maggie I wouldn't stop the treadmill completely but I would make sure you use the settings that change it up so that you are not going the same pace all the time. Go up hill and fast and slow etc. Also I would vary your workout and use other machines. Stair steppers seem to have gotten a lot better and appear to be real climbers now . Also elliptical is another choice and the cycling classes. Variety is the spice of life. But...most important do not leave off weight training ! Make sure you lift weights. That is the key to no injuries. c

You asked if we thought someone who had not exercised in a long time could get back in shape. well, think about this, if you DON"T exercise some, even a little, what kind of shape will you be in this time next year? You'll be worse. You want to start doing something, and walking is a good beginning, to just stay where you are. You may never get back to what you could do when you were a teenager, but you can certainly improve on what you are today. Give it a good try. It will be well worth it!!

I was ill for years and lost a lot of muscle mass, and my knees just killed me. I asked my doctor for some simple exercises, which she provided. After that, I was able to move on to a stationary bike - no resistance - and a treadmill at about 2.5 miles per hour, and that strengthened my knees right up. Here is a link that might be useful: simple knee exercises.

faron, yes, we had a choice each time. What confused me, though, was it is not something that you can plan ahead for. It has to be a recommendation made by the doctor, while you are in the hospital. Then someone on the hospital staff makes the arrangements for you to transfer to inpatient rehab. DH is slender but he's a tall man. I don't think I could have helped adequately for those first few weeks when his mobility was greatly limited. Plus, if he had been at home, I would have had to get him to PT and it would have only been 3 times a week. With inpatient rehab, he got PT once a day and OT once a day - both giving him good, supervised exercise. I was reluctant the first time, but after seeing how difficult it was for him to get around and after seeing how much help he needed, and how much attention he got, I was eager for him to go the second time, and so was he. We have a friend who did not go to inpatient rehab, and his recovery seemed much slower than DH. Within 3 months of getting his new knee, DH was back on the golf course (with his doctor's blessing). nhb, I'm following the weather in your neck of the woods. Hope all is well with you and your DH.