C-Forum

Any boaters out there ever had a total knee replacement? If so, any issues getting back in the boat?

I know an open boater who had a knee replacement. He was not able to kneel as low as he could before the surgery. The orthopedic surgeon stated that the range of motion for the replacement knee would reach a maximum degree of flexibility that no amount of physical therapy would change.

A friend of mine had a knee replacement in early February this year. In early June he did an Owyhee trip with me, kneeling in the canoe as usual for the five days of the trip. He really worked at rehab and was concerned he wouldn't be able to handle the kneeling, but ended up just doing fine ... not that that will be everyone's experience.

Friend around here had one, he was back at it on schedule running Class IV. As with all surgeries its generally how well you rehab and how well your body takes it.

Thanks for the info, but I'm really more concerned with the kneeling part and constant pressure on the knee. It's been over a year since mine was replaced and I have very good range of motion, but it still feels "odd" when kneeling. I padded open boats for well over twenty years before switching to K1 due to knee issues about 10 years ago. Now, arthritis in my back makes paddling K1 painful, so I'm thinking about switching back

Consider a bigger boat that will accommodate a taller saddle. A friend of mine (a kayaker) has knee issues - I gave him a hard time about dragging his boats one time and he said - "with my knees, I can't carry them any more but I can drag them - I'd rather drag them than sit on the couch" - so... if you end up in a bigger (heavier boat), don't sweat dragging it.

It's going to feel odd to kneel on for a long time. I you have the ROM, don't worry about a higher saddle. I recommend spending some time experimenting with different shaped knee pads... probably thicker, softer and longer than usual. The more you can kneel on your shin rather than your patella the better.