it may be time for knee replacement ...any advice ?

Buy new, not used.  ;D


My wife has had both knees and a hip replaced.  The one thing she says has learned is FOLLOW THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEE.  It will hurt at first, but the benefits will far exceed the discomfort.

I had a hip replaced 12 years ago.  My wife had a knee replaced 5 years ago and plans to have the other done this Fall.  All were done by Scott and White doctors.  We both were completely satisfied.  My advice.  Don't wait.  In both our cases the rehab was no worse than the pain we had prior to the surgery and was eliminated completely within a few months.  Have it done by a Dr that has plenty of experience.

I had a hip replaced at the age of 47. I'm 61 now. It's still in great shape. Do research on your surgeon. Stick with your therapy plan. Take care of yourself. Watch your weight.

I'm typing this with one finger. Just had surgery last Thursday. I torn the bicep muscle off the forearm bone. 

Twelve years ago, at age 62 I had bilateral knee replacements. Obviously if only one knee is bad you only get one done, but most people who need a knee replacement have suffered long term damage from arthritis or other degenerative conditions so if one is going bad, the other is probably not far behind. Rather than have to go through the therapy regimen twice, I had them both done at the same time. My orthopedic surgeon does only knees, and does hundreds every year. Personally I think that is a better way to go than using a general orthopod who only occasionally does knee replacements. Because I had both done at once, I went to a rehab facility for 10 days of pretty intensive therapy, followed by eight weeks of three times a week outpatient therapy. I strongly encourage you to not shortchange yourself regarding therapy. Just walking and doing the normal activities of daily living is not enough to give you as full a recovery as you are capable of. (I worked in the nursing home field for 23 years and I have met numerous foolish seniors who just flat out refused to do the rehab because it hurt, or was uncomfortable, or there were just scared of damaging the new knee, which is a foolish fear. Some of these folks ended up wheelchair bound for the rest of their limited lives.) The rehab is not fun, but knowing that it is moving you toward greater capability and usefullness of your knees makes it much easier to tolerate the discomfort. Before my knee replacements I could not walk 100 yards, with a cane, without having to stop because I was in agony. After the surgery I could (and still can) walk miles and miles without knee discomfort of any kind, ride my bike an hour a day, and ride my 900 pound motorcycle as much as I want to. The ONLY thing that is hard for me is getting down on the floor. I more or less lie down if I need to get down low, since I cannot, even now, tolerate the pressure of kneeling on my knees. Knee replacement surgery gave me my life back. Just don't be a wuss and you will not regret it, in my opinion.

Good advice here!  I can tell you from a friend's less-than-good outcome what NOT to do.  Don't go with a surgeon who's an old friend and who doesn't do many knee replacements.  Don't go with "old" techniques because that's all the surgeon does because he either doesn't believe in new techniques or hasn't kept up with medical developments.  Do  the therapy. Do the therapy.  Do the therapy.  Do the therapy.

When I broke my elbow I was lucky enough to run into a fellow who warned me about what happens when you don't do the required therapy.  He broke his right elbow (right handed of course) and had several surgeries to fix it.  But he got tired of doing the therapy and stopped early.  He showed me how he had trouble reaching his face to shave, brush his teeth and comb his hair.  He told me he really wished he had done the required therapy and strongly told me to do mine.  I'm so glad I did because I have 99 percent recovery and can do anything I did before the break.

Good luck!

ArdraF

It is a blessing I found this post tonight, I am scheduled for a bi-lateral knee replacement Sept. 28th.  I have already postponed it once and was thinking of postponing it again until the end of Oct. since there is so much I want to do in Sept & Oct and am really dreading this.  But I have to agree that I have heard the sames things, that being in the best physical shape possible is important, and sticking to the physical therapy is very important, and that I'll wish I had done it sooner.  Good Luck and speedy recovery!

prnebs said:

It is a blessing I found this post tonight, I am scheduled for a bi-lateral knee replacement Sept. 28th.  I have already postponed it once and was thinking of postponing it again until the end of Oct. since there is so much I want to do in Sept & Oct and am really dreading this.  But I have to agree that I have heard the sames things, that being in the best physical shape possible is important, and sticking to the physical therapy is very important, and that I'll wish I had done it sooner.  Good Luck and speedy recovery!

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And Good Luck to you.

It sounds like it will take a dedicated P/T effort to hope for any kind of satisfactory outcome....ugh :-[. 

Ive had both done. I had my bad knee replaced, then discovered my other knee was also bad, but the pain relievers I took for the really bad knee covered up the pain from the bad knee. My really bad knee was so painful, that the pain after the surgery (and there is lots) was not as bad.

I have to parrot the others, do the therapy. Your therapist will give you a list of exercises to do at home. Do them. Get some therapy bands and one of those stair steppers. I was able to get full mobility in my knee for the first time in over 10 years.

Another thing,, take your pain pills. You will be given a very nice cocktail of pain pills. Take them. Everyone tries to go without them, and then everyone has terrible pain. They will make you drool on yourself, but take them anyway.

I was out for just a few weeks before i was able to drive short distances and walk around grocery stores etc. Really listen to your body, it will tell you when youve had enough.

Good luck to all having it done.

edited to add: If possible, build up your knees before the surgery as much as possible, especially the quads. That will help make therapy easier and less painful.

i laughed about the pain pills!  My DIL is a RN and she keeps telling me I'll hurt for only a few days, then the pills will kick in!

I'm also hearing that it's the physical therapy done before the surgery that makes a big difference ?  ???

and now the VA wants to inject this stuff called "Hyalgan" repeatedly into my knees starting in September... it's not another Cortisone shot.  Very little info on this stuff other than it's called a "Chicken" shot.

any thoughts ?

I never heard of Hyalgan but I would want to know WHY the doctor wants to use it, how long it has been on the market, and what are the side effects.  I did a quick check on Drugs.com and you shouldn't use it if you are allergic to birds or bird products including eggs, feathers, poultry.  I'm very cautious about new drugs that haven't been around very long and don't have much of a track record.  It's apparently used for knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis who haven't received relief from other treatments.  Hope this helps some.

ArdraF

TonyDtorch said:

and now the VA wants to inject this stuff called "Hyalgan" repeatedly into my knees starting in September... it's not another Cortisone shot.  Very little info on this stuff other than it's called a "Chicken" shot.

any thoughts ?

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Hyalgan is a viscous substance that improves the "shock absorber" effect and reduces friction in the joint. It's actually been around for quite a few years. It's not an inappropriate thing to try because, for a few patients, it gives variable amounts of relief that lasts variable amounts of time and, as one previous poster said, the surgery is not always successful and has the chance of complications, including death. Hyalgan has a lot less chance of any significant complications. Trying not to be too negative, I wouldn't allow any physicians from the VA in the Dallas area do a knee replacement on me. They don't tend to be the most top notch docs in the world. There are other brands of this substance as well, such as Symvisc, if you want to research it further.
Bob

I talked to my GP about it and he said that for many people it would help for a few years. I didn't ask how many/often the shos would be.

Ernie

Ernie n Tara said:

I talked to my GP about it and he said that for many people it would help for a few years. I didn't ask how many/often the shos would be.

Ernie

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A few years is optimistic but possible and the frequency is variable depending on the response. Generally around 6-9 months.
Bob

I had the Hyalgan injection and it really only lasted about 2 1/2 months. I am debating knee replacement but the next time I see my regular doctor I am going to speak with him about the regenerative process offered by Bluetail Medical Group in Naples, FL.

My wife has used both Synvisc and cortisone for her knees.  Synvisc wasn't very effective, cortisone lasts 6 months, full pain relief.

1PlasticMan1 said:

My wife has used both Synvisc and cortisone for her knees.  Synvisc wasn't very effective, cortisone lasts 6 months, full pain relief.

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But I've also seen the exact opposite in some individuals. Remember that we're humans and not man made machines. Almost anything can happen depending on a huge number of variables.
Bob

Riding a bicycle may be one of the best things you can do for knees. I took up bicycle riding in part because walking was so painful. What a huge difference this has made for me. I try to ride my bicycle every day, sometimes several times a day. But I still have to walk too, because of my energetic doggy needs to do his business and he prefers to do that far away from the campsite.

Walking is rarely ever painful now. Amazing! I owe it to the bicycle riding. A friend of mine harped on me for years to give it a try. I am so glad I finally took his advice. Of course bicycle riding was painful as my muscles got used to different movements but that all passed.

Now I start off slow and sedate on my bicycle to give my muscles a chance to warm up. As time goes on, I get up more speed without even noticing. And it's FUN!

All the crazy rains we've had in my neck of the woods recently has really put a dent in my riding, and it's making me a little nutty, as I do enjoy the benefits of more energy and less pain when I am able to ride some every day. Yes, a bike ride can give me more energy to get through the rest of the day.

I have some senior friends that are long term avid riders but not racers and none of them have replaced knees. So I think maybe there is a connection there somewhere.

Ironically, I had a horrible boating accident during a bad storm years go that wrecked my knee, I was overseas and no one said anything about knee replacement, but I still have the ugly scars where they tried to stitch it back together and I remember the doctor saying "I've run out of skin and it's not closed up yet."  I said "Oh, maybe there is a hunk of skin back at the boat we can get." She thought I was joking, but I was serious (good pain meds!)

I'll go along with the bike riding. It's the only form of regular exercise that I'll keep doing (I've tried several ways), and a few years back I got an inexpensive (~$400) Trek mountain-style bike (I hate those thin tires), and I try to get in at least two to three miles a day (20-30 minutes), sometimes more. I've definitely got more energy since doing this, and while walking long distances is hard on my knees (and sometimes a hip) after a while, I have no such problem with bike riding. Be sure the bike fits you, though, as I've encountered some weird positions when trying some bikes.

Note that I replaced the handlebars so that I could sit more upright, and I replaced the thin, knifelike seat with a much more broad, padded seat. Other than that, and adding some lights, it's as it came from the store.

For me it's about an hour and a half walking in five feet of water. Takes the load off the joints while still exercising them.

Ernie