If you’re thinking about knee replacement, don’t miss Jane Brody’s update on her artificial knees, three years after surgery.

You may remember the first round of columns Jane wrote about her artificial knee surgery, which caused quite a stir among doctors and knee device makers. Jane recounted her pain and difficult recovery, noting that doctors do a poor job preparing patients for the weeks and months after surgery. Not every knee patient has as difficult a recovery as Jane, but many patients I’ve interviewed over the years agree doctors need to do a better job telling patients what to expect.

But today Jane gives us insights into life with new knees. Among her experiences:

# Her new knees have hiked in Tasmania and Sydney, and toured Vietnam by bicycle, all pain-free.
# Kneeling is problematic. It can hurt to put weight on metal knees, even on a cushion, making activities like gardening a challenge.
# Falling on an artificial knee can hurt a lot more and longer than you might expect.
# Steep steps are difficult to navigate.
# Jane still “feels” her knees on every rotation of the bike pedals, although the sensation is not painful or enough to stop riding.
# Artificial knees are metal and set off the security alarm at airports, requiring a personal scan with a wand.

For a change, anybody can try the following exercises and feel the relaxation:
* Sit in a chair and put finger in each depression in the knee.(Each knee has two depressions) Press little and give intermittent pressure for 20 seconds.
* Hold the upper portion of the thigh (near Knee) with your hand and give pulsating pressure for 20 seconds.
* Give pulsating pressures with your index finger, at the back of your knee- in the center, for 20 seconds.

Partially adopted from an article by Tara Parker-Pope on Health