Knee Replacement Surgery

[Macaroon]

I've had a very dodgy knee for a good few years now and have such severe damage to the Tib & Fib that it hasn't been possible to fit a prosthesis up to now. It seems, however, that it may now be possible to have a replacement due to a new fitting procedure for the lower part of the "new" lower part. Although it will bean enormous relief to be rid of the pain and discomfort I suffer from, I am still able to carry a fair weight and to walk up to 10 miles most days, and although I've had some advice about what the prognosis is likely to be, I don't trust what I'm told by the medical proffessionals about longer - term issues; they are definitely in the business of telling you what they think it's good for you to hear, in terms of not causing apprehension.

That's all a bit of a ramble above, but the point of this post is to see if anybody on the forum has any experience of this knee replacement op. and how it affects walking, load carrying and camping and all the other things we do outdoors in order to make life bearable...................I'm sure I'll be finding things I'd never thought of well into the future, so it'd be very useful to hear from anybody who has first or second hand experience of any of this.

TIA, mac

 

[Elliott]

, I don't trust what I'm told by the medical proffessionals about longer - term issues; they are definitely in the business of telling you what they think it's good for you to hear, in terms of not causing apprehension.

I am going to be harsh .... sorry ...... but maybe you should ask a carpenter or a butcher for their professional opinion then!!!......or you could trust THE professional in this area....the surgeon.

Seriously though, what is it specifically you do not trust?

Have you considered asking the surgeon for details/contacts of previous patients who might be willing to discuss their experiences?

Do not feel you are not able to ask...you are, and often it is encouraged.






(Declared conflict of interest ..... Health Care Professional)

 

[addo]

Ive had a fair amount of knee work done and knocked about with the folks who have had replacements.
If you've been offered one, then it sounds like you need it as they dont give them out easily, as there expesive and don't last long.

However, the rehabilitation afterwards is tiny compared to other opps as theres hardly any muscle wastage. The folks Ive met said they are good as new afterwards. I guess it just depends on how long the surfaces last. It was 10 years, but they are improving them all the time. When they last about 15-20 years I might be allowed one.

 

[John Fenna]

I have been told I will have to wait about another 10 years for mine - until I am in my mid 60s - as they wear out...
Those I know who have had it done stayed active members of the Ramblers so it seems good

 

[Ecoman]

Most authorities don't do knee replacement ops for under 50s as the joints have a very limited life span, about 10-15 years. It has been known for them to make exception but they are usually under extreme circumstances. I have a friend who needs a knee replacement but they refuse to do it for another 5 years for this very reason. Its like everything else though, work it hard and it will wear out sooner.

The trouble with knee operations is that it is one of the most difficult joint operations. The alignment has to be absolutely precise, if its out by a fraction then it can lead to all kinds of secondary issues. The knee is also a joint that is subject to huge amounts of twisting and impact forces which can prematurely wear the prosthetic.

If you have any concerns then speak candidly to your surgeon and ask him to not hold back but and to give his honest opinion. They are human after all.

 

[Macaroon]

Thanks for the replies, folks.............John, that sounds encouraging if people have stayed active in the ramblers, a very good sign on the face of it.

addo; I definitely need this procedure urgently and the lower leg damage I have is what I'm told has made it impossible to perform up until now; I've had eleven operations in the last five years to attempt a positive outcome through stem cell procedures, all without much improvement.

Elliott; I've had a very great deal to do with the NHS over the last thirty years because of a very serious mistake they made back then; I couldn't even begin to write the whole story here, but suffice it to say that it's now
accepted beyond question that they were responsible for it all, but over these years of sometimes life-threatening illness I've never had the truth from anybody involved - the whole thing has been a very instructive course in watching an organisation closing ranks and going into "cover your ar5e" mode. I've never had an apology from anybody and have even had to join the waiting lists for treatment to correct and minimise the mistakes made in the past, waiting behind even elective surgery patients. This has led to huge health problems over and above those caused by the initial mistakes and all I've ever had is dissemination and obfuscation,
so you'll understand, in the light of this, why I'd prefer to have my information from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

I'm sorry if this sounds abrupt and/or dismissive of the folks who work in healthcare, but these are the facts as they have happened, and continue to happen, to me. I've met many good, knowledgable and caring people over the years during all this, but they're never the people who can take decisions which count; those people have been too busy protecting each other and avoiding anything that may be seen as admitting liability or creating precedents, as I'm far from the only person to have suffered this.

Thanks for your reply, and I'm sure you are one of those better professionals that I've met...............but you're not the system!

 

[Kerne]

I work with someone who has had both knees replaced and it has transformed her life. She is much more active than before. I have a severely dodgy right knee as a result of playing rugby in my youth and have been told (like John Fenna) that I will need a replacement in about 10 years. My colleague's experience has encouraged me to think I can continue to do what I do after such an op.

 

[Andy BB]

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

It really infuriates me - this attitude that you can't have replacement joint surgery until its probable you'll die before it needs replacing again. I've had two hip replacements - one each side! - but had to have it privately, as I was "too young" - at 55 - to have the first one on the NHS. Which means most people have to put up with significant pain and loss of mobility, potentially for several decades, until they qualify based on age. Totally outrageous.

 

[santaman2000]

I haven't had a replacement, but I did have one knee scoped about ten or twelve years ago (in my mid 40s) I saw the x-rays of my knee before the surgery; the ligaments were completely shredded so we (myself and the orthopedic surgeon my doctor refered me too) decided to do the arthroscopic surgery to simply remove the ligaments. At first I was disappointed as the pain wasn't completely alleviated. But after a year or so it did begin to go away as excersize allowed muscle to do the job previously done by the ligaments.

Good luck and whatever you decide, let us know how it goes; both short term and long term.

 

[British Red]

Hi Mac,Don't blame you for taking charge of your decisions - you should. My family have at least three horror stories about the NHS - you are entitled to be cautious.

Anyway - to the positive message - Sue (our pigeon hunting ex nurse neighbour) had her knees done. She isn't yet back to full fitness, but regularly cycles thirty to fifty miles - which isn't bad considering she has a bus pass

 

[Macaroon]

Thanks for the replies, all; the idea is to arm myself with as much info as possible from people who have direct or indirect experience of all this, listen to what is said by those who are in control and then proceed on the basis of all of that............

Your neighbour Sue sounds a great success, Hugh, but I think I'd need more than a new knee to get me cycling these days; even the smallest and remotest of our lanes are now rat-runs for all the incomers from Bristol and the Midlands etc. who commute to work at scary speeds and make the roads a heart-stopping experience. I've ridden and driven horses around these parts for most of my life but had to give it up last year because of the danger, and I'm far from a faint-hearted boy.................

 

[British Red]

You wouldn't catch me doing it round here Mac - the roads are breaking up too badly - but she does and goes for miles with a cycle club - so theres not much worng with her knee