Knee surgery a knee or not a knee

Kimbo

Wanted to ask for your expertise , I expected to have a small op to repair cartalidge , however, consultant said only option was knee replacement . I am 58 and have lost some weight recently through taking up running , was also told to stop this. I have , so far, refused the op for many reasons ..am I just prolonging the inevitable or can anyone recommend an alternative . . .? My knee is st it’s worst when driving , so can certainly not afford to stop this ... my thoughts are it will be painful whether or not I am running ...all advice appreciated , thanks

[Deleted User]

Hi kimbo welcome to the forum, so sorry you are going through pain at the moment. The forum is full of lovely understanding and encouraging people who will understand what you are going through. The most popular forums are Living with Arthritis and Chit Chat.
All the best Christine

stickywicket

Hello and welcome.

This is quite an unusual thread for us. Most people who come on here with knee or hip problems are desperate for a replacement joint yet told they have to wait.

I can see your dilemma and I'm wondering just how much you know about knee replacements. This page should fill you in a bit https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/knee-replacement-surgery/

New joints are wonderful when they work well and, for most of us (I've had 3 knees and two hips. I've had rheumatoid arthritis since I was a teenager) they do. But they have their limitations. Most doctors say that you shouldn't run with one. You will find stories, usually on runners' sites, of people who do marathons with a TKR but it's asking for trouble. Also, we have to put the time in post-op to ensure they are safe and secure before doing anything much. This means, at first, doing the exercises prescribed to get the muscles strong, resting and allowing recovery to happen and the cement to harden. The two ways we can most easily ensure a new joint fails are by not doing enough exercise and by doing too much. In all, it takes about 6 weeks before we can discard crutches and six to twelve weeks before returning to work. We are not insured for driving until we can safely perform an emergency stop.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/knee-replacement/recovery/

In answer to your question, if your surgeon thinks that only a TKR will help you then he is the expert and you will, eventually, need one. But, as to whether or not you need one now, only you can answer that.

If you've any other questions or anything that crops up when you read the links, do please ask.