Boondoggle and Ann--
I had both of my knees replaced the same day in February 2007 and hunted in Matetsi in June. I have had some problems negotiating steep grades or extremely rocky surfaces but the knees seemed to improve with time and exercise. Perhaps the most insidious side effect was a loss of balance which I think was due to the nervous system having to adapt to the new hardware. My advice--stay with your therapy, take along a pair of knee protectors sauch as carpenters and floor finishers use and go enjoy your hunts.

Madala,
I had both knees done last July, more recently than you, but the difficulty on uneven terrain and the balance issue are also problematic for me at this point in my recovery. Are you able to walk long distances without pain?

PhilR-- It took about a year for the pain to go away but almost three years for my balance to come back. The best therapy after you leave all the machines is to get out and walk on uneven surfaces such as dirt roads and trails. I am now able to cover many miles with no pain at all.The new knees have made a real difference in my life.

Thanks guys and welcome to the forums.

Mike

I have an older friend (early 70's)at church that is almost dying to go to Africa with me. He wants to shoot a buffalo in the worst possible way. He just had a serious rotator cuff tear repaired on his right (shooting) shoulder, needs some work on his other shoulder and needs both knees replaced. I leave for Zim in 10 days and he has my departure date on HIS calendar. Should I push him to do a less strenuous hunt before he has his knees replaced, or wait until his shoulder heals (probably a year), then has the knees done, then rehab, excercise, etc. Don't misunderstand, I don't want to rush him for my sake; I just don't want him to wait too long and something happen. You wiser gentlemen's advice is much appreciated.

Madala,
Thanks for the helpful comments. I'm encouraged!

Cazador humilde,
When I had major right shoulder repairs a few tears ago, it was 6 months till I could shoot a rifle off that shoulder....docs orders. The knees...I hunted until my knees couldn't go 100 yards without bad pain, then I had them replaced. I'll probably do a spot & stalk hunt for black bear in Montana this May, 10 months after the new knees. I expect that I'll be up to some minor mountain climbing by then. Much depends on your friend's determination and pain tolerance.

I'm almost 30 days post op for one knee. It still hurts but I am getting around well. Still not back to work but should be soon. I'm much younger than the usual joint replacement patient and expect I will recover much sooner than average.

I was back to work post op in 10 days. The biggest problem I had was to remember to get up and walk periodically. It has now been 5 yrs. I can walk all day (albet slowly) the limits are not because of the new knee. I also spend 1 hr 4 times a week in the gym mostly on the tread mill. I do need to get into the woods as soon as tax season is done.

I think they must have made some improvements in rotator cuff surgery. I had arthriscopic(sp?)surgery on my left shoulder on Feb. 8th at 12:30pm. I had a nerve block that blocked any pain until about 3:30am the next morning. I took a Hydrocodone 5-500 tablet at 4:00am and another at 8:00am. I didn't take any more pain medication of any kind after that. I had a slight aching pain that easy to tolerate. By 8:00pm that night I was completely pain free. Of course it still hurt when I moved my arm but I wasn't supposed to use my arm anyway until my 2 week checkup. I'm doing range of motion therapy now and improving daily. I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10lbs now but my doctor told me I can start lifting weights in 8 weeks. He said it takes 8 weeks for the tendons to grow back to the bone. It'll take a few month to get all my strength back but I'm very happy I had the surgery.