I know 3 people who have had them, all 3 in their late 60s. Two of those folks did very well. One had his other knee done later, and it was also like new. The 3rd ended up with some scar tissue that limited his ability to fully extend his leg, and he did not want to go back under the knife to clean it out. I was surprised he did so well (in spite of the scar tissue) because his kneecap was 90° offset...it was on the outside of his leg. It had been like that for a few years. He was pleased with the outcome, but certainly would have preferred to have full range of motion.
Orthopedics is an interesting specialty. It seems it all depends on 1) the condition of the patient over all, 2) the skill of the surgeon, 3) the technique and implants used. I knew a guy who had both knees done, but 2 years apart. The first had him in bed for a couple days and rehab afterward. The second two years later had him up on his feet the afternoon of the AM surgery and he was walking outside on paved trails the next day. Same doctor and hospital, but advances in technique and hardware made the difference in two years.
I was 72 when I elected to do an Anterior Hip Replacement. What I know now, I may have elected the good ole standard Posterior Replacement. I had horrid jagged points around my right groin/ pelvis. That pain is gone BUT I'm left with 5 areas of damage from the surgery: Adanced OA thru my body, Femoral Nevere Damage in surgery area, IT band damage outside area of Right Leg, Shorter right leg by 3 inches and I am now 5 2 vs 5 5 all my life before surgery. greater trochanter bruised on right side, .so what I wanted from t he Surgery I certainly didn't GET.... I encourage trying to FIX yourself without a KNIFE.....or living with what you know and not what you don't know until TOO LATE.
For anyone considering any type of surgery, I recommend you find a nurse who works at the hospital to talk to, be it directly or through a mutual friend. They have the inside scoop.
John, one can talk until they are BLUE IN THE FACE, it's not until one is DONE does one know.....and if a nurse wanats to keep her job, she will not give any advice good or bad about a doc,
True enough. That's one reason Janine is taking this informal survey...gather as much info as you can and then weigh the options. I really didn't have much choice with my disc. It was herniated and I could not move my right arm...and it was VERY painful. All it took was one look at the x-ray of my dented spinal cord for me to decide what to do. And my neighbor's knee was 90° out of position...the guy could not stand up. So we both asked around and made the most informed decision that we could to maximize the odds of a good outcome. If we want to discuss bad decisions with the outcomes to match, we can post pics from the Plastic Surgery Gone Bad websites (assuming it was driven by vanity and not other reasons.)
They are also going to take your health into question before they do a knee or hip surgery, @Janine Coral . My right knee is in bad shape from arthritis caused by vehicle accidents and bad horseback riding accidents. It clinks and clunks and shifts around when I walk or try to bend my knee. After the doctor took x-rays, he said I needed a knee replacement. However, once he realized that I had a-fib and heart failure, he said they could not do a knee replacement for me, just like the dentist said about pulling my tooth out. So, what he did was give me one of those cortisone shots and said it would help for about 6 months, give or take a few months. He said exercises for the knee would help. I looked up exercises I could do in water in the swimming pool at the fitness center, and started doing the exercises while the cortisone was helping stop the pain in my knee. It will never be like a new knee, but I still do the knee exercises when we go to the fitness center and in our back yard little pool, and it works much better than it did before I started the exercises. If you are unsure about the operation, you might want to try knee exercises and see if it helps you.
Hello and to those who replied and posted, thank you Helpful information, and I enjoyed reading the views and thoughts of other on this topic and sharing of their stories. I have my bases covered once I decide to move on the hip replacement ... As for myself, I have been putting on a needed hip replacement surgery for two years, Sure I have my reasons why, but still not ready quite yet to make the move and decision to go ahead with it. I have an Orthopedic Surgeon and also a Neuro Surgeon whom I converse with. So I've gathered all information to sink my teeth into for further consideration. I've been with my specialists for several years. I attend Physical Therapy monthly and have off and off for several years. It has been helpful...also I go to my local gym for other exercise that I feel is well worth doing, although at times it is hit and miss. I have severe Osteoporosis in my hip and knee and other joints throughout my body of 70 years old. My right hip is bone on bone... Over these past four years, I have taken two bad falls in the snow and ice, so that included and although recovered, it is still a part of the aches and pains package lol. Those left me with some issues of course, compression fractures but luckily no fully broken back. Also last Christmas Eve while carrying a heavier item down thirteen cements steps at my apartment, I lost hold of what I was carrying and went tumbling down six of those thirteen steps. landed hard on my back on the cement, and suffered some compression fractures to my back. fortunately I did not break it. That was a recovery of three months.. Ok finishing up here with this. Knowing myself and as I do so well, it is likely I will wait on this hip replacement until next Spring. Is it wise to do so? Probably not, but.... Ok now going to reread each of your posts again now Janine
'Thank you' for sharing this John, appreciate it, I like reading others experiences with related things...
I think having a Neurosurgeon on the team is important. I had one working alongside the Orthopedic guy when I had my cervical disc done. I, too, tried the PT route and also did spinal traction stuff to no avail. You can only apply just so much pressure to the skeletal system when you're working against tendons and muscles. These things are major decisions!!!! Sometimes it's easier when a catastrophe makes the decision for us.
Don, thank you for sharing.. Agreed, condition of patient overall, skill of surgeon, the technique and implants used..
Hi Joy, I am considering the Anterior Hip Replacement, and as is being recommended by my specialists. Thank you for sharing your experiences..
Exactly John, these things are major decisions, I agree. Your cervical disc, now I know that had to be hard, and the spinal traction, years ago of 25 I had bad cervical disc issues, and again from an injury. What a time that was at 45 years old. I at that time refused the surgery and it took so much time to make gain, gawd what a memory though. Tendons and muscles, and soft tissues, an arena of so much stuff to be up against. I want a NEW body, plain and simply lol
Hi Yvonne, Like you shared and when our other medical conditions would interfere with the considered surgery we might want to have, and like with your a-fib and heart failure. Gosh it is tough to deal with this stuff. I have had the corti-steroid injections in both my knee and hip, total of Four in the past two years. Probably i should have took up water exercises at the fitness center pool, but I didn't. These injections have given me pain and inflammation relief of 50 percent I think is fair to say. It is a good you gained some relief. Like you said also the cortisone shots can give relief of 6 months. For me they gave relief for aprox four months, but that was welcomed. I get another shot in two weeks.... I do prescribed knee exercise, but it can get too painful for me, my next shot into the knee is in one more month. Your injuries from the vehicle accident and bad horseback riding accidents, then the arthritis, leaving you clinking and clunking and it shifts around when you walk or try to bend your knee. I can relate somewhat. darned stuff can be so frustrating.. Very much appreciate your post, thank you.