Aggie76

Well, it's been a month since I've been able to get the C6 on the road. Had knee replacement surgery on left leg on July 26th and recovery is stalled with limited range of motion of 10-45 degrees despite doing all the rehab exercises. Still a fair amount of swelling and pain associated with nerves being strained during the surgery. The joint itself is pain free. Bruising is slowly fading, but has been pretty ugly.

Surgeon says this happens with 7-9% of population, typically those with prior injuries and/or surgeries on the knee. I've had plenty of both from football, rugby, airborne jumps and years of jumping off tanks during my 26 years of Army service before retiring.

Will be going back end of the month for surgeon to do what's called manual manipulation under anesthesia to break up the scar tissue. Sure hoping that improves the range as next option is another surgery to remove the scar tissue. And of course, the other knee is going to have to be replaced as well at some point.

Let son and his fiancee take the C6 out on Saturday for some exercise. With only getting to drive it six or so months every year due to our weather here in northern MN I am sure hoping for a quick improvement so I can get a few miles in before having to store it for the winter.

Thanks for letting me vent, I had hoped to be in the percentage that has a quick and easy recovery. Guess I should have looked at the other end of the standard curve for those with issues post-surgery.

C6 Snowboarder

Thanks for your service!

hope you heal up soon... I assume you have a M6 C6

Ben101er

Had both mine replaced and one does not have as much range of motion as the other. It was operated on in the late 70's and back then, they did not recommend PT when you only had cartilage removed. Big mistake. But, other than only having 0-110 degrees on that one, I have no problems whatsoever. Hope everything works out for you. Good luck.

madmatt9471

I feel your pain - I am just 4 weeks (today) out spinal fusion surgery with rods and screws in my spine and a nice long scar running down my back to go along with the one I have in the front from 11 years ago when they did a artificial disc replacement - LOL

Have to wear a brace currently and use another bone healing device for the fusion for 2 hours each day for 6-9 months

Heck I may never get back in the Vette - so I feel your pain buddy. Take your time and heal up. Few friends of mine have had the knee replacements and had to have the manual manipulation and also put on a machine to make it work - Oh man, just do what you can do to cope and follow the docs orders.

Keep us posted on your results -

Thanks,Matt

Aggie76

Appreciate your thoughts. I intentionally purchased an Auto because of the knee problems. There were days they both were so swollen I couldn't have effectively, and safely operated a clutch, and would get them replaced.

Once this one heals, I likely will move back to a manual.

Bruze

Good luck.

My late father had both his knees replaced (arthritis) back in the mid 1980s -- they worked out well for him, although recovery was long.

Serious health problems are not fun.

Aggie76

Appreciate the kind thoughts. I thought the doc's would prescribe me the Continuous Motion Machine to use as well but when I brought it up they said, at least at Mayo clinic in Rochester, they've gone away from it as a therapy tool. Not shown to be effective, expensive cost for patient/insurance and very painful for many to undergo. They will have me use physical therapy daily for a couple of weeks and then gradually reduce it till I get a minimum of 0-120 range of motion.

Not So Fast

I wish you a speedy recovery, knees are tough sometimes and painful.
In 2013 I had 4 back surgeries in a 6 month span, needless to say I was getting pretty down in the dumps but I'm walking and doing things again now, still have pretty bad sciatic pain but I'm all done with surgery, no more unless they take me in on a gurney.
Good luck
NSF

tealex

I feel everybodies pain, I have a c6, m6 and love it but also have 3 discs that lay me up almost each year for 2-6 weeks. Now I have a disc pushing on the sciadic nerve and has my right leg in so much pain the Corvette has been setting there for weeks. And they say these are the Golden Years..........who are they sh1tting !!

teebee

How much motion did you have before? 5 years out on my left knee replacement. I overworked my PT struggling to get my motion back. I'm nearly back. I hope you recovery picks up soon for you.

Virtual Geezer

Years ago, my late father proclaimed, "Son, it's hell getting old." Truer words have never been spoken.

At 66, my arthritis has spread into both knees, one hip and my lower back. I'm shocked and dismayed how crippling this pain can be at times. I'm trying to tough it out, but I think I'm losing the battle. (And I sure as hell don't want to become a pain-killer junkie.)

My wife has a Gen 5 Camaro convertible. It's really hard for me to get in or out of that car -- unless the top is down. Believe it or not, it's less painful for me to get into my C6 vert with top up. Much better than the Camaro.

I've owned Corvettes since 1992 -- I never thought I'd ever accept being without one. But as I become more 'impaired,' a For Sale sign might appear on my C6GS.

Best wishes to all!

And remember: Pain Hurts.

Bruze

Another thing I hate about being old is having friends die.

My dad had to retire at 62 because of arthritic knees. It eventually went into his hands and spine.

I'll be 67 next week and (so far) have dodged most of that, still working and enjoying it. I have occasional slight pain in my toe and one knee but they should be good for a long time yet. I did have neck surgery, prostate cancer, and three hernia surgeries, none of which my dad had.

So it's all a big crap shoot. Like a high-mileage car, things start wearing out. My 89 year-old neighbor is mentally bright, full of life, but can barely get around at all any more.

Not So Fast

Well Bruce, I think you know my motto,
***********Old age aint for pussies***************
NSF

AORoads

ABout all I can say is, good luck, and I mean it. Had rotator cuff injury; docs said serious but didn't recommend surgery. What I did learn from both a friend who had knee surgery at about age 70, and my ortho surgeons (plural, I got to see three probably by accident) is recovery is the bear even if you do everything right.

For my friend's knee surgery with all his prior "good exercise and conditioning" (but still damaged to the point of needing surgery) he believed the docs who said, up and around in 6-8 weeks. I told him, not a chance; more like 3-4 months, just due to age alone. We were both wrong. He wasn't feeling marginal (50%-75%) until about 9 months of constant therapy, both other and self-done. It WILL take time if it's to work out for you at all, and I'm hoping it will. And with all due respect, from what you've said, you've really given your knees a workout of the bad kind.

johnodrake

Sorry to hear about your knee. Sounds like my shoulder that I injured in 1994. Frozen joint syndrome. I had the same manual manipulation under anesthesia and unfortunately, it did not work. So now I live with limited range of motion and the attendant arthritis that sets into the affected joint. I hope the procedure works for you but if it doesn't, you will learn to cope. I can still shift and you will likely regain enough to manipulate the clutch.

h2oskiman

I have had the same situation. Knee was damaged in a accident 20 yrs I was not able to bend it. DR told me at the time I was to young for a replacement. 1980. After 20 yrs I couldn't stand the pain any more .
1999 had the replacement because I hadn't bent the knee for so long I didn't have the range of motion the Dr wanted . So three months later went back in and under a spinal they manipulated my knee to brake the scare tissue and It was kinda scary I was awake and could hear it tearing
It has been all good since then so I hope it works out for you as well as it did for me

Good Luck

ruxvette

Same with me...no machine. My doc uses a pain killer drip (morphine?) that was basically a balloon strapped to my thigh that dripped pain killer into the joint. I was at 10-114 degrees 4 days after the surgery and the last check was 0-132. The other knee is next up.
Good luck for a speedy recovery!

itomh

Had partial knee replacements to both my knees over 10 years ago. I have to push off the door sill to get out of my C6 Z06 with slight discomfort, no problems using the clutch. Good luck in your recovery!

Aggie76

Had 0-95 but pain was constant and grinding of bone on bone could be both felt and heard. Really couldn't do any hunting that required hiking or hill climbing, not what I was willing to do without.

ruxvette

My dad died at 96. His comment..."hell, I don't want a service, done outlived all my friends".