Should I get knee replacement?

Status
Not open for further replies.

ian muldoon

new member
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1
Unable to walk any distance, but able to cycle, climb steps, and play table tennis vigourously, I have been diagnosed with having no cartilage left in my knees meaning it is bone on bone when I walk. At 67 years of age I'm contemplating options as to whether I could benefit from knee replacement especially as I miss (bush and other) walking so much. The word on the street is avoid surgery unless it is absolutely necessary - also, knee surgery apparently inhibits one's ability to turn and twist which are are important elements in table tennis. Any advice?
 
Hi, If you suffer from significant pain, then maybe a replacement is a good choice for you. If you are thinking possible replacement so you can continue distance walking then I would think long and hard. I am a 40yo female that had a partial knee replacement last summer. It is a difficult surgery and recovery. My results have been very disappointing. I am free from bone to bone pain, but now I have significant inflammation from my ligament getting caught on the replacement itself. Best of luck to you and your decision
 
i just had double knee replacement surgery on march 6,2006. i had a newer s urgery that doesn,t cut your quadrecept muscle and has a smaller incision.i am 56 and i am glad i did both at once because i don't know if i would go back and do the other one. it all depends on your health and the surgeon.i had all the symptons you did but i was still working everyday.i am walking on my own,still out of work but hoping to go back the beginning of june. you have to work really hard in rehab ,but it is well worth it. you also save a lot of money by doing both at once,depending on your insurance.if i had to do it over i would still do both together.try to find a surgeon that does this surgery and talk to him. i live in nj and there happened to be one near me and they tell me that people fly in to have this surgery.
 
ian muldoon said:
Unable to walk any distance, but able to cycle, climb steps, and play table tennis vigourously, I have been diagnosed with having no cartilage left in my knees meaning it is bone on bone when I walk. At 67 years of age I'm contemplating options as to whether I could benefit from knee replacement especially as I miss (bush and other) walking so much. The word on the street is avoid surgery unless it is absolutely necessary - also, knee surgery apparently inhibits one's ability to turn and twist which are are important elements in table tennis. Any advice?
Hello Ian, when i found out that i needed a hip replacement soon, i surched on the web for all informations regarding hip replacement. If you are good on the computer please do the same. Informe yourself, learn about Knee replacement, you may find answers to your questions. My neighbour had two knees replaced many years ago and she is fitter than me! She is in her sixties. She travels many places and not one time has complained of her knees being sore or not! You have come to a stage where you have no cartilage left? I think you're a good candidate for knee surgery, don't you feel it? Best wishes, sonia S.
 
caravan 4220- what type of surgery was it called. I had my right knee done and have had a terrible time with it. I'm having my left knee done on friday and am not looking forward to it at all. I wish he did both at once. I wish he could do this type of surgery. The quadrant gave me so much pain during recovery. The horrible pain lasted 3 months....I hate medication...please let me know what it is called..............thanks carol
 
I'm in the planning stages of a knee replacement. I too, have no cartilege left, cannot walk any distance without pain and bad limping. I am 61, always have been very active and into sports. I have given up tennis (for now) and have gain weight from the inactivity. I am planning the less invasive surgery, I have friends who have done wonderfully with this procedure and are back on the tennis courts after a few months. I'm nervous, and hope the results will be as good as my friends and that the new knee lasts for a long time. I think I would rather be active and able to play with my grandkids now.
 
Hey fgarland
Its good to be nervous about a big decision such as this... Most people do wonderful with their new knees!! The sensation is different from a natural knee of course, but if you are in a lot of pain and your quality of life is not what it could be, the you should seriously consider it... I was 39 when I got my new knee, It would probably be fine, but they are not sure what caused it to go bad to begin with and I still have significant pain. I am having to have a scope on the other knee on the
30th. I wish you well with your decision.....
 
I'm in a terrible quandary. I'm 65 and mostly my knee isn't too bad but every few weeks I get the most horrendous pain on weight bearing. I know what it is - it's bits of debris getting in between (what's left of) the joint surfaces, just like getting a sharp stone in your shoe. After a few day's rest and some ice packs and meds, it seems to move and I'm totally back to normal again. But this last episode a few days ago was the worst by far. I was back on crutches for about 4 days and was so certain this was 'it' that I rang and booked myself in for the op.

However, now my knee seems okydoky again although to be honest my confidence in it is a tad shaky!

But you can't beat your own joint, however good the 'new' ones are. I'm a nurse and worked in this area so I know that much. I have talked with lots of peeps who seemed to have (figuratively) hit the road running after their op. One chap of my acquaintance was reparing the tiles on his roof only six months after his surgery but my sister (74) who had both hers done is still in dreadful pain 18 and 12 months after hers.

Decisions, decisions!! And as the surgeon said, there's no going back once it's done!!
 
I have bone on bone in both knees because of arthritis. I started taking glucosamine ,chondriitan & MSN recently. I don't know if it is too late for those supplements to do any good? I have been told I need knee replacements but am so dreading it. Have heard it hurts like hell.
 
Well, speaking from personal experience, I found that it wasn't too late to take glucosamine supplement. I had great improvement and was able to stop taking all other painkillers.

However - there had to be one!! - it gave me the most awful diarrhoea so I had to stop taking it. The ironic part was that the instructions were to take 2 tabs three times a day, but I only took one twice a day so I dread to think what state I would have been in had I complied with the instructions!!

But after having a week off, I have now started back on 1 a day and am still getting benefits without the "side effect"!

As for the post-op pain, well, yes, you can't have any kind of operation without pain but that's why they have cupboards full of pain-killers in the wards!! And your doctor will help you find a med that suits you after so while no-one can promise you a pain-free experience, it should be limited as much as possible.

And the upside is that at least you know this pain will diminish over time, unlike the present pain which is only going to get worse, and worse and ........
 
Hi...this is my first posting. I'm due to book a knee replacement for next year but, having read all the comments on pain and recovery, I am wanting to change my mind. For me the bottom line is how long will I have to take off work? I am self-employed and cannot afford to take more than @ 9 weeks off...any comments? I have RA in both knees but my surgeon only wants to do one for now. I work from home looking after kids, so can only take off the summer, when they're not in school. And if I choose NOT to do the surgery, am I doing more damage? I'm really nervous about the extreme pain aspect !!!
 
Yes, that is a problem, no doubt about it. An unpleasant aspect that has to be confronted.

Well, the short answer is that no-one can tell you how much time you will need to be off work as everyone will have a different rate of recovery for all sorts of different reasons.

But will you do more damage if you struggle on? The risk is that you might end up getting severe pain which can incapacitate you badly but then again, that's by no means inevitable. See, there are no absolutes in this business. Nothing can be predicted or stated with certainty.

What I can tell you is that people will get to that point when they are in so much pain the issues about work and post-op pain almost become an irrelevance. It's all a matter of degree. And if you are able to put it aside for now and cope with the situation you are in, then I would say you have not yet reached that stage. I know many people who have done what you are suggesting and had some time before they absolutely had to have it done.

There's no rush, If you knees are getting worn and they are going to be replaced, what difference will it make if they get a little more worn? They are still your knees and you can't beat your own knees! As my surgeon told me, once you have made up your mind to go ahead, there's no going back. So to me, doubts mean no surgery until I have NO doubts!
 
Thanks...you've made some good points.
I am managing ok at the moment so will wait and see how I'm doing by next spring and re-assess my situation. I can always cancel the surgery if I'm still managing the pain.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,181
Messages
1,597,070
BoneSmarties
39,365
Latest member
Dave4562
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom