Knee Replacement and WDW

[wisbucky]

I visit the DISability board daily. I dont reply every day but I really enjoy reading the kind and understanding responses from every one here. You all are so wonderful to those who reach out to others. I hope you can provide me some insight on this issue.


I had a knee replacement on Feb 6. DH and I will be at WDW on April 3. My Dr says I will be fine to go. But I am curious if anyone here has had a knee replacement and went to WDW around 8 weeks later. Can anyone give me an idea of what I can expect when I am at WDW. Will walking a lot begin to bother my knee? I have used a scooter for the past 5 years and I am considering using one again to prevent over doing it. DH says I should use the scooter and just forget walking for fear I might end up in pain and ruin my vacation.

As of right now I am at 3 weeks. My PT says I am ahead of schedule; however; I am having some serious tightness on the side of my knee. I have a 124 degree bend, using a cane and am only 2 degrees off from a straight let raise. But this tightness is really getting to me.


Any suggestions regarding WDW ?

Or any suggestions on how to get the side of the knee to loosen up?

 

[powellrj]

I had my knees replaced several years ago and did very well in PT too, but there is no way I would have been able to walk WDW at 8 weeks. I went back to work at around 5 or 6 weeks and would walk for an hour or two at a time and to be honest, it was rough.

I would still rent the ECV. Crowds were still making me nervous at that point, so the ECV would give you some space too. Enjoy your trip!

 

[wisbucky]

I had my knees replaced several years ago and did very well in PT too, but there is no way I would have been able to walk WDW at 8 weeks. I went back to work at around 5 or 6 weeks and would walk for an hour or two at a time and to be honest, it was rough.

I would still rent the ECV. Crowds were still making me nervous at that point, so the ECV would give you some space too. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the info it has helped me understand where I will be more. I most likely will be leaning towards renting an ECV.

Is there anyone else with some personal experience?

 

[SueM in MN]

No personal experience, but some advice as a nurse.

Your doctor may not be aware that a day at a WDW park easily includes 5-6 miles of walking a day. So, I think using an ECV is a wise choice.
A 3 wheeled ECV is more maneuverable, but a 4 wheeled one is more stable and also gives more space and different positions you can place your feet in.

You will want to switch between walking and riding so your knee doesn't stiffen up. Some people use the ECV to get from one 'land' to another, then park it and walk around. Stores and restaurants can be tight, so it's a good choice to walk in those.

There are attractions that have either a high step up a big step down. Posts 18-22 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread talk about those. Even if your knee is doing well, you probably want to be aware of those.

 

[wisbucky]

No personal experience, but some advice as a nurse.

Your doctor may not be aware that a day at a WDW park easily includes 5-6 miles of walking a day. So, I think using an ECV is a wise choice.
A 3 wheeled ECV is more maneuverable, but a 4 wheeled one is more stable and also gives more space and different positions you can place your feet in.

You will want to switch between walking and riding so your knee doesn't stiffen up. Some people use the ECV to get from one 'land' to another, then park it and walk around. Stores and restaurants can be tight, so it's a good choice to walk in those.

There are attractions that have either a high step up a big step down. Posts 18-22 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread talk about those. Even if your knee is doing well, you probably want to be aware of those.

Thanks much Sue

 

[CJN]

I would think an ECV will be a must.

One thing to really pay attention to is being particularly careful getting on and off rides - yes, even the ECV. It's amazing how much pressure and twisting motion is put on your knees getting in and out of even the calm rides like haunted mansion or POTC. Plus, even when you think you've recovered a good range of motion you might be surprised. Despite doing great with physical therapy, I had a bit of panic when I realized I couldn't bend my knee enough to get my foot properly underneath to stand up and exit a ride vehicle (that might have been splash mountain where you sit pretty low)

Another thing - even when the incision looks healed, the deep healing takes a long, long time. On that same trip I bumped my knee into the seat in front of us. Ouch! It hurt enough that I sat out a few favorites after that.

 

[wiigirl]

No personal experience, but some advice as a nurse.

Your doctor may not be aware that a day at a WDW park easily includes 5-6 miles of walking a day. So, I think using an ECV is a wise choice.
A 3 wheeled ECV is more maneuverable, but a 4 wheeled one is more stable and also gives more space and different positions you can place your feet in.

You will want to switch between walking and riding so your knee doesn't stiffen up. Some people use the ECV to get from one 'land' to another, then park it and walk around. Stores and restaurants can be tight, so it's a good choice to walk in those.

There are attractions that have either a high step up a big step down. Posts 18-22 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread talk about those. Even if your knee is doing well, you probably want to be aware of those.

 

[EpcotQueen]

Had a knee replacement and 6 months later went to WDW. Could not have enjoyed the parks without an ECV. Walking that much stressed knee too much. Even now 3 years later walking extended periods is painful at the end of the day. Can bike ok (think Disney would let me bike? ) but not walk for long periods. Orthopod even said lots of walking would hurt. It's the pounding on that joint.

 

[asta]

I went to WDW last year when I was about 7 months post op from total knee replacement. I toured without an ECV and it was tough. I can't imagine all of the walking that is WDW at two months. My plan was to tour slowly and sit and take a lot of breaks when my leg needed a rest. A big problem I ran into is that there are just not that many places to sit and late in the day there are a lot of tired park goers that are all competing for not that many park benches. With an ECV you will always have a place to rest and I think you will definitely need to rest your leg.

Before going I was really worried about transferring off and on the rides but I did not have that much trouble because I had plenty of time to use my arms to lift myself. There was almost always something to hold to. The one big problem I had was getting into the car on Test Track. The step down is very deep and I just wasn't expecting it. Thus caused me to bend my new knee much more than I could or should have. The pain was extreme and made the rest of the trip even more painful. Just be careful on that ride.

Don't get discouraged about your progress. If you are even thinking about WDW at two months, I think you are doing fine. Knee replacement is major surgery and it takes time and work to regain function in your knee. It took me almost a full year for my new knee to feel somewhat normal. Tightness is something I still deal with. I have to exercise it daily and try not to stay in one position for a long time. I am 16 months post surgery and think this will just be my new normal.

My PT gave me an exercise where I stand sideways about 8-10 inches from a wall, cross my legs at the ankle and lean with my hip touching the wall. That stretches the band on the side of the leg and helps with tightness.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[wisbucky]

Asta sent you a pm

 

[bjkjoy]

I have had both knees and one hip replaced to date and the second hip going out. We go to WDW at least every year and sometimes more. I have used a ECV ever since. I get one and use it especially from the room (Boardwalk, Beachclub or the Contemporary are my favorite places to stay). I use it directly into the three parks. When I go on the rides, I park the ECV and walk into one or two until we move on. When we go to Animal Kingdom we rent a wheelchair and my daughter pushes me. I tried going without getting one several times and found I was sitting waiting more than doing the parks. I couldn't keep up. I would say get one this time and see what you think for next time.

 

[wisbucky]

I have had both knees and one hip replaced to date and the second hip going out. We go to WDW at least every year and sometimes more. I have used a ECV ever since. I get one and use it especially from the room (Boardwalk, Beachclub or the Contemporary are my favorite places to stay). I use it directly into the three parks. When I go on the rides, I park the ECV and walk into one or two until we move on. When we go to Animal Kingdom we rent a wheelchair and my daughter pushes me. I tried going without getting one several times and found I was sitting waiting more than doing the parks. I couldn't keep up. I would say get one this time and see what you think for next time.

Thanks for posting your experience. The more people I have talked to the more I am understanding my situation in the weeks to come.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

Not in the same league as you, obviously, but I had an arthroscopy on my right knee in October 2012 and went to Orlando in February 2013. I just used a walking stick that time, but made sure that I got plenty of rest (not difficult when your husband and daughter both have IBS: I did a lot of waiting around outside toilets).

Getting on and off rides is what terrified me the most, but they were very patient with me and offered me help if I needed it. I found the seats in It's a Small World the worst as they're so low. I was okay for pain, but my right lower leg had a lot of numbness and hyper-sensitivity which meant the slightest knock felt like a mallet.

We did have to cancel Discovery Cove, though, because I didn't feel safe to walk around in water or on uneven surfaces: I have this fear of falling over - I'll never get back up again.

Anyway, fast forward a year to this February. I have suffered a lot in the last year: my right knee is quite free now, but my left knee has gone now and it clicks loudly and painfully if I try to crouch or anything. So, I'm still on the stick, and between mid-December and mid-January I was in so much pain that some days it was all I could do just to stand up and put weight on both knees.

On the basis of the pain, I bit the bullet and hired a scooter for the duration: I knew there was no way I was going to manage even an hour in a theme park otherwise, let alone a full day.

Our first couple of days I was completely pain-free, and we even popped over to MK for a couple of hours on our first night after dinner at Grand Floridian leaving the scooter in the car - and I was fine.

However, the temperature dropped and from day 3 onwards I was in discomfort again. I would take the scooter as far as I could into a ride (or leave it by the exit) and then walk the rest of the way on my stick. It worked fine and I transferred onto all the rides. I even managed Small World - although it was still very uncomfortable. I have asked them if they've considered making a few higher seats for people who have knee problems and can't get right down.

It also meant I had a seat ready for me whenever I needed one. As we ended up spending over 10 hours out every day, there's no WAY I would have managed on my feet!

So, in summary get yourself a scooter and don't worry about it. You have every right to use one, and even getting up and doing a bit of walking to exercise the joint will be good if you know you've got the seat to come back to when you're just plain tuckered-out.