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Scott,
I've had both done.
A total knee replacement is about 80% of the way to amputation--they remove a huge section of bone and joint and replace it with stainless steel, titanium, and polypropylene. The procedure is truly violent--I witnessed part of it when I came out of anesthesia during my second one. I was jarred awake by one of the docs pounding a titanium pin into my femur with a huge red plastic mallet. In my stoned state, I could feel the impacts, saw everything with surreal vividness, but felt no pain. Being of a mechanical bent myself, I was pretty interested in the proceedings, and must have grunted something out, because the anesthesiologist, eyes big as saucers above her mask, quickly reached over and adjusted something, and back off I went.
The right was done with a procedure called "minimally invasive," which means they come in from the side, and don't cut the quadriceps. It supposedly shortens recovery time because there is less to heal. I had only so-so luck with it, so I decided to go with the standard procedure for the left, which was done a year later. Now, five years out from my last one, they are both doing quite well, but neither has been a walk in the park, as you might say. Speaking of walking, they had me up the same day as the operation, hanging onto a walker in absolute agony, despite near-lethal doses of morphine. Rehab starts on day zero, and you have to commit to it--you get one chance to attain full articulation of the joint, and you don't want to screw it up.
Recovery to "normal" takes about a year, though some claim less. You will be limited to an extent--you'll never run again, for instance--but otherwise most functionality is there. It's hard, though, to control your weight, since exercise is so limited. I gained about 30 lbs during the process.
PM me if you have any questions.
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