Shows / The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee Replacement
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee Replacement
Have you recently had a total knee replacement, or are you preparing for surgery and wondering what recovery will really be like? Welcome to the Total Knee Success Podcast, your resource for total knee replacement recovery and life after surgery. Hosted by Michelle Losurdo, a trusted doctor of physical therapy and board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist, this show is designed for anyone considering, preparing for, or recovering from knee replacement surgery.
In about the time it takes to…
Episodes
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 123: Fear of Movement After Knee Replacement (Can Rehabilitation Help You Move With More Confidence?)
In Episode 123, Michelle explains what two research reviews found about fear of movement after knee replacement. The 2020 review found that people who were…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 122: Which Prehab Exercises Help Most? (What New Research Says Before Knee Replacement)
In Episode 122, Michelle examines new research on prehab before knee replacement and explains how different kinds of training may help strength, timed walking…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 121: Does More Intense Strength Training Improve Function? (What a New Knee Replacement Study Found)
In Episode 121, Michelle examines a 2026 knee replacement trial in which an added strength and nutrition program produced larger two-leg strength gains, while…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 120: Other Joint Pain After Knee Replacement (Why Walking and Daily Tasks Can Still Be Difficult)
In Episode 120, Michelle explains why walking, standing, or dressing can still be difficult even after your replaced knee feels more comfortable. Learn how the…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 119: Maintaining Your Knee Replacement for the Long Term (Activities, Follow-Up Care, and Changes Worth Checking)
In Episode 119, Michelle discusses how long knee replacements may last, which activities to discuss with your surgeon, follow-up appointments, and changes that…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 118: Exercise After Knee Replacement: Building a Long-Term Routine (Strength, Walking, Balance, and a Plan You Can Keep Using)
What should you keep doing after physical therapy ends? In Episode 118 of the Total Knee Success Podcast, Michelle explains how knee motion, strengthening…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 117: Six Months After Knee Replacement: What to Work on Next (Strength, Walking, and the Activities You Want Back)
At six months after knee replacement, you can still improve strength, endurance, balance, and the movements needed for activities you enjoy. In Episode 117…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 116: Walking on Hills, Grass, and Uneven Ground After Knee Replacement (What Builds Walking Control Beyond Level Ground)
Walking across your kitchen is one thing. Walking on grass, loose gravel, uneven sidewalks, or hills can feel quite different after knee replacement. In…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 115: Curbs and Stairs After Knee Replacement (How to Handle Going Up, Coming Down, and Real-World Steps)
In Episode 115, Michelle explains why curbs and stairs can feel more demanding than level walking after knee replacement. Going up requires lifting your body…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 114: Walking With a Cane After Knee Replacement (Which Hand, What Pattern, and When You May Be Ready)
In Episode 114 of the Total Knee Success Podcast, Michelle explains how to recognize readiness for a cane after knee replacement and how to use it with better…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 113: Walking With a Walker After Knee Replacement (How to Use Support Without Losing Your Walking Pattern)
In Episode 113 of the Total Knee Success Podcast, Michelle explains how to use a walker after knee replacement while working toward a smoother, more natural…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 112: The Knee Replacement Costs Nobody Warns You About, Part 2 (Help at Home, Prescriptions, Equipment, and Therapy)
Diane is home after knee replacement, and the expenses continue in smaller pieces. Michelle follows her through the cost of help at home, prescriptions…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 111: The Knee Replacement Costs Nobody Warns You About, Part 1 (Before Surgery and on Surgery Day)
In Episode 111, Michelle follows Diane as she sorts through costs that can appear before knee replacement and on surgery day. Diane checks blood work and…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 110: Three Surprisingly Useful Products After Knee Replacement (Small Purchases That Solve Annoying Problems)
After knee replacement, little problems can interrupt an otherwise ordinary day. Laura’s appointment questions were scattered, lunch was stuck on the kitchen…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 109: Five Products You May Not Need After Knee Replacement
Bruce has plenty of friends and an expanding knee replacement shopping list. Michelle follows his choices through five purchases he may be able to skip: a…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 108: Carrying After Knee Replacement (Five Questions to Ask)
In Episode 108, Michelle follows Carmen as she brings an overnight bag and a delivery box into her home after knee replacement. Five simple questions help…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 107: Reducing Fall risk After Knee Replacement (Using the CDC STEADI Framework)
In Episode 107, Michelle explains the CDC STEADI framework through Ellen’s experience six months after knee replacement. After two close calls, Ellen uses…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 106: Why Balance Can Still Feel Off After Knee Replacement (What Strength Alone Does Not Fix)
In Episode 106, Michelle explains why balance can still require more care even as strength improves after knee replacement. Through James’s story, she…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 105: Getting Up After a Fall (What to Check Before You Try to Stand)
In Episode 105, Michelle explains what to assess after a fall before trying to stand. Marilyn’s story shows why dizziness, wrist pain, and a possible head…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 104: Getting Back on a Bicycle After Knee Replacement What You Need Before You Ride Indoors or Outside
In Episode 104, Michelle explains how to progress from stationary cycling to outdoor riding after knee replacement. Through David’s story, she covers the first…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 103: Hiking After Knee Replacement (How to Prepare for Hills, Uneven Ground, and Longer Distances)
In Episode 103, Michelle explains how to prepare for hiking after knee replacement. She shows how distance, elevation gain, terrain, recent trail reports…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 102: Flying After Knee Replacement (Airports, Airplanes, and Blood-Clot Precautions)
In Episode 102, Michelle explains what to consider when flying after knee replacement, including the parts of the travel day that can be more demanding than…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 101: Road Trips After Knee Replacement (How to Plan the Drive and Still Enjoy the Reason You’re Going)
Episode 101 follows Dave, a fictional traveler whose story is based on situations people face after knee replacement. Eight weeks after a left total knee…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 100: Getting Back to Golf After Knee Replacement (Timelines, Training, and a Gradual Return to the Course)
Episode 100 is for golfers who want to return to the game after total knee replacement. Michelle reviews typical return timelines and explains why surgeon…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 99: Returning to the Gym After Knee Replacement (How to Rebuild Strength Without Guessing What Is Safe)
Episode 99 explains how to move from formal physical therapy into independent gym training after knee replacement. Michelle discusses cardiovascular equipment…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 98: Carrying and Playing With Grandchildren After Knee Replacement (How to Lift, Hold, and Move With More Control)
Episode 98 explains how carrying and playing with grandchildren combines lifting, balance, walking, turning, floor transfers, and reacting to unpredictable…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 97: Getting Back to Gardening After Knee Replacement (How to Bend, Kneel, Lift, and Work Without Overdoing It)
Episode 97 opens the four-part Returning to Meaningful Activities series with a practical guide to gardening after knee replacement. Michelle explains how…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 96: Getting Down on the Floor and Back Up Again (One of the Most Important Skills Nobody Teaches)
Episode 96 explains why getting down to the floor and standing again can remain difficult after knee replacement. Michelle discusses the roles of knee motion…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 95: Getting In and Out of a Low Car (Why This Feels So Awkward and How to Make It Easier)
Episode 95 explains why getting into and out of a low car can feel awkward after knee replacement. Michelle discusses seat height, hip and knee mechanics…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 94: Why Going Down Stairs Is Harder After Knee Replacement (And How to Improve It Safely)
Episode 94 explains why going down stairs is often more difficult than going up after knee replacement. Michelle discusses the role of quadriceps strength…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 93: Why Is Kneeling So Difficult After Knee Replacement? (What the Research Says and a Step-by-Step Way to Regain It)
Episode 93 explains why kneeling can remain difficult after knee replacement even when walking and other activities are improving. Michelle separates pain from…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 92: The Last 10% After Knee Replacement (When You Finally Start Thinking About Your Life Again)
Episode 92 explores why many people describe themselves as “ninety percent better” after knee replacement while still feeling that something is unfinished…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 91: Why Your Knee Replacement Feels Worse Some Days (When One Bad Day Doesn’t Mean Something Is Wrong)
In Episode 91 of the Total Knee Success Podcast, Michelle explains why progress after knee replacement is rarely a straight line. Many people experience good…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 90: Months 4 to 12 After Knee Replacement: What Nobody Tells You (The Months That Surprise Almost Everyone)
In Episode 90 of the Total Knee Success Podcast, Michelle discusses what may still change between months four and twelve after knee replacement. Formal…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 89: Six Knee Replacement Myths You Should Stop Believing (What Most Patients Still Believe After Surgery)
In Episode 89 of the Total Knee Success Podcast, Michelle discusses six common myths people believe after knee replacement that can create confusion…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 88: Has Your Knee Replacement Progress Stalled? (Why Plateaus Are More Common Than You Think)
Episode 88 explores why progress after knee replacement can sometimes feel as though it has stalled, even when meaningful improvements are still taking place…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 87: Five Signs You're Making Progress After Knee Replacement (Looking Beyond the Calendar)
Episode 87 explores five practical signs that you're making meaningful progress after knee replacement, even when the calendar leaves you questioning how…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 86: Comparing Yourself to Other Knee Replacement Patients (Why Someone Else’s Recovery Story Is Rarely a Useful Benchmark)
Episode 86 explores why comparing yourself to other knee replacement patients can create confusion and discouragement. Michelle explains why friend stories…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 85: What Most People Get Wrong About Recovery Timelines (Why the Calendar Doesn’t Always Match the Experience)
Episode 85 explores why common knee replacement milestones, including six weeks, three months, and one year, can be useful reference points but poor personal…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 84: Five More Things That Can Make Weeks Two Through Six After Knee Replacement Easier (The Tools Patients Tell Me They Were Glad They Had)
Episode 84 continues the conversation from Episode 83 by introducing five more tools that may become helpful during weeks two through six after knee…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 83: Five Things That Make the First Two Weeks After Knee Replacement Easier (The Items Patients Tell Me They Used the Most)
Episode 83 focuses on five tools patients often report using the most during the first two weeks after knee replacement. Michelle explains how cold therapy…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 82: Prehab for Worriers and Warriors (How to Get Ready So the First Two Weeks Go Better)
Episode 82 closes the prehab series by focusing on how to get ready before knee replacement so the first two weeks go better. Michelle walks through five…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 81: Prehab for Low Stamina (Steps, Pacing, and Building Capacity Before Surgery)
Episode 81 focuses on low stamina before knee replacement and five practical steps that can help some people build a more repeatable base before surgery…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 80: Prehab for Weak Quads (Strength, Activation, and Why It Matters Early)
Episode 80 continues a four part prehab series by focusing on weak quads before knee replacement. Michelle explains how quad weakness can be true strength loss…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 79: Prehab for Stiff Knees (Range, Swelling Control, and the Daily Habits That Move the Needle)
Episode 79 begins a prehab series by focusing on stiff knees before total knee replacement. Michelle explains the most common reasons a knee feels stiff, why…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 78: When Sleep Finally Stops Controlling Your Entire Day (Energy, Patience, Participation, and Feeling More Like Yourself Again)
Episode 78 explains what changes when sleep finally stops controlling your entire day after knee replacement, even before sleep becomes perfect. Michelle…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 77: Sleeping Better After Knee Replacement (Research & Real Life: Swelling, Routines, Positioning, Timing)
Episode 77 explores what the research shows about how sleep starts improving after knee replacement and why progress often comes from small adjustments that…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 76: Sleep Changes Everything After Knee Replacement (The Overlooked Effects of Interrupted Sleep)
Episode 76 explores what fragmented sleep can start changing after total knee replacement and why disrupted nights often affect far more than nighttime alone…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 75: Why Sleep Becomes So Difficult After Knee Replacement (Pain, Nervous System Alertness, and Why Your Brain Will Not Fully Shut Off)
Episode 75 explores why sleep becomes so difficult after total knee replacement and why nighttime often feels harder than many people expect after surgery…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 74: When Strength Finally Turns Into Confidence (How Strength Helps Build Real World Confidence After Knee Replacement)
Episode 74 explores how strength after total knee replacement gradually turns into movement confidence through repeated successful movement experiences…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 73: How to Build Strength Without Setting Yourself Back (Flareups, Exercise Dosage, and Safe Strength Progression After Knee Replacement)
Episode 73 explores how to build strength after total knee replacement without triggering repeated flareups and inconsistent progress. Michelle explains the…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 72: Walking Better But Still Weak After Knee Replacement (Why Strength and Walking Ability Improve at Different Rates)
Episode 72 explains why walking ability and strength often improve on different timelines after total knee replacement. Michelle discusses why walking can…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 71:Why Your Quad Still Isn’t Working (The Real Reason Strength Doesn’t Come Back Automatically)
Episode 71 explores why quadriceps strength often does not return automatically after total knee replacement, even when pain improves and walking increases…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 70: When Will Walking Feel Like You Again (The Honest Timeline for Gait Rehabilitation)
In Episode 70, Michelle explains the honest timeline for when walking begins to feel natural again after knee replacement. She walks through the early…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 69: The Limp That's Protecting You vs. The Limp That's Hurting You (Understanding Compensation After Knee Replacement)
In Episode 69, Michelle explains why limping happens after knee replacement and how to recognize the difference between a protective limp and one that may be…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 68: Stop Trying to Walk "Perfectly" After Knee Replacement (What a Healthy Gait Actually Looks Like)
In Episode 68, Michelle explains why trying to walk perfectly after knee replacement can slow progress and increase tension. This Episode teaches listeners…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 67: Why Walking Feels So Different After Knee Replacement (And Why That’s Actually Normal)
In Episode 67, Michelle explains why walking after knee replacement can feel stiff, awkward, heavy, or unfamiliar in the early months after surgery. This…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 66: Can You Rewire Pain? (Recovery, Hope, and What’s Possible)
In Episode 66, Michelle explores whether pain can actually change after knee replacement and what that means for recovery. She explains neuroplasticity in…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 65: How to Actually Reduce Pain (What Works & What Doesn’t)
In Episode 65, Michelle explains what actually helps reduce pain after knee replacement and what common approaches tend to fall short. She walks through…
The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee ReplacementEpisode 64: Why Pain Becomes Chronic (The Loop That Traps You)
In Episode 64, Michelle explains why pain can persist after knee replacement even when healing is progressing. She introduces the fear, tension, and pain cycle…