Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Smashed knee (QUESTION!)

Good morning one and all. Just prior to retiring after 34 years as a fire/medic...Got my knee smashed by a hose line. Left with a pretty good limp with a fair amount of pain. This even after a operation to repair a busted tibial plateau and torn ligaments and tendons. The next step is a partial knee replacement...Anyone return to climbing and backpacking/hiking after that type of operation?! My wife gifted me with a full kit of Gossamer Gear as a retirement gift! Cant wait to use it.

Please stay healthy and warmest regards,

Tad

Good morning Tadman 11. I had a total knee replacement in 2013 and summited Whitney (main trail, day hike) 6 months later. I had some pain up to about a year ago but not enough to stop me from doimg anything l would otherwise do.

There are different knee operations and different prosthetics
My surgeon understood that my priority was to get back to the Sierra and we chose the operation/prosthetic that maximized that even at the cost of more post-op pain and tougher post-op physical therapy. Make sure you and your doc understand your priorities and acceptable trade-offs.

Good luck!
Burt

Thank you!
Stay healthy,

Tad