Stick with a knee brace or have an HTO?

Ruddyknee

I’m scheduled to have an HTO op to resolve the issues from osteoarthritis in my knee. I’ve also been given an offloaded knee brace. I’d be interested to hear if anyone has decided to forego an HTO and to just stick with a knee brace and how things have gone longer term with that decision. Similarly, if there’s anyone who has had an HTO and are glad they did (or wish they’d stuck with a knee brace!).

Anna

Hi @Ruddyknee and welcome to the online community,

I understand that you’re due to have HTO ( High Tibial Osteotomy) surgery to resolve the issues arising from osteoarthritis of the knee and you’d like to hear from others who have undergone a similar operation or who have stuck with a knee brace.

I’m sure if other members have experience of either an HTO or of wearing a knee brace they will be happy to share their experiences. All of our members live with arthritis in some way and are friendly and supportive so do keep posting with any questions or concerns you may have.

Meanwhile, I’ve found an NHS information leaflet on HTO which you might find useful to read - it gives details of the surgery itself and the road to recovery : https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/media/zrgnfay2/high-tibial-valgus-osteotomy-and-distal-femoral-varus-osteotomy_aug21.pdf The leaflet is published by Royal Berkshire hospital trust so although most of the information is the same, some details may differ depending on which hospital trust you are under.

Best wishes for whichever choice you decide to make - and please do let us know how you get on,

Anna ( Mod)

Ruddyknee

Thanks Anna, will do

frogmorton

Looks like @JMac

had this done in April this year posting this in the hope he/she will maybe pop by to let you know how they got on.

This is a very old thread too

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/18749/high-tibial-osteotomy

Best of luck from me too!

Ruddyknee

Thanks @frogmorton. I’ll try keep you all posted with with whatever I decide and how it goes

nick

frogmorton

Thanks Nick @Ruddyknee

when it's not a run of the mill procedure it's useful to hear what people do and how they get on. Best of luck

Ruddyknee

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/686694#Comment_686694

Ruddyknee

it’s been a while since I started this thread about whether to have an op (high tibial osteotomy) to alleviate osteoarthritis in my knee or to stick with a knee brace.

I had the op in July 2022, and it all seems to have gone remarkably well. I now have a straight leg, thus relieving the osteoarthritis, and can walk long distances perfectly well, although haven’t resumed running yet. Definitely something worth pursuing if you can

Poppyjane

Hi @Ruddyknee

It is good to hear from you and with such positive news. I am sure everyone faced with the same decision as you will benefit from knowing your outcome .

Thank you for sharing

Best wishes

Poppyjane (Moderator)

harrison

I heard about this the other day on social media - that American fitness influencer David Goggins had the same op though not sure how well his has gone. What were your symptoms before the op - was it persistent pain or occasional swelling flare ups? Im wondering what made you a good candidate for this rather than replacement?

Thanks

Paul

Ruddyknee

Hi Paul. The symptoms before the op were being unable to walk more than about 5 miles (even with a knee brace) without pain, and also a general persistent background low level pain. Didn’t enjoy stairs much either! The knee was a bit swollen too, and the leg was noticeably bowed (which is the root of the problem).

The problem first became apparent about a year before the op, when my knee gave way a few times and I couldn’t put any weight on it until the pain has subsided. In the months before this, I had started to get pain while running, sometime severe.

I was offered an HTO op rather than a knee replacement as I am quite active and ideally would like to resume doing a little running in future, so this was suggested as a more suitable solution. I was 65 when I had the op, and it seems to have been a huge success.

I no longer have any knee pain, except an occasional mild discomfort when walking, but this was explained as possibly being down to the odd bit of loose cartilage or something floating around inside the knee, and doesn’t last long. There’s no pain from the site of the op itself (although there was some pretty painful moments in the first few weeks post-op)

hope that helps

nick