Some more thoughts.
I'd take "the new ones last 30 years" and "you can do anything" with a grain of salt. The new designs are designed to last 30 years based upon what was learned from the earlier ones but they haven't been in use for 30 years yet. They estimate that the changes they've made will enable that longevity and I would hope they've done some accelerated testing to validate that.
As for doing "anything" I think you can but have to evaluate the risks. Some TKR veterans have run marathons but I'd advise caution with running as the repetitive impact could accelerate wear and tear. I tried a return to running experiment in the last year and the bionic knee held up fine but the natural one (bone on bone) got cranky. I've done some Highland Games since my TKR though I've used a pair of fancy knee braces for spinning events as the procedure used sacrificed both ACL and PCL and the features in the replacement appliance intended to serve their functions probably aren't as effective. I'm still competing in the
Tactical Strength Challenge which gives me an outlet. In the latest one I placed 7th out of 23 in the 50+ class, pity they don't have a 70+ class.
Part of it is just getting older but year retired from motorcycling. An accident which would be relatively minor with a healthy natural knee could lead to a revision knee replacement and revisions generally don't go as well as the first. On the bright side, I was able to replace the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 with a Mustang Mach 1, so I'm not dead yet.
As DJ would say, "what are your goals for the next 20 or 30 years?"
Steve, I asked him if he knew what the games were and he said yes and described a few events. I showed him the hammer and WFD's as those are the only two I would worry about. He said do them. Now that said, I am getting a brace for the knee for athletic stuff.
as for as Hammer, I am moving to a "Matt Sandford" style as the hammer is way off to the right (Left knee being done) and I won't wear a blade in the Right boot. No reason to get that thing stuck twisting.
As for as WFD, I'm gonna "Yoda" the thing and "hop" vs really digging in and driving. At my age and experience, I don't need much practice. Just some quality sessions then do a game.
Other than the Trap bar, it's Kettlebells, Bodyweight, dumbells, Bands, Sleds, mobility, etc. for me.
