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TKR 3 Year Update

Are you pain free with the partial. I agree that my operated knee doesn't feel the same but there's no pain or swelling and I can straighten my leg. It's now my good knee and it's rock solid and I'm really getting used to it.

It's a dilemma, I can fix it with a partial knowing in the future I may need to change to a total if the other compartments deteriorate or I can put up with the pain until I get a total.

Question is why would you wait for that scenario and live with pain and limitations waiting for an outcome that could be potentially years away or may never happen. Thank you for your responses.
 
I qualified for a partial because only the middle compartment was bone-on-bone; however, based on what I read in this forum and elsewhere, I elected to have a TKR. My insurance company had no issue with me having a TKR with only one bad compartment, and I did not have to wait.
 
If you don’t have a surgeon with lots of experience doing a partial, you may or may not get relief, even for a short time. I did not know this before my surgery. My surgery has caused me more limitations and discomfort, than I had before. 2 second opinions say my X-rays are fine and there’s nothing to fix. I’m managing. But that‘s not how I expected this to turn out. I expected to feel great after they fixed my knee.
 
Oh my, when I read about these outcomes, it's scary. I'll be waiting for a while yet, I can still get around quite well and I'll be considering other options in the meantime.
 
Reading these comments, I have to agree with @Jockette , a partial requires a really good OS, so be sure to ask how many partials he's done.
I would opt for cortisone to buy you some time, then do TKR, the less of these surgeries, the better, which is just my opinion
 
So I am one of the people happy with a partial. I too was a good candidate only having deteriorated on the inner side of my left knee.
Partials are tricky and many OS don’t offer them as they don’t do enough to be comfortable with the procedure. I was Ok about having another total replacement but I wanted the new technology of a custom Conformis knee joint and consulted the only surgeon in my area who performs that surgery. Surprise surprise he told me I was a perfect candidate for a partial showed my scans, X-rays and explained in detail why. He is a very good surgeon and has performed many thousands of partials. He is a professor and teaches the procedure.
He didn’t tell me the recovery would be easier than a total but it has been apart from a small setback at 3 weeks out. I had amazing numbers of 120/3 the day after surgery and have just improved from there the Bone Smart way.
The incision is the same as a TKR, the pain very similar especially in the early weeks but I did get back to more normal activities quicker and am further along at 5 months than I was with my first TKR. I kept my kneecap so kneeling is definitely less painful and overall I am very happy with my half knee.
With this 2nd knee the first shot of Cortisone provided 8 months of relief and definitely bought me time and improved quality of life. The 2nd did nothing. Good luck with your own research and decision.
 
It's great you're going so well. I'm the same, only one compartment needs replacing. I'll be making a more serious decision next year. I know shots are a temporary fix. I had a steroid injection in the knee in April and it did nothing.
 
I had a partial in 2016 and it is actually bothering me a lot now because I had been limping so long before my TKR this past Aug (and favoring it during my limping with this surgery). Some days, it bothers me as much as my new knee. Hoping it simmers down when this new one totally heals!
Like others have said, it takes a lot of skill to perform a partial. It has to be perfectly aligned with the other side of your knee and I can imagine that it could be easy to be a fraction off which could cause big problems.
I have never been able to stoop very low and I can’t kneel at all on it even with pads.
I had a long and painful recovery with it also. My surgeon had told me it wouldn’t be as bad as a total knee but it was. They still have to saw bone and cut thru all the various tissues so it’s still going to be a longer recovery.
I wouldn’t have said it was worth having it done until about 9 months into recovery! I do have pretty good flexion now with it.
That’s my two cents on the partial that I had!
 
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Goma, on my first knee, the injections didn’t hardly do anything, I only had a couple. The injections worked almost 2 yrs on the knee that I just had replaced. I would literally feel like I had a new knee at least the first year of injections and some lasted me as long as 4-5 months. Last April was my last one and my knee had gotten so bad by then the injections were no longer working. I hobbled around until end of Aug when I finally had surgery. I had originally wanted to have my surgery in the winter but I got too debilitated and the pain was severe with walking.
 
I don't know if you ever heal fully, I have had a successful outcome in my mind but I still get a twinge, especially if I twist my leg.

It will never feel as a normal natural knee but it's been so long since I've had normal knees I've forgotten what that feels like.. Haha..

I hope you heal well, we all deserve it.
 
Today is my 3 year anniversary and wanted to post an update.:happydance:

My recovery was brutal. The pain and swelling was relentless. My IT band caused alot of pain during recovery right from the first day. I was scanned for blood clots as the tightness,bruising and pain was so bad in my calf. No clots.

The restless legs....so bad and I felt that for weeks eventhough I iced and elevated. Toes above nose was my mantra.

I did PT as instructed and hydrotherapy weekly to achieve ROM but not to a point of extreme pain. Took medication regularly to help achieve the goals. I found that as swelling decreased the range of movement increased. The urgent desire to achieve ROM numbers is aided by time and in my case I moved my knee as often as I could and iced 24/7 to reduce pain and swelling.

Now 3 years later the knee is solid and strong. I don't think about it unless I do a sharp twist which doesn't hurt but just reminds me it's there.

The healing continues even after the first year right into the second. Time and movement keep healing improving until you live without giving it a thought and carry on living. I did all the pt...it wasn't easy but I pushed myself too but not to excess. If swelling happened I backed off and started again.

Going from not being able to stand on my leg, not using stairs,not carrying weight and just the overall daily pain to having a straight leg that works has been life changing.

I had considered surgery for my other knee however as the healing progressed my other knee improved. It twinges occasionally but I can live with that.

I hope this post encourages others to continue enabling healing through self management and continuing awareness of physical progress.

I'm in the hip replacement forum now as I had that surgery 8 weeks ago on the same side as my knee so I think my right side was knackered but now fixed.

Best healing wishes to all and this forum is the best place to be with others who understand and offer all the support and encouragement you need:loveshwr::walking::catbutterfly:
 
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please change my thread to 3 year update
Thank you :flwrysmile:
 
A wonderful long-term update! Thank you.
 
Thanks Goma it gives me hope for the future. Its coming up to two years for my rtkr and still struggling some days. Take care jcx.
 
I hope you improve because it's a long recovery and it won't ever feel like a real knee...same with the hip but I think that if you have any doubts or concerns it may be worth getting a second opinion for peace of mind.

Just a consideration. :flwrysmile:
 
Happy Three Year Anniversary!
Thanks for taking the time for that update. I think it will encourage and inspire many following behind you.
Have a lovely weekend, Goma!
 
Goma said:
It won't ever feel like a real knee.
Click to expand...
I disagree. It takes a while but it will feel natural. I'd much rather have my tkr knee than my old one. You will get there, too! Please be patient, it's only been 2 months. Wait until you hit 4 months, you will love your new knee.
 
I will always avoid kneeling on my operated knee as it feels awkward and uncomfortable. Not painful but definitely not a feeling I like.

Also my TKR is a different size and shape to my other natural knee.

I hope that after 2 years the op improves however it may be the new normal. :dogwalk:
 
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