Knee Replacement

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Matildacat
Matildacat Online Community Member Posts: 18 Connected
in Cerebral Palsy Network
Hello. I'm 58 and have cerebral palsy affecting the right side of my body. Thanks to this I need to have a left knee replacement. The hospital where I'm due to have the op know about the cp but I'm just nervous about whether i'll be able to use crutches because of the cp and how this will affect my mobilty. Anyone else gad a knee op with cp?  Many thanks for reading this.

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  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Online Community Member Posts: 7,877 Championing
    Hi @Matildacat I will tag our Cerebal Palsy Soecialist Information Officer, @Richard_Scope to see if he can offer any advice :)
  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,777 Cerebral Palsy Network
    Hi @Matildacat
    The physiotherapists at the hospital will most likely try different mobility equipment with you first. Based upon the mobility and strength that you have in your right arm and hand. It might be a walking frame at first then moving on to crutches. As with any surgery your mobility will be affected at first, so it is very important that you take each day at a time and work with the physiotherapists and each day there will be an improvement.
    Please let us know how you are getting on.
  • Matildacat
    Matildacat Online Community Member Posts: 18 Connected
    Richard. Thank you. I will let you know how things go.
  • Reg
    Reg Online Community Member Posts: 109 Empowering
    Hello , I have recently had hip surgery. I was a bit concerned about how I would recover from it as the surgeon said they didn’t like operating on people with mild CP or MS as the muscles are unpredictable. However I found the surgeons very honest about prospects of success , extra risks of displacement and the physio has been really good by adapting their standard crutch and exercise advice to suit me. The best advice I got from the physio was to get someone to move furniture round for me before the op so I could manage with a crutch or walker and have a table and then chairs etc to hang onto. I would also get some good gloves and some blister plasters for your hands . I have a clawed hand so don’t find crutches easy but the gloves and blister plasters really help. Good luck with the surgery - sure it will be worth it 
  • Matildacat
    Matildacat Online Community Member Posts: 18 Connected
    Reg, Thank you so much for your post. The consultant didn't seem at all concerned when I said I had CP and haven't spoken to physio directly yet. We shall see. Thank you again for your very useful post.
  • Matildacat
    Matildacat Online Community Member Posts: 18 Connected
    Hello Reg. Did you have the surgery on the side where you have CP?
  • Reg
    Reg Online Community Member Posts: 109 Empowering
    I have had the surgery on my right hip where I have hip dysplasia and where I am also most affected by the mild cp and muscle spasms so that was why the surgeons were concerned about displacement as apparently muscles help hold joints in.

    I think I needed the surgery as I am told my gait is poor and affects the joints - physio equates it to a drunken sailor in a bad storm. 

    However the clawed hand is on the left - where I need it now I am down to one crutch . What has been good though is willingness of physio to adapt stuff to suit me as when I came out of surgery they had a range of walkers and stuff to select and made sure I didn’t fall. I have fallen since coming out of hospital but it was no worse than falls before surgery as surprisingly robust.

    Another tip would be to get food delivered by Tesco’s . Sure other providers are available but in my area they are the best at putting stuff away for you - nothing too much trouble so I was very fortunate . Also , final tip , a bag to hold your phone round your neck so if u do have a fall u are not completely stuck and help is only a call away.

    Sure you will be fine and hopefully soon knee pain free 


  • Matildacat
    Matildacat Online Community Member Posts: 18 Connected
    Reg. Thank you so much for your helpful comments. Hope you contuine to recover and keep well. Best Wishes. 

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