Anyone here ever had ...

[VikingFan]

just the plastic 'bearing plate' piece of their new knee replaced due to wear? I've heard that their life span is far shorter than that of the whole prothetic itself. ????. My ortho says that it's about a 45 minute surgery with an incision about the same length as the original and my PT says the recovery is pretty much the same as the original TKR surgery. Anyone here have any real life stories?

 

[Josephine]

Only that the knee prostheses were specifically designed so that just the softer tibial insert could be replaced if worn. Much as the modern hip replacements have a metal shell in the acetabulum with a poly liner. They're a bit like a car's brake shoes, designed to wear.

As a matter of interest, is this your left knee that you had done last year? I hope it's not your left!

 

[VikingFan]

I have the Smith and Nephew Genesis II in both knees now. My right knee was done July 7. I don't require any additional surgery but I have been hearing stories about these bearing plates lasting only from 5 - 10 years. Yikes! 10 years can go by pretty fast.

 

[Clunker]

Hey Viking,,off topic,,but where you from?

I am hoping your a huge purple pride Viking Fan,lol

GO VIKES!!!

 

[Josephine]

Well, it rather depends how much you use them! But to be honest, I can't ever remember a case which was just to replace the insert. I think 5-10 years is extremely conservative. There's an opinion in the medical fraternity that goes something like this ....

Official line is 10-15 years, professionals reckon it to be 15-20. Statistics show it to be approaching 20-25 and maybe even more. There are many, many people walking around now, living good, productive and happy lives who had their hip or knee replacements done in the 70s and even the 60s! When talking to patients, surgeons will mostly stick with the official line because of possible litigation.

 

[VikingFan]

Hey Viking,,off topic,,but where you from?

I am hoping your a huge purple pride Viking Fan,lol

GO VIKES!!!

Bloomington, MN

 

[VikingFan]

Well, it rather depends how much you use them! But to be honest, I can't ever remember a case which was just to replace the insert. I think 5-10 years is extremely conservative. There's an opinion in the medical fraternity that goes something like this ....

Official line is 10-15 years, professionals reckon it to be 15-20. Statistics show it to be approaching 20-25 and maybe even more. There are many, many people walking around now, living good, productive and happy lives who had their hip or knee replacements done in the 70s and even the 60s! When talking to patients, surgeons will mostly stick with the official line because of possible litigation.

Thanks Josephine. I like your answer much better!

 

[skigirl]

I just recently read a posting---I think on Knee Guru about a woman in Britain who was having only the plastic bit replaced---I blelieve she referred to it as a 'liner".

My friend had his plastic tibial insert replaced this year, the recovery was not as hard as a TKR. He had uneven wear. I believe that is why you go infor a yearly exray--they are looking at that plate and acessing wear on it.

 

[loggon]

MY OS called a liner and said if not abused and used more than normal it will last for along time.

He will xray every yr to see the wear.

 

[Josephine]

Liner is a term more commonly used for a plastic cup in a THR but what's in a name! Liner, spacer, insert, whatever takes your fancy - it's all the same thing!

And Prof Wroblewski at Wrightington had his patients all trained to measure their own xrays and work out how much wear was taking place. He'd leave them to do that while he saw another patient or held court with his visitors! What a showman! But the patients loved doing it. It made them feel very involved with their own progress and aware they had a vested interest in taking care of their implants.