I'M NOT a doctor, this is MY experience only.
High school football injury, clean up surgery 1976. Technology and procedures have improved significantly since then. I'm a farmer with a fairly high pain threshold so during the ensueing years I ignore pain, looseness in the joint and the onset of oesteoarthrites. Fast forward to about 2002, tried the synvisc route. Insurance company wants all nonsurgical avenues pursued, however, Dr. is not optimistic. Dr. was correct. Cortisone was temporarily stopping the pain but does not fix anything.
Summer 2005, it's been bone on bone long enough that the leg is starting to bow out and become shorter, and constant pain to the point that something needs done. I've never had or wanted an official officiating schedule, I've just filled in for guys at the JV and JH leval during the season and doing HS summer league games at the YMCA. I couldn't even do the filling in in '04 and '05. Lack of exercise is takeing it's toll on me.
1-13-06 knee replaced with 3 pieces of titanium, glued. Dr. said surgery went very well and that the knee is, mechanicaly, as strong now as it ever will be. He said to work hard during recovery. They made me walk (with crutches) out of the hospital. I was on crutches with varying need for about the first 45 days. Surgery was Friday morning and I went home the next Monday morning. Worst part of the hospital stay was putting in and taking out the catheter. WOW, I've never had that before.
I have a close friend that is my physical thearapist which means that he will push me to hurt more than if we were not friends
Seriously though, the knee is now mechanicaly sound and I can not damage it during exercise, all were are working on is muscles, tendons, ligaments, all the soft tissue that we are accustomend to dealing with. Ice, exercise and pain releavers, only now I'm getting the narcotic stuff. The only reason I leave home for the first 30 days is to be taken to the hospital for therapy three days a week. I've got a regimen of home exercises that I actually follow for the off days, along with lots of ice and not cutting back on the drugs. I mention my concerns to my friend that I'm not able to reduce the narcotics because of the still constant soft tissue pain. He's not worried about the use of pain killers, I'm making great strides in strength and range of motion. Friend says that to continue the strenght and motion progress I need to continue the vigorious knee exercises AND that will hurt, so keep up the workout and pain killers. Somewhere between 45 and 60 days post op I'm exceeding benchmarks for strenght and motion, and getting tired of the side effects of the drugs. So I slowly start off the drugs, increase the ice and maintain the motion drills. Middle of March I'm off the drugs. Planting season is around the corner, so I slowly start back to working on machinery and looking at ground conditions in preparation to planting.
Presently, If I have a day that I "turned the crank" fairly hard, My muscles are tired and sore. Just like the rest of the body. Dr. says to not twist, jump, or anything extreme. I can hustle and move. For example: I can downhill snow ski responsibly but should not do the moguls (bumps on black rated slopes) Knee should last 15 - 20 years. Who knows what technology will be available then.
Sunday, I'm actually more concerned about my general physical conditon than my knee. My games will be 3 whistles with experience, I plan on anticipating plays and position myself accordingly. I will be pushing myself and my partners know my history. If I get beat on a fast break it won't be the first time in officiating history. Then I'll come home for the ice and Ibuprofen. Dr. and friend say that it may be a year or more, if ever, before I'm 100% completly pain free. The pain now is muscles etc. and pales in comparison to the joint pain I had a year ago.
Bottom line: Work hard during therapy AND I'd do the surgery again in a minute.