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

damagedPEteacher

@Ruddyknee I have just been reading this thread and associated threads attached.

It has been suggested that I should have an Osteotomy, I am reluctant as only 38 and a PE teacher. I want to avoid the rehab process, this would impact lifestyle significantly. An offloader brace was an option - only after I asked about it.

How long did you find the brace useful for? Did you only start wearing the brace when pain was significant. I notice there is a year between your posts of wearing a brace/asking about one and the op you had.

Any information on brace effectiveness much appreciated

Ruddyknee

Hi @damagedPEteacher

just spotted your message, so apologies for the delay in replying.

The offloader in my experience was ok, but didn’t offer anywhere near as good a solution as the HTO. I think I wore the brace quite a lot, I guess for about 9 months, but especially when going out for a walk etc. It helped a bit but it was only really an interim solution.

I found the HTO completely transformed what I can do… I have now even resumed doing a spot of running (although only parkruns so far), and also did a a 90 mile long distance walk in September, covering up to 15 miles per day, just over a year after my op. Neither of these would have been possible with the brace. I can also walk up and down stairs with no problem, which I couldn’t do before without a bit of pain even with the brace.

if you can get the op and do all the post-op physio stuff, it’s definitely a better long term solution in my experience. I did have reservations about having the op, as it’s major surgery, but am very glad now that I went through with it.

would be interested to learn how you get on!

nick

damagedPEteacher

Oh wow @Ruddyknee this is great information. Thanks so much.

I am due to make a decision in March based on progress with brace and further scans. I think I will try and push the decision until end of the year and muddle through as the logistics work better for me.

one quick follow up Nick - how old were you when going through this?? The resultant physio etc. seems to be really quick and successful; more so than what I have been told so far.

damagedPEteacher

Sorry @Ruddyknee just seen the age in your first response

Ruddyknee

No problem, @damagedPEteacher . Hopefully as you’re a lot younger your recovery should be faster than mine. I should probably have done more gym work etc post-op to strengthen the muscles which had weakened. Cycling also felt so much better post-op, although it took me about a year after the op to feel ready for this. Good luck and I hope it goes really well