Re: Trying to Avoid Total Knee Replacement

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

On 11/1/2014 Mindy D said:
My husband gets injections with artificial synovial fluid replacement. They are also given for arthritic knees and they provide lubrication of the joints. They are not a cure, but they facilitate movement and reduce pain. I do have two friend that have had total knee replacements with excellent outcomes, but they would have had much more problems in a three story house. One is in her mid fifties and one is in his early sixties. They both had spouses to help them when they got home.

I have had a total of 3 men play hockey in my adult league after having total knee replacements. One of the 3 is still playing and he is 68 years old. He had it done late in 1 of our hockey seasons several years ago by 1 of the Sports Med Orthopods that also plays in my hockey league. He specializes in knee and hip repair and replacements.

While the one that is 68 is still playing, he did have to learn to alter his skating a bit, but other than that he hasn't lost a step in his skating ability. If I hadn't known that he had it done I wouldn't have been able to tell even watching him skating.

All 3 of them told me it was the smartest thing that had done to preserve they ability to keep playing sports. The surgeries lessened or minimized the pain and that allowed them to continue all their activities, including playing a pretty fast game of ice hockey.

Age comes in many facets:

Chronological

Sociological

Psychological

and most importantly for those that want to be fully mobile and play sports as they age

Physiological

hckynut(john)

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

Hello again, I did some research on the partial knee replacement and on the robotic procedure. The robotic procedure scrapes down cartilage and is less invasive than total knee replacement. The research on this PROPRIETARY procedure is scanty and done by the company which makes the Rio robotic arm. There really is not enough good clinical evidence to choose this procedure. There are other partial knee replacement surgeries that are done all over the country. The outcome is good for those individuals with limited damage to the joints and intact ligaments. Most patient will need total knee replacement. There are three studies with elderly patients, all over 75, with good outcomes from total knee replacement. There are two types of anesthesia that can be used. One is general and the other is spinal. Persons that had the procedure and were 75 or older took longer to come out of the fogginess experienced after the anesthetic, then younger patients, but all patients in all three studies did get over this period of mental confusion or fogginess. The side effects of blood clots and infection were 17%. The studies I read grouped these together, and I would have to retread to separate the two side effects. There were no fatalities. Starting rehab right away in a rehab center helps avoid poor healing of the implanted areas. Infection from surgical site is not the only infection. In-dwelling catheter leading to urinary tract infection can be another risk. Only one patient in all three studies was not glad to have had the complete replacements. As for the robotic surgery, all responses are advertisements from the company. Try seeing another surgeon at a teaching hospital. You should definitely get another opinion. The robo surgery is almost a sales pitch.

lennox25 · ‎10-10-2014

You can never avoid it if it is indicated or in your future. You can only postpone it, and sometimes in doing so you can actually aggravate the problem worse causing more severe surgical problems. Be wary.

CalminHeart · ‎03-09-2010

A lot depends on your age and the issues with your knee.

My brother has had the partial replacement but I don't know if it's the robotic thing. Hes' a lot younger than me (43).

I am 60 and just had a knee replacement on July 31st. Believe me, I understand your hesitancy. It has a history of being a very difficult recovery and requires physical therapy. The first 3-4 weeks can be challenging.

MY KNEE REPLACEMENT WAS SO WORTH IT! I can walk. I can sit. I can sleep all night. I don't limp anymore. I can do stairs again. Most of all, I'm no longer in constant debilitating pain!

okiebug · ‎04-05-2010

I had both knees replaced. I waited 4 years after I was diagnosed as bone-on-bone and the drs wanted to schedule surgery. I couldn't do it then, I was the sole caregiver for my mother. By the time I had my surgeries I had damaged my lymph system in my legs, my bones had ground down to the point I had to have a more invasive surgery because they had to go further away from my joint to find solid bone to anchor to (I'm sure that's not the medical term) but worse my muscles had stiffened and shortened due to lack of use. The surgery was great, my knees are fine, but 3 years out I'm still battling lymphedema and muscle tightness.

Once joints start deteriorating, they don't stop - the deterioration continues. The longer you put it off, the harder the recovery is going to be. You can go to a rehab center. They teach you to climb up and down stairs. Before surgery you can prepare your house - have as much stuff brought to the floor the bathroom is on - you can take your time to get to the kitchen, the bathroom not so much ${#emotions_dlg.blush}$

I had my husband to help me, but he didn't take off work. He was gone from 7 am to 8 pm and I did for myself. It can be done.

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

On 10/31/2014 MathisFan said:
I need to have both knees replaced but I refuse. I know 3 people who threw blood clots and died after having it done. Let's see...live with the pain...or die?

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read in a long time. Live with the pain or die? Are you going to die from the surgery? Just because others may have died, you're automatically going to die, too? How about dying because you're in so much pain that you can't move around....so you throw a blood clot because of your sedentary lifestyle? That's OK? Or living your life in pain? I guess that's fine.

You're in pain so you don't do anything. Anything at all? I guess that's your decision and you're allowed your opinion.

I know people who have had knee replacements and they're so happy they had it done. They walk, they bike, they travel, they do everything. One man is in his early 70s and he's one of the most active people I know, since his knees were done. Nobody I know "threw a clot". That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, I'm sure.

I prefer to live life and be as active as I can. For as long as I can. If it means having knee replacements when I'm older, so be it. I'm 59 years old now with four blown disks in my lower back and a bad left knee. When my back gets too painful to move, I'll have an operation; right now it's not necessary. If and when I need knee replacement surgery, I'll be there. Yes, I'll be scared. And I know it's not easy to go through it. But being alive and not being able to do the things I love to do is worse than death.

I just don't understand that kind of mentality. To be in pain and choose to live a life in pain because you're just know you're going to die if you have an operation.

violann · ‎03-10-2010

I had a great deal of trouble with one of my knees before weight loss. Now both of my knees work fine for someone my age. Weight loss is definitely not easy, but if the alternative is knee surgery, the choice may present a simpler perspective than choosing knee surgery or immobility. In addition, I lost weight because I could not tolerate blood pressure medicine. The improvement in my knee was just a happy side effect. To each, his or her own (for any grammar purists that may read this).

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

On 11/1/2014 violann said: I had a great deal of trouble with one of my knees before weight loss. Now both of my knees work fine for someone my age. Weight loss is definitely not easy, but if the alternative is knee surgery, the choice may present a simpler perspective than choosing knee surgery or immobility. In addition, I lost weight because I could not tolerate blood pressure medicine. The improvement in my knee was just a happy side effect. To each, his or her own (for any grammar purists that may read this).

While I agree that as one loses weight it is much better for ones joints in general , but once joints are bone on bone - there is only one way to get rid of the pain and the weakness and that is to remove the joint. Losing weight is not going to bring back the cartilage to those joints.

ceegee2 · ‎03-11-2010

On 11/1/2014 PamelaSue72 said:
On 10/31/2014 MathisFan said:
I need to have both knees replaced but I refuse. I know 3 people who threw blood clots and died after having it done. Let's see...live with the pain...or die?

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read in a long time. Live with the pain or die? Are you going to die from the surgery? Just because others may have died, you're automatically going to die, too? How about dying because you're in so much pain that you can't move around....so you throw a blood clot because of your sedentary lifestyle? That's OK? Or living your life in pain? I guess that's fine.

You're in pain so you don't do anything. Anything at all? I guess that's your decision and you're allowed your opinion.

I know people who have had knee replacements and they're so happy they had it done. They walk, they bike, they travel, they do everything. One man is in his early 70s and he's one of the most active people I know, since his knees were done. Nobody I know "threw a clot". That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, I'm sure.

I prefer to live life and be as active as I can. For as long as I can. If it means having knee replacements when I'm older, so be it. I'm 59 years old now with four blown disks in my lower back and a bad left knee. When my back gets too painful to move, I'll have an operation; right now it's not necessary. If and when I need knee replacement surgery, I'll be there. Yes, I'll be scared. And I know it's not easy to go through it. But being alive and not being able to do the things I love to do is worse than death.

I just don't understand that kind of mentality. To be in pain and choose to live a life in pain because you're just know you're going to die if you have an operation.

Some of us have no choice but to live with that "kind of mentality". I have a congenital defect which causes DVT and PE. It has nothing to do with a sedentary lifestyle. I have had several very serious blood clots, one from my foot that extended into my pelvis. It occurred after a back surgery even while I was on heparin. I have a friend who is a cyclist who mountain bikes daily for miles and he had a clot and they can not determine the reason. I belong to a support group made up of very real, people who are coping with questions like the OP's. I take coumadin every day and my Dr. has literally told me that I will most likely die of either a bleed or a clot because of the amount of blood thinners I have to be on to prevent the clotting. I have bone on bone arthritis in my knees and it is terribly painful and I have been told that if I did not have this genetic disorder, that I would be a knee replacement candidate. So I am very interested in non-surgical treatments. When you live with something like this it can change your perspective. I choose to live the best I can even though my pain does limit some of my former favorite activities. I would much rather be alive. JMO.