I'm having a hip replacement this summer & will have the knee on the same leg replaced next year. From what the joint clinic people tell me, kneeling is "banned" for 3 months post surgery, but isn't restricted permanently, although I imagine that can vary due to individual anatomy, surgical approach route, and prosthesis type. Talk to your orthopedic surgeon b4 you worry!

Having said that, my OA has made gardening very painful, but there are lots of ways to get around mobility issues: container gardening or creating raised beds has helped me. Plus I have a garden kneeler/bench that's indispensible, and an old Little Red Wagon I've outfitted with a low bench & cushion. That and a couple of grabber sticks and long-handled bulb diggers & mini-spades have made things a lot easier.

Hopefully, you'll be able to schedule you surgery for the fall, then you'll be healed and raring to go by Spring. Good luck : D

"I am 63, have arthritis and no cartilage in either knee. I need knee
replacement surgey, but have been told that I won't be able to get down
on my knees after surgery."

My partner had one knee replaced ... it is EXTREMELY uncomfortable for him to kneel because it METAL in there, but with good padding he can handle it for a short time.

". I can still manage that now, but getting up is not very 'lady like'." His ability to get up is far better than it was before surgery. Consider getting a short stool or one of the low garden scooters to use while gardening to avoid kneeling.

I have huge mixed borders and I haven't kneeled to garden for 10 years. I am 65 and had both knees replaced within the last year. You don't need to kneel for gardening! I have two $10 rubbermaid stepstools which are light and portable. Low enough to weed but high enough to lessen the struggle standing up. A friend who is a physical therapist told me long ago that you do what you need to do to keep doing what you love. If you need to lie on your stomach to garden, do it. Haven't needed to do that often, but i often scoot around on my butt to weed with out getting up again and again. I get dirty, that's for sure. But am I happy!!

My two methods are covered above: an adjustable tractor seat scooter that gets me down fairly low but also provides support when I need to get up (still a bit awkward, but what the heck)--and sitting on the ground and "scooting" myself around a bit. Getting up from that position is a bit more of a challenge, however, but it works.

Kate

One reason I had to start wearing a belt with my pants: indecent exposure and pants falling down around knees while attempting to stand (at all, never mind gracefully)

i'm 72 with one knee replaced and arthritis in the other. doctor said not on my knees for gardening. my solution was to build 33 inch raised beds this last summer. 4 foot wide so I can reach in from each side. now all I have to do is stand up and lean over to do my gardening.

I can't kneel very well, or for very long. I tend to sit on the ground to weed (and harvest) and scoot myself around. Or I bend over if I'm moving a bit faster, but that's killing my neck and back so I think I should stop. I keep meaning to look into getting a hoe for weeding...

Getting a little away from your original question.........But I need knee replacements too, but have chosen not to get them. I'm 66. I haven't been able to get up from a floor position for years! I tripped by myself in the backyard last year, and had to crawl over to a big stick, which helped me get upright. It's strange....but I actually can't tell you why I can't get up. Nothing feels weak.......I just can't get up! lol!

Anyhow.....for years I did a lot of trellis gardening, which was great. But the weeds in my fairly big garden got to be just too much leaning over, and painful. So this spring I've gone to 8 Behlen country stock tanks up on cement blocks. I've had a couple of these for a couple years and they work great.........and no leaning over! If I do need to lean over a bit to weed them, I can sit on a garden stool. I still have several trellises for pole beans and cucumbers.

I've also invested in some cordless equipment.......like a cordless mower. It has a removable string weed trimmer in it that you can take out of it's wheeled base to use separately. So now, most everything will be up higher and I can just "mow" the garden floor. I love gardening. I can't imagine ever not being able to garden. But......I've learned to do whatever I can to be able to continue it. Yes, I will miss gardening in the ground, but since that's not possible anymore........it's the raised stock tanks for me. YAY!

So good luck with your knee replacement and do whatever you can to continue gardening in a way that won't hurt your knee or be painful to you. There's still so many options!

Babylou, If you live near Catawba Co, there's a young man who is starting out a business to help disabled folks, and others. He is currently helping me put in a large universal design garden area. Here is his website: http://www.thecityfarmproject.com. Justus is a lovely, respectful gentleman. He is perfect for me to work with, I have had back surgery, foot surgery and two years ago, a ruptured brain aneurysm. I have issues speaking and he takes his time to make sure I am not only understanding what he says, but also he understands me. Trust me, with aphasia, it's not the easiest thing.

The Verdict is in: I can still garden like I use to! I am so happy. My surgeon released me for work and normal activity on 4/4. Sunday I couldn't wait any longer. I had a few perennials I wanted to plant. Like pugetsoundgardner I have always sat on the ground and scooted around. I haven't been able to use the bad knee for years so I got down and up like always. Only difference - NO pain! I've also noticed I'm not nearly as tired after work. Everyone is different, but I have no regrets withe this surgery. My surgeon said I was a poster child for knee replacement surgery. Happy OA gardening, Judy