and robotic procedures are claiming 30+ years. Misalignment is the main reason for early wear and the robotic methods specifically address this.

 

[williscreg]

How is your knee now?

 

[TPadden]

On the side note this past weekend I went out and sat on a couple of cruiser style bikes. From all of the ones I saw I liked the Kawaski Voyager the best. When the weather improves, I'll take on for a test ride and we'll see.

Walk, for heaven's sake don't run, to your nearest BMW dealer and test ride a Bagger. Controls are still under you but the floorboards really stretch out your legs with a low seat. There are used ones out there at a decent price, and BMW dealers encourage test rides. 70,000 comfortable miles on mine.

Tom

 

[ASPC]

ST1300’s have linked brakes and ABS and they work well even on dirt roads. I test mine periodically. I don’t use the rear brake pedal often.

 

[TPadden]

ST1300’s have linked brakes and ABS and they work well even on dirt roads. I test mine periodically. I don’t use the rear brake pedal often.

Did you mean to post this in this thread? If so, why?

Tom

 

[Weaselinsuit]

I'm now 4 weeks out from a total knee replacement on my right knee. I may need to get the left one done as well. I can tell you that the first night post surgery I would have told you there was no way I was getting the left one done, the pain was pretty intense. However, that pain receded surprisingly quickly. Now, it's a dull background ache and I am more bothered by my hip and femur which I understand is due to my leg being reset in a neutral alignment and having to readjust from my previous bowlegged limp.

I'm pretty diligent about the physio exercises which has been key to regaining range of movement. It's not fun at times but the leg feels much better once I have done them and the muscles have been stretched out.

It's still early days but overall, I am glad I had it done and hope that continues to be the case.

 

[Larry Fine]

It's still early days but overall, I am glad I had it done and hope that continues to be the case.

Good to know you'd do the other one. I have two aftermarket hips, and may need my right knee done.

Doing it over the winter seems best for riders. Have you been able to ride yet, or even sit on your bike?

 

[ASPC]

Did you mean to post this in this thread? If so, why?

Tom

The OP @Jerbear “I joined this forum when I bought my ST and was looking for help with the alternator swap. Ever since then, barely a day goes by that I don’t check in on the site to see wass up. I literally love the bike but right now I can’t even put my foot up on the peg. I thought of installing some kind of foot forward peg with brake,”

 

[Weaselinsuit]

Good to know you'd do the other one. I have two aftermarket hips, and may need my right knee done.

Doing it over the winter seems best for riders. Have you been able to ride yet, or even sit on your bike?

Not yet. I’m back to driving a car but wanted to wait another month or so before trying the bike. Though the nice weather lately has been testing my resolve

 

[Hound]

I'm doubtful that Uncle Phil will ever need to undergo hip replacement. Seems to me he is already so hip that he has difficulty seeing over his pelvis.

 

[Al st1100]

Walk, for heaven's sake don't run, to your nearest BMW dealer and test ride a Bagger. Controls are still under you but the floorboards really stretch out your legs with a low seat. There are used ones out there at a decent price, and BMW dealers encourage test rides. 70,000 comfortable miles on mine.

Tom

I loved my ST1100 but the knee position was painfull on longer trips. Bought the R1200rt seat and knee position are perfect. Is it the perfect bike, no but either was the st. The more I ride it the more I like it.

@Jerbear “I joined this forum when I bought my ST and was looking for help with the alternator swap. Ever since then, barely a day goes by that I don’t check in on the site to see wass up. I literally love the bike but right now I can’t even put my foot up on the peg. I thought of installing some kind of foot forward peg with brake,”

don't waist time on trying to figure out a foward system. Cutting up the fairing making brackets it will never be right. Find someting comfortable and ride.