knee replacement projected life

[vernnn]

I am new to this forum and have been doing research on the pros and cons of the various artificial knees.

To date I have not found any comparisons, just company claims.

Has anyone reached any opinions on what knee is better than others for an active 65 year old and why??

I am very active and plan to snow ski 20 days per year and play tennis doubles 2 times per week, etc.

We have lots of excellent surgeons here using a variety of knees.

 

[ship4]

Hi,
Welcome! I am Crystal from NH. I have been a PE teacher for 5 years, a ski instructor for 7 years, and licensed family child care provider for the past 27 years.
My understanding is that different doctors believe certain knees are better than others. They learn to put in the knee of their choice.
On June 18, I got two Johnson & Johnson Depuy Rotating Platform Complete Knee Systems. My doctor specializes in this one and holds an outstanding reputation in NE within the ski industry.......
So, find out about the OS and what type of knee they put in, their reputation, etc. My OS believes in doing both at once if the patient does not have a good knee to stand on (as in my case). I am 2 weeks out on Wednesday!
Do your research, find a good OS you trust, and go from there. I made my initial appointment to see my OS on 12/20. They were already scheduling out to March for the surgery. I booked the middle of June for my convienience.
Best,
Crystal

 

[JenniferG]

My OS went with smith and nephew being of the opinion that it was a better one for younger, more active patients. The general observation here has been that docs have their preference and that is what you will get. Pick the OS based on him and his experience/volume of knees, not which brand he uses. For the most part the brands are probably all within range of each other.

 

[referee54]

I am 53 and had a bilateral with Stryker Triathlons...but as others have said, choose the surgeon---that is the important part.

Tim C.

 

[hess]

I am a 39 year old mother of 3, and I am very active! My doctor used the Wright Advance Stature. I am in agreement with JenniferG. I too think that you should find a good OS. Whatever he uses will be fine. The knees are all so comparable. The doctors become proficient at whichever knee that they use. It seems to come down to how much we as patients are willing to make it work!

Good luck,
Hess

 

[JenniferG]

Josephine has a thread that she made a "sticky" (permanent) on the list of threads called How to pick a surgeon. Maybe some additional good reading...

 

[Turtlelady53]

Isn't it kind of funny that I have two brand new knees and don't even know the names of them (besides what I named them; Lucy and Ethel). My Dr. has performed this surery a kabillion times, and he just explained that he prefers one type of knee for older patients, and another for younger, more active ones. The one he uses for the younger patients has a longer life, and even when/if it wears out, he only need replace the one part which would wear out. I think an experienced surgeon just has his own preferences; not sure if one is a whole lot different from another. He said most of the advertising is just a big marketing game by hospitals to get your business.

 

[JenniferG]

"Lucy & Ethel", LOVE IT! But Sharon, why did you get 2 different brand knees in the same surgery at the same time?

 

[Josephine]

I wouldn't really worry overmuch about which knee. There is some evidence that for sports like skiing, the rotating platform is recommended and I know (because I remember when it was launched) that it was developed specifically for that kind of activity.

However ... all knees have some degree of rotation and therefore just because you DON'T have a RP doesn't mean you can't engage in some sports but the more aggressive ones and stuff like the slalom are not to be encouraged! It's also ok if you were an experienced skier before but one should not take up skiing once you've had a TKR.

Now, as to the longevity thing (and I have addressed this numerous times already so read around old threads) there was once a philosophy to say knees (and hips, for that matter) could only be assured for 10 years. Mostly this was because the records for joint replacement were only about that long. But it is (in my humble opinion) an apocryphal notion that has not left it since. Patients were being told this when I was a lass and had charge of my very first operating theatre way back in 1967 - 40 years ago!

I'd also like you to consider this:
In 2003, it was reported that 300,000 TKRs were performed in the US every year source (I'd recommend this article for reading facts). In the UK it was around 30,000 source with annual increases suggest in the order of 63%!!!

I couldn't find any actual figures for revision stats but I know this much - even if only 10% of the cases done each year required revision, year on year, there would be less and less time to do primaries! Way back in the late 70s I worked with a surgeon who specialised in hip revisions. He took referrals from all over the UK and sometimes from the continent! Some took 2-3 hours and as a consequence, his primary replacements were minimal. It would work much the same with TKR revisions.

So, end of dissertation: one knee is pretty much the same as another. They've ALL been on the market some time and have pretty good histories else the surgeons would use them! The most important bit is, make sure you choose a surgeon with oodles of experience and output and use whatever he recommends. I doubt you'd go far wrong with that.