<p>I have had a couple of arthroscopic surgeries on my R knee over the year to remove bits of torn cartilage and recently that knee started hurting in a new and exciting way. My DH insisted that I go ahead to the doc to see what was going on…this was about a month before our daughter’s wedding. Long story short: I now have an obnoxious yet effective custom orthopedic brace on that leg; plan to begin a series of three euflexxa shots as soon as they get it all approved, etc; and the doc said I was looking at a partial knee replacement when all else failed. </p>
<p>Thing is, I want to STAY ACTIVE!! I have read conflicting opinions in various places saying partial knee replacement is better and allows for more activity after surgery or, contrariwise, that total knee replacement is more stable and permanent and allows for more activity upon recovery. This doc comes highly recommended and if he says the partial operation is preferred, I am inclined to believe him, but I intend to have a conversation with him about that. Also, scheduling is important for my job…I work with church music and being out of commission around Christmas or Easter just would not be good. </p>
<p>Any way, I’d be very interested to hear if anyone on here have had this surgery or have had the injections? I am not talking about steroid injections, but the stuff they put in there to “cushion” the joint. It’s supposed to last up to 6 months. Euflexxa is one “brand”.</p>
<p>Ive had steroid injections and also synvisc-one.
Neither did anything, although the steroid IV & medication I was given after a run in with some hornets, helped.
I had a complete knee replacement last year. I would suggest you go to at least three ortho surgeons for recommendations. ( I would also suggest the synvisc-one, because you will know sooner whether it worked or not & then you can get started on a real treatment sooner, if it didnt help- plus getting injected into the knee capsule is kinda gross, you don’t want to do it more than you have to)</p>
<p>I was seeing one of the best in the city & he was very experienced( professional sports teams mostly), but he refused to do a TKR because I was " too young", even though I could no longer walk without a cane & could barely walk around the block * with* one. (& even though my MRI showed I had NO articular cartilage)
I ended up going with a pretty young surgeon, but he did a great job.</p>
<p>Interested in learning more about the injections as well. I had a large flap tear in my posterior medial meniscus repaired last week and my surgeon wants to do the injections once the knee has completely healed. I HATE joint injections (have had cortisone in my elbow and shoulder) and am loathe to subject myself to these, but if it will give me more comfortable mobility I’ll consider it. I have little cartilage left between the head of the femur and the knee cap and he shaved some jagged edges during the procedure last week. My knee issues are longstanding and originated from sports injuries. Replacement has not yet been mentioned. My goal is to be able to comfortably exercise, walk miles while traveling and hike without pain! Not much… </p>
<p>Thanks for your reply! I could see easily even on a weight-bearing x-ray that there is no cartilage space on the medial side of my knee…and that the bones were touching. The x-ray was up on the screen before the doc came in…and he first looked at my knee and manipulated it and said what he thought was going on….then looked at the x-ray and was like, oh yeah, that’s not good. The MRI confirmed it. </p>
<p>I am just a bit confused about the partial vs total. Some literature i have found suggests that pkr’s are getting better and more long-lasting than TKRs and then other sources say the opposite. I definitely seem to have just one side of the knee that is bad at present, and all the ligaments are intact, so that’s good for a PKR. </p>
<p>I am usually not squeamish about injections, but the Euflexxa (you had another similar one, but the auto correct here won’t even let me write that!) kinda freaks me out. I have read some accounts of it being pretty painful. Only to maybe get a few month’s relief. not sure I want to do that!</p>
<p>It wasnt painful, not anymore than going to the dentist, but I also have high pain tolerance, so the Dr didnt do any numbing first. Generally they may rub novacain or give you some with a small needle.
The yucky part is that the hydralonic fluid is viscous, so fairly large needle and it goes in slowly.that feeling is pretty weird & uncomfortable.
However if it helps you, that would be great.
I knew that I was way too far gone for a partial, but it might be the right choice for some people.
This is a very helpful site with lots of information.
<a href=“http://bonesmart.org”>http://bonesmart.org</a></p>
<p>I got a steriod shot yesterday. It’s my fourth and if she hits the right spot, usually lasts for 6 months. (One time it didn’t do anything.) I’ve also started using a small heel lift in one shoe, because I suspected that leg might be slightly shorter, agravating the other knee. That has really helped me. I hear all about knee replacements in my water aerobics classes. I make mental notes on the doctor names and procedures. There has only been one partial and, IMHO, she doesn’t appear to be doing so well. You’re doing the right thing by asking around.</p>
<p>I just really want a conversation with the doc or someone in his office, at least. When I was there before, I guess I was a bit shell shocked to see what I saw and to hear him say I’d eventually need at least a PKR. Now I am reading about it and thinking about the timing of it all. If the shots will give me some relief and also protect the joint from further degradation until I have the surgery, then well-and-good. I am thinking August would be a good time for me, work-wise, so I want to check to see if that is reasonable. Coincidentally, I was talking to a good friend yesterday who had asked me about the giant brace on my leg….and she heartily recommended my doc before I even said his name. So that’s good, I guess….</p>
<p>I have had two steroid injections since last Feb. One right before my D’s wedding and one about a month after that, right before a week long trip to Disney World with our grandson. I am pretty sure that has worn off now. Or at least it’s become more uncomfortable…</p>
<p>My mom had bad knees and one TKR…should have had a second, but her health deteriorated and she passed away. I always hated how she could not do things because of her knees and told myself I’d never be that way….so this really is making me annoyed at myself. </p>
<p>It is pretty scary contemplating even partial replacement.
My mom & grandmother also had knee replacements, my grandma at 75 and my mom at 65, I was 55, when I had it done.( they both died ten yrs later- so I am determined to not do that)
They also were double jointed, as am I, although I am quite a bit more so. Makes for unstable joints.
I am more active than they were, but I would like to increase it even more, in order to go hiking this summer.
Its very important to do exercises every day, if I am inactive for even a day, I feel it.</p>
<p>As scary as it is contemplating knee replacement, having total knee replacements at age 50 and 52 changed my life for the better.</p>
<p>I was in so much pain that I could not sleep through the night without painkillers. I would take a painkiller to sleep and when it wore off, I would wake up from the pain and then lie there contemplating whether I should knock myself out again or tough it out so that I could get up and go to work in the morning.</p>
<p>I was very reluctant before my first surgery. I spent years with every single type of injection that worked or wore off after shortening period of times. By the time I had surgery, I had exhausted every single alternative. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t been so reluctant.</p>
<p>I did physical therapy before each knee replacement to build up my core muscles and my leg muscles. I was discharged to home rather than rehab. I was vigilant with my physical therapy rehab.</p>
<p>Two years after my second knee replacement, I have lost the 20 pounds I gained due to inactivity. Not thin, I am middle-aged heavy but not obese. I can garden, ride a bike, occasionally ice skate, walk for recreation, and do stairs without even thinking about it. I can visit a museum, go through an airport, and shop at a mall without scouting out the next place to sit. I can sit on the floor and then get up from it. I cannot kneel or crouch well, but then those activities were out of the question before the surgery. My cane is in the basement, hopefully stored there for good.</p>
<p>My coworkers and my family tell me that I am a much nicer person now that I have had the surgery. I guess I was tired and grumpy all the time, but pain and lack of sleep will do that to you. I certainly feel so much better now.</p>
<p>It took about a week to be in less pain than before the surgery and about 6 months to feel great. There is no question that knee replacement surgery was the right choice for me. </p>
<p>Thanks for sharing such encouraging stories! I am 58 (just had my b’day) and try to walk around 2 miles a day, though even with the brace that is getting to be more and more challenging. Up until pretty recently, the discomfort has been totally bearable, most of the time. But I can see the evidence of the issue on the x-ray and MRI, and don’t want to get to the point that I am immobile. Goodness knows I have enough problems keeping extra weight off (or taking the extra weight that is already there off) as it is!</p>
<p>Update: I have scheduled the series of 3 Euflexxa shots beginning on May 12th. I am hoping if they work well, I won’t have to wear this awful brace when we go on a cruise in early June. :)</p>
<p>I had a partial knee replacement in 2010 and wound up having to have it redone with a full knee replacement on the same knee last October- just over 3 years. I initially had pain for quite a few years before I went to the Orthopedist. He was highly recommended and well known in our area. After all the tests came back he showed me that only the inside of my knee was damaged and he recommended a partial replacement. His reason for partial vs. full was that since I was fairly young for a knee replacement and the typical life of a replacement is around 20 years I would most likely need to have it redone in my lifetime. The partial required removal of less bone and thus allowed a second replacement more easily when the time came. I researched but unfortunately did not get second opinions. I had the partial done and felt like I was recuperating well for about 6 months at which time progress seemed to slow. I checked around and was told by many that full recovery often takes 1-2 years… The Dr. indicated everything looked good and that I was being impatient. However, I found I was limited in how far I could walk and Icould do no strenuous exercise without pain. By 2 years, it was obvious that it was not going to be as good as new, but I just figured that I had set my hopes too high and that it was not going to meet my expectations of being the “bionic knee”. Then in May last year, pain started increasing. I soon had instances of my knee “sticking” and it would be painful to reposition- I would have to almost force it to move. Finally, one day my knee “stuck” in a slightly bent position and became excruciatingly painful to move- much worse than anything I had ever experienced before surgery!! I could not put any pressure on it or even move it without being almost in tears. My husband finally took me to an Urgent Care (it was Sat.) and the xrays showed that the knee had broken away around the lower end. They put me in a brace and on crutches. When I went to the new orthopedist (my insurance had changed and is an HMO) he was very tactful about criticizing the first Dr., but indicated that he no longer will do partials as he has had continuing issues with them. He is a younger Dr. than the first and has some pretty impressive credentials. When he did the surgery to replace the partial with a full, he ended up having to construct a wedge to provide a flat surface for the joint, as the old one had chipped and broken away. It has now been 6 months and I am well on my way to that bionic knee. I have no pain in the joint at all anymore and can do anything I want to in terms of exercise. I feel like it is just about as good as new and am back to my more exuberant, active self. I had not really hiked with my family for almost 5 years and I was always the one who had to take a break on trips to rest my knee. No more of that and I will climb Half Dome with my family this summer! Anyway, I highly recommend talking to a lot of people before proceeding with a partial replacement. I have met others with the same issues since I had mine done and would not recommend it to anyone. </p>
<p>Churchmusicmom, I am sorry to hear about your knee troubles. I have had three different series of injections (not including cortisone injections) and have had some relief from them. I am following this thread as I have osteoarthritis which has been a real bear. In 2003, I had a partial right claviculectomy due to shoulder impingement caused by degenerative joint disease. In 2006, I began experiencing right knee pain, had some fluid drawn from the knee, and then had a cortisone injection which gave me some short-term relief only. I have a pretty high threshold of pain and didn’t go back until December 2007 when I had more fluid drawn from the knee and began a series of Orthovisc injections which gave me almost three years of fair relief. In mid 2011, I began experiencing left knee pain and finally saw the doctor about it in early December 2011, at which time I received a cortisone injection in that knee. The next week, I tore my meniscus in that same knee by simply leaning into the car. Suddenly, my “good” knee became my “bad” knee. I had surgery and, three months later, when I continued to experience pain in my left knee, and increased pain in my right knee, I had a series of Supartz injections in both knees. I did have some relief, but it wasn’t nearly as long as the relief I’d had from the Orthovisc (I had requested the Orthovisc but, due to insurance changes, I was seeing a different doctor and they used Supartz at their facility). Since then, I’ve also had a series of Euflexxa in both knees. Last month, the pain in my right knee became so severe that I resigned myself to the fact that I’ll probably need to get a replacement, something my doctor had told me was in my future. I called and made an appointment to see a well-known knee doctor this upcoming Thursday. I really DON’T want surgery, but I think I need it. My limp has gotten worse and I notice that my left hip has even been hurting due to the overcompensation, I guess. Throw in the fact that I also found out I have osteopenia and the worst area of that is my left hip. I really am appreciative to those who share their experiences. Almost everyone I know who has had a knee replacement has said they wish they’d done it earlier. That gives me hope! </p>
<p>I wish good things for all of you who are also experiencing these aches and pains! I can honestly say it has made me miserable. I can’t imagine how anyone can actually like me, especially my husband, since I cannot stand myself much of the time. I have become such a curmudgeon! I just want to be me again. I want to walk without limping and without being in pain. I want to be able to stand and immediately walk without having to shuffle for the first few minutes. I had a dream the other night that I was out walking with my husband and my knees weren’t hurting and then I took off running and I could do it! I woke up so excited … and then I realized it was a dream. </p>
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