I have had multiple ops on my left knee following variious spI a still sporting injuries. I cannot fully straighten it and i have a severe blocking / twanging issue at the back. Consultant has said i will need a TKR but i am not sure wether to go for it or not?? I am in pain every day and wopuld say my quality of life is affected at the moment. Some stories tell you that TKR would give me a new lease of life others dont. Do i put up with the pain etc as long as possible (which i could to be honest) or do i opt for TKR. I am 42 yrs old and am concerned for the future? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I for one am so pleased I have had a knee replacement. My quality of life has improved dramatically. Christine NZ
Hi Christine - what were your problems originally? How long ago did you have the TKR?
thanks for the reply
Had my op 7th Nov. See specialist next Tuesday 16th. Will be nearly 6 weeks then. Hoping I will be able to drive. Had been dragging my leg for ages. Agony trying to stand. All gone now. Marvellous
Christine NZ
Prosthesis have a 10-15 year life as we currently know about. Generally speaking, there is a one time replacemen. Who knows what research and development will come up with in the next 15-20 years. Have they discussed injections as a band aid stop gap. Really, only you as the person in pain can make that decision. Most of us on here weren't left with much choice. Others will have other comments I'm sure
ihad two ops on my knee before TKR.. i am not in as much pain as i was 14 weeks on and I am building up my quad strength as it was very weak prior to op so almost impossible to walk for first month or so..... If I could give you any advice ...Make sure your muscles are strong before op... and be prepared to put in a lot of effort afterwards... good luck... I am 56..... I am glad most days I had it done .... just hard going... but hopefully worth it in the end... good luck..
I had a severe knee injury when I was a teenager which resulted in the removal of all my outside cartilage - it all started there! I'm 4 wks op from my TKR, I'm 48. Prior to this I had 3 other surgeries after my initial one as a teenager. These were to clean-up the knee, etc. I also had 3 additional surgeries over the years which included SYNVISC injections (2x), Platelet Rich Plasma injections, microfracture (to stimulate the growth of new articular cartilage), etc. Some worked and some did not. I was then told to wait until I was 50 (the younger you are the more ware/tear you do on the prosthetic) for a TKR. In the meantime I developed osteoarthritis. The pain and quality of my life over the last few years were awful. So long story short because I waited so long I wore my hips out so I had to have my hip replaced just over 3 months ago before this knee.
In my opinion if your pain is so bad it's cronic and the quality of your life is affected look into the TKR. It can also affect your other joints with how you walk because of the knee. Like it did for me.
As everyone states, it's a tough recovery with working real hard to get the range of motion back. Good luck!