Each year approximately 250,000 Americans undergo total-knee-replacement surgery (also known as a total knee arthroplasty, or TKA). Every year, a million more consider it. If you are considering or have had a total knee replacement you should read this book. It will tell you everything you need to know to prepare for and recover from the surgery, and to get the most out of your new knee. The success of a total knee replacement depends on rehabilitating the knee after the operation -- in fact, the rehab is as important as the surgery itself. This book maps out the road to recovery with week-by-week exercises for a full year. The authors, a surgeon and physical therapist who have both been orthopedic patients, provide practical tips, success stories and personal insights into the recovery process. Most people, even surgeons, don't realize how dramatically arthritis can change a person's life. Author Jeff Falkel, Ph.D., was one of these people. Over the course of 20 years his knees had gotten progressively worse, and eventually the pain reached the point where it was present in every aspect of his life. He could not stand or walk without crippling pain.