"Even after a knee replacement, your arthritis will still be there"

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Braunzie

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Wow.. when someone told me this who'd had a knee replacement, my hopes for truly "recovering" and getting my "life back" kind of went out the window. "You'll have good days and bad days".. I thought getting a knee replacement we eliminate the arthritis that was causing me so my pain, instability and lack of mobility.. Any comments / experience out there related to this information?
 
You eliminate the arthritis in that joint. If you have it anywhere else, you'll still have to deal with it.

As for the new joint, I believe we'll have to pay attention to strengthening it and stretching to keep it loose (but, frankly, we should do that with our original joints).


Jean

LTKR (Stryker Triathlon): 21 April 2015
Right Knee Arthroscopy: 25 July 2006
Left Knee Arthroscopy: 10 February 2005
 
Braunzie, I can't speak much to knees. My arthritis attacked my hips. My OS said my hips no longer have arthritis. There is no longer a joint with cartilage to be worn away by the disease. I would assume that to the extent that a TKR replaces the knee joint, the same would be true.

BUT....arthritis is a disease. It affects people in many different ways. I am aware that some arthritis showed up in my lower spine when I had my very first baseline xrays a good 20 years ago. I've never had pain problems in that area, so it's never been checked since. So I don't know if it's worse....but I'm quite sure it didn't improve.

I currently have discovered that my right index finger now shows mild arthritis. And I am having pain. So the disease continues. Where else in my body? It will let me know when it's good and ready....even though I am never ready.

But as far as my hips are concerned...I am pain free. I walk; I dance; I ride a bike. Life is great. A joint replacement doesn't guarantee a life free from pain. But it does usually resolve that one particular area of pain. If a TKR didn't give people back their stability and mobility, they wouldn't flock to surgeons in the huge numbers that we see.

You will get plenty of testimony about the value of a TKR here. But do remember...everyone comes to it with their own particular history. Many variables can affect the ultimate outcome. Most of us are very glad we had our joint replacements, even when the outcome isn't 100% perfect.

Ask all your questions. There's a collective boatload of experience here.

Sharon
 
:iagree:
The arthritis in your knees will be gone, the surgeon removes it and replaces your joint with a prosthesis (TKR).
You can have arthritis else where that will still be the same.
Keep in mind that recovery from TKR is a marathon, not a sprint. You will have to be patient during recovery and let your knee heal for an optimal outcome. While I cannot make promises, for the most part you will have your life back once your TKR heals.
 
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"You'll have good days and bad days"..
Isn't this true with any condition? Sounds like a person with a not so positive attitude. I agree with what has been said before. The arthritis will be gone in your knee. What you make of the recovery is yours alone. But most people return their normal level of activity post op. Have a read in the knee recovery area. Lots of good results!
 
Yes, you'll still have some arthritis if you had it before, but it won't be in the replaced knee joint.

I have had both knees replaced and my knees no longer give me any pain. I still have arthritis in my hands, fingers and thumbs, feet, and ankles, but my knee arthritis was by far the most incapacitating and now it's gone. I am active again, instead of a semi-invalid.

I agree with Jaycey, in that it sounds as if the person who gave you that worrying advice had a negative attitude. My knees do still give me an occasional niggle if I do too much, but that's soon gone and it's nothing like the awful knee pain I had before my replacements.
 
I have OA throughout my skeletal frame. The only joints that now no longer hurt are my knee replacements and my left hip.... THANK GOD for that!
 
I agree with Celle and gazelle. I have RA so I'm in pain at one level or another every day--but my new knees aren't the problem anymore.
They get a little stiff with too much sitting or standing, but loosen right up once I get them moving. When I think of how I was hobbling around more and more before the surgery and how much more I can do now, I'm amazed I got around at all.
 
Please don't let comments like this upset you. As you can see from the folks posting above, the person who told you that is misinformed about how arthritis can affect a person. Once you have a knee replacement, there is no longer knee arthritis. It's not possible with the implant in place where arthritis used to be. Your new knee will be strong and stable. This does not mean you will never have an ounce of pain again. But you will no longer experience the bone on bone pain that an arthritic joint brings.
 
Hi @Braunzie, I had a RTKR in Oct 2013 and like Kneeper I also have RA. I do not have the bone on bone pain that I had prior to the surgery, but due to RA, I do have some soreness and stiffness that I will probably have for the rest of my life. I can help to ease that a bit by exercising everyday, and keeping the knee moving. Not sitting for lengths of time, massaging the knee and at times creams like Volteran gel do help with the discomforts. The discomforts are not nearly as bad as they were prior to surgery which rendered me almost unable to walk without pain by the end of my shift. I can do my line dancing which I do love. I can get on the exercise bike and if I did those things more often, I would have less stiffness than I do have. I wish you luck with any knee surgery, that you may be planning. All the best to you.
 
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Thanks, @chestnc! Appreciate your sharing your experience and well wishes! I'll find out next week (I think) if / when we'll be moving forward with the TKR surgery.
 
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