why do you have to be over 60 to be allowed to have knee replacements

stacey1977

Hi

I went to see my consultant and he was looking at my notes etc and said yes you can have a knee replacement ..then he looked at my date of birth and said when you are 60 ! So I have to suffer for years with my painful knee

I then went back again after he did some leg length xray and mri scan and offered me surgery to put metal plate in my knee to ease the pain

I was wondering if anyone has had this surgery and does it work

sunnyside2

I have joined the waiting list to have my knee replaced at 49. They were very straight about how younger patients tend to be unhappier with knee replacement and that it will need revision as will not last lifetime. Its a gamble having it done younger- possible to end up worse off rather then better so it depends just how bad it is. For me I have already had multiple surgeries on the knee to try and eke it out but its not going to last till 60 how it is so they have agreed to do it.

The surgeries I had previous did help and gave me some extra years without having to have it replaced and for many they would have been complete fix .

Lilymary

Surgeons prefer to delay joint replacement as they can wear out after around 15 years, and they can only replace the new joint one more time. So the younger you are when you have the first replacement, the greater the risk that you will wear out both new joints in the longer term leaving you with very limited options in old age. Having said that, I do know of a few people who have had joint replacement before 60, but they were extreme and unusual cases.

i don’t have experience of the type of surgery he’s proposed, hopefully someone else will come along to answer that question. It’s good that he’s looking at alternatives for you. At the end of the day, joint replacement is a form of extreme pain management, and the longer you can manage this by less drastic means, the better..

remmingtonwildhunter

I had my right knee done at 49 and my left one done at 52 im 56 but i was under RNOH in Stanmore it took an hour in surgery bit of clonking in my left knee but all was great...

stacey1977

Hi

Thank you for all your replies I guess the consultant knows what hes talking about and at the end of the day hes trying to ease my pain the best way he knows